Tick Issues!

[elizabethann]

Boy, are you folks experiencing a bad tick season? It's only April and the ticks are awful! I found FIVE ticks on Fenway tonight and ONE tick crawling on the inside of my pant leg! Of course, now I keep feeling things crawling all over me and think it's a tick. I hate ticks!

[Toby's my baby]

Lol, not having a BAD season, normal, but I've picked two off Autumn so far. I need to get to town and buy some tick meds. I hate when I find a tick on myself, especially before bed, cause then I have to keep flicking on the light to make sure every little tiny itch isnt a tick :p

[~Ginny~]

What's a tick?

[Tralee]

a blood sucking bug that is really small and can give mammals diseases and they can live up to 10 years without eating

[dogzr#1]

Well I don't know because my neighbor sprays our yard every three months to prevent fleas and ticks from coming into our house and getting on our dogs. I don't like ticks at all!

[sammy101]

Mine have never had ticks,but fleas are absolutely terrible here :eek:

[wolfsoul]

We've only had one dog come in with ticks this month. It was TERRIBLE. We found 6 on him, and three of them had already fed, so they were huge, about the size of toonies. We thought we had got them all off and then I took him into the bath and as I was wetting down his face, I found the biggest one under his eye --- HUGE and white and feeding. We pulled it off and it's legs wriggled all over, it was sick! We found a flea on the same dog. Poor guy!

[elizabethann]

Well I found another tick on Fenway this morning and when I was taking a shower and soaping up, I felt something fall off my leg and I looked and it was a tick!!! I had long pants and a long shirt on last night so I'm not sure how they got on me.

Does anybody use a flea/tick shampoo on their dog? I was thinking I could use that on Fenway. But are flea/tick shampoos to be used before the ticks get on the dog or after? Does anybody know? I know there was some controversy about Hertz shampoo so I wouldn't use that. But is there anything else?

[K9soul]

I found a tick on Tommy already last week which seems kinda early but then we've had a very warm latter part of winter and early spring. I have frontline I'm going to use on my two, especially since we like to hike in the woods etc. Mine are also vaccinated against Lyme's. My vet said just last year he had over 100 cases of Lyme's just in his clinic, just from this area, and it's growing every year! :eek: My RB Willie got it once (before the new Lyme vaccine) and I never want to go through that again.

[cyber-sibes]

I found a tick on Tommy already last week which seems kinda early but then we've had a very warm latter part of winter and early spring. I have frontline I'm going to use on my two, especially since we like to hike in the woods etc. Mine are also vaccinated against Lyme's. My vet said just last year he had over 100 cases of Lyme's just in his clinic, just from this area, and it's growing every year! :eek: My RB Willie got it once (before the new Lyme vaccine) and I never want to go through that again.
I didn't know they had a vaccine for Lyme disease now. I'll look into it for my dogs, too. I haven't noticed any ticks or fleas around here yet, but if it's bad other places, it's just a matter of time. I'm off to buy some Frontline!

[elizabethann]

I found a tick on Tommy already last week which seems kinda early but then we've had a very warm latter part of winter and early spring. I have frontline I'm going to use on my two, especially since we like to hike in the woods etc. Mine are also vaccinated against Lyme's. My vet said just last year he had over 100 cases of Lyme's just in his clinic, just from this area, and it's growing every year! :eek: My RB Willie got it once (before the new Lyme vaccine) and I never want to go through that again.

Fenway uses Frontline too but he still gets them. I was told that with Frontline that the tick bites the dog and then dies after ingesting the chemicals. I was going to use K9 Advantix becuase it's suppose to keep the ticks off the dog, but you have to keep cats away from the dog for 24 hours after applying it and I knew I couldn't do that so I chose Frontline.

I'm looking for natural remedies on the web. So far, I'm reading garlic pills can help to keep the ticks off because they don't like garlic. Perhaps I'll make Fenway a collar of garlic? :D But I have to do something. These ticks are disgusting.

Thanks for your reply.

[lv4dogs]

We don't usually get ticks in this area but the mosquitos are out already! :eek:

[king2005]

My old guy never had a flea or tick issue. I don't think ticks are all the common where I lived unless the dog was living in the bush & would pick up deer ticks. I always used advantage on him & that kept fleas away for when we went camping.

I found a tick on Rob's mothers cat & brought her to the father & he picked the blood sicker off. We put it in a water bottle & it creeped us all out as it would squirm about.. so we shook the bottle like mad trying to kill it.. it didn't die!! So we set it on fire.

[caseysmom]

Every easter we go to a cabin by the beach, the past 2 years the dogs always get ticks. This year we put advantix on them and there were no ticks this time and luckily to reaction to the meds.

I had both dogs vaccinated against lyme disease also, although supposedly the ticks in california don't carry lyme disease.

[K9soul]

Fenway uses Frontline too but he still gets them. I was told that with Frontline that the tick bites the dog and then dies after ingesting the chemicals. I was going to use K9 Advantix becuase it's suppose to keep the ticks off the dog, but you have to keep cats away from the dog for 24 hours after applying it and I knew I couldn't do that so I chose Frontline.


