Preventing paralysis tick in Queensland dogs (and cats): what every owner needs to know

Every October, Queensland vet clinics start filling with wobbly dogs.

By November, some of those dogs don't go home. Paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) kills dozens of Queensland pets every year that were healthy the day before, and the ones that survive often need thousands of dollars of hospital care and days on a ventilator.

The good news: paralysis tick is almost entirely preventable if you know what you're doing. This guide walks through everything a Queensland dog or cat owner needs to know, when the risk is highest, what the early signs look like, what prevention actually works, and what to do if you find one on your pet.

Note before we start: this article is general information. It doesn't replace veterinary advice. If you think your pet has a tick or is showing symptoms, ring your vet or an emergency clinic straight away. Waiting to Google symptoms is one of the biggest reasons dogs don't survive.

What paralysis tick is (and why it matters)

Paralysis tick is a small grey-blue tick native to the east coast of Australia. It's most common along the coastal strip from north Queensland down to Victoria, particularly in bushland, along creeks, and in suburban gardens that back onto reserve areas.

When a paralysis tick attaches to a pet and feeds, it injects a neurotoxin. Within 3-7 days that toxin starts to shut down the nervous system, working from the back legs forwards, eventually paralysing the muscles that control breathing.

Untreated, tick paralysis is nearly always fatal.

Treatment (antiserum plus intensive care) works, but it's expensive ($2,000 to $5,000+ is common) and even with treatment about 5% of pets don't survive. Prevention is genuinely the whole game here.

When ticks are worst in Queensland

Traditionally, paralysis tick season in South-East Queensland runs September through March, peaking in October, November and December as the weather warms and humidity climbs.

But two things have changed:

Warmer winters mean ticks are active year-round in many parts of coastal Queensland now. Cases are being seen every month of the year in Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.

Peak risk periods are lengthening. Some vets are seeing "season" start in August and stretch into May.

The safe assumption: if you live anywhere on the Queensland coast, your pet needs tick prevention all year, not just spring and summer.

Where paralysis tick lives

Anywhere with the right conditions. Common habitats:

• Bush reserves and national parks
• Creek edges, waterways, wetlands
• Long grass, especially near bushland boundaries
• Beaches with vegetated backdunes (yes, really, Bribie, Bribie-side beaches, Moreton Island)
• Suburban backyards backing onto reserves, which is where most Brisbane and Moreton Bay cases originate
• Bandicoots are the main host in the wild, so anywhere you see bandicoots is a hot zone

You do not need to go bushwalking for your pet to pick up a tick. A back garden in Redcliffe, Kallangur or Bribie can be enough.

The signs of tick paralysis, in the order they appear

Early symptoms are subtle and easy to miss. As it progresses the signs are unmistakable. Speed of recognition matters, every hour of delay increases the risk.

Very early (day 1-2 of tick attachment):

• Slight wobbliness or weakness in the back legs
• Change in bark or meow (softer, hoarse, croaky)
• Vomiting or retching (often mistaken for eating something dodgy)
• Reluctance to jump or go up stairs
• Reduced appetite

Progressing:

• Obvious weakness in the back legs
• Wobbly, drunk-looking walk
• Difficulty swallowing (drooling, food falling out of the mouth)
• Rapid or laboured breathing
• Dilated pupils

Emergency (final stages, life-threatening):

• Unable to stand
• Extreme difficulty breathing, grunting or gasping
• Paralysis progressing up the body
• Collapse

If your pet shows ANY of these signs, especially in tick season, go to the emergency vet now. Ring on the way. Do not wait to see if it improves.

If you find a tick on your pet

Stay calm. Removing a tick correctly is straightforward.

1. Don't panic-yank. Gently grip the tick as close to your pet's skin as possible using tweezers or a tick remover tool (chemists sell them for a few dollars, they're brilliant). Pull straight out with steady even pressure. Don't twist.

2. Save the tick in a small container. Take it to the vet with your pet. Species identification matters, paralysis tick treatment is different from bush tick or brown dog tick.

3. Take your pet to the vet immediately, even if they seem fine. Symptoms can appear up to 72 hours AFTER the tick has been removed. Preventive treatment is much cheaper and safer than emergency treatment.

4. Check the rest of your pet's body thoroughly. Where there's one tick there are often more, especially around the head, neck, ears, chest, armpits, and between the toes.

