Get a Preventic collar (or other Amitraz-based tick collar. I think there are a few different brands). I hate the idea of using a heavy-duty pesticide like Amitraz long-term, but for a week in a tick-infested area. . .I think it'll do the job.
Tick Tips?
Were going to be spending a week houseboating/fishing in an area that I know will have ticks. I was hoping to get some insight from people who have to deal with the nasty little buggers on a regular basis. What products, procedures have you found to be the most effective? I've dealt with ticks before and luckily Scout has a short coat which makes detection a lot easier, but the fewer creepy little things we have to deal with, the better...
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I bathed Mumble a few days ago with Sentry Flea & Tick Shampoo (with oatmeal), in my ongoing battle with the phantom fleas, and a tick fell off him. A good thing, in that the shampoo works, but bad because I actually checked for ticks earlier that day and missed it. I think of the shampoo more as an after-the-fact sort of thing, but it is supposed to prevent fleas and ticks as well.
If you do take off any ticks, keep them in a ziplock bag, if possible. That way if the dog develops any weird symptoms the tick can be tested for lyme disease. Actually... I don't know if people do this for dogs. We always did it at the summer camp I worked at, for the kids, and I just continued the practice with my dog.
If you do take off any ticks, keep them in a ziplock bag, if possible. That way if the dog develops any weird symptoms the tick can be tested for lyme disease. Actually... I don't know if people do this for dogs. We always did it at the summer camp I worked at, for the kids, and I just continued the practice with my dog.
Found a tick on me today. This is the 4th one so far this year. Maybe I should use the spot-on stuff. I have been using Certifect this year on my big dogs. They are outside so much more than the little guys. If your dog is a diabetic do not use Amitraz products on them. Amitraz interferes with insulin. Just had a discussion about this at work today.
I've lived in the woods all my life, we don't use any chemical products on the dogs...maybe it would be OK short-term though.
Take some tweezers with you, it's easier to grab the tick through the dog's hair than using your fingers. I was told to put rubbing alcohol on the spot before you pull the tick off, as it makes them "let go" easier. I've done this for some ticks, not done it for others, and there's no difference.
Even if the tick doesn't come off cleanly (as in, you can see the dog's skin in the tick's mouth), don't be alarmed. Yes, it means the tick's head is still in the dog. My vet (who has seen...probably thousands of dog tick bites in her lifetime) said it's not really a big deal, 99% of the time they don't cause infection. It just comes out on its own, like a splinter.
One thing I noticed: Don't be alarmed if your dog has a scab from the tick bite a few days later. This happens in like half the bites I've seen. Not sure why it happens to dogs and not humans (thank goodness).
Take some tweezers with you, it's easier to grab the tick through the dog's hair than using your fingers. I was told to put rubbing alcohol on the spot before you pull the tick off, as it makes them "let go" easier. I've done this for some ticks, not done it for others, and there's no difference.
Even if the tick doesn't come off cleanly (as in, you can see the dog's skin in the tick's mouth), don't be alarmed. Yes, it means the tick's head is still in the dog. My vet (who has seen...probably thousands of dog tick bites in her lifetime) said it's not really a big deal, 99% of the time they don't cause infection. It just comes out on its own, like a splinter.
One thing I noticed: Don't be alarmed if your dog has a scab from the tick bite a few days later. This happens in like half the bites I've seen. Not sure why it happens to dogs and not humans (thank goodness).
I've heard not to do this because it causes the tick to vomit into the host. :shudder: I hate ticks! I recently purchased a "tick key". Hopefully it works as well as advertised.Take some tweezers with you, it's easier to grab the tick through the dog's hair than using your fingers. I was told to put rubbing alcohol on the spot before you pull the tick off, as it makes them "let go" easier. I've done this for some ticks, not done it for others, and there's no difference.
