Tick Prevention for Dogs

[TRC]

Lately I've been taking my beloved Standard Poodle for a 30 minute daily walk in the woods. It's the only place I can let him off leash (outside of our fenced in yard) where he runs to his heart's delight. It's the highlight of his day! Sadly here in Mass, the ticks are still out in force. We're pulling at least 5-6 off of him after each walk. Luckily they're not attached, because my wife is the tick whisperer and finds them like it's her job. We use the Sorresto collar, but that doesn't seem to prevent them from attaching to his hair.

Wondering if any one has any suggestions of sprays (ideally something non-toxic) that I can apply to him before a walk or other home remedies to keep the ticks at bay?

Thanks,
TRC

[mrc]

We use Frontline Plus for fleas and tick. Lyme (deer) ticks are tiny. Buy online, not from your vet, where the markup is quite high. Assume you're using a heartworm preventative too, like Heartgard or Sentinel (again, we get a paper Rx from the vet and order online).

[livesoft]

Permethrin is probably one of the few chemicals that might be used. Humans put it on their clothes. I've done some studies and it really works to mess up the nervous system of insects which then die. I don't have personal experience with ticks nor with using permethrin on dogs.

What does your vet tell you?

[TheOscarGuy]

Lately I've been taking my beloved Standard Poodle for a 30 minute daily walk in the woods. It's the only place I can let him off leash (outside of our fenced in yard) where he runs to his heart's delight. It's the highlight of his day! Sadly here in Mass, the ticks are still out in force. We're pulling at least 5-6 off of him after each walk. Luckily they're not attached, because my wife is the tick whisperer and finds them like it's her job. We use the Sorresto collar, but that doesn't seem to prevent them from attaching to his hair.

Wondering if any one has any suggestions of sprays (ideally something non-toxic) that I can apply to him before a walk or other home remedies to keep the ticks at bay?

Thanks,
TRC

We use seresto. Long term protection, water proof. Although now that winter is coming you might want to wait till spring and use something else in the mean time.

[JBTX]

Nexgard chews.

[oldcomputerguy]

We’ve had very good luck with these. Our dogs used to pick up a lot of ticks through the year, but since we started using these we have seen none.

https://www.1800petmeds.com/Preventic+A ... d3306.html

[ladycat]

You may want to read this: https://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/keep ... dog-safely The Bio Spot does make a spray for dogs. And if you have cats, you'll need to be very careful what you use, since many dog products are toxic to cats and your cat could lick it off your dog.

[mainebeach]

Veterinarian here. I use Nexgard for my own dogs but given the time of year try to stay out of hi risk areas. MA must be bad as my daughter just reported severe problems with her horse in spite of regular tx-she is in RI. The seresto collar is also quite good. Be extremely careful for your safety as well. Beyond lyme dz there are a lot of severe tick diseases such as Rocky mountain and ehrlichia. These can be fatal situations. A friend from an ICU in Delaware had some patients that went into organ failure-I believe the cause was ehrliciha.

[longleaf]

What about Trifexis for fleas, ticks and heartworm?

[livesoft]

What about Trifexis for fleas, ticks and heartworm?

We give our dog Trifexis. A simple google search indicates Trifexis is not for ticks. Our dog has had a few ticks attached over the years which we remove with tweezers. I suppose if we didn't remove the ticks then they would die anyways.

I think the OP doesn't want ticks to be crawling around in the fur of the dog. I think in order for that to happen, the fur has to be treated. But if one treats the fur and the dog licks its fur ....

[brandy]

FOOD GRADE DIATOMACEOUS EARTH
https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/5 ... -your-dog/
1. Flea and Tick Control
On the microscopic level, diatomaceous earth resembles bits of broken glass. Though food-grade DE is harmless to humans and animals, those itty-bitty glass-like fragments kill insects like fleas, ticks, lice and mites (and their larvae) by piercing their protective structures, which causes them to dehydrate and die.

Apply the DE lightly on your pet’s coat, as well as on bedding and carpeting. It can take three days for it to do its work, so leave it in any carpeting for at least that long before vacuuming.

Join a friend and buy it by 50 pound bag at the local large animal (horse) feed store. Years ago I got a bag for about $25. (Pet store prices are/were a lot higher.) They poured 1/2 into a second bag for me. I also use it around the base of my house against termites.
Be sure you get FOOD GRADE.

