Tick Prevention?

JessLough

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#1
Ok so, the ticks here are already getting bad... my vet has never seen them this bad this time of year. SO, I need to seriously think about doing... something for Rosey this year. We go out exploring in the woods too often to risk it, we're thinking.

We are willing to try the chemical preventatives and what have you.... but any *good* non-chemical ways to prevent them would be very much appreciated (I hate putting chemicals on her, and unless necessary would rather avoid it).

She has no allergies or other special considerations, and doesn't -play- with the ferrets so that's not a concern. She *does* go swimming often, so that may need to be taken into consideration.

I know I can google it, and I have, and I know of other ways through schooling and such... but really, I want to know what actually works for other people :rofl1:

She's about 40lbs (44lbs at her check-up last year but she's lost a few) and is a Border Collie/German Shepherd mix, best guess.
 

AllieMackie

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#2
Lavender and rosemary oils are natural tick repellents. You could blend them with water as a spray or just dab some on her collar or between the shoulder blades.

There's some dietary tricks that some of our customers claim work wonders, like giving a bit of extra garlic, or brewer's yeast, or apple cider vinegar!
 

CharlieDog

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#3
I need to get some lavender and rosemary then. For whatever reason ticks are loving Knox this year. Ozzy and Enzo not so much. I'm thinking something about their dietary differences because everything else is the same but we can (and have) been on fifteen plus woods walks and Knox is the one with the ticks everytime. And he doesn't even go crashing the bush like Oz and Zo. Weird.
 

Aleron

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#4
I have real doubts about the natural repellants being effective if you go into woods with a high tick population. I'd like to believe that it will work but I just have my doubts.

My dogs get garlic in their food, supposedly another natural repellant and they become infested with ticks on one of our hikes. The first night we pulled 30 off of Savvy alone and when all was said and done, after a week the count was probably about 100 or so off of four dogs. That doesn't even count the ones which were washed off when they dogs were bathed when we got home. My friend is going to try out a natural repellant for ticks, we'll see how it works out.

I'm looking at spot ons now, probably going to try Advantix first. We used Frontline on the dogs the day after the hike and while it did seem to work some what, it is pretty slow to kill the ticks. And we were still finding a few live ticks on the dogs days after it was applied.
 

ACooper

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#6
I include fresh minced garlic in my dog food, and I also rinse with apple cider vinegar (about 25% ACV and 75% water in a spray bottle) after a bath and sometimes spritz with a bit for deodorizing. The vinegar aids in removing all the soap too so there's no flakey skin :)

We've never used pesticide type prevention and have never had so much as a flea........let alone a tick! We live in deer central station around here, I've pulled a couple ticks off my daughter but never the dogs, LOL

If ticks are at an all time high there, I would probably go with some type of treatment from the vet AND use the garlic/ACV as an extra measure :)
 

AllieMackie

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#7
I have real doubts about the natural repellants being effective if you go into woods with a high tick population. I'd like to believe that it will work but I just have my doubts.

My dogs get garlic in their food, supposedly another natural repellant and they become infested with ticks on one of our hikes. The first night we pulled 30 off of Savvy alone and when all was said and done, after a week the count was probably about 100 or so off of four dogs. That doesn't even count the ones which were washed off when they dogs were bathed when we got home. My friend is going to try out a natural repellant for ticks, we'll see how it works out.

I'm looking at spot ons now, probably going to try Advantix first. We used Frontline on the dogs the day after the hike and while it did seem to work some what, it is pretty slow to kill the ticks. And we were still finding a few live ticks on the dogs days after it was applied.
I'm definitely in agreeance here. Natural repellents work well for moderate repellent, but when it comes to tick-infested areas Advantix is the stuff. I plan on using it on Finn this year, as I've heard good things! We sell Hartz UltraGuard at work, but I hear mixed reviews on it.
 

Fran101

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#8
We use organic neem spray, which does a great job on walks and parks of repelling ticks/fleas/mosquitoes
http://leerburg.com/57.htm

but in high forested/really bad brushy wild areas.. I would try advantix. I've never used the neem spray for that kind of environment and I wouldn't risk it
 

Bigpoodleperson

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#9
I honestly would NEVER use any Hartz brand anything! I have seen some Serious reactions to dogs and cats from that. One cat had 3rd degree burns and peeling skin all down his back and sides, and his brother died. Also seen some serious neurological effects on some dogs. I do not trust them.
 

