The War Against Ticks

[Mary&Sully]

In the War against ticks... I am losing. By a lot.

Sully is on Frontline (was on K9 Advantix last year with the same problems) and is still getting lots of ticks! I have pulled close to 20 off him in the past week and 2 off of me! Yesterday I found a tick under the oily hair where I had just applied Frontline a few days before, he was attached and very much alive. Let me tell you, this totally pissed me off. What can I do? I spend 30 minutes searching through Sully's long black hair every day after the hike, and I still find them when I'm cuddling in bed with him later. Soooo not cool. I've thought about a tick collar, but he's constantly in the creek or puppy pool so that won't work... Help!!! Lol.

[nancy]

We used Frontline Plus on Fergie for her 15+ years. She never ever had an engorged tick on her. And she took several walks a day through fields and around a pond where other folks wouldn't walk their dogs because of the ticks.

 

Yes, we did occasionally find a tick or two on her after a hike in brush or tall grass. But no tick ever managed to attach on her. Some did manage to try to attach on us. We could pull them off. And we humans have had minimal necrotic stuff because the ticks are arachnids.

 

With Ferg gone, we hope that the Frontline Plus on Maggie the Cat will give us the same protection. Because no one will agree to our using Frontline Plus on us.

[mbc1963]

I think ticks in specific areas become immune to the meds after a while. I used Frontline for a few years, with great success, and then had to switch to K9 Advantix, because the Frontline seemed to do nothing. Now, I'm finding ticks occasionally even with the K9 Advantix, too.

 

This is a BAD tick spring in my area (Mass.) too. It's been rainy, the grass is already overgrown but it's too wet to mow it, and there are ticks galore out there. I pulled one off Buddy yesterday, even though I know he hadn't been in any brush for at least 36 hours. Must have come off my lawn.

 

Mary

[juliepoudrier]

My only solution was to give up our walks through the woods to the river. I was spending hours pulling ticks off dogs and I'm sure I still missed some. I could literally watch the ticks crawl up my legs. Ick! Now that we don't go into the woods, I'm getting fewer ticks off the dogs and none on me. The sad part is that the dogs aren't actually getting exercise--and they loved going to the river. But I'll be truly amazed if one or more of my dogs doesn't end up with a tick disease this year.

 

I've used Frontline till it quit working and Advantix until it seemed to start to fail. And now I alternate the two. I put Advantix on two weeks ago, and was pulling engorged ticks off the dogs just a few days later. I went out and bought some Sevin powder to try, but haven't put any on them yet.

 

If you have a wooded area with leaf/needle litter, especially, you're probably going to be inundated with ticks.

 

There's been a long discussion on controlling ticks in the yard on Tick-L. Unfortunately all of the treatments seem to come with some risk. It's just a bad situation...

 

J.

[burdock]

Going to visit our relatives in Clayton N C so we should watch out for ticks on our Collie Emma we are taking with us for the five days we are going to be visiting, she uses Frontline Plus. Looks like a bad year and its on the end of her 30 day cycle when she will be in N.C. hate those little bugs.

[Alchemist]

I hope I don't sound like a broken record. Just in case anyone was thinking that Frontline Plus might be more effective against ticks than regular Frontline...You won't get any better tick control. They contain the same active ingredient against ticks. The "Plus" is s-methoprene, a juvenile insect growth hormone mimic. It keeps insects (read: fleas) from maturing, so breaks the life-cycle of fleas. Its metabolites are potent teratogens, affecting amphibian metamorphosis at VERY low levels. (Ever hear of the warnings associated with the acne medication Acutane? S-methoprene and the active ingredient in Acutane both function in a very similar manner; they're both retinoic acid mimics). My dog has never brought home fleas, no reproductive cycle to break, so I see no benefit to the "Plus". The precautionary principle dictates, therefore, that I go with regular Frontline.

 

Ticks are not insects. Nor are the mites that can spread mange. Frontline is every bit as effective against ticks as is Frontline Plus. And both will be equally ineffective against ticks if they've built up resistance in your area.

 

I second Julie's advice. Switch between different agents; use a tick collar if possible (if added control is needed); and if that isn't working, consider restricting certain activities. Tick-borne diseases are not to be taken lightly.

[D'Elle]

I fully understand the War On Ticks. I fought it for three years, including two complete moves to different houses. I finally won, though. I found that the ticks can become immune to Frontline and to Advantix. Tick collars, Advantix, bathing daily, sprays on the dogs, citronella, none of these things worked. I could be using all these things at once and still pull 50 or more ticks off each dog daily. What I finally did was go and get some professional-grade pyretherin spray (not sure if I spelled that right) and I started a total campaign. I sprayed the entire house every single day for about a month. That worked. I had not done it previously because I had a cat and you cannot use that chemical in the presence of a cat; it will kill the cat. And then after the cat died (from something else altogether) I did not use it because I did not want to spray chemicals all over my house. But after trying literally everything else that I ever heard of from anyone anywhere to get rid of ticks, (and believe me, I tried everything, even absolutely ridiculous things just in case)I gave in and used the chemical and I have not had a tick problem since then, and that was many months ago now.

