Diagnostic Efficacy of Certain Physical Examination and Serum Biochemistry Parameters in Dogs with Tick Paralysis

Authors : Erdem Gülersoy, Canberk Balıkçı, Adem Şahan, İsmail Günal, Esma Kısmet

Pages : 67-76

Doi:10.31196/huvfd.1660572

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Publication Date : 2025-06-19

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Recognizing tick paralysis is crucial as it can be fatal, but no specific diagnostic test exists. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic effectiveness of routine clinical examinations and selected laboratory analytes and to understand the impact of tick burden on the severity of symptoms in tick-paralyzed dogs. Fourteen dogs, whose diagnosis of tick paralysis was confirmed by the ex juvantibus method, were divided into Low Tick (1-4 ticks, n=7) and High Tick (5-60 ticks, n=7) subgroups based on the number of ticks. The healthy group consisted of dogs with no disease history (n=7). Physical examinations and certain serum biochemistry profile analyses of all the dogs were evaluated comparatively. The diagnostic efficiency of all the parameters was investigated by ROC-based diagnostic performance analysis. The respiratory rate of the dogs with tick paralysis was higher than that of the healthy dogs (p<0.0001). The body temperature and heart rate of the High Tick group dogs were higher than those in the other groups (p<0.0001). Capillary refill time (CRT) was shorter in the High Tick group than in the other groups (p=0.018). Total protein, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and total bilirubin levels were higher in the High Tick group than in the other groups (p=0.035). It was concluded that as the number of ticks increases, the diagnostic performance of the investigated analytes improves potently due to the rate and volume of toxin secretion by the ticks. However, they should be evaluated together with other parameters due to their low specificity.
Keywords : akut flasid paraliz, kene paralizi, köpek, serum biyokimyası, tanı

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