Ticked off: Protect yourself from pests in warmer months

An East Coast woman was convinced she was “dying” with a fevers of almost 40C and body pains after finding a “strange” mark on her leg.

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SWANSEA local Colleen Kennedy said she learned the hard way about a rare Tasmanian disease when a tick bite sent her temperature soaring.

“I was mowing the lawn, I wasn’t aware I’d been bitten on the back of my leg behind my knee,” she said.

Mrs Kennedy said she discovered a “strange” bite and scratched off what she later realised was the tick’s head, leaving a crater in her leg with a red ring.

Within a week she fell ill with chronic headaches, fevers of 39.1 and “body aches and pains like I’d never had before”.

“I couldn’t get out of bed to go the toilet my joints and body ached so much,” she said.

“It was like my head was going to burst every time I moved.

Rhipicephalus sanguineus or commonly known as the 'brown dog tick' has been spotted in WA, with QLD vets warning people to stay cautious. Picture: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA.

“I was convinced I was dying.”

Mrs Kennedy had blood tests sent interstate for malaria, dengue fever and Ross River virus before finally discovering she had Flinders Island Spotted Fever.

The rare east coast illness spreads via bacteria Rickettsia honei and is most likely to be acquired in spring and summer months.

Mrs Kennedy said she was prescribed a strong dose of antibiotic doxycycline and recovered after a month.

Paralysis tick

She said she still experienced fatigue relapses and always wore long trousers while lawn mowing.

Health department recommendations included using insect repellents and tick-repellent, checking skin for ticks and using elevated camping beds.

Vet Dr Raj Wicks and his greyhound Rosie. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

The Dog Clinic owner Dr Raj Wicks said pet owners should also go to extra lengths to protect their beloved animals from parasites.

He said worming dogs every three months and checking their skin would assist in preventing neurological issues, sickness, lethargy and paralysis.

He said chews like Bravecto, which is also used for wombat mange, staved ticks away.

cattle tick

But he warned fleas can still attack despite chews in high burden areas, including Tasmanian East Coast hot spots like Swansea and St Helens.

“In sandy, dry areas ticks love to multiply,” he said.

Dogs can be checked for ticks by regularly massaging their ears, muzzle area and lip folds.

“You can find them on their back or front legs, but they’re usually on the head,” he said.

Dr Wicks recommended using a proper tick remover from the vet if a small brown or grey tick was found.

(FILES) This file photo taken on July 20, 2016 at the French National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA) in Maison-Alfort shows a tick, whose bite can transmit the Lyme disease. - Crispr is the latest breakthrough in a year of great strides in gene therapy, a medical adventure started three decades ago, when the first TV telethons were raising money for children with muscular dystrophy. (Photo by BERTRAND GUAY / AFP)

“Get the head out, if you leave it in there it can cause a reaction.”

He encouraged owners to bring their animals straight to the vet or to AHVEC after hours if dogs became quickly ill or collapsed.

People who have sustained tick bites or suspect they have a tick-bourne disease are urged to visit their GP.