Ticks, why oh why do we have ticks??
I am not particularly squeamish but OMG is there anything more disgusting that pulling an attached tick off??  |
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| Yeah, pulling a big fresh dingle berry off the rear end--or cleaning a pucky butt is worse than a tick--but not by much. Remember sometimes the ticks can get thru but will be killed as they sip. Imagine the mess you'd have without these chemicals! First one of the year gives me hebbies......and remember I worked for the state entomologist. After that it's hatred of the damn things. |
I am so accustomed to cleaning sheepie butts I find ticks far more repulsive!  This tick actually seemed dead at first, but it moved a bit, I think it was dying due to the advantix? I wonder how advantix and revolution actually work, it seems like you're actually putting pesticide into our dogs, I am surprised that this is actually safe for the dogs, but it seems uncontroversial among vets (unless I'm wrong). My main worry aside from the grossness of a tick attaching to my lovely dogs, is that even if that odd tick which does get attached, and will die from it, is there still a chance of disease being transmitted to my dog? |
| Bloo (touch wood) hasnt had any ticks, but the cats have as kittens. we use stronghold flea spotons from the vets. They ae expensive but they protect against fleas and ticks and fur infections If you pull the tick off make sure you get the head out. If the heads left in it can cause infections Good luck catching ticks!  |
| yeah, Dave, if you are in a high area for tick borne illnesses, talk to your vet about what is necessary if you do remove a tick. Of course check Ron's page on ticks to determine if the sucker (literally) is a dog tick or deer tick. |
| Frontline-Plus has always worked the best for my dogs. When I adopted Violet many years ago she came from a rescue infested with ticks. So I learn as I went along all about dog ticks. We finally got control of them with help from my vet, vet assistant (which is who the most help came from) I always say that I hold a degree in "dog ticks." The mobile, country vet, told me Advantex is more for fleas. The reason you don't want to put Frontline on a freshly bathed dog is you need the oils of their hair to help the Frontline to do its duty. Yes the chemicals are absorbed into the animal's skin, and when the tick bites in it gets poisoned. Also, the idea is the tick, while climbing on the hair will pick up poison which will kill its babies and friends. Always check between the dogs toes. The ticks like to bite into the dogs nail beds and lay it's body along side the "toe". You have to run you finger slowly to see if you feel anything slightly "off". Ticks are tricky. They also like to attach to the elbow. If you find one, there is usually another somewhere on the dog. I know they are gross, they were to me at first too, but now I don't think about them, just pull them off. Thank God I don't find them too often anymore. The Vet Assistant told me when she was growing up, before the Frontline that they used to have tick removal parties. I'm glad we are pass those days.  |
| We're doing a two-fold attack for ticks, and it seems to be working well. We use Frontline for the insecticide aspect, but as a repellant we spray Benson with an essential oil blend of lavender, rose geranium and cedar oils. That is working very well. |
| I agree - Frontline works better than Advantix -- London got a horrible and severe allergic reaction fro advantix. He shook his ear non stop for 3 weeks. We had a serious tick problem when we first moved to Southborough - omg, there was at least 1 or 2 ticks on the dogs EVERYDAY. We didnt get a tick collar because my dogs do like to mouth each other.. So what we did - dogs on frontline and sprayed the yard, bushes and trees with Sevin. That thing worked beautifully. Haven't had a tick in a month *knocks on wood*. |
| We have millions of ticks. I don't even think anything of them anymore. I am so used to them. We use Frontline Plus here. I often want a put a dab of it on me bec/ we always have ticks on us bec/ we live in the woods. I do hate pesticides but, I guess it is the lesser of 2 evils which is why the vets "approve" it. And, the tick was likely half dead on Virgina....in the process of dying. It is the ticks that you don't see that you have to worry about. That is our philosophy to some degree. |
| I'm amazed you have a tick problem at all, I live in town but a fairly rural town, farming community, even have a groundhog living under my shed and bunnies in the yard, no ticks. I don't use any preventative. I have vials of Advantage here in case I ever see a flea but *touch wood* haven't. This year may be different since it was a mild winter and has been hot so far this spring from very early on. |
| We used Frontline on Chowder as a puppy and we still pulled ticks off of her. Then she had started to have allergic reatctions to it. No, not skin rashed, but she would have mental breakdowns! It was horrible. We had to wash it off with Dove soap once (thanks internet!) Now we use all natural stuff and NO more ticks! and like Shari said, we have tons of ticks in this area. |
| Our local pet store has a product made of cedar I believe that she swears by for keeping ticks off the dogs. I am considering using it, don't know if anyone on the forum has ever tried something like this. I know Dawn uses emu oil, worked last year but not this year with all the ticks we've had. |
| The problem with the topical tick preventives are that they are pesticides, not repellents. They only work once the tick either crawls around enough in the fur to get exposed to the toxins, or has attached and sucked in the toxins. Not ideal. We've tried Advantage, Advantix, and Frontline, and Frontline works the best for us here. I've noticed that it definitely loses its efficacy the closer we get to the time for another treatment as I generally find attached ticks near the 30 day mark. I like Jonsey's approach with the traditional topical coupled with a natural repellent, and am currently doing some research along those lines to use on Oscar. Laurie and Oscar |
ariellehg wrote: Now we use all natural stuff and NO more ticks! and like Shari said, we have tons of ticks in this area. What natural stuff are you using? |
| The stuff I use has the main ingredient cedar. Just like user: ICH says. Maybe they can get you the name because a family member makes ours. Sorry  |
| Thanks! I'm just worried about putting any kind of pesticide on Eevee after her tummy got all messed up when she was around the pesticide on the ground at Jacob's parents. |
| I live in major tick territory with deer and mice being here (the more you have of those, the more ticks you will have) but it's seasonal. Have tried every product under the sun - Frontline and the rest - they are topical meds though, unless the tick lands right where you put the medication (the line on the back), the tick can and will remain and latch on. I've never seen a tick land on the middle of the back which is the irony. They like heads where I live. How do I know? - from trying it year after year and finding the ticks still can get on and feed. Just wiggle 'em off gently with a tweezer at the head area of the tick, and it's not a big deal - I am so good at it now, the tick is still alive when I take it off (ok, this is for the rare times one escapes my vision). And as for pre-latch existence - at least with the sheepdog fur being white (half at least) you can see them asap. Whenever I have my dog in the high grasses or go on a hike, I make sure to do a tick check when we get in the house - I can spot them a mile away because they are always hanging on his head and they are so slow moving, they take 24 hours to get to the skin and bite. Anyway, I save myself a lot of money by just using my eyeballs and not insecticidal meds. |
| The stuff we used on Bailey before said to apply it, then brush 24 hours later to help it spread through the rest of the coat. We didn't have any fleas or ticks or anything when we did that. |
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