 

Mind you, I live in the desert. If you live in an area where there is grass you best get rid of the grass or do not let the dogs in it. And if you go walking in the woods, your dogs will pick up ticks there and bring them home. My problem was that the infestation was in my home, and moved with me, probably inside boxes and furniture, from place to place. I don't have grass, only dirt. So the problem was in the house. If your dogs go into woods on or off your property and if you cannot fully treat those areas with spray (or, more effectively, get rid of all foliage) then they will probably continue to bring ticks home. Just try to take care that they do not set up a colony under your bed or elsewhere in the house, as you will then have to do what I did. Good luck, from one who has fought on the front lines.

[Jim Kling]

In the War against ticks... I am loosing. By a lot.

Sully is on Frontline (was on K9 Advantix last year with the same problems) and is still getting lots of ticks! I have pulled close to 20 off him in the past week and 2 off of me! Yesterday I found a tick under the oily hair where I had just applied Frontline a few days before, he was attached and very much alive. Let me tell you, this totally pissed me off. What can I do? I spend 30 minutes searching through Sully's long black hair every day after the hike, and I still find them when I'm cuddling in bed with him later. Soooo not cool. I've thought about a tick collar, but he's constantly in the creek or puppy pool so that won't work... Help!!! Lol.

 

 

One possibility: I saw some products at PetSmart that used essential oils, which apparently have some effect against fleas and ticks. Could be worth a try.

[Mary&Sully]

My problem was that the infestation was in my home, and moved with me, probably inside boxes and furniture, from place to place. I don't have grass, only dirt. So the problem was in the house. If your dogs go into woods on or off your property and if you cannot fully treat those areas with spray (or, more effectively, get rid of all foliage) then they will probably continue to bring ticks home. Just try to take care that they do not set up a colony under your bed or elsewhere in the house, as you will then have to do what I did. Good luck, from one who has fought on the front lines.

 

Thanks- at the moment they have not nested in my home. I went through that last summer with fleas and it was a nightmare!! Mostly we pick them up on our long walks on hiking trails, which we both love and I would hate to give them up...

 

One possibility: I saw some products at PetSmart that used essential oils, which apparently have some effect against fleas and ticks. Could be worth a try.

 

I'll look! Thanks!

[nancy]

You might try giving garlic - either tablets or powdered or smushed - with food. My daughter and her family take - I think - 3 tablets a day. They live in a state park, where ticks seem to be a major local species.

 

I seem to remember using garlic and brewers yeast - as a supplement - for fleas and ticks way back before there were topical things like Frontline and Advantix. Worked better than flea collars.

[juliepoudrier]

One possibility: I saw some products at PetSmart that used essential oils, which apparently have some effect against fleas and ticks. Could be worth a try.

If you also have cats in the home, be aware that many essential oils are toxic to cats, so while you may kill off the ticks you might also kill off your feline friends.

 

J.

[sweet_ceana]

We killed our entire lawn this year in order to get rid of the ticks. My dogs and my house are so dirty , but we are normally fully infested by now and we have only found two ticks in the last week. In the past no matter what we have put on the dogs the damn little bastards (ticks) have survived by hiding out in our lawn. Now my backyard is a barren desert of rock, sand and dirt, but for now it seems we are winning.

[nancy]

Heck, if you plant some cacti and other local stuff, won't that be xeriscaping? Which I thought was what one should so in the desert.

 

I'm trying to find out what I can do around our house to xeriscape here in the Piedmont of North Carolina.

 

Grass is greatly over-rated.

[Mary&Sully]

You might try giving garlic - either tablets or powdered or smushed - with food. My daughter and her family take - I think - 3 tablets a day. They live in a state park, where ticks seem to be a major local species.

 

I seem to remember using garlic and brewers yeast - as a supplement - for fleas and ticks way back before there were topical things like Frontline and Advantix. Worked better than flea collars.

 

With the garlic do you give it to the dog or me...? lol sorry. And how much for the a 40 lb pup?

[Little Bo Boop]

Frontline quit working for me for fleas and ticks ;-( so I came up with my own concoction ;-) Spinosad (the main ingredient in Comfortis) is available in liquid form in most garden supply stores. I mix up a spray bottle with the spinosad and water, I then spray it on the skin, down the backbone from the neck to the tail. I then spray them with Orange oil, working that into the skin and coat. So far I've had really good luck with it, and it's cheap....The Spinosad is a naturally occurring bacterium, and has been approved by the FDA for use in people for the treatment of head lice...so I figure it's probably safe for the dogs to use topically. I understand that some dogs have had bad reactions to Comfortis, that's why I didn't want to go the oral route....

