An Oregon dog’s health suddenly deteriorated. The 10-year-old pet named Ollie became paralyzed inexplicable. His family was about to have him euthanised at their vet’s office, when the source of his paralysis was discovered — a tick attached to Ollie’s neck.
This happened at DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland, Oregon. On May 16, 2016, their blog described their unique “Hail Mary” save of Ollie.
Apparently, the 10-year-old dog went from healthy to paralyzed in a short time and multiple trips to the veterinarian brought no answers.
The owners decided that they needed to end Ollie’s suffering.
While preparing to put Ollie to sleep, the veterinarian and a visiting intern were comforting the paralyzed dog. On brushing her fingers over his ear, the vet’s helper discovered a lump — which turned out to be a well-fed tick and lots of tick feces.
Upon finding the tick, the vet quickly recognized the ailing dog’s symptoms as a rare disorder called Tick Paralysis.
The vet removed the tick, treated Ollie, and within 10 hours the pup was walking! Within days, the owners and vet were relieved to see that Ollie’s health was back to near normal.
The detailed story is on the DoveLewis blog, and includes details and names of those who helped bring Ollie back from death’s door.