I am going to lose my mind. I pulled over 15 ticks off my 2 dogs this week. After I pulled out the first bunch, I applied Advantix 2 hoping that would be the end of the ticks. Next day, there were some more but I figured it probably took a little time to be effective. Well, I pulled off 2 more and it's been at least a few days since I applied the drops.
Is there anything I can do in addition to the drops to keep ticks away? Someone suggested lavender oil.... Can I use it in addition to the Advantix?
Also, living in Ct where lyme and other tick diseases are plentiful, should I get my dogs tested for lyme in a few weeks? Or just wait to see if symptoms occur? I had a really bad time with my 5 yr old last year thanks to a tick bite....
Are the ticks you are picking off fully attached and engorged with blood? It is my understanding that the ticks need to be attached for at least 24 hrs to transmit lyme. Not sure how long for the other common tic borne illnesses.
Also, know that not one of the mainstay flea/tick treatments on the market actually repels ticks. What they do is kill the tick once it has bitten your dog. The hope is that the tick will die and detach before it is on long enough to transmit disease.
There are claims of garlic, essential oil preparations and other homeopathic stuffs that are said to actually repel ticks. I don't know if they work or not but I am giving geranium oil a try as a repellent.
What ever treatment or method you choose your best defense is daily tick checks and remove any ticks you find before they have a chance to attach and bite you pets.
I feel you as we use the Seresto collar and I have missed 3 ticks since January.
As far as testing goes from my own human bite last summer. I was told it can take up to a month before the antibody test will test positive. Since I developed symptoms (rash) I was treated to be safe even though it was too soon to test. Not sure how long you need to wait with dogs if they are not showing symptoms of illness.
I am with you on the disgust toward ticks. I always say bring me black bears and coyotes... I can handle those but ticks...YUCK.
Advantix II did not work for us. We are not the only ones. Topicals seem to be a bit questionable... some discussion that ticks may be resistant, or at lease certain populations? I went to the oral medication nexguard and so far so good. I don't like doing this kind of med but ticks and tick borne diseases freak me out.
Living here in Lyne, I test every year and mine are ALWAYS positive for anaplasmosis..never lyme..I would talk to your vet about testing, or if you do your early HW/ Snap 4 (I do 6) , in a month or so, then go for it then unless you see any symptoms..The problem with these tick diseases is, and I don't want to scare you, sometimes you see no symptoms until they go straight into renal failure and well then thats it..Its kind of a catch 22.. I used to treat every spring because they were positive, but now I don't..If I see something clinical then I treat because I don't want to build up an immunity to the antibiotic..
Have dealt with anaplasmosis twice. Last year was horrible for my girl. She was sick either from the tick or the doxy....wouldn't eat at all. Had to stop the doxy after 2 weeks. It was a looooong summer.
I usually get the snap test annually but not sure it is due next month. Maybe I will have them do it then even if it is a bit early.
The ticks were having a feast. Nothing like going to scratch your dogs neck and feeling a grape or blueberry....ugh. I try and check the dogs every night but the deer ticks are tiny. I pulled off several crawling ones on top of the ones that were already attached.
I think I will try one of the oils on top of the topical drops. I thought of the Seresto collar but my 2 play and grab each other's necks...and I don't feel comfortable leaving a collar on my 9 month old when he is crated.
I love to take walks in the woods and trails but after this week of ticks I may decide to stay on cement!!!!
Neem oil is the best stuff for tics and fleas in my opinion.
It is good for the skin, non irritant, non toxic, good to eat as is healthy vegtable oil. Does no harm to dog but makes tics loss appetite, interest and die peacefully.
Tics will avoid the dog as the smell is so intense and they know they can't bear it. Same with fleas. Goodbye Fleas i miss you. lol
Apply to coat pure.
Or put in shampoo.
Or mix it with warm water and drop dish washing liquid and put in spray bottle and spray on dog when going into flea tic areas, or simply weekly in season.
Madlab, thanks for the info. I checked Amazon and scanned the reviews. How strong is the odor? I live in Ct and the ticks are bad. I have a new pup and started adding a natural flea and tick formula from Wolf Creek Ranch to water. Takes a week or two to build up in system. It was rec'd by breeder. Pulled a bunch off him yesterday. Was hoping that a insect spray containing lemongras and tea tree oil would hold them back till medicine took hold. Not easy with a pup that has to go outside every couple hours, not to mention that 3am bathroom trip or when you see him sniffing and have seconds to get him outside. Also ordered Vets best natural flea and tick spray + the wipes. Looking at Nexgard and into Neem Oil. Would like to avoid the flea collar
Ticks are also thick around here. I found one on a relative's dog last week.... Ticks out in Wisconsin, in February. Ugh. I've dealt with tick-borne diseases on dogs in spite of careful preventative use. If you're outdoors a lot, you just can't avoid them.
I seem to be able to minimize ticks with the following regime:
Frontline Plus (monthly) and Wondercide spray (before and after full-day outings or when I know we'll be in lots of high grass). Also, use of Permethrin-based fabric treatments on some of my own clothing and gear, which I will be spraying on my dogs' backpacks and car crate mats this year. If you use those, make sure you read what the washing and application instructions are. I think I'm going to try adding Bug-Off Garlic this year. Might help, can't hurt.
I'm not a big pusher of dousing animals with chemicals, but other options simply don't hack it for some of us. I tried using yard treatments for two years and it didn't make a difference, presumably since we spend so much time elsewhere.
I check them every night too but I seem to have missed a whole bunch last week! The deer ticks are so tiny. My boy is a long coat with a lot of black so it is like Mission Impossible. My girl is lighter but I still missed them. Ugh.
