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NEVS | Protect Your Pet This Tick Season
One tick can change everything.
Spring on the Beaches brings warm sunshine and more time outside with your furry friend, but it also signals the return of one of our biggest pet health threats. For the team at Northside Emergency Veterinary Service (NEVS) in Terrey Hills, tick paralysis is a serious and all-too-common emergency. Knowing the signs, and acting fast, can be lifesaving.
If your pup loves to nose around the bush or garden, or your cat prefers lounging outdoors, they can easily pick up ticks. The paralysis tick thrives in coastal environments like ours and packs a dangerous punch for pets. Its toxin affects the nervous system, leading to rapid-onset paralysis and, in severe cases, death.
During peak tick season, usually spring to early summer, NEVS treats dozens of affected pets each week. Signs include wobbliness, vomiting, a change in voice, or difficulty breathing. Without treatment, things can escalate quickly.
Removing the tick doesn’t stop the danger. The neurotoxin can linger and continue to affect your pet after removal. Every suspected case should be seen by a vet immediately.
If you find a tick, use a tick remover or fine-tipped tweezers to extract it carefully, gripping as close to the skin as possible. Avoid squeezing the body. Place the tick in a sealed container and seek veterinary care immediately. Early treatment offers the best chance of recovery.
Prevention is best. NEVS recommends monthly tick prevention treatments from your local vet. Don’t skip daily tick checks, especially after time in bush or grass. Pay attention to ears, under the collar, between toes and under the tail.
Tick paralysis doesn’t keep office hours, and neither does NEVS — expert emergency care whenever your pet needs it.
Tick tips — spot the signs, act fast:
• The paralysis tick releases a toxin that can quickly shut down a pet’s nervous system and be fatal.
• Early signs: unsteady back legs, changes in voice, vomiting, weakness.
• Check your pet daily — ears, neck (under the collar), between toes, under the tail.
• Removing the tick won’t stop the toxin. Seek urgent veterinary care.
• Use monthly prevention recommended by your vet.
• Avoid bushy areas and keep lawns trimmed.
NEVS, 16 Myoora Road, Terrey Hills 2084 | (02) 9452 2933 | info@nevs.net.au
@northside_emergency_vet | @nsahevs | www.nevs.net.au
After-hours emergency vet care, 16 Myoora Rd Terrey Hills, (02) 9452 2933.
