October 14, 2022
Kingaroy vet Stephen Upton is alarmed by the number of pets being brought into his surgery recently which have suffered snake or tick bites.
Stephen, who owns the Kingaroy Veterinary Surgery, said there had been three snake bite victims brought in on just one weekend.
Overall, there had been about 15 cases recently.
But even more alarming was the number of cats and dogs that had been struck down by ticks.
He said he had treated more than a dozen patients in recent days, and it was still early in the tick season.
“I am really worried that it’s going to get a lot worse,” he told southburnett.com.au.
Stephen said the alarming thing was that avoiding tick paralysis was simple as there were so many very good products available on the market.
He urged pet owners to regularly check their animals for ticks and seek veterinary help at the earliest sign of any illness.
The RSPCA says dogs and cats with tick toxicity can have an unsteady gait, a dry cough or even just a change in their bark or meow.
The signs of a snake bite include:
- Sudden weakness followed by collapse
- Shaking or twitching of the muscles and difficulty blinking
- Vomiting
- Loss of bladder and bowel control
- Dilated pupils
- Paralysis
- Blood in urine
Owners who have even the slightest suspicion that their dog may have been bitten by a snake should seek urgent veterinary care.
- External link: RSPCA Tick Tips