Southpaw

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#10
I honestly would NEVER use any Hartz brand anything! I have seen some Serious reactions to dogs and cats from that. One cat had 3rd degree burns and peeling skin all down his back and sides, and his brother died. Also seen some serious neurological effects on some dogs. I do not trust them.
This. Putting pyrethrins on a dog makes me nervous but I 10000% would not touch the stuff if there's a cat in the house.

We sell "Sentry Natural Defense" but I don't know much about its efficacy. Its got like peppermint, thyme, and other herby stuff like that in it.
 

SizzleDog

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#11
We use rose geranium oil specifically as a tick repellent.. seems to work well, even in the woodlands.
 

Aleron

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#12
We sell "Sentry Natural Defense" but I don't know much about its efficacy. Its got like peppermint, thyme, and other herby stuff like that in it.
I tried this when it first came out and it didn't seem to do anything for fleas :/

As for Advantix, the company just says to avoid letting the cats and dogs together until it is dry and not to allow the cats to groom the application site:

This product is extremely poisonous to cats and could be fatal due to the unique physiology of this species which is unable to metabolise certain compounds including permethrin. To prevent cats from being accidentally exposed to the product, keep treated dogs away from cats after treatment until the application site is dry. It is important to ensure that cats do not groom the site of application on a dog, which has been treated with this product. Seek veterinary advice immediately if this occurs.
http://www.animalhealth.bayerhealthcare.com/4715.0.html

And

Can advantix not be used in dogs and cats which live together?

advantix can be used in dogs which live with cats, as reported in the study by Knoppe (2002), where no adverse effects were found in the cats. In animals which live in close proximity and at any rate basically for the owner's peace of mind, it is a good rule to avoid contact in the first few hours after application, to apply the product in the evening, and to keep the animals separate during the night.
http://www.animalhealth.bayerhealthcare.com/4868.0.html#c13012


While it seems a lot of people on internet forums say that Advantix will kill your cat if they rub against a treated dog, I haven't found anything that would indicate there's truth to that. It seems most cases I was able to find on the internet were the result of the cat coming into direct contact with the medication - either owners putting it onto the cat, the cat coming in contact with the tube and licking it, the cat grooming the dog's still wet application site, the cat and the dog sharing bedding when the application was still wet, etc. IOWs the suggested precautions were not taken or the product was misused (used on a cat). If anyone can point me to stories where the suggested precautions were taken and the cat still became ill from Advantix I would definitely be interested.
 

Candice007

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#13
We put advantix on our dogs every 2 weeks, as ticks in our area are common.

We have the bad bad paralysis ticks here, dont know if anyone else does?

But Oscar has been in the vets 2 times wth paralysis and not being able to walk, once for 5nights another for 3nights, they are just so bad. So now its every 2 weeks instead of monthly application.
 

AllieMackie

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#14
We use rose geranium oil specifically as a tick repellent.. seems to work well, even in the woodlands.
Forgot about that one!

We sell Halo Brand herbal dip at work, good as a moderate, gentle preventative for both fleas and ticks... it's another one I've heard pretty amazing things about. It's just a cocktail of essential oils that you dilute with water and can spray onto the dog.

But again, mileage varies in bug-heavy areas.

http://shop.halopets.com/Herbal-Dip-5oz
 

JessLough

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#15
I should clarify, it's not really a tick-heavy area compared to others, ticks have never been a problem before now. (Like, not only for us, there's a bunch of people that frequent the woods and they've never had issues, despite not using preventative) So really, it's just now there are ticks, rather than the very rare problems we had before.
 

Kat09Tails

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#16
I find the best way to control ticks is to control where they like to live. Fire via controlled burn is SUPER effective. You can almost hear the little bastards scream when the torch comes out. Also guinea hens love to eat ticks so if you can have yard birds... it's something to think about. buc - wee!

The only repellent that I know of to be worth it's salt is permethrin. You can't apply it to skin though but you can to clothing so... treating a vest and a collar that the dog wears when it goes out might be helpful. Strong deet is only so - so effective.
 

CharlieDog

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#18
Guinea hens! Dude! I totally have an excuse now! "Honey, they're here to control the tick problem in the backyard!"
 

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