Alternative Animal Care - Paralysis Ticks

This is Rocket, our mini-foxie cross Jack Russell terrier.  He's a small dog, and only about 8 months old now.  Recently, Rocket got a paralysis tick on his neck.  By the time we noticed it, Rocket was already ill - ears down, irregular breathing, no appetite or thirst and he was having difficulty with balance and mobility.

The tick was removed swiftly, without squeezing.  By squeezing the tick, more neurotoxins are released into the host animal, so it is very important to not squeeze the body of the tick.  People often panic about the head being removed, or not, but from what I have read this is not the most important factor to consider.

We immediately began treatment with a locally made homeopathic blend for paralysis tick bite containing lathyrus sativus, ledum, hypericum, hydrastis aconite and tick nosode.  This remedy cost under $20 and the dose is 2 drops every 15 mins for 3 hours, then hourly, then 3 times a day as needed.  One bottle is more than ample to treat any size animal through a paralysis tick crisis.

We also gave him 1ml (500mg) shots of liquid Vitamin C.  We bought this from the local feed store for under $15 (we live in a rural area, in a city perhaps a pet shop or vet clinic would stock this product).  The syringes and needles are available from the same stores and cost under a dollar.  It isn't hard to inject this product, but do keep in mind that it's highly acidic and therefore painful.  We gave injections every hour for awhile, and then increased duration between shots down to twice a day once Rocket seemed quite well again.  Liquid Vitamin C is also an effective first aid treatment for snake bites.

For over 48 hours Rocket was hardly moving at all and had laboured breathing.  He was shivering and shaking due to the effects of the toxins on his nervous system.  He could not drink and we only put a little water or remedy on his lips and gums in case he inhaled the liquid due to internal paralysis.  On the third day, Rocket began to drink a little, but could not hold any water down until that evening.  Everyone kept asking us if we should take him to the vet, but we believed that the homeopathic treatment, combined with the vitamin C, would be successful.  We kept him cool and quiet and paid attention to his needs almost around the clock.

After the third day of treatment, Rocket was completely his usual self.  It was hard to believe how sick he had been.  We have been trying to keep him quiet due to the stress the toxins have had on his body, but he's living true to his breeding, name and personality - tearing about like a little rocket!

Now we are giving Rocket his homeopathic immunisation - a combination including Ixodes holo exactly as prescribed (3 drops every 2 months) and we are checking him for ticks at least once daily.

I'm sharing this story for other animal owners who want to have inexpensive, natural treatments at hand for tick paralysis, a condition which affects many thousands of pets and smaller farm animals (especially calves, foals and goat kids) in Australia every year.  There are commercial tick prevention treatments and antiserums, which are accessible through your local vet clinic.  These can be toxic and expensive.  For more information about paralysis ticks, including images, see this web page.  To access homeopathic preventative and treatment as I've descried here, seek out a local animal homeopath.

My local Animal Homeopath is:
Dina Glass
wholistictreeoflife.webs.com
07 40976366

Dina does mail order.