Vet clinics are reporting a huge increase in tick cases this year, sparking a critical nationwide shortage of a potentially life-saving product used to treat paralysis in pets.
Fiona Nunn, who lives in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, knew right away something was wrong with dog Diva.
"She decided she wasn't going to eat … she was acting a bit funny, she was having trouble … coughing and swallowing and a couple of hours later, her legs decided to go," Ms Nunn said.
"That was it, we put her in the car and got her off to the vet as quickly as possible."
The four-year-old Belgian Malinois is now on the mend after being bitten by two paralysis ticks in September.
"She was 'touch and go' as to whether she had to go on a ventilator," Ms Nunn said.
"She's still got a couple of niggly little problems … but it's very minimal.
"She's getting her energy back and she's back to being a 'two-step launcher' when she goes to walk – takes two steps and launches off and takes your shoulders off – but prior to that, she'd lost all energy and she couldn't hold her own back legs up."
Ms Nunn said Diva was not the only dog at the vet suffering from tick bites.
"Just in the time Diva was at the vet, there was 14 other [tick paralysis] cases in the one week at the one clinic," she said.
'Explosion' of tick cases
Emeritus Professor at Murdoch University, Peter Irwin, who is a member of the Australian Veterinary Association, said recent wet and warm weather along Australia's east coast had seen an "explosion" of paralysis tick numbers.
"All that rain we've had on the east coast over the last few months, there's certainly many more ticks around at the moment," Emeritus Professor Irwin said.
"Particularly the Australian paralysis tick, that's the tick that is of most risk to our pets – it also bites people as well.
"It's found predominantly along the eastern coast of Australia, east of the divide and of course we've had the very wet weather there … it has led to an explosion of the paralysis ticks," he said.
Critical shortage of tick antiserum
That's seen a critical nationwide shortage of a treatment for dogs and cats showing signs of paralysis after being bitten by the parasite.
Veterinary nurse Tahlia Woodlock at Toowong Family Vet in Brisbane's inner-city said her clinic was running dangerously low on supply of the tick antiserum.
"All we know is there is a massive delay," Ms Woodlock said.
"Our suppliers estimate they'll get more stock around November 18 and then it will take a couple more days to get to clinics so we're looking like at least three weeks without any supply.
"Even then, nothing's guaranteed, we're just hoping we can ride this wave until we get back supply.
"We do have minimal stock [but] they only come in 50-millilitre bottles so one patient, say, a small 5-kilo dog may take 10 millilitres, a large 30-kilo dog might take 25 to 30 millilitres of the tick anti-serum so they can go through it very, very quickly," she said.
UQ Vets, the University of Queensland's small animal centre, said it had also experienced difficulty getting stock and had heard it could take two to four weeks for more to arrive.
University of Queensland lecturer in veterinary parasitology Swaid Abdullah told ABC Radio's Craig Zonca that while it was a short-term issue, it was still "a worry".
"Especially for dogs who might be suffering from this tick paralysis at the moment," Dr Abdullah said.
"It takes some time to produce this antiserum."
Dr Abdullah said the UQ vets school was seeing several tick cases a day.
A spokesman for Victorian tick anti-serum manufacturer, Padula Serum, said the shortage was due to extreme demand and it was hoping to have more stock by December.
"Ticks are extremely prevalent at the moment and are deadly to your pets, causing a progressive paralysis leading to potential respiratory and heart failure," the spokesman said.
"The antiserum is only used by veterinarians for animals showing signs of paralysis."
Tick paralysis 'avoidable'
Ms Woodlock said tick paralysis was avoidable through tick control and preventable products.
"Prevention is key, the only animals we have to treat are the ones who have not been on any form of prevention," she said.
"We have products on hand that can stop your pet becoming symptomatic and therefore needing treatment."
She said pet owners should be "extremely vigilant" over the next two months and know the warning signs.
"It always starts in the back legs and progresses forward, breathing issues, lethargy, gagging, if your pet just looks a little bit drunk, those are the common signs.
"It's always symmetrical, it's not just one limping on one leg, it's always on both legs and that's probably the most common symptom we see – is inability to stand, jump or walk.
"Also try and avoid areas which are scrubby, bushy areas and long grasses – nowhere is safe, we have animals [with ticks] coming from houses with perfectly manicured gardens, no long grass and they've still picked up ticks."
"If we keep our pets safe until supply comes back, that's the best option," she said.
Emeritus Professor Irwin said owners should check their pets daily, with "year-round" tick prevention critical.
"Run your hands across your pet every day, particularly around its neck, head, face and ears, feeling for the tick."
"With the paralysis tick, it only takes one tick to make a pet really very seriously ill," he said.
Dr Abdullah said once a tick attached to an animal, it started feeding immediately and could stay for seven to 10 days.
"They can get bigger and bigger as time passes and can grow to the size of our fingernail," he said.