My vet recommended Frontline Plus, I'm not sure how much a difference that makes but I do know I just don't find ticks on them when I use it, occasionally I'll find a dead tick on them but it's obvious it hasn't fed at all. I understand wanting to use more natural remedies, I'd certainly prefer that. I kind of double up and do both. I have a cedar spray (pet safe) that is supposed to help repel ticks and mosquitoes and I spray them all over with that before we go into the woods etc. A garlic supplement in their food probably isn't a bad idea either.

[gemini9961]

I myself thankfully have not had a problem with ticks with my dogs. I keep them out of the brush where ticks might be. However, fleas this year have been awful. I switched to Frontline Plus and put it on my 3 this past week and so far no fleas. Poor Maggie I was finding them every day. It has been very dry here this winter so I'm thinking that might have something to do with it. We haven't had a mosquitoe problem yet since there is not a lot of water for them to be in and around. I do agree with everyone, I loathe ticks. The thought of them crawling on me is gross, it's happened so I know the feeling. :(

[elizabethann]

My vet recommended Frontline Plus, I'm not sure how much a difference that makes but I do know I just don't find ticks on them when I use it, occasionally I'll find a dead tick on them but it's obvious it hasn't fed at all. I understand wanting to use more natural remedies, I'd certainly prefer that. I kind of double up and do both. I have a cedar spray (pet safe) that is supposed to help repel ticks and mosquitoes and I spray them all over with that before we go into the woods etc. A garlic supplement in their food probably isn't a bad idea either.

Is the pet safe cedar spray something you bought at a store? If so, what is it called? I am going to the health food store at lunchtime and can see if they have a cedar spray. Thanks!

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I have a dreadful time with ticks every year. We've used Frontline plus, but it never works too well for us. We spray the yard and that helps a lot, but we still find a good amount of ticks. We've tried a natural garlic thing and that kind of worked too. We've not found anything that works 100%.

I've not tried K9 Advantex because I always pick up Frontline while I'm at the feed store and they don't have K9 Advantex, I do want to try it though.

[K9soul]

Is the pet safe cedar spray something you bought at a store? If so, what is it called? I am going to the health food store at lunchtime and can see if they have a cedar spray. Thanks!

This is what I have http://www.crazypetshop.com/store/p/124-Cedar-Spray-and-Coat-Protectant-8oz-Spray-Bottle.aspx

It does smell nice too. Hope that helps :)

[zoomer]

Yuck that sounds gross!!! I wouldn't be able to stand that. We haven't been having any ticks here (luckily!) but the fleas and misquitoes and horrible here this season!

[elizabethann]

This is what I have http://www.crazypetshop.com/store/p/124-Cedar-Spray-and-Coat-Protectant-8oz-Spray-Bottle.aspx

It does smell nice too. Hope that helps :)

Thank you soooo much! Some of the ingredients in the spray were mentioned on other websites for repelling ticks. And I love the smell of cedar! Thank you soooo much!!!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

The ticks are terrible here too! I was walking the dogs on a PAVED trail which is only about 3/4 mile long around a prairie and we found 3 ticks walking on Vallis, one on Adele, and one in the car! I am very scared of them too, I have a lot of trouble looking at them, let along touching them! Yuck I am so glad I had someone with me not totally scared of them. I can pull them off but only if I don't touch them with my bare hand.

[dab_20]

I haven't found any on my dogs so dar, but we live in town. I took Sam out to the country park in the woods, but he didn't get any. I REALLY hate ticks. I got one in my ear once. *yuck!*

[elizabethann]

I got one in my ear once. *yuck!*

YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I gave Fenway his first garlic pill last night and about 30 minutes later he threw up all over my bed. :eek: It wasn't the pill though. I had been wondering where his plastic football went and there it was, on the bed - he ate it to pieces. I think his tummy was upset and that's why he threw up.

I will try giving him a pill tonight.

Last night for our walk, we stayed out of the woods. We walked in a couple of ball parks and in a cemetary...no ticks on him last night. Thank God!

[bckrazy]

Gonzo has never had fleas or ticks - thank GOD! I would pretty much die if I found a tick on myself... they aren't that gross, I'm just really squeemish. I put Frontline Plus on Gonzo, just during the bad months, and it apparently works very well. The backyard at my Mom's new house is 1+ acre, mostly grass, but in the back it has longer brush and trees, so we're getting that mowed and we're thinking of adding nematodes.

[Vette]

Ewwwww luckily ive never seen a tic yet. *knock on wood*

i was too little to remeber this,, but my dad told me he thought Ginger had a tic once.
turned out to be her boob. LOL

:eek: poor dog

[Roxyluvsme13]

I've only ever found one tick on Roxy in the 3.5 years we've had her. I took it off stomped on it, then got my grandpa to burn it. I guess they arent that common here.