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Dog saved in the nick of time

Posted at 9:22 AM, May 24, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-24 09:22:57-04

(KPTV, CNN NEWSOURCE) It was a close call for an Oregon dog named Ollie.

His owners thought they had to euthanize him until they discovered a small problem on his neck.

"When his mobility was shot and he was paralyzed, it was just weird seeing him just laying there on the floor, knowing he had so much more life in him,"  said Ollie’s owner Falline Fate.

That's when Fate knew it could be the end for her beloved pet. "He's been a really big part of our family."

After a thorough check at the vet, and no answers, they made a tough decision.

"They finally decided they had reached their limit and it was time to help him pass. He couldn't stand, he couldn't walk, he couldn't urinate, couldn't defecate. So they had instructions to go get his bladder emptied twice a day from the regular vet to see if he would improve," said Dr. Adam Stone.

Dr. Stone treated Ollie at Dove Lewis Animal Hospital, and said the dog's sudden onset paralysis could have stemmed from a number of issues. "Anything from cancer to trauma, or a fracture of a vertebra or a spinal fracture. Any one of these could have caused similar signs."

But it wasn't any of those things. The actual culprit was much smaller.

"It was right here, right here, right behind his ear," said Dr. Stone.

A tick was lodged behind Ollie's ear. They think he picked it up on a recent camping trip. And it was discovered just in the nick of time by a veterinary intern.

“He was in the room about to get put to sleep, and it was just pure grace that the people found something and decided to check it out further. They have a neurotoxin in their saliva that prevents nerve transition to the muscles, and that takes time to build up in the body and cause paralysis like what we saw in Ollie," Fate said.

Aside from an unflattering haircut Ollie was back to his energetic self about 10 hours after the tick was pulled out.

"The next morning my mom opened the door and said 'look at your doggie,' and he comes walking up to me, and I'm barely awake, and just smiled at me," Fate said.

Ollie's vet says that paralysis from ticks is pretty rare but can happen with certain types of ticks.

Ollie's owners say that they will definitely keep up with tick and flea medication from here on out.