 

BG

[geonni banner]

Most people probably know this already, but...

 

If you are buying Frontline or Advantage online (and sometimes over the counter) you can get products that aren't what it says on the box. I've been told the the way to tell is to compare the batch number on the outside of the box with the number on the individual applicators. They should match. If they don't the product is not genuine.

 

I haven't heard what is in the tubes on the fake stuff, but it doesn't kill ticks, whatever it is.

 

Of course, sometimes the real thing doesn't work either. But I always check when I'm opening a new box.

[D'Elle]

Frontline quit working for me for fleas and ticks ;-( so I came up with my own concoction ;-) Spinosad (the main ingredient in Comfortis) is available in liquid form in most garden supply stores. I mix up a spray bottle with the spinosad and water, I then spray it on the skin, down the backbone from the neck to the tail. I then spray them with Orange oil, working that into the skin and coat. So far I've had really good luck with it, and it's cheap....The Spinosad is a naturally occurring bacterium, and has been approved by the FDA for use in people for the treatment of head lice...so I figure it's probably safe for the dogs to use topically. I understand that some dogs have had bad reactions to Comfortis, that's why I didn't want to go the oral route....

 

BG

BG----could I ask for more info, please?

Spinosad................what does it look like? Is it a powder, liquid, spray? Is there a brand name? I am wondering what to ask for if I got to the garden dept of, say, WalMart.

And, where did you get Orange Oil?

D'Elle...............who would like a positive preventative lined up before monsoon season starts, just in case.......

[manasquan_jim]

I've been using Frontline Plus bought from the web on my 2 year old BC and works great so far, but you guys got me worried because one of our favorite activities is jogging on trails in the woods.

If it stops working maybe I'll try making a collar for him out of garlic cloves.

[bcnewe2]

Just want to add, I tried the garlic an it did nothin for us. used it on me and the dogs. It made me smell like garlic and my eyes were burning all the time. I'm counting my blessings right now, my grass is knee deep and no ticks yet. Granted we're not hiking in it but the dogs are def. Gettin in it. All I can say is battle on. Before the move we had to quit hiking. More for me and chiggers than ticks. Btw does anyone know I'd know if dogs can get chiggers?

[Mary&Sully]

Not sure about chiggers, but is there a Lyme vaccine? We're at really high risk in this area and I thought I had seen something about a vaccine. I get more and more scared everytime I pull a tick off of the dog, I keep a tick morgue in case and my collection is staggering. Gross!

[juliepoudrier]

There is (or used to be) some question about the safety and efficacy of the Lyme vaccine. If you choose to go the vaccine route, do some research to familiarize yourself with the issues before making a final decision. (I haven't kept up with the latest information, but you could join Tick-L and search the archives--I know there's been a lot of discussion there.)

 

Here is a page on vaccinating the Lyme positive dog (Lyme vaccine) at Gil. Ash's site. It has some links to other sites with differing opinions on the Lyme vaccine. (There's also a link to join Tick-L at the bottom of the page.)

 

J.

[Dixie_Girl]

Our property is 75% woods with lots of areas of tall grasses. One field and the back and side yard and out front is mowed down. I use advantix but I also have the very best weapon: CHICKENS! Those little free ranging buggers will get rid of fleas and ticks. They seem to really love them. Now, however, I have to deal with an infestation of chicken mites. Apparently the chickens don't eat them! Good luck!

[juliepoudrier]

Now, however, I have to deal with an infestation of chicken mites. Apparently the chickens don't eat them! Good luck!

Try putting Sevin powder in their dusting areas and they will dust themselves with it and kill the mites.

 

J.

[Dixie_Girl]

Try putting Sevin powder in their dusting areas and they will dust themselves with it and kill the mites.

 

J.

 

Thanks Julie! Can I put it in their nesting boxes and around the coop?

[Bullet87]

I use K9 Advantix and had no luck with the first application. Found 3 ticks on my pup within a week. The first was from walking in the fields, the other two I believe came from our apartment complex's dog park. Since, we have given up walks in the field, only go to the dog park on limited occasions, and take more walks. I also placed the dogs in a down stay per the suggestion of some board members here after reapplying recently and it seems to have done the trick. This way it had time to settle in a bit. I also picked up some Adam's flea and tick spray. I use this on the dogs underbellies and tails once every two weeks. We get a ton of rain and they are always getting baths since a muddy dog and one bedroom apartment does not mix. I also, against the bottle warnings, spray the Adam's spray on my boots and pant legs... I've never had a tick on me even after walking through the same spots as the dogs where they got a tick.

You might also want to look into shaving your dog. Especially the underbelly, and I even shaved down a little at his tail. I then ran it over his neck and shaved quite close there as thats where all the ticks have been found. The rest of him I just cleaned up with the clippers.