This is Ginny's story.
Ginny was presented to our team by her concerned owner after having a frothy vomit and becoming unsteady on her feet. Following a physical examination and history collection, and after ruling out snake envenomation with a quick blood clotting test, it was suspected Ginny was suffering from deadly tick paralysis. A thorough tick search was performed, and two paralysis ticks were located. We quickly commenced life-saving treatment with tick antivenom, and in combination with other supportive treatments she made a rapid recovery. Ginny is now back home with her family after overcoming her terrifying ordeal.
Paralysis ticks are distributed along the east coast of Australia, including pockets around Braidwood and Armidale. Envenomation is seldom encountered in western regions of NSW and usually occurs after visiting coastal areas. However, paralysis ticks can hitch a ride on your clothes, luggage or in your car, and result in paralysis in your pets even when they haven't been to the coast with you. Visitors from the coast can also bring ticks back with them, resulting in tick paralysis in your pets. In Ginny's case, she had recently returned from a coastal holiday with her family and brought home some unwanted visitors. Symptoms of tick paralysis include dilated pupils, unsteadiness, inability to walk, rapid breathing and frothy vomits.
Tick paralysis is preventable, with many extremely effective products available. It is crucial that your pets are protected when visiting the coast. It's also important to have good flea, mite and tick prevention even when not visiting the coast to prevent those pesky hitchhikers from causing paralysis in your pets. Always read the fine print on any product that is purchased, as some products will advertise themselves as being a monthly application, but in much smaller and less obvious text disclose that more frequent dosing is required to protect against paralysis ticks.
Talk to one of our compassionate team members today about a complete parasite preventative plan for your pet, and how to protect them against deadly paralysis ticks.