ticks on dogs ?

[steve]

there has to be someone on here with an answer.

are dogs more likely to pick up ticks by roaming through long grass than just garden area short grass.

what is the best way of removing them once found.

thanks for any helpful advice

[bakerino]

As far as i know they are more likely to be in long grass. The best thing is to get the appropriate tick remover from your vet or Pharmacie they only cost a few euros for2 sizes.  Do not burn them off .  Use stronghold/frontline combo from your vet.  Cant remember which brand is best but vet will know. My vet recommends applying it every two weeks. i was using it every 4 and found that during the third week onwards he would start getting ticks again and since doing it 2 weekly have been tick free.  I also had mine vaccinated against the disease you can get from ticks think it was babliosis as it can and does kill dogs.

[Deimos]

Just in case (and for others who may not be aware of tick risks in France), if you have found a tick on your dog (and removed it properly), then do keep a close eye on him/her for any behavioural changes for a bit.  Piroplasmose is a very dangerous disease which can kill a dog quickly.  However, if caught and treated quickly, most dogs can recover fine.  It’s the catching it quickly that’s important.

Frontline only kills ticks once they have attached (but before the disease risk has started).  Frontline does not repel ticks, just kills them once they have attached.  It takes a tick quite some time to attach properly before it can start to feed.  Only once it starts to feed is there a disease risk.

Do not remove with anything that might squeeze the tick (e.g. tweezers, fingers, etc.) as squeezing the tick can cause it to regurgitate and you have an immediate disease risk.  The hooks (as said by Bakerino above) are by far the best way to remove them without potential problems.

Remember that Frontline is 3 monthly for flea protection BUT every month for ticks.  Ticks are serious risk in France so take care.  No need for paranoia, just care.

I’m sure you are full aware of the above but I always say it in case anybody reading here is not aware.

 

I agree long grass is a bigger risk.  My vet warned me that ticks are a risk the entire year and there are greater numbers when the weather is more humid.

 

Ian

[Ejc]

Am half thinlking this is a daft question - but are these ticks particular about who they latch onto - or will they happily latch onto cats, chickens..... and children?

 

 

[bakerino]

Definately go onto cats and people where it can give Lyme's Disease

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=391579&in_page_id=1770

 

read this article from this weeks Daily Mail

[westland]

I have been reading all the threads that I could about ticks as over the past couple of weeks they have become a bit of a worry.  We are in the Limousin, which I have now found out is noted as being the second worst area in France for the tick problem.  I really don't recall even seeing one. never mind worrying about them, over the past four years that we have been coming here.  We have tried to work out if perhaps we have been at different times of the year, but no, we have been here in May/June and didn't really know that there was any problem.

 However, on a day out to Lake Vassiviere I had one attach itself to my ankle whilst I was sat on the beachy bit, couldn't believe my eyes.  Hadn't bought the relevant tick remover at that stage and my husband had to get it off best he could. This one left a little pin prick, but I have been OK and didn't worry too much at the time.

 I am getting a bit spooked by them now though as over the past two weeks we have had numerous on the dog and cat, most of them dead thanks to Frontline which we have applied monthly.  But the more worrying aspect is that our four year old grandaughter had one on her tummy after we had been walking in the woods.  My husband had to use tweezers as it was too small for the plastic tick removers, and it left a little spot.  We were quite worried as my daughter's employers had told her that they should be removed by a doctor, whereas I had read on a website that they should be taken off as soon as possible to prevent infection.  Well my daughter asked at the pharmacy and bought an antiseptic spray for future use if required!  Meanwhile she has kept an eye on our grandaughter in case any symptoms should occur, but she appears to be OK.

I try to ignore them but last night after walking our dog I saw one on his fur that hadn't actually latched on and then another on the carpet again just crawling, don't like that, means they could decide to use us instead maybe.  We have decided to change our dog walking habits and avoid that particular wood, hopefully this might help.

I wonder if the problem is increasing, does anyone have any idea?

[bakerino]

Dont know the stats Im afraid but recently we visted some friends in the Limousin and she said she was removing about 10 or 12 ticks a day from her cat and dog.

 

Like I say i use Frontline every two weeks and have nt seen a tick on my dog since.

