Your dog may display one or more of the following symptoms of tick paralysis, in any order:
- Loss of coordination in the back legs (wobbliness), which may progress to include the front legs. This is more pronounced when climbing stairs, jumping up or down, and moving in a figure of eight
- Difficulty standing
- Difficulty sitting
- Unable to move or rise from a lying position
- Laboured or rapid breathing, grunting noises and/or abdominal heaving
- Change or loss of bark
- Coughing
- Gagging and vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Inability to blink in one or both eyes
If you see the clinical signs above, search for a tick(s). If you find one, you can remove it with a tick hook or grasp it near the skin and remove it in a corkscrew action. Take your dog or cat to the vet and keep the tick so it can be identified. If you find it is too difficult to remove the tick, the tick’s head is left in the skin, or you can’t find the tick but strongly suspect there is one attached to your pet, don’t worry, the veterinary staff will help when you arrive.
