- November 14, 2024
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Recently there was a report about a dog in Oregon, who was saved by a vet intern, who found a tick attached behind its ear.
According to the report, the owners brought their dog into the vet because he was paralyzed. Tests were done. The family and the vet agreed, the dog was in so much distress, the humane thing was euthanasia.
The family had been out in the wildnerness, hiking with their dog. In my opinion, and I am not a veterinarian, that was the first red flag, ticks would have been the first thing I would have started looking for.
Dogs like Ollie, a border collie in Oregon, have thick coats, so this isn't always the easiest thing to do.
They said he had a tick collar on him, but nothing is 100 %, and there are different qualities of preventatives. Using a tick preventative helps protect your dog, but doesn't replace actually checking their coats for the unwanted hitchhikers.
The vet in Oregon said tick paralysis is uncommon. Maybe so, but one dog, especially if it is yours, is enough.
I took a break from writing a couple years ago, and served as Halifax Humane Society's Volunteer Manager. I talked about ticks in the dog walking classes, and what to do, if volunteers saw a tick on a dog. Ticks can be found anywhere, not just in wooded areas.
Volunteers were told that if they saw a tick to; A. Remove it, or B. Let a kennel attendant know so they could remove it immediately. We also told them to be especially aware if they saw one or more ticks along the spine, because that can cause temporary paralysis.
This is something every dog owner, especially those who do like to hike and camp with their canines, should know to look for and how to treat.