[moonraker]

If you see ferns in the wood, keep away. The vet told me years ago that that was the worse place....the ticks love ferns even more than long grass. You can "unhook" them easily if you hold a swab doused in ether on them for a couple of minutes.

I used to go to training classes with my Old English Sheepdog.....in a clearing the woods, and one day found 17 ticks on him when we got home!

 

[Catalpa]

I hate to bore (except I'm so good at it[:P]) but here again is the www.otom.com website which shows the little hooks, how to remove ticks and also why not to remove ticks with the aid of vaseline (suffocation) and other methods which may cause the tick to think it is under attack. Clever little tick... [:-))]

As Deimos said earlier, removal with tweezers can cause regurgitation of body fluids into the host - and therefore increase the risk of disease transfer but I assume daubing the tick with various nasty liquids will also be interpreted as an attack and may result in the same transfer of bodily fluids. I am sometimes guilty of placing a drop of Frontline directly on a tick if it is near the face on one of my cats and I'd need to ducktape the cat to a board in order to unhook the tick.

Just lying back in the long grass looking up at the sky seems a much less appealing pastime nowadays.  

 

[alnmike]

Frontline is no longer a preferred tick treatment as it needs to be

applied every 2 weeks, but is only licensed for a monthly application.

We now use Advantix as this stops the tick attaching in the first place.

[westland]

Your last sentence says it all for me, just hope I can learn to live with ticks in the same way that I have all the other creepy crawlies that used to "bug" me but now escape my boot.  I still feel that they have become much more of a problem than a few years ago.  I think that we will ask for the Advantix instead of Frontline next time at the vets, as if this stops them attaching in the first place they won't be running free in the house (another crawling around my favourite armchair last night, must not have made it to the cat). - Anyone know the difference between the Advantix and K9Advantix, if any? Thanks.

[Deimos]

I don’t use Advantix as I’m a bit sceptical about it (and possible associated dangers).  Basically, some time ago Bayer were losing out to Frontline due to Advantage’s tick control capabilities that Frontline had.  They thus took their existing Advantage product and added Permethrin (a tick control chemical that has been around for absolutely ages) and hey, they had Advantix.

If you have cats be careful as Permethrin is very poisonous to cats.  There have been stories about treated dogs snuggling up to cats and then serious consequences for the cat.  No idea if these are “urban folk law” or really the case.  also, other stories on the internet about problems.  that said, loads of people use it without problems so possible there are always such stories floating around about any of these products (they are insecticide after all).

I’ve not personally used it as I’m not convinced about it – so cannot comment on how effective it is.  With any of these control chemicals their effectiveness will depend on the level of insecticide in your pet (i.e. how much and how often you treat you pet) and the level of exposure to e.g. ticks.  A certain percentage of ticks will always “get through”.  More ticks, the greater the number that will “get through”.  Dose your dog up with chemicals and the percentage getting through will be lower – but it might not do your dog a lot of good.  For me it’s a balance and I follow the manufacturers instructions for the balance (at the moment).  I accept I will get the occasional live tick through but I prefer that to turning my dogs into walking insecticide.  Whatever you use you still need to keep an eye on your dogs, make checks for and remove occasional ticks, etc.

 

If you want to use the Bayer range then as far as I’m aware for cats you use Advantage – which does not control ticks (no Permethrin – because its very poisonous to cats)

 

Ian

[moonraker]

When you apply the product (Frontline or Advantix) don't forget it has to be absorbed through the skin. It's no good just putting the drops on the coat....use the end of the pipette to rub it down to the skin and keep rubbing! My vet showed me this when Fronline first came out in pipettes after the original spray.

[Patf]

As well as all the sprays etc, the main thing is to check the dogs

every day for ticks. It doesn't take long and if done daily any ticks

found will not have had time to pass on a disease. ( I hope I'm right

about that.) then check youself and children at bed time. Pat.

[westland]

Thanks for the information, it seems that we can't do much more than we are really.  I'll just have to try and stop analysing every black spec that I see around (nymphs being tiny shiny black specks).  As is my wont, vigorous research on the internet means that I can now identify, nymphs, male, female etc.; better when ignorance was bliss. Ah well, at least Pat with you talking about checking oneself and children means that you must have learnt to live with them and the possiblity of them attaching to humans without worrying too much.