[tenkuky]

I am resurrecting this thread with a specific add-on question:
Have used the Seresto collars for a couple of years, then found a Melkaat one last year (sadly out of stock).
While these have chemicals and are very effective, I'm wondering if the lower price for the "natural" (mostly aromatic oils etc) collars for fleas and ticks are worth it. They are half the price of Seresto ($20 vs. $ 57).
Anyone have experience with these natural ones and is the benefit worth the lower cost?
Or spring for a lower cost chemical one like Adams or Rolf 3D?
Thanks!

[TxAg]

Permethrin is probably one of the few chemicals that might be used. Humans put it on their clothes. I've done some studies and it really works to mess up the nervous system of insects which then die. I don't have personal experience with ticks nor with using permethrin on dogs.

What does your vet tell you?

+ 1

I use it on clothes.

I've sprayed it on my dog. I've seen folks spray down a bandana and tie it around their dog's neck.

[tenkuky]

Permethrin is probably one of the few chemicals that might be used. Humans put it on their clothes. I've done some studies and it really works to mess up the nervous system of insects which then die. I don't have personal experience with ticks nor with using permethrin on dogs.

What does your vet tell you?

+ 1

I use it on clothes.

I've sprayed it on my dog. I've seen folks spray down a bandana and tie it around their dog's neck.

Interesting, any risk of them licking themselves and ingesting?
And any truth to the fact that you shouldn't let your dog sleep in your bed if they have chemical collars?

[Swansea]

We use Frontline Plus for fleas and tick. Lyme (deer) ticks are tiny. Buy online, not from your vet, where the markup is quite high. Assume you're using a heartworm preventative too, like Heartgard or Sentinel (again, we get a paper Rx from the vet and order online).

+1 on Frontline...I've used it on my dogs for lots of years.
The rescue group I volunteered with used it on the dogs who were walked through a wooded area, and I don't recall any of them contracting ticks.
Volunteers would spray ourselves with deet on exposed areas, and tuck pant legs into boots.

[forgeblast]

Bayer K9 Advantix II

We have a golden doodle, and live very rural. Every day there are deer in our yard.
If we do not use k9 advantix there will be ticks on our dog. We use it year round.

What we also do is make tick traps. Take tp tubes, fill with dryer lint and spray Permethrin in to wet the dryer lint. Then when we walk we throw them in the woods. This way the mice etc that use it to nest will disrupt the tick life cycle.

We also get the Lyme vaccination for our dog every year.

[tenkuky]

Always used collars, never tried liquid for ticks/fleas.
Do use Interceptor Plus for the worms. Get all vaccines yearly.
use Allivet or Valley Vet Supply etc for better deals than at vet office.

[IMO]

Bayer K9 Advantix II

We have a golden doodle, and live very rural. Every day there are deer in our yard.
If we do not use k9 advantix there will be ticks on our dog. We use it year round.

What we also do is make tick traps. Take tp tubes, fill with dryer lint and spray Permethrin in to wet the dryer lint. Then when we walk we throw them in the woods. This way the mice etc that use it to nest will disrupt the tick life cycle.

We also get the Lyme vaccination for our dog every year.

Didn't know there was Lyme vaccinations, so did look it up: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/healt ... e-in-dogs/

Seems like there really are 2 issues, especially in Lyme disease prone areas:
a. Killing ongoing ticks that put both you and your pet and animal at risk.
b. Preventing Lyme disease via vaccination once your pet invariably gets bitten as killing the ticks once they have bitten doesn't take away that risk.

[spitty]

We've used Frontline for many years, always have several dogs at a time, and have never had an infestation. Prices go up during spring/summer months so winter is best time to buy. We get the largest size (89-132lb dog) and using a syringe, pull out 1.0,1.5, or 2.0cc depending on dog size; it's a monthly ritual starting March 15, ending Oct 15. I bought an 8-pak around Xmas for $66 and it's already up to $71 (Amazon). Using the collars would be a nice convenience, but way expensive compared to Frontline for us.

[snackdog]

We always use Bravecto but we never let the dogs off the leash. They may seem "happy" but it puts them at too much risk of injury.