Hidden detail in dog photo leaves Aussie family facing $10k daily vet bill
Gold Coast dog owner Eleana Fox noticed her border collie breathing faster than usual and knew something wasn't right.
When dog owner Eleana Fox took a picture of her partner and beloved dog Reign over the weekend, she had no idea 24 hours later she'd look back at it and kick herself for missing a small detail in the photo that will now cost her thousands of dollars in vet bills.
The small detail in the photo turned out to be a paralysis tick — wedged right beside her dog's eye. It wasn't until the following day when she noticed Reign's breathing was "double the pace" of her other dogs that she "knew that something wasn't right".
"I let him indoors, and when he looked at me I noticed there was a lot of gunk in his eye," the Gold Coast woman told Yahoo News. "When I went to wipe it off I realised one spot was not budging... it set off alarm bells that it must be a paralysis tick.
"His eye was extremely red, he was losing mobility in his back legs, he couldn't really stand. When he tried to run towards me he ran at an angle. And he was salivating a lot," she said.
Eleana rushed her border collie to the vet and was told the paralysis tick had likely been there for 24 hours, with the picture confirming the heartbreaking prediction.
"It was literally just the day before, and you can just about see the tick in his eye, which I totally did not notice and [that] aggravated me a little," she told Yahoo.
Family could face daily vet bill of $10,000
The vet administered tick antiserum straight away and the family are now nervously waiting for Reign's health updates.
"I'm very anxious... the vet straight away went into worst case scenario which could be a ventilator at the emergency vet for like $10,000 a day. It started to really overwhelm me," she said.
Eleana has created a GoFundMe page in a desperate bid to raise funds for Reign, admitting she worries she will be "judged or made to feel silly to ask for help" but the expensive treatment has left her with no choice.
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Paralysis ticks can be deadly to pets — and owners
Paralysis ticks are even more prevalent in summer and they pose a severe health risk to animals, with vet Dr Joan Gibbons telling Yahoo News previously the insects are "everywhere" this time of year. The insects release neurotoxins with their bites which severely impact brain and heart function, meaning paralysis tick bites can be deadly for untreated pets.
These toxins also pose a risk to humans if they develop an allergic reaction to the bites, with one woman previously telling Yahoo News her brother was told by his doctor another tick bite could be life-threatening to him due to his risk of anaphylactic shock.
How to protect your pet from a tick bite
Dr Gibbons explained there are two ways to protect your pet from ticks:
Give your pet oral tablets — some offer monthly protection, while others can safeguard the animal for longer.
Get into the daily habit of "checking them everyday" for ticks.
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