Tick Paralysis
The causative agent of Tick Paralysis is a neurotoxin that is present in the saliva of ticks. Rocky Mountain wood ticks and American dog ticks are the most common vectors for this disease. Tick Paralysis is the only tick-borne disease that is not proliferated via a microbial pathogen.
Clinical signs usually manifest within 2 to 7 days following initial attachment of a tick. The first signs begin as leg weakness and eventually paresis. As the condition progresses, the signs of paralysis move up the body to the abdomen, arms, and then head within hours. Respiratory and organ failure may occur soon after resulting in death.
While the tick is feeding off a host, the neurotoxin produced in the salivary glands enters the bloodstream. A distinct differentiation between Tick Paralysis and other tick-borne diseases such as Erlichiosis and Lyme disease regards the presence of the disease while the vector tick is attached. Proliferation of tick paralysis seems to continue only while the tick is still attached, whereas other diseases remain in the host long after the offending organism is removed.
Though tick paralysis is most prominently spread by the saliva of Rocky Mountain wood and American dog ticks,
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Typically, the disease is self-limiting so long as the tick is removed. An exception is the Australian Paralysis Tick whose bite may be fatal even after removal if further medical treatment is not pursued. Mortality rates of animals that go without any treatment is about 10-12 percent. The majority of treated animals survive with no prolonged complications. There are no vaccines for tick paralysis or most tick-borne diseases. The best method of prevention for pets are tick collars such as Preventic by Virbac Animal Health. Avoiding tall grasses while on walks or hikes will also help avoid tick