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Patricia W

Ticks galore!

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I don't know if it's just our area, but we are having a real problem with ticks this year. Having had only the odd one on Holly (12 year old spaniel) over the years, we've had about 8 in the space of a week!

 

I'm now getting her clipped and asking the vet for something stronger than Frontline.

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She's booked into be clipped tomorrow morning and then we're at the vets on Thursday to get the latest tick treatment. They've suggested a spray rather than the drops - would that be Advantix?

 

We've got a pack of two plastic hooks, one small and the other larger. You sort of slot the right size either side of the tick and twist - works a treat. But i'd rather not have to do it!

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Do you need a vet prescription for Advantix? I am going to the Lake District at the beginning of July and have heard that it's a bad area for ticks. I usually use Frontline (well, I use it sporadically) but think I might go for something stronger just for this holiday. Can you buy just one pipette or do they come in packs of several months worth? I would only really want the one as we don't tend to have a problem with ticks round here. I've only ever seen one on Tango.

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Bear in mind that Frontline does not prevent all ticks attaching but ticks will be killed in the first 24 - 48 hours after attachment. This minimises the risk of transmission of disease which is the important bit. Dead ticks may need a littel gentle help to detatch. Frontline must be used every 4 weeks for ticks wheras it only needs using every 2 months for fleas. Advantix (Yes you do need a prescripton and you would need to buy a box) is extremely poisonous to cats. The spray is probably Frontline spray. You could use a Scalibor Collar (Protectorband) which kills ticks and sandflies (not for use in cats & not great if you have small children that like to sleep with the dog). I used one on my dog when we visited the South Of France. To be honest, I would use Frontline as prescribed for ticks plus an O'Tom tick remover. :D

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I was put off the collars as my cats lost every collar I ever put on them. I had to do something quick as we were getting tons of ticks in the house :vom: They have not lost these yet! They are all on their second set. I'm really pleased with how good they are!

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Oh dear is this something I should be worried about? As many of you will know Lara is my first dog so I am new to a lot of this sort of stuff. She gets Advocate monthly. Should I give her something else too? Should I get one of the tick removers.

I have not seen any ticks on her and as she is a cream colour I would have thought they would have shown up :?

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I'm fairly sure that Advocate contains a tick killer so you should be alright :)

A tick remover (O Tom Tick Hook) is only a few pounds so wouldn't break the bank if you wanted to get one to keep 'just in case'.

 

Certain areas seem to be more 'tick-y' than others, usually depending on the sheep/deer population, both of which carry ticks.

 

As I said, I've only found one tick on Tango in the nearly two years we had her. My parents had their last dog for 16 years and I think he only ever caught the occasional tick, so we do seem to be in a low tick area, which is good :D

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Sorry, ignore that, I have just Googled Advocate and it DOESN'T control ticks.

So you will need to use an alternative product for tick control if it's something you are concerned about.

Perhaps have a chat with your vet as I am not sure whether you can use different spot on products together. Personally I would be a bit concerned about overloading with chemicals by combining spot ons...

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As L_B has said, the O'Tom hooks are really cheap and easy to use too. I have one in the house first aid kit and one in the car.

 

My dogs are treated every month with a spot-on which includes tick coverage; they hardly veer get them despite running in deer country a lot of the time. I am told that a tiny bit of garlic in their food helps ward off biting insects too, so they get a tiny pinch of the chickens' NAF garlic & Mint in their breakfast meat.

 

We walked last summer with some friends who don't routinely use spot-on treatments on their dogs; they found ticks on their hounds while we were chatting, so out came the hook and the ticks were drowned in the remains of someone's beer! :lol:

 

I'm happy to be corrected but I think that Frontline and Advantix control ticks but Advocate doesn't; we started using Advocate before I realised this and have since switched to Advantix; luckily our cats don't socialise with the hounds.

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Some dogs seem to repel them naturally LL, but check in her warm areas such as groin, tummy, ears, between toes when you get back from a walk, and run your hands over her to see if you can feel any.

 

It is important not to squeeze a tick when you find it - get the hook and drop the tick straight into a glass of water or some surgical spirit before flushing it down the loo. dab the site with some surgical spirit if you have any and wash your hands thoroughly.

 

My last lurcher was more prone to them and it was in the days before spot-ons were so clever, she had and infected bite, which was a bit yuk, but she was happy for me to apply a warm poultice and drain it.

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She is very fluffy at the moment but will give her a good check. She loves to roll over to get her tummy tickled so I will get a good view then :) Where is the best place to get the hooks? Do pet shops have them?

The only experience I have had of ticks was about 13 years ago when ES had been playing in the garden and showed me what turned out to be a tick. I think he pulled it off and I was worried so took him to the GP who had a check to see if any of it had been left behind. It was a mystery as to how he got it as we do not have any sheep or deer in the garden :shock:

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They could be anywhere on her, but they prefer warmer places. You can get O'Tom hooks at a lot of online stores, can't remember where I got mine, but as a tip; the ones with the silicone 'handle' are easier to use as they are small and inclined to be fiddly.

 

A friend lives in the New Forest and regularly has to check their kids for ticks.

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