TICKS!!

[Sabrina & Savannah]

I am trying to get ahead of the ticks this season.  I live in rural north GA and have already found a small tick on Savannah's head this past weekend.

Here is what I have tried so far that didn't work...and on thing that did that I don't know what it is

Didn't Work:

Trifexis...it didn't work and I don't want her to take it because of the issues that other pet owners have had.

Frontline...does not work effectively on a longer haired dog. 

The white collar from the vet...it worked for about 2 weeks pretty good.  I found less ticks than without it, I tried it twice.  I would go broke buying them every two weeks!

What did work!! 

I did have her groomed at a place other than my regular groomer, she either used a dip or a shampoo that worked GREAT for about 2-3 weeks.  I would love it if someone knew what she used.   She won't tell me and my regular groomer does not know either.  I won't use this lady again because Savannah does not like her.  The second time I went Savannah wanted to get back in the car.  She does not do this at my regular groomer, so something happened at this groomer that has put Savannah off and dogs usually "know". 

Any ideas on what that groomer may have used that worked so well?  I would gladly shampoo her every couple weeks if that is what it takes to keep the ticks away.  I often pull 10 off of her every other day in the summer....UGH!!!

[Moe]

There are tons of ticks in my area. In a given week I can pull 4-5 ticks off Charlie. Advantix II seems to work for about 2 weeks then there are live ticks on the dog. Charlie also got Lyme disease while on Advantix and the Lyme vaccine. Last year we tried the Seresto collar. I think it was better than the Advantix. I haven't put anything on her yet because it's been so cold. I think it is time. I'm going to try the Seresto again.

The best thing I've purchased is a tick key to get the ticks off.

[Ginny Nightingale]

I am glad to hear that Seresto works for you--I have not heard anything about it yet and maybe I will try it.

[Lynda Kamrath]

My vet told me that Advantix works for fleas, but not ticks.  During tick season, we use Frontline Plus on our dogs on a monthly basis.  It kills the ticks.  Tick season starts after the first good rain, so it is now.  By summer, tick season is over.  I have never found fleas on my dogs, so I just use the Frontline for ticks.  Have no idea what the shampoo is, but the tick meds definitely have an insecticide and I don't like using it, but it is better than the alternative.  We have lots of ticks in the oak trees (and the grass under them) where we walk.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Lynda: Advantage is for fleas...Advantix is for fleas and ticks. I use to use the Advantix on my Golden while living on Texas with great results...no fleas, no ticks.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Frontline Plus works for us and I think we will keep using it.  Too much confusion for this old brain.  We do the Frontline Plus during tick season and the worm medication (Comboguard) year round.  So far we have avoided heartworm and Lyme's disease.  But, I hate using these medications.

[Sally]

I use Vectra 3D on Duncan. But instead of applying the entire tube at one time I space it out over the course of a day putting a few drops on every couple of hours only because it takes a while to absorb into the skin and the fur was drawing it up and leaving a mess. He has had almost no ticks since he's been on it. There was one day though where we walked by some brush near the beach and in the car ride home i pulled off 3 that were crawling on his paws. Luckily they hadn't attached. I mostly stay away from wooded areas from April through November. :( We stick to dirt paths or I'll let him run around on the ball fields that get mowed frequently. I HATE TICKS!

[Gail and Bailey]

Sally,...Thanks for the great idea of applying the tube over the course of a day!  What a great idea!!  I have always hated how it makes such a mess when it gets drawn up into the fur and I wonder how much is wasted by just sitting in the fur.  Too bad I just put it on Bailey yesterday.......now I have to wait a month to do it your way!  I HATE TICKS TOO!!