Tick preventative

birdshooter

birdshooter

Well-known member
What's everyone using for tick preventative and how well is it working for you?

I have used Frontline plus in the past and it did kill the ticks, but didn't necessarily keep them from attaching. Recently I have been using the "Preventic collars" and they seem to do a better job at preventing them from actually attaching. Each collar lasts 3 months.

The other preventative that I have come across but haven't used is the "Shoo tag" http://www.thesafepetshop.com/ which uses some kind of magnetic strip in a tag that attaches to your dogs collar. Kind of like the idea of not having to use chemicals, may have to try it.
 
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Most of the guys around here use Advantix - they swear by it. Personally, I don't use it, just because our ticks are unlikely to cause serious problems for healthy dogs as long as they are vaccinated against lyme disease. I prefer in the injected vaccine to the topical appliation of a pesticide. I just comb the dog out after time in tick country, and I carry a "tick twister" in her first aid kit just in case one gets attached, but usually against her yellow coat they are easy enough to see and come out on the comb.
-Croc
 
I agree about the Lyme vaccine if your in an area that has a known concentration of deer ticks, unfortunately Lyme is only one of several nasty tick born diseases transmitted by ticks. Your common brown ticks have been known to transmit ehrlichiosis amongst a few others nasties which Lyme vaccination will not cover. I think most dogs are tolerant to the amount of pesticides that are contained in flea and tick preventatives. That's not to say some won't have a reaction to one them, but the benefits IMO out weigh negatives if any.

I do like the idea of the SHOO tag, and may have to just try it as a non chemical way of tick prevention as well as skeeters, flies etc...

Anyone else chime in?
 
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Frontline. Works well here, in an area with very high Lyme/Anasplamosis incidence--it's what all the vets around here recommend as well. No topical tick repellant is perfect at keeping them from climbing on. We find a 3-week (rather than the 1 month man. recommendation) application rate helps keep most ticks from wanting to hitch a ride for any lenght of time. Past that and we see more crawling on the dogs. Frontline will still kill ticks that bite in for weeks after that.

We also get the vaccine but people should know it is NOT 100% effective. Worthwhile in some areas like ours, but shouldn't be used by itself if you value your dog's health. Other areas with less incidence of tick-borne diseases will have different needs of course.
 
Been using Frontline Plus for years and never had a flea or tick problem so I guess it must be working. Sure don't have a reason to change. It's also what most of the vets in this area recommend.
 
I've always used Frontline Plus and I've never had a flea or tick problem myself.

My dog's another story. :D
 
Around my area everyone uses Ivormectin it is for cattle but you can use it on dogs. it prevents all ticks, fleas, mites or any internal parasites such as worms including heartworm . It works very well and is a great all around pest control, but only use Ivermectin for beef cattle not hogs if you get it wrong you will know it in about 10 minutes becouse the dog will be dead as a doornail as soon as it gets to the bloodstream.
 
Ivermectin is the active ingrediant in heart worm preventatives like HeartGard. If you are using Ivermectin like you say you best know what you are doing. Larger doses of Ivermectin can be harmful to some dogs. The dose in products like HeartGard are so small that it rarely causes a problem.

For the average person it's best to stick to the treatments like Frontline and HeartGard to prevent fleas, ticks, heart worm, etc.
 
I think most of us that use Ivomec (Ivermectin) for heartworm preventative (I know I did) do so with the approval of our veterinarian. The dosage of 1/10th of 1cc per 10lbs of bodyweight was ok'd to use even though it contains more Ivermectin than what is contained in Heartguard. It actually works for prevention of other parasites as well. I actually give 1/10th per 20lbs. No problems in 5 years of doing this.
 
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