Tick & Lyme Disease Season

[Bonny]

Yesterday I found 30 ticks on Missy & 13 on Baxter. We have had a mild winter with only 7 days to count below zero to freeze the ticks out. There is a bumper group of them already. The veterinaries office said they are seeing on the average of 3 dogs a week coming in with Lyme disease. I picked up some Front line & set up appointments for both dogs next week to get checked for Lyme disease & to receive their immunizations for Lyme's.

[Desert Arabian]

Yesterday I found 30 ticks on Missy & 13 on Baxter. We have had a mild winter with only 7 days to count below zero to freeze the ticks out. There is a bumper group of them already. The veterinaries office said they are seeing on the average of 3 dogs a week coming in with Lyme disease. I picked up some Front line & set up appointments for both dogs next week to get checked for Lyme disease & to receive their immunizations for Lyme's.

I know your pain - the ticks are terrible right now where I live too. Franny goes in next friday for her Lyme and Leptospirosis vaccines and was tested two weeks ago at her annual exam, luckily she was negative for both. I am not a fan of Frontline though because it does a terrible job of repelling ticks. Frontline is not effective until after the tick bites and injests the blood containing the medication, by that time the dog will already contract Lyme's. I think I am going to give K9 Advantix II a try - I have read a lot of good reviews on the product and supposidly it deters the ticks before they bite.

A trick I use on myself since ticks find me to be very attractive and tasty is fabric softener sheets! If you rub them on your clothes you will not get ticks! I tried this out last turkey hunting season after hearing about it and it really worked! I took two sheets and stuck them in my boots with just a little corner hanging out for extra scent. I wonder if you rubbed it on a dog if it would work!? I would just be worried about the dog licking her fur and injesting some of the fabric softner. (And yes, I have tried every bug spray on the market for myself....nothing works.)

[pomtzu]

The fleas and gnats are terrible already, but I haven't encountered any ticks yet. I use Advantix on the pups, and oddly enough I used nothing on them last year, and they never had a single flea. Highly unusual - and baffling too! This year will be a totally different story, and I need to get them started on the Advantix now. Sparky just got groomed and I need to bathe Myndi so I can get them on it by the 1st of April.

Lyme vaccine is a must, but keep in mind that it isn't 100% effective. I get them a vaccination yearly, but a couple of years ago, Sparky came down with Lymes. He had tested a false negative for it, but doc put him on a 30 day antibiotic treatment for it since he was exhibiting all the signs, and then he was fine, with no lasting issues because of it. Doc says it's only about 85% effective, but it's still not worth the chance of not getting any vaccine at all.

[Bonny]

Last year I was dog sitting our neighbors Sheltie & would take him on walks twice a day around their farm for exercise. When they got home the next day Dexter would not eat & was very listless. They took him to the veterinary & he had Lyme's. He was doctored with antibiotics & came out of it fine. This was in February when we had cold & snow. The veterinary said he could of picked it up in the fall. I guess that is why they take blood samples & test to see if they have the disease before they immunize.

When the dogs & I go on walks I wear dark clothing & tuck my jean bottoms into my boots & that works pretty good. Will try those dryer tools to see how they work. The Front line I was told has to be applied every three weeks to keep it affective. If there are ticks now I wonder with all this extreme warm weather what kind a buggy year this will be? Last year we had those nasty little flying black gnats that would bit & leave nickel to quarter size welts on humans.

[Freedom]

From what I have researched, the Lyme vaccine is a waste of money, and I don't bother with it. There are so many strains of Lyme out there, and the vaccine can only cover 2 or 3. The likelihood of that being the strain in your area, or that your dog gets, is close to the chances of winning the Powerball.

I do use prevention, Frontline Plus, and mine get a 1/4 tablespoon of minced garlic in their food daily. I've seen a tic walking on a dog now and then, but never had one bite my dogs.

We walk regularly at Bridgham Farm (I've posted 4 photo threads). The folks with Labs, Boston terriers, etc. all say they get home and spend half an hour removing tics from their dogs. They wonder how I do it, with 5. I don't, I have not had to!

Yes, everyone says this is a banner year for the insects. I'm not enthusiastic about THAT at all!

