Ticks and fleas are thriving in southern Queensland as a result of perfect conditions, with vets and pet groomers reporting an increase in the number of animals riddled with the parasites.
Farms, homes and towns are only just starting to dry out after months of wet conditions and more rain is on the way this week.
Gatton groomer Emily Spring said she had been run off her feet with dogs needing winter grooms and about half of them had been riddled with fleas.
"I probably do eight to ten dogs per day and about half of them are coming in with fleas," Ms Spring said.
"It's because it's been very wet; the grass is long so it's spreading easier."
Ms Spring said she had seen dogs come in with serious skin problems as a result.
"I've seen massive rashes and dogs that rip themselves apart trying to get rid of the, [or] just get to the, itch," she said.
"It really affects their day to day."
More tick treatment required
Toowoomba veterinarian Dr Dave Hall said he had also seen an increase in the number of dogs being brought in for treatment for fleas and paralysis ticks.
"Any time we have increased moisture, there's movement of animals that carry ticks and our domestic animals that aren't resistant to toxins are susceptible," he said.
"All of a sudden you have otherwise well animals that can't walk and have trouble breathing, so it's pretty confronting."
Dr Hall said owners could become complacent.
"[They] get a bit of a false sense of security and [are] a bit late on the next treatment and then they get into trouble."
Dr Hall said not that long ago animals with severe flea infestations had to be euthanased but that was no longer necessary due to improvements in detection technology
"Fleas were so much worse even 10 years ago, before some of these longer-lasting products came on the market," he said.
How can I protect my pet?
Emergency vet Mark Haworth said the best defence against paralysis ticks was early detection.
"When it becomes advanced, it becomes difficult because life-saving measures can be quite intensive and require some significant expense," Dr Haworth said.
"The best thing to do is to if your animal does have tick paralysis, is to try to identify [it] as early as possible and get treatment, or even better, use preventative methods."
Are humans at risk?
Rural residents, particularly children, are the most at risk when it comes to paralysis ticks.
Dr Hall said every year in south-east Queensland children turned up at emergency departments with paralysis ticks.
"In toddlers and children there have been cases … with tick paralysis, they don't pick up on the irritation as quickly and it can burrow in their skin," he said.
"Fleas will just cause irritation and can go undetected in your carpet for almost six months.
"But there are very good long-lasting products you can use, which are worth paying extra for."