5. Note the date and time. Vets need this to assess how long the tick was attached and estimate risk.

Do not use lit matches, methylated spirits, kerosene, or nail polish. These old wives' tales cause the tick to inject MORE toxin before releasing. Just pull it out properly with tweezers.

Prevention that actually works

There are five categories of tick prevention. Some work brilliantly, some don't.

1. Prescription oral chews (best for dogs)

Products like Bravecto (12 weeks per dose), NexGard (monthly), and Simparica Trio (monthly) are all highly effective against paralysis tick. Simparica Trio also covers heartworm and intestinal worms in one dose, which is very convenient.

For most Queensland dogs, one of these three is the gold standard. Ask your vet which fits your dog's size, age, and health status.

2. Topical spot-on treatments

Frontline Plus is no longer effective against paralysis tick, so avoid it. Advantix works but is highly toxic to cats, so avoid it if you have both. Bravecto Spot-On works well, with monthly application.

Ask your vet before choosing. Some spot-ons are less reliable than oral chews.

3. Tick collars

Seresto collar (around $80-100, lasts 6-8 months) is well-regarded and works. It's a solid choice for dogs that can't tolerate oral medications.

4. Daily physical tick searches

This is not really prevention on its own, but it's essential BACKUP for any chemical preventive. Every evening in tick season, run your hands over your pet's whole body, especially:

• Around the head, ears, neck
• Under the collar
• Chest, armpits, groin
• Between the toes, around the paw pads
• Under the tail

Anything the size of a small pea or larger warrants investigation.

5. Environmental control

• Keep grass short
• Clear bush and leaf litter from your garden
• Fence off bushland boundaries if you can
• Avoid walking in bush and long grass during peak season if possible

None of these on their own are enough, but they help.

Prevention that DOESN'T work

• Garlic in food, ineffective, and actually toxic to dogs and cats in large amounts
• Essential oils, mostly ineffective, some are toxic
• Multivitamin sprays, no evidence they work
• "Natural" tick collars, highly variable, most don't work
• Just checking daily without a preventive, insufficient in a hot zone

Cats need prevention too

Cats can get tick paralysis. It's less common than in dogs (partly because cats naturally over-groom and often remove ticks themselves), but it happens and it's just as deadly.

Critical warning: many dog tick preventives are TOXIC to cats. Specifically, anything containing permethrin (Advantix, some spot-ons) can kill a cat within hours.

Use only cat-safe products. Bravecto Plus and Nexgard Combo are good options. Talk to your vet.

Your yearly tick plan

Set this up once, forget about it for a year:

• Choose a preventive with your vet
• Set a repeating calendar reminder for the dose interval (monthly or every 12 weeks depending on product)
• Do a daily tick check every evening from September through May
• Save the emergency vet number in your phone
• Schedule a vet check-up every 12 months to reassess as your pet ages

Finding a vet fast

If you find a tick on your pet or spot symptoms, the last thing you want is to be scrolling maps in a panic. Two clicks in an emergency beats twenty:

Save your regular vet's number in your phone right now. Do it while you're reading this.

Save an emergency vet number covering your area. In Brisbane and Moreton Bay, Animal Emergency Service has 24-hour clinics at Underwood, Jindalee, Carrara and Tanawha.

Bookmark Pet Health Hub's provider search, search by suburb, filter for vets, see who's actually taking bookings today.

A note from Pet Health Hub

We built Pet Health Hub because pet care in Australia was harder than it should have been. Finding a vet, tracking preventives, keeping records, all scattered. Everything on Pet Health Hub is free for pet owners, always. If your pet's tick prevention needs booking or your record needs updating, it's all in one place.

Whatever you do, don't let tick paralysis be the thing that catches you out this spring. Talk to your vet in the next fortnight, get your pet on a proper preventive, and enjoy a warm Queensland summer knowing you've done the one thing that matters most.

Related articles:

• 10 pet symptoms you shouldn't ignore
• What to do if you've lost your dog in Brisbane
• The Australian puppy first-year vet timeline (coming soon)

Pet Health Hub is Australia's marketplace and Lost Pet Register, based in Lawnton, Queensland. Free for pet owners forever. This article is general information and does not replace veterinary advice.