[Desert Arabian]

From what I have researched, the Lyme vaccine is a waste of money, and I don't bother with it. There are so many strains of Lyme out there, and the vaccine can only cover 2 or 3. The likelihood of that being the strain in your area, or that your dog gets, is close to the chances of winning the Powerball.

There are many tick borne illnesses - I think ticks are just as disgusting as mosquitos (the #1 disease carrier). Wisconsin is one of the worst states with Lyme Disease and I personally know many people and dogs affected by the disorder. I do not want to take any chances of my dog catching it, so I will do whatever I can to try to prevent it. No vaccine is 100% effective but it is still worth getting one if the risk of contracting it is high, imo - for both people and dogs. I chose to get her vaccinated against Leptospirosis as well, since we frequent areas where she can easily contract it. Just a slight peace of mind knowing that hopefully she is OK and will never have to deal with it.



Also, since we are on the topic of ticks- if you ever want to remove one easily without fear of ripping off the head - take a dab of vasoline and smother the tick with it. Wait a few minutes and the tick should back out if feeding, ticks breathe through their skin while feeding so if you cover them with vasoline they cannot get oxygen and need to come out to catch a breath.

[Bonny]

Both dogs got their immunizations this morning & tested clean for Lyme disease & in another three weeks go back for another shot. Lyme's is nothing to mess with especially if your dogs run off the trail into the bush. We have 500 some acres to run on some of our own property & neighboring property so it covers a large area with fields, wet lands, ridges, & woods.

I guess to each his own on this decision. There are pros & cons to everything.

The minced garlic sounds like something to try along with the dryer towels. I know some outfitters put vinegar in their horses drinking water when they are on dry lot before the bug season & say it helps ward off the bug problem.

[Petsrmyluv]

When I go to buy all my flea and tick products and vaccines, I buy them at Drs. Foster and Smith. They have the best prices and selection around.

[pomtzu]

I use Advantix II on the pups, and previously had been buying it thru a supply house in Australia at a very good price. However, I found it cheaper this year from Foster & Smith. I get the 12 dose package for 11-20 pound dogs, and it was $117 on line - even cheaper than what they had advertised in their catalog. Of course after I ordered it I found it at Petco for $107. Just my luck! I don't know why anyone buys thru 1-800 Pet Meds - they are expensive on everything!!!! Guess people fall for the t.v. ads and don't do their homework and comparison shop.

[Bonny]

I got a good deal at the Vets office. They sent out coupons from the company where you buy two doses & get the third dose free all prepackaged. The stuff is working good at keeping the ticks off. Both dogs have had two doses so far. It has been really wet & warm the last month so good breeding season for the ticks. I have another set of coupons to if I need to purchase more doses into the midsummer & Autumn. The early spring & late fall is when I have noticed ticks at their worst.

[wishbone]

On my Aunts place, there are lots of ticks and fleas during this season and they need to hire tech to spray on nearby trees to kill and prevent ticks coming close to their home and dogs.

[Jessika]

I know this thread is a bit older, but feel compelled to reply to say that we are seeing resistances to Frontline at my clinic. Pets coming in on frontline covered in fleas. I think the tick portion of it still works but remember: the tick has to bite the pet in order for frontline to kill it.

We are now recommending a new topical product called Vectra 3D that REPELS ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, lice, mites, and flies with a much faster kill rate than other topicals on the market.

I DO NOT recommend using the OTC stuff from Walmart; I know frontline recently went generic but keep in mind, just because the active ingredient is the same does not mean the method-of-action is the same.

I just felt the need to let owners know that we are seeing these resistances with Frontline, so you may want to explore other options!

The minced garlic sounds like something to try along with the dryer towels. I know some outfitters put vinegar in their horses drinking water when they are on dry lot before the bug season & say it helps ward off the bug problem.

Garlic can be toxic to dogs, so please be VERY CAREFUL with it... I don't recommend it. Better safe than sorry.

[Bonny]

Thanks Jessika & took note of the Vectra 3D. Will ask the veterinaries about it. The Frontline Plus has been doing its job so far. Haven't used the garlic seeing as the Frontline Plus is doing the job at keeping the ticks off.