Aussie woman warns other pet owners after alleged misconception about tick treatment left her with a hefty $1700 bill

An Aussie woman is warning other pet owners after an alleged misconception about tick treatment left her with a hefty $1700 bill and fearing for her young dog's life.

An Aussie woman is warning other pet owners after an alleged misconception about tick treatment left her with a hefty $1,700 bill and fearing for her young dog’s life.

Rose, who lives on NSW’s far south coast with her brother, was spending time with her two-year-old dog Boba Fett early one morning last week when she felt something unusual near his tail.

“I just happened to be cuddling him, and I noticed that near his tail at the base of his butt, there was a pretty hefty tick there,” she told Yahoo News Australia, comparing the insect’s size to a 10 cent coin. “It was quite engorged.”

Given that Boba Fett hadn’t recently spent any time in dense bushland, Rose said she was puzzled as to how the 40kg labrador/staffy/blue heeler mix had crossed paths with the deadly paralysis tick.

“He was actually not showing any signs… the only thing that I noticed was that he wasn’t jumping up on my bed, which he usually sleeps on with me, but that was the only thing that sort of made me feel like maybe he wasn’t feeling his best,” the 33-year-old explained.

“He was still eating. He was still happy and playful and rolling over for tummy rubs and everything.”

Pet owner stunned by vet's tick serum claim

Not long after she and her brother removed the tick, they noticed Boba Fett was drooling excessively and had difficulty standing up. The pair then rushed him to their local vet, who informed the siblings he was “very much showing signs of paralysis”.

“I was quite confused because we do give him his NexGard Spectra,” Rose told Yahoo, claiming the vet said the tick treatment doesn’t provide a full month’s coverage in areas with a large number of the insects, “especially for bigger dogs”.

“I was thinking that surely it should last a full month, especially considering the ticks weren’t swarming in the area at the moment and we don't go hiking in the dense bushland where you’d find a lot of ticks.”

However, the vet said the serum used to treat the tick’s toxin would cost $1,700, an amount that left Rose in despair.

“I was just in complete shock because I didn’t know how I was going to pay for it,” she said. “I didn’t have the funds on hand at all.

“My brother said not to worry about it, but I felt bad because he had been looking after me while I was trying to get back on my feet financially.”

The siblings later set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the vet bill.

Paralysis ticks can be found in humid, coastal regions along Australia’s east coast, with the population peaking from early spring to mid-summer. Larvae are found mostly in autumn and winter.

They are best known for the dangerous paralysis toxin they inject into their host, which can quickly shut down the body’s systems.

Ticks can be found in a number of places, said Dr Charlie May, an emergency vet at SASH Western Sydney.

“We can even bring ticks in on our clothes, which is why we recommend tick prevention for even indoor animals, because it’s really hard to predict,” he said.

“We’re getting ticks earlier and later in the season, so you have to be really careful.”

Ner Ner in Queensland and Mount Pleasant in Western Sydney are among the areas that usually see a high concentration of paralysis ticks.

In warmer areas such as Queensland, ticks are present year-round, whereas in Victoria, they usually die out during winter. However, due to climate change, they are now surviving even in Melbourne.

Paralysis ticks are not unique to Australia, with similar varieties found in the United States and Europe.

Early signs of tick paralysis include weakness, struggling to walk around, vomiting, a change in breathing, or excessive drooling.

If left untreated, the condition can quickly worsen, shutting down breathing and ultimately resulting in death.

Early intervention is crucial for a successful recovery.

Ner Ner in Queensland and Mount Pleasant in Western Sydney are among the areas that usually see a high concentration of paralysis ticks.

In warmer areas such as Queensland, ticks are present year-round, whereas in Victoria, they usually die out during winter. However, due to climate change, they are now surviving even in Melbourne.

Paralysis ticks are not unique to Australia, with similar varieties found in the United States and Europe.

Early signs of tick paralysis include weakness, struggling to walk around, vomiting, a change in behaviour, or excessive drooling.

If left untreated, the condition can quickly worsen, shutting down breathing and ultimately resulting in death.

Early intervention is crucial for a successful recovery.

NexGard Spectra provides 35 days’ control of ticks

Speaking to Yahoo about

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