Spring is here which means..Ticks/Fleas!

Saya · Post edited by curlytails at 2012-06-01 04:21:26

Well Spring is here which means ticks/fleas and all that yucky stuff..

I just wanted to post this to remind people to be sure you use preventives or what ever you use.

Man I hate ticks I love living in the country, but with the deer and animals means ticks galore in the forest and fields. =(

KoryB

I've been using Frontline, best price locally was at Fleet Farm, a regional farm supply chain. Any input on other types of prevention? Thanks.

tjbart17

K9 Advantix prevents ticks better IMO than Frontline. But if you have a cat like me, your dog and cat can not co-mingle for at least 24 hours after you apply this to your dog.

sunyata

lepercann

I have always been a big fan of Advantix. My friend used some natural crap and her dog got fleas. I really like the way Advantix works.

Saya

I love K9 Advantix sadly when my dad worked at this one vet he insists we use frontline on the dogs.

I plan to find a vet that has Advantix I like Advantix better we used it before with no problems our cats are outside cats so no problems there and I like that it supposed to repel the fleas and ticks. I always check the dogs after walks to take ticks off I rather get them off before they latch on..

frank the tank

ahhh I was looking at Severus scar from his neuter and I saw a black dot just zoom by. I wasn't fast enough to get it. I hope it wasn't a flea...

amesylph

I'm a fan of the K9 Advantix too. Prevent ticks and fleas in one go...sounds good to me. I do wish they made an oral version (like you can get the anti-flea pills but nothing that takes care of ticks) just because the topical meds are rather unpleasant.

JessicaRabbit

I use rose geranium oil and lavender oil because I won't put insecticides on my kids. Has worked very well the last two years.

tjbart17

Jessica you are such the good dog mommy!!!!

maxwells

JessicaRabbit

I put a few drops on their collars and harnesses. I still check them for ticks after every walk of course (those things are evil stubborn bastards) but it works well.

kojichan

On a slightly unrelated note, I was wondering what everyone's tool/method of choice is for extracting ticks. Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with that since the summer before last. (I do use K-9 Advantix I think it works great.) But the next time I need to do, I'm going to use a curved, jeweler's forceps that I picked up last Spring. I read they work great. What I bought is similar to this one ....http://www.bernell.com/product/2814/102

Wryly Brindle

extraction: I use the teeny plastic tick crowbar when necessary- I think its called the Tick Twister, and in French for those north of the border "Le Tire Tique!"

Mostly we have used frontline for prevention, but I am coming around to advantix this year after finding that all my dogs' friends are on that with better results. I comb the dickens out of the dogs with a flea comb (easy for Reilly, Sage is too thick coated). I dispose of any Tiques by sticking them on a piece of duct tape, then when done combing, folding it over to seal them in firmly and tossing them in the trash. We are in the woods and fields almost daily. Our ratio of deer to wood ticks is probably 15 to 1. Both dogs are still lyme antibody free per their blood tests yesterday. yay!

JessicaRabbit

When I do find ticks I dispose of them in what I call the evil jar of death. It is a small jam jar filled with 90% isopropyl alcohol. I have one jar per season, that way a)I can track how many ticks my dogs get per season. And b) I can keep track of what species of tick are in my area. And c) I want the little bastards to suffer for trying to suck my babies blood.

KoryB · Post edited by KoryB at 2010-03-12 23:31:18

Hmm, I just did a quick google search, not too sure about Advantix, it seems like some pretty strong stuff.

lepercann

I like the evil jar of death idea. In the past I have put them in a glass with water and microwaved them to death. Hope they suffer.

Sangmort

xremii

Saya

I've been using frontline we used to use advantix which I liked better since it repel the ticks and fleas too not just killed them.

I'd love to go Jessica's route, but my question is does it repels ticks, fleas and things like gnats?

How much of each oil do you mix and how many drops on the collars and harnesses would it be good to spray on the dogs coats?

I have 16 acres of land about 10 or so of it is fields and forest which of coarse has tons of ticks which I have to do a check on both dogs after each walk would it be worth going the natural route even if I'm super vigilant I'm afraid I'll miss one and Saya might get sick.

