I Hate Ticks!

Ticks are just awful... especially during summer when they're even harder to control. The rainy season is early here so the tick infestation has greatly reduced.

Do you have to deal with ticks? What do you do to lessen it? Do you let your dogs wear tick collars? Or do you use some of kind medicated soap or shampoo?

 

I hate ticks, they're so nasty! Yesterday, I found two on my Homer's little head. I check him every day to make sure he doesn't have any. They transmit Lyme disease so they're really dangerous.
I bought Frontline Plus - you put a small drop on a dog's neck area - but unfortunately it doesn't work very well.

 

I think you should check out Frontline reviews before continuing to use it. I've heard really bad things happen to tiny dogs. And make sure Homer is acting like his old self. Some have exhibited signs of lethargy. Oh, and Frontline doesn't work well for us too. We are looking for Bayer Advantix but it's out of stock here in our pet shops.

Anyway, if you want a more natural approach, you could try garlic + brewer's yeast tablets. I hear they're as effective.

 

I used an anti-tick powder called Shield Guard to remove the ticks of our female dog before ( the dog at the left side of my avatar). It works gradually on her.

 

We always used tick collars, tick and flea shampoo and burn the ticks if we see any dropped off. The ticks seem the hardest to get rid of and before attaching themselves, hard to spot. We had to be careful not to get any on us. Bailey likes being in the woods, which makes easier to get on her if we are not careful.

 

Frontline is dangerous? Thank you for telling me this, I had no idea! We have been using it for a few years now, it was recommended by our vet. Now I'm really terrified, I must look for something else. Maybe I'll buy a tick collar...Homer has never worn any collars so I'm not sure if he will like it though. Garlic may be a good idea too.

 

Ticks are also a problem here. They may not be of the kind that you have.They tend to lay dormant on bushes and shrubs and wait for a passing warm blooded animal to pass when they will latch on.
We don't use any collars or powders but regularly check in tick season in the ears and on eyelids.

 

Aragon_0, ticks here do the same thing, they usually wait for their victims in high grass or on bushes. I really hate them and I'm scared of them because of all of these dieseases that they transmit Today, I found one on Homer's paw.

 

Some years back while I was hitch hiking around Australia. I was sitting in long grass in a remote rural area waiting for cars to come past. I didn't know it at the time but I had a paralysis tick on my forehead. Later that evening I pulled it off and squeezed the toxins in. I was sick with fever for five days.
I soon learnt that you remove them firstly by killing them with tea tree oil or methylated spirits on a cotton bud and then twist them off with tweezers rather than pull straight out. For humans have antihistamine or hay-fever type tablets at hand as this can stop hive reaction.
We are fortunate not to have those paralysis ticks down south here as they can kill dogs.

 

Paralysis ticks? I've never heard of them, I'm so glad we don't have them here.
I bought a special ticks removal device. It looks like this:



It's very important to not to only pull it, but also to twist it. Also, you have to be very careful to remove the mouth parts of the tick, not only its body.

 

Well, before you stop using Frontline, I suggest you check the reviews first. I mean, there are others who continue using Frontline since the effects on their dogs are good. And besides, some vets continue to recommend it.

But I do hope this will make you aware of some of the effects it's had with other dogs. So if Homer doesn't show any signs of lethargy, then it's most likely that he is okay with using Frontline.

 

I think that I'll stop using it anyway. I just want to be extra careful. When it comes to my little Homer, I prefer not to take any risk. So if there is the slightest chance that Frontline could be dangerous for him, I'll avoid it. It doesn't work anyway, today I found another nasty tick

 

Thanks claudine. I'ld never seen these before. I did check out eBay and was surprised to see variations on devices to remove ticks.
The one you showed us also varied greatly in price so it's worth checking out where to buy.
I've included an eBay page to show the various types others may wish to look at.
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/tick-removal-tool?_trksid=p2047675.m2392

 

Wow, I had no idea there are so many types of it!
The best thing about these removers is that you don't have to touch the tick when you are removing it. Also, it's just very convenient. I bought mine at a local pharmacy, it was relatively cheap.

 

I use Frontline on my dog but I don't do it often because I'm wary of using too much chemicals on my pet. I usually have the VET give my dog Frontline during summer when ticks are especially hard to manage. I also have my dog's hair trimmed really short during this time to further discourage tick infestation. I have a chow who is allergic to tick and flea bites so she scratches something awful and ends up with bald patches if we are not vigilant. I use an an anti-tick and flea herbal soap to bathe her twice a week and Sargeant Skip Flea and Tick shampoo once every 10 days.

 

If I tried to bathe Homer two times a week, I'd end up without arms because he would bite them so badly . But I completely agree that it's better when dogs have short hair during summer. This way it's easier for them to bear the heat and ticks are more visible.