# What Is Worse? Ticks or Prevention?



## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

I've never had to put chemicals on my dogs before. They've never had any flea or tick problems so there was no reason to add poison to their skin each month.

Well, now I'm living out in the country with my grandparents and I swear ticks are everywhere. I find them on ME at least once or twice a week and I find a LOT more on Chance since he's outside most the day. I pull them off him every night!! A typical amount in 1 night would be about 10. Last night I pulled off *24 ticks*!!!

Doesn't it take a while for them to inject anything into your pet? So if they're only on a couple hours before they've gotten a good meal (ie. they're not engorged), it shouldn't be as bad as if they were left on to suck the blood out of him correct? He's not anemic or anything, his gums and things are nice and pink.

But because there are SO many I'm considering Advantix or something to kill them. But I'm worried about it making him sick. :/ And don't they need to still latch on anyways in order to die therefore disease could STILL be transferred?

I've never dealt with this problem and before I came here I know Chance was free of tick diseases but now I'm worried he could pick something up. So I was just wondering what would be best? Just keep pulling them off each night or putting chemical killers on him to get rid of them?


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## Uniballer (Mar 12, 2002)

ChancetheGSD said:


> Last night I pulled off *24 ticks*!!!


 That is a lot of ticks.



> Doesn't it take a while for them to inject anything into your pet?


 Yes, but the experts and knowledgeable consumers disagree about how long it takes. The medical experts who claim 36 hours minimum for Lyme disease transmission are clearly out of their minds. Ehrlichia may actually be a more immediate threat to dogs than Lyme.



> But because there are SO many I'm considering Advantix or something to kill them. But I'm worried about it making him sick. :/ And don't they need to still latch on anyways in order to die therefore disease could STILL be transferred?


 Nothing is perfect. Reports from Bayer indicate that Advantix II can repel and/or kill ticks before they attach. Unfortunately, you must handle the product and your dog carefully because the product can cause "substantial but temporary eye injury" to humans. I.e. don't pet your dog before it has been absorbed.

We all have to weigh the risks (and yuck factor) and do the best we can. I put K9 Advantix (II) on my dog ever since I found an engorged female deer tick on his face a few years ago.


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## lisgje (Sep 3, 2010)

I use k-9 advantix as well. They can get so many diseases and or parasites from fleas (tape worms especially from fleas) and ticks that it is well worth investing in the preventative. Ticks can travel and you don't want to wake up and find one on yourself that your dog brought in. I have used Advantage and Advantix on three different dogs and four cats (feline version of course, LOL) and they never had an adverse reaction. Be sure to wash your hands after applying to your dog.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

I find the preventative to be much better than the parasites. Would you want 24 ticks crawling on you, sucking your blood, even if they weren't transmitting anything?

I've never had a single problem with flea/tick preventative. Yes some have problems, but look at things as a WHOLE. How many people apply spot-on's in this world vs the amount of problems?


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

But my point is that most of the chemical things you put on your pets DON'T work UNTIL the tick has bitten them. Therefore, my dog is still going to be crawled on and eaten by them only now he'll be sporting chemicals that can harm to mine, his and my grandparents health.

I get that millions of people use them on their animals but millions of people also vaccinate their dogs every 6-12 months which I have never, nor will I ever do. It's not until later down the road the dog gets cancer from it or has a bad reaction. THAT is what bothers me about it. Though of course there is also that first time risk involved since I -don't- know how he will react to it.

And my dogs don't and have never had fleas so I'm not worried about protecting against those. Just the ticks are a problem atm. And even if I didn't have a dog, being where we are at, we people would still be bringing them inside and being bitten by them. It comes with living in the woods.

Now, the Advantix II sounds good if it actually does repel them or kill them without them having to bite. Of course, then you have to wonder what you're putting on your dog that is that powerful. Thankfully it shouldn't be more than a 2-3 month thing tops before I move out but I'm incredibly paranoid about putting stuff on my dogs. I'll see what I can find online about it. Thanks for the suggestion!

Also, which product isn't suppose to be used in a house with cats? Anyone know? Cause I want to try and avoid that so that when I move out I don't have to worry about anything on my dog harming/killing the two kittens I'm getting.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

living in "Lyme" CT , I would say the ticks are worse than the preventative

I had a male pass away , yeah he was no spring chicken, but had complications caused by chronic erhlichia 

My 3 dogs ALWAYS come up postiive for anaplasmosis, Masi is only 3 and has been positive since I started testing her,,the two aussies have been positive for 4-5 years.