Bella is easy since she is single coated and white, but Saya she's black and double coated which makes things so hard to do. =\

I love being out in the country lots of room to explore, but with the ticks it makes me just want to live in the city and take walks at parks and neighborhoods since the dogs always gets ticks on them no matter what..

kagurarap

I know this is an old thread but so I don't start a new thread just yet - this is the first time I've ever applied this sort of treatment on Tali for the spring/summer. I heard that collars will just leave chemicals on whatever it touches, and I just imagine myself petting my dog, forgetting to wash my hands and I dunno - eating french fries and realizing I just fed myself chemicals? Am I being paranoid? So for the on the fur treatments, isn't that the same? Are the chemicals harmful to us as humans and will I have to watch where she touches/rubs against? Also does it have a strong smell?

Thanks! If I don't get responses here, I'll start a new thread.

redcattoo · Post edited by redcattoo at 2013-05-29 13:17:15

@kagurarap, in Florida these issues can be year round. Ticks are not the big concern though in my area. We use an internal flea medications (Trifexis which also does heartworm and intestinal worms) year round. I have never liked the topical options and some of them can be harmful if you also have cats. Now that said, if/when I know I go to higher tick risk areas I probably would use a topical option. I tried the collar once when I knew we were going to a woodsy park and didn't like it at all. Not only did I not like it for chemical reasons, but it just added more stuff around his neck and he typically wears a tag collar and a walking collar, so that made 3 collars on him that day. I only tried that because I figured it would be easy to remove a day or two after that trip so he wouldn't have to endure 30 days+ of the chemicals.

Hopefully others that live in higher tick areas who would use collars/topical can chime in and give you some advice on what to use.

kagurarap

@redcattoo Thanks for responding - I don't have any other pets or cats so that wouldn't be an issue. I'm just worrying if having chemicals on her fur is a problem on human skin or furniture etc. I live in a pretty city-like area with apartments and concrete but a huge park with grassy areas and trees in NY. I don't believe ticks are a worry but I don't really know honestly, but am positive fleas/mosquitos are something I should look out for. So then Trifexis is a tablet it looks like, which I like the sound of that already rather than chemicals, but it says it kills fleas, does it not repel them too? And it doesn't list mosquitos so would I have to get something different in addition to that tablet for protection against mosquitos?

I really don't want to apply chemicals onto her - Tali likes to clean herself like a cat, even sticks her whole foot in her mouth sometimes. XD Been finding "natural" repellant solutions online - anyone have experience with those?

Halo

I use sentinel for Halo. Pill form. No worries for me about accidentally ingesting it. I wouldn't recommend the flea collars. My parents used one on my other dog, and it would leave residue all over. Especially the first week of using it, then only last about 3 weeks. There is also topical ones you can use which are much better than the flea collars. They don't leave residue all over. Just don't touch your pet when you first put it on, and make sure to wash your hands really well after the application.

Halo · Post edited by Halo at 2013-05-29 13:30:10

I should add the flea collar would get sticky in high humidity or when it got wet. I don't remember which brands my parents used as its been several years ago.

kagurarap

@Halo So with topical, it's only immediately after it's applied that I can't really touch my pet? What's to stop her from running off and rubbing all over stuff haha unless I leash her somewhere to minimize the damage? So once it's applied, how soon is it okay to pet her again, and will I have to wash my hands every time I pet her throughout that month, assuming it's applied every month? Sorry for all the questions - I'm truly a noob at this. :D

Halo

They say on most packages not to touch your pet for a few hours after application. Generally though, I always wash my hands before eating, especially after touching my puppy. The topical applications are in very small amounts. Its not likely your dog will rub it all off. You apply it on their back between their shoulder blades. It is applied every month, basically every 4 weeks. I am actually allergic to a few of them, why I now use the pill form.

Halo

Every brand is different, but all come with instructions and recommendations on the box.

kagurarap

@Halo - thanks for the advice. I generally wash my hands too, just want to be careful in case I forget and not rub chemicals somewhere I shouldn't. I was concerned about the smell because I have asthma - though Tali doesn't trigger it, if she licks me too much, I'll get a rash/hives on my skin so that's why I constantly wash my hands. I wonder if I'd react harshly to the topical treatment also...

Well again, thanks! I'm considering my options but a pill form sounds like what I want and maybe it wouldn't hurt to have pill + natural "oil repellants" in her fur as well. :D

Halo · Post edited by Halo at 2013-05-29 13:52:18

The only one that really smells is the all natural ones made from essential oils. I never had any of the other ones ever have any smell at all. I have asthma as well, I never did try the ones with the essential oils, but the other ones I tried gave me a rash, why i now use pill form.

