Do animals develop immunity to the tick paralysis toxin?
Native animals which are the natural hosts of Ixodes holocyclus appear (when in their natural environment) to develop animmunity to the harmful effects of the tick toxin, and can carry large numbers of ticks without ill effect. Dogs and cats which live in areas where they regularly pick up ticks will also tend to develop their own immunity. This depends on them getting small doses of tick toxin initially, not enough to cause severe illness, but enough to start the production of antibodies by the animal’s immune system. As they pick up more ticks and are injected by gradually increasing doses of toxin this immunity can become quite strong. Unfortunately this immunity is not long lasting and can be lost from one season to the next if there are no ticks on the animal in the time between. A previously immune dog can therefore suddenly become affected by tick paralysis. Owners should be aware of this risk. Owners are also commonly misled by the fact that a dog frequently carries ticks of th