None are clinical, but I still treat every year with doxy. I do not use the spot on stuff, I also do not like putting chemicals in their systems..I just got Vets Best Flea & Tick Spray so am going to try that because I do see a fair amount of ticks on them a different times.

The thing is, the ticks that cause Tick Disease, you will most likely never find on the dog, they are so 'minute', unless they are around the eye area, you most likely will never see them


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I'm with Jakoda- having had a pup with ehrlichia, a life threatening tick borne disease, I say the preventative is worth any risk. There's a tag that repels fleas, ticks, etc that you hang from the collar but I'm guessing you're going to need a topical preventative, especially with all the pines in that area.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

ChancetheGSD said:


> Therefore, my dog is still going to be crawled on and eaten by them only now he'll be sporting chemicals that can harm to mine, his and my grandparents health.


 So why did you ask?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I would opt for repellents, as in essential oil spray or garlic instead of a spot on that only kills the tick after it has already invaded the body. There are holistic methods, I go that route instead of putting more chemicals on or in my dogs.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I'm thinking of trying these as well www.shootag.com altho I'm not sold on it


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I wouldn't waste the $$ unless the company can prove to you they work(speaking from experience)


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Advantix repels ticks. It has something to do with the smell. There is another tick question on here the last couple of days and I posted an article by Dr. Becker on it.

I use Advantix and have never found a tick. I just spoke with my vet's office and was told that, because I don't want the Lyme's vaccine, testing bi-yearly was not a bad idea. That if I found a tick on her, the panel usually would show positive/neg in 30 days. And that 1 in 3 dogs is coming in with Lyme's....in PA where we have cold winters. 

So, given your geographical area you need to have your dog tested for tick diseases in 30 days especially with that number of ticks on him. The treatment for Lyme's is a minimum of 30 Doxy.

I use Advantix on all three dogs and my cat has never suffered from it.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

Jane, it's got alot of positive reviews (shootag),,but I don't know, all I can picture is a tick jumping on the dog and going "EEEEEEEEK he's got a shootag on I'm getting outta here" LOL 

I may try "one" since they sell them at Petco and I have a coupon for quite a bit off something there..


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

There is quite a bit of misinformation going around on this thread. There are actually several products on the market that both repell the ticks as well as kill them if they happen to bite. 

I think tick prevention dpends on your area and the prevelence of tick diseases. I live in an area in which 1 in every 4 or 5 dogs has Lyme disease. See how much pain a dog lives in for their life with some nasty disease that can only be managed, and you'll realize how serious of a situation it is. 

GSD's have long coats. It's not always easy to spot ticks. Tick diseases are horrible on animals. I don't screw around with their health because of a fear of chemicals. I use Vectra 3D and have gotten comments on some of the ingredients from people. But guess what? I've been using it for a year now (Nov-Mar...don't use in Dec, Jan, Fev) and I have not found a SINGLE tick on either dog. Not ONE.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I use Frontline Plus but still find ticks, some even embedded. Lately I have been using Mad About Organics spray, but that can get expensive if you go in the woods a lot.
Based on reviews seen in a few threads here I will probably change to Advantix when my Frontline is used up.
I Googled Vectra 3D and saw too many bad reviews to make me interested.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Another thing you might try is Equisect at Tractor Supply. That repels flies, fleas and supposedly ticks. It's derived from chrysanthemums and is organic. I use it on my horse. The bottle said it can be used on dogs AND cats.


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## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

I had a long talk with my vet about this. She assured me that these products are highly regulated and safe. She said common sense says that if you see your dog reacting to the stuff to stop using it, but that she has been a vet for over 20 years, and has been recommending and using the products on her own dogs ever since they came out, and she has never once seen or had a problem with it. She recommended either Advantix or Frontline. She said the Advantix is a little stronger than the Frontline and repels as well as kills insects.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

onyx'girl said:


> I would opt for repellents, as in essential oil spray or garlic instead of a spot on that only kills the tick after it has already invaded the body. There are holistic methods, I go that route instead of putting more chemicals on or in my dogs.


He gets 2000mg garlic each day. In SC he only got 1000mg and was fine, but because I was seeing ticks on him here in NC I upped it to 2000mg. I saw a difference when I missed 3 days worth (ie. doubling to 24 ticks instead of a typical 10ish) and put him right back on it and am hoping it will decrease again. But it hasn't stopped them. I also spray him with diluted ACV. What else could I try?

