Tick terror as vet ‘misses deadly parasites’ leaving beloved pet dog fighting for his life and worried couple run up a HUGE bill to save Oscar’s life – here’s how to stop it happening to you

A young couple rushed back to Australia from an overseas holiday when their beloved Westie terrier was bitten by a potentially deadly tick that their vet reportedly missed.

Lauren and Josh Stevens were visiting family in New Zealand with their 16-month-old son Felix when they were told their dog Oscar needed urgent medical attention in Sydney’s eastern suburbs

“Oscar was being cared for by a sitter who immediately took him to the local vet when they noticed he was acting strangely and wobbly on his legs,” explained friend Amy Fowler.

‘The vet said he was physically fine and they had checked him for ticks, but they suggested running neurological tests.

“But by the end of the appointment he could no longer walk and had difficulty breathing.”

Oscar, 11, was rushed to SASH (Small Animal Specialist Hospital), where another veterinarian immediately found two ticks; one on his eyelid and one on his neck.

“They removed the ticks and gave him antidote, but his condition deteriorated rapidly,” she said.

‘After being in intensive care, he developed aspiration pneumonia and was put on a ventilator and heavily sedated.’

Eastern Suburbs vet reportedly missed potentially deadly tick on Oscar

Now Ms Fowler has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the huge veterinary bills the young Sydney couple are now facing, which currently stand at over $25,000 and rising.

“The ventilator he needs during his recovery costs $2,200 for every 12 hours. He’s been on it since Monday to give him the best chance of recovery,” she said.

Mrs Fowler explained that the couple can no longer do anything due to the increasing financial burden while supporting their own son.

“They are selfless, kind people who don’t deserve to have to go through this kind of grief and stress,” Ms. Fowler explained.

“It’s not the people asking for help, but the generosity with which the public has helped has been overwhelming to say the least.

“If Oscar can find enough lung power to breathe on his own in the next 48 hours, he has a good chance of survival. But he will need additional hospital care before he can fully recover and go home.”

The couple hopes that Oscar will survive and be able to breathe on his own in the coming days.

If he doesn’t make it, Lauren will [excess] “Donate money to an animal welfare organization or to SASH for research,” Ms. Fowler said.

Ticks are small parasitic insects that range from red to black in color. They feed on the blood of the human or animal host to which they attach.

Amy Fowler (pictured left) launched a GoFundMe on behalf of her friend Lauren’s dog, Oscar

The couple’s son, Felix, with his dog brother Oscar

The couple hopes that Oscar will survive and be able to breathe on his own in the coming days

There are over 70 different species of ticks in Australia, some of which are most common on the east coast of the country. Some species are as small as a poppy seed and others as large as a white bean.

Although there is no evidence that Lyme disease is caused by Australian ticks, there are similar diseases that humans can contract.

According to NSW Health, initial symptoms of tick paralysis may include a rash, headache, fever, flu-like symptoms, tender lymph nodes, an unsteady gait, intolerance to bright light, increasing weakness of the limbs and partial facial paralysis.

According to experts, the best way to remove a tick is to freeze the area with a spray containing ether. This spray is available at the pharmacy.

If you remove the tick without freezing the area, you run the risk of developing a condition called mammalian meat allergy, where people bitten by ticks can develop severe allergies to certain types of meat, such as lamb.