How to protect your pet during tick season in Australia

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There’s much to love about Australia’s warmer months, but tick season isn’t one of them! Unfortunately, these horrible parasites put our pet’s health at risk and can even be fatal, so knowing how to protect our four-legged friends is crucial.

Keep reading to learn how you can protect your pet during tick season.

WHERE DO TICKS* COME FROM?

While more common in the warmer months, your pet can be affected by ticks all year round. Ticks typically live in long grass, beaches, sand dunes, or bushland — all places your dog loves to roam.

But, ticks don’t just affect dogs; they can just as easily harm cats too. Owners can unknowingly bring ticks into their homes. If you’ve been outdoors, there’s a chance a tick might be hitching a ride on your shoes or clothing.

WHAT IS TICK PARALYSIS?

When a tick latches onto your pet, it can cause paralysis when the toxin produced by the tick is transmitted to the pet in the tick’s saliva (when the tick feeds). The toxin directly affects the pet’s nervous system. If this happens, your pet can become paralysed in a matter of hours.

Tick paralysis can be fatal and needs immediate attention, so look for these early warning signs and call your vet ASAP!

SIGNS OF TICK PARALYSIS

Keep an eye out for these signs of tick paralysis in your pet:

1. Drooling
2. Lethargy
3. Wobbly legs
4. Vomiting
5. Ragged breathing and coughing
6. Your pet may also collapse.

HOW TO SPOT A TICK

Ticks can be hard to spot — especially if your pet has a longer coat. That’s why regularly checking your pet’s fur is an excellent habit. Simply run your hands through your pet’s coat to carefully look for any lumps or bumps. Ensure you check all parts of your pet, including in and around tricky spots like the ears, between the toes and around the mouth.

Paralysis ticks appear different to other ticks. They have their legs close to the head and their body is often grey in colour — however, this is an unreliable identifying feature, as they can also be darker in colour.

You can also use a small comb to brush through your pet’s hair. Just be extra careful not to brush too hard — you don’t want to separate a tick’s head from its body if you come across one.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT TICKS?

A great way to prevent ticks is to keep an eye on your pet’s environment. This includes things like performing regular tick searches and keeping your lawn and garden well maintained.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to completely prevent our pets from coming into contact with ticks, so the best way to protect them is by treating them regularly with a tick prevention product.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER PARASITES?

Keeping your pet protected from parasites all year round is the goal, so don’t forget to keep up regular flea and deworming treatments too. Fleas, and your pet’s other daily habits, put them at risk of intestinal worms — another threat to your four-legged friend’s well-being.

*Ixodes holocyclus ticks do not occur in Western Australia.

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