And I feel like you guys think I hate my dogs and want them to die of a disease. It's actually the opposite, I love them SO much I don't WANT them to die of chemicals any more than I want them to die from tick disease. I've NEVER had to use any chemicals on any of the 17 dogs I've owned. Never had a flea or tick problem. My dogs go to stores, regular parks, dog parks, walks around the neighborhood, hiking through woods, swimming, play dates with friends dogs, ect. NEVER had a problem with fleas and ticks on them. Until now. And ticks are the ONLY problem. He does NOT have even a single flea on him. 

I'm going to call the vet and ask them, they're a backwoods vet who treats everything from birds to dogs to horses to pigs and everything in between. I'll ask about the Equisect and the Advantix.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

If you use Advantix then you won't need the Equisect. 

Nobody thinks you hate your dogs. You asked our opinion and we gave it. I don't think anyone here said anything bad about you. My vet said ticks are really bad this year and I've seen several ppl here post about them being out early.

If he's getting 10 ticks on him on a regular basis then you need to change your regiment and use something stronger. Lyme's isn't the only disease you need to worry about in the south and from what I've seen, some of the other tick diseases are worse.


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## spidermilk (Mar 18, 2010)

I completely understand the OP's problem! I wanted to try the bug-off garlic + neem spray (when we go hiking) but I didn't realize that it took several months to build up enough garlic to repel ticks. Hearing that it isn't working for you is a real bummer!

There are a *lot* of ticks here and at the beginning of the spring (march) I didn't do Advantix and did 3x daily tick checks. We are out in the woods/tall grass nearly every day so there are so many chances for ticks to get on him. Even checking 3x daily and carefully going over him with a flea comb I would occasionally miss one. Lyme and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are both carried by ticks in my area so in April I went back to Advantix.

It hasn't caused him any problems so far but I completely understand your concern and I too would *like* to avoid putting chemicals on my dog. I decided that ticks are the greater threat.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

Jax08 said:


> If you use Advantix then you won't need the Equisect.
> 
> Nobody thinks you hate your dogs. You asked our opinion and we gave it. I don't think anyone here said anything bad about you. My vet said ticks are really bad this year and I've seen several ppl here post about them being out early.
> 
> If he's getting 10 ticks on him on a regular basis then you need to change your regiment and use something stronger. Lyme's isn't the only disease you need to worry about in the south and from what I've seen, some of the other tick diseases are worse.


I picked up some of the spray today to try before going to Advantix. If I don't notice a difference in the next week I'll grab some from the vet.

And I just get the feeling that because I'm not quick to use it despite having an obvious problem, that people think I'm a bad owner/don't care about my dog. I've had a VET tell me straight to my face I didn't love my dog because I wont vaccinate him each year. I wouldn't put it past anyone else to think the same thing for not wanting to put chemicals on my dog. Maybe it's just because I've had a bad week but I kind of picked up on an attitude towards me from a couple people. I love this dog more than I love myself, I can't help but be picky about every thing that goes on or in him.

And Spidermilk, this is the first time I've ever had a problem. My dogs have been on garlic forever and that's always been all they needed. Never had any problems even staying with my grandparents in the past. I have no clue what is up this year. I've never tried neem, I've always just used garlic and apple cider vinegar spray.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Then you tell that vet to read the AAHA guidelines on vaccines an ask him why 27 veterinary schools are going to the every 3 years protocol! And find a new vet. That's a ridiculous statement given the evidence regarding how long the vaccines are good for.

There are many people here to do not use the chemicals for ticks. That doesn't mean you don't love your dog. I think your bad week has you taking things a bit personally. If you didn't care very much for your animal then you would not have asked the question here on what to do!  

Please remember to make an appointment with your vet to run the test for tick diseases. I'm pretty sure the vet's office told me the test they run can tell 30 days out so work with that timeline. Have you considered using diatomaceous earth?

http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/diatomaceous_earth_fleas.html


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## koda girl (Feb 15, 2010)

I have heard that by the time you can feel the tick on your dog, it has probably been there for at least 12 hours. There is a way to remove ticks I found it on the net one time by rubbing the ticks back in circles until it lets go of the dog. This did not work for me that last time my dog got a tick but it has worked well for some of my friends dogs. I know when I pull the tick off I never seem to get the head with it. With this round rubbing the tick lets go and then you grab it. I guess it works on some ticks and not on others.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

There are tick removal tools that are very cheap.


