Ticks and FrontLine + Tick Facts

[renmig]

I was looking through past posts and haven’t seen anything posted in awhile on Ticks. I live on a farm in New Jersey, for some reason this year the ticks seem to be really bad. I pull ticks off us and our dog nightly. It’s gotten to the point where she looks for them on us.

A funny story: I have a freckle on the back of my arm, when we were watching TV in bed the other night and she started to paw at my arm, after the pawing didn’t seem to work she started to bark and nip at my arm. It was then I realized what she had thought it was a tick. She will also sniff out the ticks on her and bark at them until someone removes it.

I was doing some research about Ticks and how to keep them off Baby bella and us. The most interesting bit of information came right from Frontline’s web site. "Frontline kills 100% of ticks within 48 hours." Then I continued to do more research, The chance of catching Lyme Disease increases if the infected tick stays attached to your skin for 36 to 48 hours. I'm confused isn't that saying the Frontline, while it will kill ticks isn't going to necessarily protect your pets from Lymes?


Some Facts about Ticks

Flushing ticks down the toilet WILL NOT KILL THEM.

During feeding a tick may extract up to 8 ml of blood, they can take 100X their body weight in blood

A female tick can produce up to 20,000 eggs.

Some ticks have been known to live for over 20 years and they can live for a very long time without food.

Using matches, cigarettes, pins, or gasoline to remove a tick will irritate the tick. They increase the likelihood that the tick will "spit up" in you, which increases the risk of disease.

Oil is not effective because the breathing requirements of the tick are so small it could last hours covered with oil.

For more info on Ticks check out the link below.
http://www.spokaneoutdoors.com/ticks.htm

[Pam]

First of all welcome to Pet Talk, and a fellow NJer at that! My Bella came down with Lyme disease in April. You can read the thread here:

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...s+Lyme+Disease

Obviously I am very paranoid about ticks right now. She had started with the two part vaccine but developed symptoms of Lyme before the second shot. The vet, having had 200 pets over the past year in his practice come down with Lyme, recognized her symptoms immediately. She was put on antibiotics for a month for her Lyme and also on Frontline as a preventative. He said he likes to use the vaccine in addition to the Frontline because, as you mention, they do not die immediately. I had not seen any very recently on Bella and they are pretty easy to spot, with her coat being white and me checking constantly. I am wondering if she might have picked up the Lyme as a result of a bite in the fall. I do remember taking a few off of her then.

Yes ticks are HARD TO KILL! I remember once a couple of years ago, after walking in the woods behind my property, coming in and putting the clothes I was wearing in the washer immediately and then running them through the dryer. As I was folding them on the kitchen table, out walked a tick which had survived the washer and dryer! I can't tell you how much I hate and fear these things.

I thank you for your information and hopefully no one else who reads here at Pet Talk will ever have to deal with this. I agree with you that ticks are going to be bad this year. I took two off Bella within the last two weeks (they weren't attached, but walking on her white fur). I check both dogs constantly and I do wish that Ripley was a lighter color. It sure would make it easier, but he gets lots of massages and checks throughout the day. The kitties are 'inside only' so that makes it somewhat easier but they have to be checked as well in case a dog brings one in, and us humans have to check ourselves also!

[Cincy'sMom]

Welcome to PT! You dog is absolutely gorgeous ( I love black and white dogs!!)


we have not seen any ticks yet this year, but my friend who lives in a wooded area says she has been pulling ticks of either herself, her husband, or her dog every night! We just went for a walk in the woods, so I need to do checks tonight!!! We have started Fronstlinefor the year, but is sounds like that may not be enough

[lovemyshiba]

Welcome to Pet Talk!!! Your dog is absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!

We have yet to even see a tick so far this year, but with the woods on both sides of us, I'm sure it won't be long
My dogs are on Revolution, which is a flea, tick, and heartworm preventative--this is my first summer with them, so we'll have to see what happens.

[MaxandSpike'sMom]

Thanks for the info!
You're right, The ticks are really bad this year and early too!

I work at at peditricians office and we have seen more ticks in kids so far this year than we did all of last year!

I check my dogs everytime we come in from outside. We are surrounded by trees and woods and I like to keep the upper hand on those little creatures!

I love your dogs pic with the hat. How cute! So adorable!!!

[harleychicken]

I live in Florida. Have 2 siberian huskies. Just moved into a new rental house and have found out that it is infested with ticks. Dogs are on Frontline but the ticks are still getting on them and attaching themselves. Their fur is so thick throughout their body that I can't see down to the skin except around the legs, face and paws. I left and am staying with my mother until the exterminator can get the house under control. I have had professional spraying twice, used Raid foggers and bought the ortho home defense spray. Anybody have any ideas? The exterminator says it may take months to rid them. Scared to death down here! I have never encountered ticks before!

[apcrs5122]

Welcome, welcome!!! Your pup is beautiful. My aunt lives in the country, and ticks are horrible this year! Their 2 dogs get ticks everyday, and some get so huge! What she does is that when it's "tick picking" time, she gets a special cup designated for ticks, and fills it up with bleach water. When she pulls the tick off, she puts it in the water and lets it drown before dumping out the water after she's all done. One time, my cousin's girlfriend came up to the cup when it was full of ticks and freaked out because she thought it was someone's drinking cup But doing that kills them.

[Pam]

Now that is a novel idea! LOL! It's funny that this topic has come up again because this morning I got one off Bella's topknot, just walking leisurely around (fortunately not attached! . He (or she) is now in the sewer system. I do wish I could bleach Ripley's fur because they could be spotted so much easier. Do you think the doggies would talk if a black male poodle suddenly became a blonde? LOL!