The tiny paralysis tick posing a deadly threat

Favourable weather conditions have meant a bumper breeding season for paralysis ticks, with hundreds of cases of affected animals needing treatment in recent weeks.

Paralysis ticks, found in shrubbery and bushland along the east coast of Australia, love warm and wet weather.

Inner South Veterinary Centre owner Dr Amanda Nott said spring was often the worst time for ticks, not only due to the climate but because pet owners travelling to the coast haven't taken the right precautions.

"It's a bad tick season," she said. "Spring is peak season. When people go for Christmas they think more about ticks than they do in spring," Dr Nott said.

At the Animal Referral Hospital in Fyshwick, clinical director of emergency Dr Vickie Saye said while they see tick envenomation all year round, there was a marked increase during spring and summer.

"This coincides with people travelling to the coast and taking their pets with them. However, we have recorded cases where only a household member has been to the coast, and inadvertently brought a tick back with them," Dr Saye said.

She said they had already seen 27 this year, which didn't include animals transferred from other vet clinics. Three of those were euthanised due to the cost of treatment.

According to Dr Saye, tick paralysis cases were low at the Animal Referral Hospital last year due to the introduction of two new preventative medications.

The higher numbers of cases this year were reflective of animals not being treated with preventatives, she said.

The two new preventatives, Bravecto and NexGard, were in the form of tablets, not applied to the coat as previous forms of prevention have been. This has meant a much more effective treatment, because it doesn't wash off when animals swim.

Despite a spike in cases being seen in spring in Canberra, Moruya Animal Hospital vet Dr Kerry Jackson said it's become a year-round issue at the coast.

"Once upon a time we had a more predictable tick season, with the warmer weather," Dr Jackson said.

"It's not really a season anymore, that's the problem, we've had tick cases all through the year."

She said the new preventative medication had been a "game-changer" for dog owners, and overall tick paralysis cases were down.

However, cats were still at risk, Dr Jackson said, because the medication was not yet available for them.

And while the tiny tick posed a deadly threat, it wasn't the only thing to watch out for in the warmer months. According to Dr Jackson at Moruya, while paralysis ticks are prevalent but preventable, snake bites had been a huge cause for concern.