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## koda girl (Feb 15, 2010)

I didn't know there are tick removal tools, I was always told tweezers which don't work great for me. I will ask at my pet store next time I go in for sure. Thanks,


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

koda girl said:


> I didn't know there are tick removal tools, I was always told tweezers which don't work great for me. I will ask at my pet store next time I go in for sure. Thanks,



actually, tweezers are hard (impossible) for me to use correctly. if you squeeze the body, you are pushing fluid from the tick into the dog. 

The Tick Key on eBay!

I use preventive measures. I use bio-spot and I also check the dogs after a hike. If you give a thorough brushing, you can often get them before they are attached. An ounce of prevention....


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## GSDElsa (Jul 22, 2009)

ChancetheGSD said:


> But my point is that most of the chemical things you put on your pets DON'T work UNTIL the tick has bitten them. Therefore, my dog is still going to be crawled on and eaten by them only now he'll be sporting chemicals that can harm to mine, his and my grandparents health.
> 
> I get that millions of people use them on their animals but millions of people also vaccinate their dogs every 6-12 months which I have never, nor will I ever do. It's not until later down the road the dog gets cancer from it or has a bad reaction. THAT is what bothers me about it. Though of course there is also that first time risk involved since I -don't- know how he will react to it.
> 
> ...


Youre probably feeling attitude because of comments like what you said in the first paragraph above. You already have a somewhat personal bias (are spouting off opinions on facts that are not even correct) so it makes people wonder why you came to ask at all. 

You have a tick problem so you have to suck it up and take care of it some how instead of ranting about putting your grandparents health at risk?? Thus implying that those of us that do use chemicals are bad people ourselves for doing something so rash


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

According to the FRONTLINE website: 
*Do fleas and ticks have to bite my pet for FRONTLINE Brand Products to work?*

_Fleas and ticks do not have to bite your pet for FRONTLINE Brand Products to work. FRONTLINE Brand Products kill fleas and ticks if they simply come into contact with your pet's haircoat. The fleas will die within 12 hours of contact with your treated pet**, and ticks will die within 48 hours2.

FRONTLINE | Helpful resources | FAQs_


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I found this website and wanted to post the link. You can narrow down by zipcode the reported cases of dog diseases from ticks. It gives alot of good info about ticks w/ pictures.

U.S. Regional Map of Lyme disease, Canine Ehrlichiosis, Heartworm, Anaplasma 

*if you don't see a high incident rate for your area, I'm not suggesting you should or should not use a preventitive*


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

No, my point is I don't want to hear "Well everyone else does it, you should too". Kind of the "well if your friend jumped off a bridge would you?" case. I -don't- know ANYTHING about these products and I will very openly admit that. I've never used them since I've never had a reason to! Would you go jump on a medication your doctor prescribed without knowing anything about it or the risk? You wouldn't even come home and research a little before popping that first pill? If you'd do it for yourself, why not for your pet? And if you don't do it for yourself then....Well. Good luck to you and your pet. Enjoy your loss of sex drive or the diarrhea you could have been warned about just doing a quick Google search.

I like INFORMATION, such as "this product repels as well as kills". Side effect information too! I was under the impression that with all tick preventions, the ticks had to bite before they died therefore there is still a possible risk of transmitting a disease. Helpful people pointed out this isn't true rather than saying "well we use it and our dogs fine". Because I now have brands, I can look more into it.

I also like that I was offered NATURAL ideas.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

My 7yr old female, Kiya, is a tick magnet. For some reason she always was the one with the most ticks, there were plenty of times I'd pick 20-30 off 1 dog. Here on Long Island there is no escape. For the first time in at least 25 years I have stopped going out on the trails now, for myself and my dogs. We literally have "hit the pavement" untill the frost comes. Yesterday I picked up K9advanitx II from my vet, so I know I have a quallity product and not some cheap generic. Even though we haven't been in the trails I still find them. Since Kiya has had siezures since 2005 I have to be careful of products I have been lucky that I never had a reaction to the spot ons. I tested positive for Lyme's in 2003 all my dogs have been positive and treated. All I can do is test & treat when needed. Kiya just finished a treatment of doxy, Apache was treated in January. Lakota is still good for now but I garrantee she'll test positive sooner or later.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Jax08 said:


> There are tick removal tools that are very cheap.