I did ask my vet about testing for tick diseases in about a month as opposed to waiting till the end of May when my girl was due. They felt I should wait as it can take a while for it to show up. Of course if there are any clinical signs I should let them know right away. So what are the odds that out of almost 20 disgusting ticks, none had any disease? Not feeling very optimistic as Ct is tick central....
I use a product called Natural defense, and spray them down before I hit the woods, it seems to help..Keeping grass short is useless around here, they still pick them up, I tend to find the really tiny ones around their eyes, going for moisture..I hate ticks to
I was kind of surprised to see a mosquito today, it's kind of early. It made me think of fleas and ticks. I use the Scalibor collar. In the last few years out if 7 dogs I found one tick dead on the kitchen floor. I have found a couple on myself in my hair which freaked me out. I give the dogs garlic more often during the season and I also spray them with cedar oil if we go hiking or I think they need more protection.
I decided to call Bayer, the makers of the Advantix topical drops I used. Had a nice conversation. One thing that was interesting that I was told was that ticks sometimes are on the dog for up to a week before they bite! Ugh...that really is gross. Some go for a meal right away, others I guess work up an appetite?
I am going to reapply the drops. I may just not have gotten enough on my long coat's skin. I haven't seen anymore on my girl, just on my male long coat. And now it is snowing again, with next week being cold and snowy too. Soooooo.....maybe a little reprieve from the ticks.
I am going to get some sort of natural spray to supplement the drops too.
Was also told that I could use the Seresto collar along with the drops if I want...may be somewhat helpful according to Bayer, although they didn't feel it was necessary and that it was just an unnecessary expense.
I really don't like putting chemicals on my dogs, but I think I hate the diseases ticks bring more!
Me too, before I really don't want to put chemicals on my dog, but fleas and ticks can't easily ignored. That's why, I search for the product that is best to remove ticks and fleas. You can use it too if you want.
Haven't tried, but reached out to friends and one just sent me this. Can't post the link, since I don't have enough posts, but should work after I send this.
Basically its toilet paper rolls, with dryer lint and Permethrin sprayed on the lint. You let it dry and then stuff some in each tube. Anyone else ever hear of this? Will try link, next.
I don't care much for ticks either....as a small child I found this Airedale at the river whenever my parents would take us out there...he'd come back most every time we'd pull into the same beach area......Rufus....what a good boy he was.....One day he brings back a bunch of "blueberries" stuck to his muzzle and face....they didn't taste like blueberries.....never cared much for ticks after that....or blueberries
Please note: These toxins cause interference with the pet's nervous system if overdosed.
Permethrin is POISONOUS to CATS;
per parasitipedia.net: Permethrin is toxic to cats!
Veterinary Care
General treatment: In case of dermal exposure, the animal will be bathed and rinsed well. If ingestion occurred, the induction of vomiting may be continued, gastric lavage is performed, and activated charcoal is administered. per peteducation.com
Very glad I saw this post! I am also in CT and also really really hate ticks! I had LD 3x. Lucky for me I always got the bullseye rash. But until the sun came out today I was still in winter mode and there is still snow in the yard so I had not even considered ticks yet. Now I am going to give him a good once over and put on the advantix.
Yes we have such a bad tick problem in ny and Lyme disease and other ticks borne diseases are rampant. April through June are the worst. I'm the winter we have lots of trails I let the dogs off leash and they explore but now with the weather I have to take extra caution they don't go off the trail and even may have stay off the trails if the ticks are as bad as they have been in the past. We use advantix which helps a ton but in the beginning of tick season we will still find a a few ticks on them just from going in the backyard - though that is nothing compared to what it would be if we did not use it. I don't use advantix on our chihuahua though ticks are very easy to see on him. I did get the wondercide spray to put on him when we go out on a trail. I have used coconut oil and found out it was good to uses a tick deterrent. It seems depend though where you live some ticks don't seem to mind the coconut oil.
Swing by your nursery/garden center before you get mulch delivered (assuming it's an independent and not a Lowes/Big Box/public recycling op).
There should be a person there who can...
1. Talk to you in depth about neem oil (good garden centers sell it). Pesticide licenses (for people) prohibit holders from recommending a product in *any* way other than what the label says, they're very strict. However - a horticulturist/professional with an applicator license should be able to tell you correct application rates, timing, and intervals. That's the info you really need.
and
2. Talk to you about which mulch to order. There are a ton of varieties on the market that are highly unlikely to have lots of insects, due to the way it is dried, the type of raw material used, or a combination of the two. Dog- and kid- safe options exist, too. If the nursery doesn't sell what you're looking for, they should be able to refer you to their supplier, who will have a rainbow menu of different choices.
As for the mulch, this year I am getting it free from my township. I'm using it as a base and I will add cedar mulch later. It's for the yard and I rrpkace it about 4 times during the summer--it's getting expensive.
Started Advantix 2 and supplement that with cedar oil spray. Haven't found any ticks attached to the dogs since then but still finding ticks walking through their fur. And on their beds. Some dead, some alive. I am so disgusted. I even found ticks on me 3 times last week.....ugh. I have stopped hiking in the woods or fields. I try to keep the dogs in the middle of the road unless they stop to take care of business. Even doing that they are still picking up ticks apparently. I am going to lose my mind! I have never seen them this bad. I generally like summer and the warm weather but I am seriously wishing for winter and freezing temps!!!!
It seems to me to be particularly bad the past few summers. I grew up playing in the woods and barely saw a tick, now I can find a number of them after just one trip into the woods. We stop taking walks in the forest once the tick bloom starts. And we love the forest.
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