Do I need flea/tick treatment??

Dreeza

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#1
I just moved Oakley to SC & lived in a suburban area that is surrounded by "woods"...there are also a few ponds & stuff, so lots of bugs around i'm sure.

I'm a little weary of frontline/k9advantix just cuz I don't like stuff like that (i like the organic route)...

are there any suggestions of natural remedies that work? I haven't noticed any scratching or anything yet, so hopefully he hasn't gotten anything yet!!!
 
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FluffyZooCrew

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#2
I live in south Louisiana, where flea's are very common, and we do not have a flea problem with our dogs. Dawn dish soap kills fleas instantly, so bathing them reguarly helps keep things under control. Also, flea comb daily helps a lot too.

And here's a few recipes for an all-natural flea repellent:

Control Fleas with All Natural Remedies
 

Trikkeman

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#3
You want to get both a flea and Tick control product. Ticks carry Lyme disease which can be a horror story for both the pet and the pet owner. Sometimes entire families have come down with Lyme disease, which probably started with their pet getting infected. Advantix is good against ticks because it not only kills them but repels them. Frontline Plus does not repel them and only kills them after 24 hours, and by that time they could have infected your dog with Lyme disease.
 

corgipower

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#4
are there any suggestions of natural remedies that work? I haven't noticed any scratching or anything yet, so hopefully he hasn't gotten anything yet!!!
Advantix is good against ticks because it not only kills them but repels them. Frontline Plus does not repel them and only kills them after 24 hours, and by that time they could have infected your dog with Lyme disease.
Advantix and Frontline might work, but the OP is looking for natural remedies.
 

Trikkeman

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#5
Advantix and Frontline might work, but the OP is looking for natural remedies.
I realize that, but unfortunately, I have never heard of a natural remedy against ticks which are extremely dangerous for both a pet and the owner.
 

FoxyWench

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#6
personally id take it depending on the area, check for your local lymes threat, as well as west nile, rocky mountain spotter fever and any other insect born isckyness...
if the area your in now has low incidents than id take the risk of not introducing a chemical...

if however your in an area of high risk, id go topical every 6 weeks (rather than once a month)
if your area is a west nile area (and you dont have cats that groom/sleep with your dog id go with k9 Advantix, (better on skeeters and repelling before bites) if youve got cats that are close to your dogs id try the frontline plus.

that being said, if you in a low risk area.

feed brewers yeast and garlic with her meals daily, the garlic is unapealing to mosquitoes, while brewers yeast helps with both skeeters and fleas. ill check into dosages on the garlic for you if youd like.

then use a herbal spray before going outside.

a good combinoation is catnip, lemongrass and lavender (all 3 are amazing bug repelants but catnip has been proven to be 3 times more effective than deet) catnip oil is expensive but you dont need to use alot, aproximatly 3-5 drops for every cup of water. ill generally then add lemongrass and lavender oils by scent, you want to be able to smell it clearly but not overpower yourself. use high quality oils and mix them with rubbing alcohol and/or water (alcohol evapourates quickly and will leave the oils in the coat while not making them look wet/greaty. mix all in a spary bottle that has a mist setting and give em a good mist before heading out into the woods ect.

i also like ot use it as an after bath spritz, just before theri dry because it smells nice :)

other oils that work well are peppermint, penny royal, citronella and Lemon Thyme

do flea and tick checks regularly even when using a mist (hey even when using a topical)

i do k9 advantix AND the spritz as we have realy tough bugs this part of ct, they will build up a resistance to chemicals, and ive had ticks bite through both frontline plus AND advantix. plus on the cresties theres not much in terms of oils on the skin for the topicals to sperad around in lol so the spritz is my primary on them with advantix every 8 weeks instead as "the back up" system.
 

Dreeza

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#7
thanks so much guys...

I've been doing a little research, and I came across a few articles indicating that my area was in fact a high risk area...and now I'm scared he's already got something!!!!

It just really didnt occur to me that I needed anything...I asked my vet before I took him down here & they told me that I didn;t need to change anything...stupid vet.

Anyways, since Oakley has so much freaking hair & is not exactly great at letting me give him a full body search, I decided it wasn;t worth the risk of going natural...way too easy for me to miss something.

I went with advantix. I also bought a conditioner that is supposed to act as a repellent just since he seems to be getting bitten quite a bit by skeeters.

Thanks so much guys :)
 

Doberdogs

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#9
thanks so much guys...

I've been doing a little research, and I came across a few articles indicating that my area was in fact a high risk area...and now I'm scared he's already got something!!!!

It just really didnt occur to me that I needed anything...I asked my vet before I took him down here & they told me that I didn;t need to change anything...stupid vet.

Anyways, since Oakley has so much freaking hair & is not exactly great at letting me give him a full body search, I decided it wasn;t worth the risk of going natural...way too easy for me to miss something.

I went with advantix. I also bought a conditioner that is supposed to act as a repellent just since he seems to be getting bitten quite a bit by skeeters.

Thanks so much guys :)
Don't use the repellent shampoo at the same time as you are using advantix. Makes it less effective.
 
H

happyguy

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#10
a good bath should solve the problem. another solution- if your dog is hairy, try and cut it you don't oppose the idea. Also, it is suggested that you monitor her closely so that she doesn't visit flea prone areas often.good luck:)
 

CaliTerp07

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#11
a good bath should solve the problem. another solution- if your dog is hairy, try and cut it you don't oppose the idea. Also, it is suggested that you monitor her closely so that she doesn't visit flea prone areas often.good luck:)
It's hard to distinguish what a "prone area" is. We walk Lucy daily through neighborhoods...it's suburbia. She was lying on the couch last night and we were petting her, and found FOUR ticks on her. She doesn't run through brush, doesn't go through wooded areas. The only place she walks on is sidewalk and mowed grass. This year is especially bad. We've found over 10 on her so far. Better safe than sorry.
 

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