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Clinical presentation and treatment of tick paralysis in dogs and cats in S ydney (2001–2010)
Author(s) -
Westwood MN,
Emery DL,
Dhand NK
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
australian veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1751-0813
pISSN - 0005-0423
DOI - 10.1111/avj.12130
Subject(s) - cats , paralysis , tick , medicine , retrospective cohort study , anesthesia , veterinary medicine , surgery
Objective To investigate associations between clinical presentations and treatment of tick paralysis in dogs and cats, particularly the relationship between the dose of tick antiserum ( TAS ) and time to recovery. Design A retrospective analysis of 325 cases of tick paralysis (227 dogs, 98 cats), from 2001 to 2010, was conducted using records from six practices in S ydney, N ew S outh W ales. Results Doses of TAS in excess of 2 mL/animal, 0.30 mL/kg and 1.25 mL/tick in dogs, and 2 mL/animal, 0.45 mL/kg and 0.38 mL/tick in cats did not significantly alter the time to recovery. In dogs, a longer time to recovery was associated with cases in winter than in other seasons (P = 0.0099) and with more severe gait scores (P = 0.0002). There was a trend of longer recovery times in patients with higher respiratory scores (P = 0.0561). In cats, a longer time to recovery was associated with multiple ticks (P = 0.0133) and more severe gait scores (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Within this retrospective study, minimum doses of TAS were considered optimal, negating any association between dose rate and time to recovery.