If you find a tick then your pet almost certainly has tick paralysis. You may find a little hole in the skin, like a crater or a small scab. This could be the place where a tick has been, in which case the problem is still likely to be tick paralysis. Or you may not find anything. However, if it is the right time of the year for ticks, and you are in a tick area, then it still could quite easily be tick paralysis.
Ticks can be very difficult to find on an animal.
If in doubt contact a veterinarian. Depending on where you are, Ixodes may be confused with other ticks common in that area. Picture shows engorged adult female ticks. Courtesy of NSW Agriculture, Cattle Tick Program. The size or degree of engorgement is of no use in differentiation.