I have one of those tick removal tools but I can never get it under the dang tick.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

ChancetheGSD said:


> No, my point is I don't want to hear "Well everyone else does it, you should too". Kind of the "well if your friend jumped off a bridge would you?" case. I -don't- know ANYTHING about these products and I will very openly admit that. I've never used them since I've never had a reason to! Would you go jump on a medication your doctor prescribed without knowing anything about it or the risk? You wouldn't even come home and research a little before popping that first pill? If you'd do it for yourself, why not for your pet? And if you don't do it for yourself then....Well. Good luck to you and your pet. Enjoy your loss of sex drive or the diarrhea you could have been warned about just doing a quick Google search.
> 
> I like INFORMATION, such as "this product repels as well as kills". Side effect information too! I was under the impression that with all tick preventions, the ticks had to bite before they died therefore there is still a possible risk of transmitting a disease. Helpful people pointed out this isn't true rather than saying "well we use it and our dogs fine". Because I now have brands, I can look more into it.
> 
> I also like that I was offered NATURAL ideas.


 You don't have to get so nasty ... people are trying to help you in their own way. If you don't like their answers ignore them and simply take the information from the posts you're happy with.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

CTD - I share a lot of your concerns about applying artificial chemicals to dogs. Unfortunately, living in tickville, I find it necessary. I also give heartworm prevenative -- year round. I don't like any of it.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

middleofnowhere said:


> CTD - I share a lot of your concerns about applying artificial chemicals to dogs. Unfortunately, living in tickville, I find it necessary. I also give heartworm prevenative -- year round. I don't like any of it.


agreed. where in AR are you located? here, we had a lot of ticks early in the year (Jan) then the snowstorms seem to have killed a lot of them off. The last 2 weeks, though, it's been back to the usual swarm of the nasty buggers. I just pulled one off of Singe, on the webbing of his toes right against the pad.

One thing about the chemicals, I've heard that it can take a bit longer to kill them on the extremities since it's farther away from the dosing site. Still, I would say that it's much better than any of the tick diseases.
My SIL's sheltie had lyme disease and it was so sad


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## asja (Mar 22, 2011)

kiya said:


> My 7yr old female, Kiya, is a tick magnet. For some reason she always was the one with the most ticks, there were plenty of times I'd pick 20-30 off 1 dog. Here on Long Island there is no escape. For the first time in at least 25 years I have stopped going out on the trails now, for myself and my dogs. We literally have "hit the pavement" untill the frost comes. Yesterday I picked up K9advanitx II from my vet, so I know I have a quallity product and not some cheap generic. Even though we haven't been in the trails I still find them. Since Kiya has had siezures since 2005 I have to be careful of products I have been lucky that I never had a reaction to the spot ons. I tested positive for Lyme's in 2003 all my dogs have been positive and treated. All I can do is test & treat when needed. Kiya just finished a treatment of doxy, Apache was treated in January. Lakota is still good for now but I garrantee she'll test positive sooner or later.


How long and how much doxycycline was the treatment if they tested positive but didn't have symptoms?


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

not kiya here, but when mine are positive, (it's always anaplasmosis nothing else),,I hit them hard with doxy, I do 5mg per body weight twice a day for atleast 2 months.


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## JanaeUlva (Feb 5, 2011)

Tick removal - I live in a county were ticks are very prevalent and I hiked with my dogs twice a day thru the woods and fields, not to mention the house was surrounded with fields and woods. I can remember one bad month were I picked approx 20 ticks off the dog and 10 off me! Ick. But thru the years of living with them every year I got over the aversion and became very adept at finding them in the dogs coats with my fingers and plucking them out. 99% of the time I got the head. My system? Get your fingernails as close to the skin as possible and then pluck. I don't squeeze the tick! Pluck! Done right, you usually end up with a tick holding some skin. Be aware, It is amazing the damage the tick does to that area of skin. Nasty bugs. All my dogs get vaccinated for lymes and this year I started using Frontline too. I trust my vet plus she understands the issue of over vaccination and agrees with using titres. She recommends the lymes vac and Frontline due to our lifestyle.


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## asja (Mar 22, 2011)

JakodaCD OA said:


> not kiya here, but when mine are positive, (it's always anaplasmosis nothing else),,I hit them hard with doxy, I do 5mg per body weight twice a day for atleast 2 months.


Is that your vet's plan or do you treat yourself? Just wondering. I know you can get doxycycline for fish w/o a prescription. 

