Tick Paralysis

Tick Paralysis

Dr. Joan Stewart -Hay D.V.M. warned Manitoba dog lovers last year about the dangers of ticks. She has given permission to post her information. We at DogTravelPro think all who own dogs need to know the risks that these pesky little ticks pose to our pets.

Tick paralysis is a sudden onset quadriparalysis caused by salivary neurotoxins secreted by certain species of female ticks. The neurotoxin probably interferes with how nerve endings function. Signs usually occur about 5-9 days after tick attachment.
Not all tick infested animals develop paralysis and not all female ticks produce the toxin.
There are 4 different species of ticks in United States and 2 in CANADA and 1 in Australia that can secrete the neurotoxin.

1.Dermacentor variabilis or the American Dog Tick is found in the eastern two-thirds of the US and in California and Oregon and in Western Canada, including Manitoba.

2.Dermacentor andersoni or the Rocky Mountain Wood Tick  is found from the Cascades to the Rocky Mountains and in BC

3.Amblyomma americanum or the Lone Star Tick is found from Texas and Missouri to the Atlantic Coast.

4.Amblyomma maculatum is found along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico seaboards.
In Australia, Ixodes holocylus is found along the coastal areas of the east.

Tick paralysis causes a rapid ascending weakness. You might notice rear limb weakness followed by forelimb weakness and quadri-paralysis. Muscle tone is poor. Occasionally cranial nerves may be affected, most commonly facial weakness, not able to eat or drink well, or decreased jaw tone. Pain sensation remains intact. Muscles of respiration may become paralyzed in severely affected patients.
Removing the tick (s) results in improvement of signs within hours; complete recovery is usually within 1-3 days. If a tick can not be found, the patient should be dipped in an insecticidal bath. Other species of animals are occasionally affected.

In Canada, there are four major tick species affecting dogs:
We have 3 species in Manitoba and 1 CAN CARRY TICK PARALYSIS “our woodtick also known as the American dog tick or Dermacentor variablis

1. American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) MANITOBA can be found in Canada from Saskatchewan to the Maritime provinces. Our MANITOBA WOOD TICK    can carry tick paralysis but cases are RARE

 

(Dermacentor andersoni or Rocky Mountain wood tick) exists in the most arid parts of North America, central British Columbia, through southern Alberta into southwestern Saskatchewan. Most cases are seen in BC

 

(These are the 2 ticks in Canada known to carry tick paralysis)

 

2.Blacklegged tick – Deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) found in MANITOBA

and Western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus)

are both found along the Pacific Coast, most specifically in southern British Columbia in the vicinity of the Fraser Delta, and on the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island.
These 2 are the carriers of Lyme Disease and Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis-an organism which can cause bacterial infection. We test for these in the new heart worm test Snap 4DX

3.Brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) can occur throughout North America. In Canada, distribution is intermittent with small numbers of localized populations . It is the only species of tick that infests human dwellings and kennels in North America. It appears to be cold intolerant and only persists in temperate regions within kennels and homes. The species is very common along the Pacific Coast. Occasionally seen in Manitoba with new dogs from American kennels

4.Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum) Small numbers of Amblyomma americanum (Lone Star tick) have been found in the St. Lawrence area and Quebec, but these are not established populations.