**edit, I know somewhere on here, Saya has mentioned using essential oils as a repellent on here.

Halo

Here are some of the topics I found that you may find helpful.
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/comment/78726#Comment_78726
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/comment/172366#Comment_172366
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/comment/177550#Comment_177550

ashley15

Has anyone used Revolution, my aunt uses it on her golden. She says it works well and it also prevents heart worms.

redcattoo

violet_in_seville

@kagurarap - I use a topical (frontline. My vet suggested that or Vectra. Advantix has twice the dosage of the active ingredient and she feels it's overkill, but it will also depend on whether the fleas/ticks in your area have developed immunity).

In the first 5-8 hours after application, do not pet, and keep them crated. It can rub off on you, furniture, etc. topicals can and will cause a rash if a person has sensitive skin. Typically the anti-tick is good for a month and anti-flea for three months. If your main concern is with fleas, then you can space longer between topical treatments. Is your dog currently on heartworm prevention?

We dosed every other month during warm months (so typically April through October) on topical anti-flea/tick and a year round ingested heartworm preventative. We personally were not crazy about Triflexis so we did ours separately.

Honestly, I personally found fleas to be a non issue (in Manhattan at least) so I would just stick to the homeopathic stuff. When out for bbqs and the like I will spray the dogs with the same bug repellent I use (B, the chemical engineer checked to make sure it was dog safe since the pups lick me, and I have a very bad mosquito allergy). The natural stuff is nowhere near as effective but there are many fewer potential side effects, so you've got to make the call yourself.

Halo

Trifexis, Revolution, and Sentinel all do the same thing, just with different ingredients..
@kagurarap
I actually was questioning this a little while back, and here is thread on which members gave me some info.
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/11851/sentinel-vs-revolution-or-any-other-pill-form-or-fleawormheartworm-preventative-#Item_15

redcattoo

I am not 100% sold on Trifexis. I haven't had any bad experiences, but I do have to fight my dogs to take it. It is convenient though to only give 1 pill every month and have the risks of fleas, heartworms, and 3 other intestinal worms covered.

I have considered going to Comfortis (which is the same thing in Trifexis) for fleas. We go so many places outside (including some training classes) so I am not sure I could go without worrying about fleas, plus once in the house there is 3 cats that could become infested. Because of the cats and the topical issues (Frontline in many areas is not effective anymore due to built up immunity of the flea/tick populations) I do prefer a pill for flea prevention. I can't use Advantix as it is a risk to my cats, so that is out as an option.

If I do go to a pill just for fleas, like Comfortis, then there are many heartworm options which would then cover the year round risk from mosquitoes.

In all cases I would still probably chose a pill for both fleas and heartworm risk reduction. We go very few woody areas which is why tick prevention is not an issue, plus the few ticks in my area that we could pick up have a low risk of disease compared to other areas. This is another reason I can choose not to use topicals as I don't worry about that issue, I think ticks are only covered if you use topicals or collar type options.

Again, a lot depends on your area and your risks just like @violet_in_seville mentioned what works for her is very different than what would work for me and a lot is just due to what our risks are due to location and activities.

Saya

Ramen_Noodle_Puppy

Halo

@ramen_noodle_puppy

As much as I would love to go all natural, all natural won't take care of heartworms. I live near so many ponds which are breeding grounds for all sorts of pests, I just can't risk my baby's health. I have done a ton of research to see which ones I felt were the safest. Also, where did you get the spray from?

Ramen_Noodle_Puppy

curlytails

catloree

kagurarap

@Ramen_Noodle_Puppy Ah I was looking at the spray in Petco and thinking of trying it - all these chemicals sounds so confusing and expensive and I have no idea how Tali will react to them. As for the heartworm, perhaps giving her something to protect against just that in addition to the spray would work - although the only water she drinks is filtered inside the house or bottle water.

@curlytails Yeah that's another thing I've read about vet's automatically dosing dogs without realizing that smaller dogs can react badly to these general sized doses. Tali is definitely less than 15 pounds, if I had to guess, maybe she's 12?

@Saya I've been thinking about heartguard for the heartworm protection.

Not to mention in addition to possibly buying these chemicals or pills, if I really want the vet to help me decide what's best for Tali, he's going to charge 100+ bucks just for the visit - which is silly unless it's absolutely necessary. Not to mention I haven't been to that Vet since I realized he was supporting food like Purina - and realized he must not be very good at all. Think I need a new vet haha. Anyway, thanks for all the info guys! Think I'm gonna go with natural spray and heart worm prevention. I've been taking her out all this time and checking her, no pests yet but just to be safe.

