Dog Paralysis Tick Effects On Humans That You Should Know

Paralysis tick is particularly notorious for causing paralysis and even death in pets like dogs and cats. However, at times it may grab a human too for its blood-meal. And for humans too it is not less dangerous. They can cause all the ill effects they cause in your pets and you should know them in order to eliminate them in time. Gordon Vet Clinic is a famous Turramurra vet hospital Turramurra NSW. Professional veterinarian doctors here give valuable tips about the effects of dog paralysis tick on humans and how it can be avoided or minimised.

How can Dog Tick Get on to Humans?

It’s quite rare that a dog paralysis tick get on you or your family member from your dog; but possibility can’t be eliminated. However, the paralysis tick gets on to humans mainly if they venture in tick-prone forest areas. Therefore, you should be careful while visiting these areas. Firstly you should avoid them. And if you visit them at all, you should wear clothes that fully cover your body. Remember that tick doesn’t drop on you; it crawls almost for a couple of hours on your body before it finds a suitable place. Once it finds a good place, it gets attached to your skin and starts embedding.

What are the Effects of Dog Paralysis Tick on Humans?

A tick gets attached to the skin of its host with its sharp mouthparts. Then it injects its anticoagulant saliva in the host’s blood so that blood doesn’t clot while it sucks the blood. This saliva is extremely toxic to pets and in humans too.

Sometimes Dangerous

In most cases, the effect of a tick bite can be limited to only a swelling and redness at the site of the bite if the tick is removed immediately. However, sometimes it can cause dangerous effects too, like an allergic response including anaphylactic shock or even tick paralysis. Allergic responses can lead to swollen throat and eventually difficulty in breathing or even collapse. In case of occurrence of such symptoms, immediate medical help should be sought.

Early Symptoms

Early symptoms of paralysis tick bite on humans may include headache, rashes, influenza-like symptoms, fever, lymph nodes becoming tender, inability to bear bright light, partial facial paralysis, unsteady gait and increased weakness of limbs. If you have had experienced these symptoms in the past, you should be well prepared always.

What to Do to Avoid Tick-bite?

You should regularly keep checking your dog or cat for tick. Dogs and cats are more prone to tick bite than you because their body is furry. Even if they are short-coated, tick prefer their bodies to yours because it can hide easily in the hairy skin. Therefore it is very difficult to find a tick on your dog’s body. Whether it bites yours or your dog’s body, you should immediately remove it, because its toxin is extremely potent and can cause even the death of your beloved pet, though in your case, it’s a bit less dangerous. Take help of your vet to remove tick from your pet’s body or remove it on your own with fingernails, tweezers, tick hook or even scissors.

Visit the website of Gordon Vet Clinic, an excellent North Shore vet hospital Sydney, where you can get a lot of information on paralysis tick and ways of protection from the parasite.