7 Things Every Aussie Dog Owner Needs to Know Before a Paralysis Tick Gets to Their Dog This Season
Number 4 is the one most owners get wrong — and it's the reason dogs on "full protection" still end up on a drip.
Spring on the east coast: the backyard is where most dogs pick them up.
It's the size of a sesame seed when it climbs on. By the time you find it, it can be the size of your fingernail — and your dog may already be struggling to stand.
Every spring and summer, emergency vets along the east coast fill up with dogs that were fine at breakfast. Wobbly legs by dinner. Gagging by midnight. On oxygen by morning.
Most of their owners did everything "right". Here's what they didn't know.
It's not hiding in the bush. It's in your backyard.
The paralysis tick lives all along Australia's east coast, and it loves exactly what most suburban yards have: leaf litter, long grass, lantana and shady fence lines. Bandicoots and possums carry them straight through your garden every night.
Your dog doesn't need a bushwalk. A sniff along the back fence is enough.
You won't see it until it's already feeding.
Young ticks are tiny and grey-brown, almost invisible in fur. They crawl to the warm, hidden spots: behind the ears, under the collar, around the face, between the toes and in the armpits.
Once attached, they feed quietly for days. The toxin builds up the whole time. By the time the tick is big enough to notice, the damage may already be done.
The first signs look like "nothing".
This is how dogs are lost. Owners think it's a sore leg, a cold, or something they ate. Watch for:
- Wobbly or weak back legs
- A changed, softer or hoarse bark
- Gagging, coughing or vomiting
- Heavy, noisy or slow breathing
Your chew works after the bite. That's the gap.
Most monthly chews and spot-ons kill ticks once they've attached and started feeding. They are important — keep using them exactly as your vet tells you.
But "after the bite" means a tick still has to climb on, bite and feed before anything happens. On a bad spring weekend, a dog can pick up several in one walk.
Treatment alone
Tick climbs on → bites → starts feeding → then gets killed.Treatment + repel
Repel at the door to cut down how many ticks climb on in the first place → treatment handles any that get through.Vets talk about layers. The layer most owners are missing is the one that works before the walk.
Add protection before your next walk →The season is now — and it doesn't care about your diary.
Paralysis ticks peak in spring and early summer, but on the warm, humid east coast they can turn up any month of the year. A warm wet week is all it takes.
If you're reading this in spring, you're in the danger window right now.
The 4-second routine that takes the risk down every single walk.
- Vet tick prevention — up to date, every month, no gaps.
- Repel at the door — a few sprays on the harness, lead and coat (follow the label, keep away from eyes and face), plus your own shoes and socks.
- Keep the yard tidy — mow, rake the leaf litter, cut back the lantana along the fence.
- Fingertip check every night — head, ears, neck, under the collar, between the toes. Slowly.
Why owners are adding TickVanta to the routine.
Most repellents smell like a chemical drum, so people stop using them. TickVanta was made to be the spray you actually reach for every single time you clip on the lead.
- Plant-based cedarwood & lemongrass formula
- DEET-free — family & dog friendly
- Fresh, garden scent (no chemical smell)
- 4 seconds at the door before every walk
- 30-day money-back guarantee
"Now I spray her clothes and the dog every time anyone goes outside. I'd rather smell like a kitchen than worry about another tick on my kid."
"Tried a few sprays this year and this is the first that actually worked — one tick on my husband in 8 weeks vs 5 to 10 a month before. Already reordered 3 more."
Don't let spring teach you the hard way.
Keep one bottle by the door and one in the car. Stock up now — peak season batches sell through fast.
Order now • ships fast
Protect my dog nowAdvertorial. This page is an advertisement for TickVanta. TickVanta is a tick repellent: it is not a treatment for tick paralysis and not a replacement for veterinary tick prevention. Always use your vet-recommended tick product, check your dog daily, and use as directed on the label. If your dog shows any sign of tick paralysis, see a vet immediately. Images are illustrative. Individual results vary.