I have my dogs tested for tick diseases every year. One of my dogs nearly died from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever several years ago. He was on doxycycline for three months at least.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

PaddyD said:


> I use Frontline Plus but still find ticks, some even embedded. Lately I have been using Mad About Organics spray, but that can get expensive if you go in the woods a lot.
> Based on reviews seen in a few threads here I will probably change to Advantix when my Frontline is used up.
> I Googled Vectra 3D and saw too many bad reviews to make me interested.


Some believe that regular Frontline is more effective than Frontline Plus. However, ticks still have to bite for Frontline to be effective, so I wouldn't use that for ticks. Too bad they won't offer regular Advantix anymore, as that did repel ticks and mosquitos. Advantix II has added stuff for fleas, which of course makes it more toxic. Preventic collar works for some, I use that on vacations.

Do you find the Mad About Organics works well for ticks? I have the little bottle that they say to use for a spot-on, but I use it to make my own spray. It works great for mosquitos, haven't fully tested it for ticks, but I haven't found any ticks from regular walks. So far, I've been sticking with the M-A-O spray, but it's easy to forgot to apply, and I don't know how long he can go without reapplying.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Wolfiesmom said:


> I had a long talk with my vet about this. She assured me that these products are highly regulated and safe. She said common sense says that if you see your dog reacting to the stuff to stop using it, but that she has been a vet for over 20 years, and has been recommending and using the products on her own dogs ever since they came out, and she has never once seen or had a problem with it....


Highly safe and regulated...yeah....that's not much comfort to the dogs that have reacted, sometimes violently to these products.

I would say that a vet that has been using them in her clients for that long without seeing a single reaction either isn't in tune with her dogs, or has clients that are not in tune with their dogs. It happens.

That being said, anyone that has seen dogs die from tick diseases, or develop chronic illness (chronic infection, anemia, cancer, etc.), hands down, will say that tick disease is far worse than tick preventative.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

JanaeUlva said:


> All my dogs get vaccinated for lymes and this year I started using Frontline too. I trust my vet plus she understands the issue of over vaccination and agrees with using titres. She recommends the lymes vac and Frontline due to our lifestyle.


Anyone wanting more information on the lyme vaccine can find information here: Ticks and Tick Diseases - GermanShepherdHome.net

My dog had a lifetime of pain and illness from the immune complex disease that the lyme vaccine gave her (diagnosed by the head of the serology lab at Cornell). It was very expensive, lifelong management for her.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Courtney said:


> I found this website and wanted to post the link. You can narrow down by zipcode the reported cases of dog diseases from ticks. It gives alot of good info about ticks w/ pictures.
> 
> U.S. Regional Map of Lyme disease, Canine Ehrlichiosis, Heartworm, Anaplasma
> 
> *if you don't see a high incident rate for your area, I'm not suggesting you should or should not use a preventitive*


Keep in mind, most of these diseases are not reported, or not diagnosed properly, so this map will greatly underestimate occurrences.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

arycrest said:


> According to the FRONTLINE website:
> *Do fleas and ticks have to bite my pet for FRONTLINE Brand Products to work?*
> 
> _Fleas and ticks do not have to bite your pet for FRONTLINE Brand Products to work. FRONTLINE Brand Products kill fleas and ticks if they simply come into contact with your pet's haircoat. The fleas will die within 12 hours of contact with your treated pet**, and ticks will die within 48 hours2.
> ...


Thanks for that clarification Gayle, didn't realize they didn't have to bite. Guess they just gotta crawl around for awhile.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

from the Frontline website FAQ:

*Do fleas and ticks have to bite my pet for FRONTLINE Brand Products to work?*

Fleas and ticks do not have to bite your pet for FRONTLINE Brand Products to work. FRONTLINE Brand Products kill fleas and ticks if they simply come into contact with your pet's haircoat. The fleas will die within 12 hours of contact with your treated pet**, and ticks will die within 48 hours2.

sorry for the repeat, for some reason page 5 wasn't showing


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Ok adding a bit more to the discussion -- the last I knew the spot on products worked through your dog's system. That is you are putting something on your dog which they recommend your sking not come into contact with. This substance then is absorbed by your dog and distributed throughout his skin. _Sounds pretty noxious to me._ Yes, since I moved to central AR, I've had to use them. This year they've liked me more than the dogs.


