| reprint
from Courier Mail Tuesday Nov. 28, 2000
DOGS
and cats have won a 10th life thanks to new research into the paralysis
tick. Ticks kill hundreds of cats and dogs every year despite the best
efforts of owners. But the family pet can rest easy this summer because
of a breakthrough by two researchers at the
University of Queensland veterinary school. Rick
Atwell and Fiona Campbell found that dogs and cats have been dying in
their droves because vets were inadvertently treating only half of the
symptoms. Most vets assumed they needed to treat pets for paralysis when
they should also have been trying to kick start their hearts. Dr
Campbell said the Australian paralysis tick produced a cocktail of
deadly toxins. One caused paralysis, but she has identified another one
which zeroed in on the heart. "Our surveys showed only 20 percent
of dogs which were brought in for tick bites actually died of
paralysis," she said. "Generally speaking, if a dog was
severely paralysed it had worse heart effects. "The good news is
there are drugs already on the shelf which we can use to treat the heart
problems."
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