Flea and Tick?

H

HikerDog

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Hey all! I have a few questions about what you tend to use for flea and tick prevention. We got Toby in August and at the time, he was too young to go with us on our hikes. As he got a bit older and we took him out for a few gentle strolls, his fur was still quite short and tick season was beginning to die down. Still, our vet recommended Vectra, which we used - it's a liquid that goes on and lasts about a month. Supposedly kills fleas, ticks, even mosquitoes.

After taking him on his first real hike, my sister found an ENORMOUS tick - completely engorged while she was watching him. We still aren't sure whose dog it came from. So we got an herbal spray for dogs from a company we get our own (human) tick spray from. It is excellent stuff, but it's also the dead of season and not as many ticks out. This winter has been *SO* warm- no more than three frosts and I'm terrified of what the tick season will bring. We live in New Jersey and the ticks have been absolutely unbearable the past few years, with Lyme's Disease on a serious rise. We did get him vaccinated against that though.

I know my vet is really into the Seresto collars but he and our kitten play fight a lot and I'm afraid she's going to maybe ingest some of it and I'm a little unsure of it's safety. I saw a couple reports of carcinogenic chemicals in there. What do you all use? And do you think maybe a combination of Vectra and our herbal spray would work? I do trust the herbal spray based on how it's kept ticks off the two of us humans for the past two years.
 
I have cats so uber careful about what I use with my puppers. Plus, I am DREADFULLY allergic to fleas and if given the choice, they like me much better than any animal around. We have always used Frontline Plus with no issues. Feeling less is better, I kept Brodie on the small dog formula. But last Fall, I went on a hike in NYS with him (I am in CT) and just happened to check him out before I put him in the truck and found ticks AND fleas on him. To be honest, I don't think I have seen a flea in close to 30 years and was shocked, then totally sceeved! I drove to Walmart, bought some Veterinary Formula Flea and Tick spray and a tick comb and a white towel and the poor boy was treated right there in the back of my truck to his dismay. I found a tick on me too! Sceeved! When we got home, I stripped, jumped in the bath with him and gave both of us a good cleaning!

We go overboard removing ALL leaves and we've removed ALL brush from the woods of our property and do everything to prevent ticks, but you know birds, squirrels, mice and chipmunks are the worst carriers... I refuse to give internals, they just bother me - the owner who schedules the hikes gives Bravecto but ooohhh so creepy to me to give something my guys might react to that stays in their system for 3 months! No way!!! I won't use flea/tick collars because of my cats and the fact the dogs mouth each other constantly. When I give Frontline applications, I separate them for 24 - 36 hours so they won't accidentally ingest anything and give both good brushings after that time before I allow them to play with each other. Frontline may not be the holy grail, but I haven't had bad results from it, not 100% protection either, but not bad stuff.

I think as warmer weather comes, Brodie will get bumped up to the medium application which is what he really belongs on. As we take up hikes again, I will resort to a flea/tick spray put on Brodie outside of the house before we head to the hike, then a bath to remove whatever residue on him when we get back. I don't want to feel like I can't get out and about with my boy, but also don't want to take the chance of exposing either of us to the creepy crawlers... Oh to have a bubble to live in sometimes!

PS - ticks are active any time the temps are above freezing. Many folks end up with Lyme's this time of year because they mistakenly assume ticks are not an issue because it's 'winter'. We have had VERY few days of weather that would affect ticks - they are active now and should be a bomb of a season considering there really hasn't been enough of a winter for a good kill of of them.
 
Sandy in CT said:
PS - ticks are active any time the temps are above freezing. Many folks end up with Lyme's this time of year because they mistakenly assume ticks are not an issue because it's 'winter'. We have had VERY few days of weather that would affect ticks - they are active now and should be a bomb of a season considering there really hasn't been enough of a winter for a good kill of of them.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm afraid of! It has been so much warmer this year than even the last and a couple years ago, I got absolutely *swarmed* by ticks while out fishing. I don't want this to keep me and the pup from enjoying the outdoors this year but I am starting to become increasingly more nervous as winter appears to be more of a wish than an actual season. It's going to be an awful year for all these pests!

I also don't blame you for treating your dog ASAP in your car - that would be me lol!!
 
Ticks are active from 5 ° C (41 F) :eek2:

Although one would think that the activity of the ticks will slow down in the fall,
things are just the opposite. :cry:
This is due to a higher humidity which, together with mild temperatures,
makes the activity particularly high at this time,
which is why the risk of bites and tick-borne diseases is increased :mad1:
 
We use Frontline here and it has worked perfectly for years. Thank goodness we don’t have a Tick issue as I live in the suburbs. Not to say they are not around... but, never encountered them over my 22 years of living here. Thank goodness!
 
Frontline and advantage don't work well here. The fleas are resistant. I use Trifexis for 2 of my dogs, and Kip gets Credelio. Both are chewables and last 1 month. They have been 100% effective, with no side effects. The only problem with trifexis is that my dogs hate the taste.
 
I still get good results with Frontline Plus. It works and none of mine have any side effects from it. None of mine really play and roll around in the grass though which probably helps.
 
We live rural in Eastern Pa, on a wooded lot. So I completely understand your concern with tics. We also have been very warm and wet this winter. No real freeze yet.

We used to use Frontline but we would still be pulling tics off her daily. We have switched to Simparica and we have not found any imbedded tics on her since. We will on occasion find one walking on her (usually her snout) but never found one attached to her. We have never found any fleas on her with either medication.
 
I agree with the Sersto concerns. I was using it for a while before I ran across some cites which mentioned some concerns, so I stopped. Used Bravecto the last couple of years, and its seemed to work fine. I'm on a heavily wooded area right next to a regional park, and haven't seen one on him yet. However I am also somewhat concerned about the 3 month lifespan, and am currently looking to see if any of the newer anti-ticks have a better profile.
 
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