What do Paralysis Ticks do?
The tick attaches to the dog & borrows it’s mouthparts into the skin. It sucks the blood & injects a neurotoxin called Holocyclotoxin, which causes paralysis. It is usually the female tick who attaches to animals, the male actually parasitises the female tick. The tick is fairly small when it attaches to it’s host, growing in size as it consumes more blood. Illness doesn’t occur quickly, as it does with animals such as snakes & spiders, it can take hours or even days before symptoms of poisoning become apparent. That’s not to say that ticks aren’t as deadly as other poisonous animals & it is advisable you take your dog to a veterinarian, just to be on the safe side. What is a Neurotoxin & What does Holocyclotoxin do? A neurotoxin is a toxic substance which damages or destroys the cells of the central nervous system. * Holocyclotoxin is a neurotoxin which is excreted from the tick’s salivary glands into the dog. Holocyclotoxin inhibits release of acetylcholine in neurons. * Other exampl