Thanks for the replies. I was looking into the Preventic collar and was pretty convinced that's what I wanted until I read some of the negative reviews. It sounds like some strong stuff and some dogs had some pretty bad reactions. I will probably treat her with Frontline Plus and be vigilant about checking her (and myself). Oh and I packed the tweezers last night. God I hate ticks <shiver>
I have never had much luck with regular tweezers. They always seem to rip the ticks body. If you have a pet store around buy a tick twister. Its a small plastic rod (?) with a slit at the bottom. The thing is AMAZING! I live in the woods and walk my dogs regularly. We get ticks a lot. The tick twister always pulls the whole tick out. No mess, no worries. Its only 3 or 4 bucks.
I have heard a mixture of apple cider vinegar/water sprayed on the dogs coat will help keep ticks off. I have been trying this. The downside is they smell like apple cider vinegar. LOL.
Have fun.
I have heard a mixture of apple cider vinegar/water sprayed on the dogs coat will help keep ticks off. I have been trying this. The downside is they smell like apple cider vinegar. LOL.
Have fun.
Eh, I just grab them as close as I can to the skin and pull them out. If you don't want to touch the tick you can use a gauze or tissue.
The TickTwister looks pretty cool. I have been able to remove them pretty successfully with tweezers before but that was on my previous pup. My new girl is a bit more squirmy especially when you try to hold her still! I like the way the TickTwister sorta' guides itself into position. Plus I like the smell of apple cider vinegar, heck, I've been known to drink the stuff straight.
You know with all this tick-talk, I swear I feel stuff crawling on me.:laugh:
You know with all this tick-talk, I swear I feel stuff crawling on me.:laugh:
I do, too, but my nails are rarely long enough to be effective if the tick is where their fur is longer. So I get a flea comb. . .if you slide the tines where the tick's mouthparts are, they come right off. Much easier than trying to manuver tweezers into the right place.Eh, I just grab them as close as I can to the skin and pull them out. If you don't want to touch the tick you can use a gauze or tissue.
Yeah, I've done that in a pinch (pun intended).Eh, I just grab them as close as I can to the skin and pull them out. If you don't want to touch the tick you can use a gauze or tissue.
I don't use my nails. They would pretty much never be long enough to use like a tweezers anyway. I just get my fingertips on the tick as close as I can to the skin, and yank. I've heard the "they might vomit" thing, too, but I don't really buy it. When ticks regurgitate on purpose it takes hours so it doesn't make sense to me.I do, too, but my nails are rarely long enough to be effective if the tick is where their fur is longer. So I get a flea comb. . .if you slide the tines where the tick's mouthparts are, they come right off. Much easier than trying to manuver tweezers into the right place.
We don't really have ticks here. We took a trip to 12 states last year, and encountered three different types of ticks. Check your dog often, running your hands over every part searching for tiny bumps so you can catch and remove ticks early. As the dog I took with me is black and long furred, a visual inspection wasn't worth much. We had the tick tool shaped like a spoon. Worked well every time for all the tick types we dealt with.
We live in Wisconsin and our dogs are constantly outdoors so we opted to be safe and go with Advantix II (kills AND repels ticks). If we lived in a different area we might go with something more holistic. But ticks are very common around here and Lyme's disease is as well.
I've heard people have success with garlic supplements if you don't like the idea of topicals.
I've heard people have success with garlic supplements if you don't like the idea of topicals.
Ticks are seasonal here, about 1-2 months out the year. I generally just keep the horses' 'earmite' meds handy. You can get it @ most feed stores and online at both Jeffers and Valley Vet. It's the Earmite with Aloe. It comes in a bottle with a pointed tip that you can cut off as small as you want. I just dab a bit of it on the tick, wait a few mins then pull it right off. If I don't use it or don't wait, my dogs (and horses) get sores from the ticks. I HATE having them get sores so this is what works best for tick removal for me. It's supposed to repel as well and as far as I can tell it does GREAT on the horse's ears....I dunno if I'd want to slather it on the dogs but for horses all you have to do is coat the ears and they're good. You just think pulling 'em off of dogs is bad, try digging in a horse's ear to pull those icky things out! Upside is it smells really pleasant as well. Downside is it is a chemical.
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