Also, Whole Dog Journal had a series of three articles about this stuff back in 2000 or so. I haven't found my articles on it since I moved the last time. Two articles discussed the spot ons and the third one was on organic alternatives. The organic mixture that I shook on the old pound dog worked great for keeping fleas off of him but did nothing for the Barker Sisters. It also had the benefit of smelling good and not being toxic to humans or dogs. There was also a recipie for a spray that involved tea tree oil, bay rum, palma rosa & some other essenses. They did smell very good!


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

Just wanted to update. I've been using DuMOR Fly Spray which says it protects against all kinds of other critters as well. They didn't have the Equisect so this is what I got since it had the same ingredients/doses as the dog stuff but a little cheaper.

It's not -perfect- but it's really helped. In the last 3 days I've found a total of 5 ticks, 2 weren't attached and 3 were after he went swimming so I don't think this stuff is water proof. But for $5 and seeing a reduction of 5 over 3 days time compared to 10-20 every single day, I don't have much to complain about. I think I'm going to continue using this as long as I don't see the numbers jump up again. I don't think there is any product that will ensure he doesn't get bit even once so I think for what it's done so far, it's working fairly well. Yes? No?

Just figured I'd update. I'll continue to keep track of the ticks and which situations I see them in. As long as he's not swimming I don't seem to find them so I guess it'll mostly just be me staying on top of spraying him if I see he's been down at the pond.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

If that safe for dogs AND cats? Some of those horse sprays are good for up to two weeks. I would just lightly spray him when you are going out. If you go out where he'll get ticks every day then spray him every few days. I think there is "water proof" sprays but I've never used them.

Have you look for the Neem oil? DE? I'd love to hear how those work when you have an infestation already.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

I didn't ask about cats so I'm not sure.  I figured when I get my kitties I'll just bathe him really well before I bring everyone into the apartment. I'd be picky about what I'd put on a cat since they groom themselves. He is outside right now. We have 9 acres of land which is mostly over grown grass/woods. Especially around the pond where he likes to play. So ticks are crazy here, you can't walk outside yourself without getting some on you. Past our yard is nothing but more land/pastures. Out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by horses and cows. Lol!

I've been spraying him once a day, twice if he goes swimming since the first day I pulled them off him after he went swimming and I didn't respray him.

I haven't been able to find neem oil anywhere and I don't know how well DE would work. Isn't that more for flea problems? And again, with 9 acres it'd be hard to put it down so it'd just be something that went ON him and I worry about drying out his skin with it. If I can find some neem oil I'd be willing to drop the DuMOR for a bit and see how the neem works. :thumbup:


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## Myamom (Oct 10, 2005)

I have seen adverse reaction to frontline. Cheyenne was drooling, eyes rolled back in her head...totally out of it...I thought I was going to lose her. I discussed with 3 different vets who all told me basically it was just a coincidence and that frontline causes no reaction in animals...sigh....they think I'm crazy...but I know what I saw. Keep in mind Cheyenne is an elderly dog with health issues.

We are having an extremely bad tick year (before this year I NEVER ever saw a tick in my life)...found two on ME already...and I'm sure it's because they hitched a ride on Cheyenne. I'm looking at my new box of frontline on the counter...and just don't think I can do it again...but I don't know what to do. 

My other dogs have not had issues with topicals and I will use on Ava who is a healthy dog and has never had a bad reaction to it.


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## asja (Mar 22, 2011)

Myamom said:


> I have seen adverse reaction to frontline. Cheyenne was drooling, eyes rolled back in her head...totally out of it...I thought I was going to lose her. I discussed with 3 different vets who all told me basically it was just a coincidence and that frontline causes no reaction in animals...sigh....they think I'm crazy...but I know what I saw. Keep in mind Cheyenne is an elderly dog with health issues.
> 
> We are having an extremely bad tick year (before this year I NEVER ever saw a tick in my life)...found two on ME already...and I'm sure it's because they hitched a ride on Cheyenne. I'm looking at my new box of frontline on the counter...and just don't think I can do it again...but I don't know what to do.
> 
> My other dogs have not had issues with topicals and I will use on Ava who is a healthy dog and has never had a bad reaction to it.


Frontline left chemical burns on Boris. There were nickel-sized circles where hair never grew back, exactly the spots I put the Frontline. 

Once I put Frontline on Bonni, she ran around the house rubbing her back, and then stood in the shower,waiting for me to wash it off. 

I'm not happy with the topical chemicals.


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