Tick Paralysis

One of the vets that I work with called me this week and left me a message about a patient of ours that we both saw last week. It was a older black lab that came in and had sudden in-coordination/paralysis of the hind legs with no known injury.  The paralysis seemed to come on over the course of a few days and seemed to be getting worse. The owner also mentioned that the dogs bark had changed from a really low and loud pitched voice to a very high and soft bark and she was wondering if that had anything to do with her hind end weakness.  I couldn't correlate her bark to her back/legs unless she was in some sort of pain which she really didn't seem to be. I did my usual exam and looked over the x-rays of the lumbar spine and pelvis. For an older dog the x-rays looked pretty good and her back wasn't that far out of alignment. I found some mild areas of restriction in her spine so I adjusted her and she was off to have her acupuncture and laser therapy. I would see her again in 2 weeks to see how she was doing.  Before they left that day the vet that I work with did a little research on loss of bark in dogs and came across Sudden Tick Paralysis.  The owners were sent home with a box of Frontline just in case. 
Sudden Tick Paralysis is a somewhat rare occurrence from what I've heard (the vet I work with had not seen a case of it yet and I've never heard of it) and occurs when an engorged female tick produces a neurotoxin and transmits it to the host when feeding.  Paralysis and in-coordination of the hind legs is one of the first symptoms following with the front legs and it can also effect the respiratory system (hence the loss of voice).  If the tick is not removed death can occur at a rapid pace.  Once the tick is removed often the symptoms rapidly disappear. 
This particular patient was in this past week to have another acupuncture treatment when apparently she walked right in and her voice was also back to normal!  What an interesting case...I guess we don't know for sure if that's what it was but it sure does sound like it.  I will know more this week when I get to see them again.   Just when you think it's the dead of winter and there shouldn't be any ticks outside guess again.  Make sure to use Frontline on a regular basis and check your pets for ticks if they go outside.  Another lesson learned!