CrystalWolf · Post edited by CrystalWolf at 2013-05-30 10:27:18

Ughh. I over react with things as it is. With the added stress of the possibility of not having a job by the end of next month I'm now also stressing about what flea meds to use! I am a bit of a drama queen. When I was fostering a puppy last yr he had fleas and my house got infested. May not have been that bad bit on top of my amazing ability to overthink, over react and my extreme hatred for all things yucky like BUGS. I was extremely depressed and had bad anxiety. Bought flea spay that kills eggs and used it every day, even though your not supposed too. Gave the dogs a bath every week put all bedding in plastic bags except for what I used and washed that every week. Vacuumed every day even the furniture. Even bought those flea traps.

That being said and now that everyone knows how crazy I am I CANNOT have that happen again. But with all the discussion about what to use and what not to use I am thoroughly confused. I live in upstate ny so ticks are not a big problem. But I have a cat and a rabbit both indoors so they cannot catch fleas. Also I think my dogs may be allergic to frontline. That's what I currently use but after every application they itch even more than before I applied it.

Help! Lol my brain is In overload right now. I do like the idea of essential oil spray. I don't mind applying it once a week but what about the Mosquitos and worms and stuff?

redcattoo

@CrystalWolf, your mind spins because there is not one right answer, it is about what works best for you, your household, and your dog. It depends on what risks you are concerned about, it depends on how much you believe in needing certain preventatives, it depends on what you do with your dogs and what they are exposed to routinely.

There is no one size fits all. What you see in this thread is what others have chosen and insights on why. From that you have to determine what is your current position. You can never fully prevent against everything that can happen, you just need to weigh the risks and understand the limits of your choices.

Understand your risk of picking up fleas in your area, understand the risks of what picking up fleas would have on you, your other animals, and your pup, understand what the risks of picking up a tick in your area is, understand the risk of what picking up a tick would have on you, your other animals, and your pup, understand the risks of what a mosquito bite happening is, understand in your area what the risk to your dog is from mosquito bites

... once you understand the full nature of the risks, then make a list of ways to reduce or eliminate them. At that point you are ready to begin to assess those options for what will best fit for you, your household, and your pup.

Again, there is no right or wrong answer that fits everyone.

violet_in_seville

@kagurarap, @crystalwolf - I'm a little concerned to hear that neither of you have your dogs on year round heartworm preventative. I know that the Northeast part of the U.S. is rife with mosquitos (especially NYC). You need to get on that. I am very surprised that your vets (and breeders) have not mentioned that you are in a higher risk area (not as high as say Florida or New Jersey, but high nonetheless).

Saya

CrystalWolf · Post edited by CrystalWolf at 2013-05-30 15:56:16

I'm not in NYC and riku had a heart worm preventative. Mosquitos are not bad where I am not highly neccasary

violet_in_seville · Post edited by violet_in_seville at 2013-05-30 16:26:05

@crystalwolf - your last post (to me) sounded like he didn't so I thought better safe than sorry. My mistake. I know you're far upstate but I am surprised that there isn't much of a mosquito issue. The mid section of upstate NY (and similar climes like MA and CT) still have a lot of mosquitos. My brother went to school in Rochester and would complain about them, thus my concern. You know your area best though.

I tend to find fleas less of an issue, but I also have spent my life living in cities. If you're uncertain about the frequency of fleas, you can call your vet (assuming they don't charge for a question like that, mine never did) or try asking some of the folks in the local shelter. As both @redcattoo and I have both said, it depends on what your area is like. I only mentioned heartworm because in my experience (direct and indirect) the areas where you both live are high enough mosquito density to take precautions, but it's ultimately your decision (barring contractual obligations to your breeder, such as I have).

[Edited to add]
@saya - is it common for vets to carry food? Mine never do so it's always surprising to hear that.

Bootz

@violet_in_seville, My vet carries food, mainly science diet though, and they do not push for it. Just have it laying around in the waiting room.

@CrystalWolf, My area doesn't have many mosquitos, but heartworm preventative is definitely something i'd rather have and be safe then sorry. Its easier to prevent then it is to try to fix something.

CrystalWolf

Hmm. Good point it is better to be safe than sorry. Maybe I am just in a good area. I'm not in the country so I don't have woods, creeks or lakes. Or maybe it's just to early for them to come out. I didn't notice them last yr around my house. They did come out around my friends and they lived In the country they only came out at night.

Interesting fact about Mosquitos. It's only the females that bite. I think it's food for Eggs. The males are larger and do not bite. They drink nector

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