mites and ticks

[Cliffnook2000]

Hello all.

The research is done, the area is chosen and I am actively investigating what is required for self employment in France. I have contacted agents in Limousin about my requirements and it is now just a matter of visiting and choosing the right property. Mac, our west highland white, has been chipped and has an appointment with the vet next week to start on his long journey to get a passport. Everything is going well ............except................................

..................When we enquired at the vets about the passport we were given a folder with lots of information in it. It does seem from this information that rabies is the least of our worries. This can be vaccinated against but there are much worse things out there that Mac could suffer from as the result of blood sucking mites and ticks which cannot be vaccinated against.. Mac loves rolling and stretching in short grass and investigating new smells in the longer grass, an ideal scenario for blood sucking lodgers to tag on to him. He is regularly treated with Frontline here and has never had a problem. Whether that is because the treatment is working or the fact that there are not many ticks about we cannot tell. At least if he did have a lodger we could remove it and even if we missed it, it would not be life threatening. Unlike the heartworm and sand mite parasites in France, to name just two.

What we need to know is what experience others have had with dogs brought from the UK or those obtained in France. How dangerous are these various parasites and is there any way to avoid them? If not, how effective is any treatment? This is very important to us, Mac is very special and we would hate to put him in any sort of danger. He is so important that if the risk was too great then it may put a halt to our French dream. All you pet lovers out there will know how we feel.

Any information or first hand experience would be greatly appreciated

Many thanks     Frank

 

 

[miszter]

Hi there

We live in Limousin and brought two dogs, a horse and two kids (!) all of whom like rolling in the long grass!!!

We use Advantix on our dogs and since we have been using it, have never seen a tick on either of them.  Before we moved here, we came for a holiday with the dogs and one seemed to attract ticks like mad.  Now we never see them, so we know the Advantix works.  Frontline is also supposed to be good, but my vet said that the Advantix was better as it repells the ticks before they bite, rather than kills them when they do bite!  If you have cats you can't use Advantix because it is very poisonous to cats, even if they just lick the dog.

One of our dogs does get mites, but she got them in the UK as well, so we just have to keep an eye on her and act when they appear!

Good luck with your move, we love Limousin.

Miszter

[Cliffnook2000]

Hi Miszter,

Thanks for the quick reply. I think we will just need to be more careful and observant with Mac when he's been out rolling. With him being a long haired dog I think we will need to make sure his hair doesn't get too long before being clipped.  Our vet did mention Advantix when we took Mac in last week as being better for ticks than Frontline 

As a matter of interest, how long have you been in Limousin and what breeds are your dogs? It does seem from reading other posts that short haired dogs don't seem to attract the ticks so much.

Thanks    Frank

[Patf]

Our dogs are border collies and have thick long fur. ( except sadly one died from a fight with a car last week.) They have had lots of ticks, we usually check them out every evening. I agree long haired dogs pick them up more easily. Since being very careful to treat monthly with alternating frontline and avantix the ticks we pick off are usually dead. Ticks can carry piroplasmosis, which can be successfully treated if caught early. Not sure what you mean by mites, but the two treatments also protect against fleas. Try to avoid your dog going into long grass. Ticks also latch onto humans - I've had a few, the little brown dogfleas. The other kind are leathery grey things.

[miszter]

Our dogs are a sort of border collie (a rescue) and a labrador x springer who has long silky hair.  The collie doesn't seem to attract the ticks, but the lab does!

We have owned our house in Limousin for 5 years and lived here for nearly 2.  The house wasn't habitable before that!!!

Miszter

[steve]

we have 2 yellow labs, and both have frontline combo. They still get ticks, but they dont usually bite until the stuff starts to wear off. Cat is done just as regularly, but as he is always got his head down holes, they bite him! Being yellow, they are both easy to spot. (normally on the sofa as the dogs are treated!) I have to be careful strimming and cutting long grass for a living. My neighbour had one bury in the back of her head, and was quite ill (she carried a sheep though....) Just check them all the time and if they go off their food and are lathargic (sp?) double check them and get them to the vet to make sure. I am more worried about Adders - we had a GSD in UK who nearly died having been bitten by one in the spring - staight after hibernation. Luckily he was a young very big, very strong dog and pulled through - another dog the same week (great dane) died as it found a 'ball' of randy ones and was bitten several times and its owner couldnt carry it back to the car.

cheers

Steve

[sueyh]

Our beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback has some sort of parasitic mite at the moment.  The vet has suggested Stronghold for the next couple of treatments, she is also being given cortosone tablets for two weeks.  Thankfully because she is so smooth haired we noticed it quickly but now hope our border collie and german shepherd cross type thing don't also get it.

The vet said that Advantix is good most of the time but Stronghold is better under these circumstances. So may do alternate treatments with each as suggested by others.

Suey

[steve]

alternating treatments sounds like a good idea - I have never noticed mites on our 2 - I think Cassy may have had ear mites when she was a puppy, how do you notice them? are they crawling about (yuck!) on them or is it lots of scratching and stuff? We walk in the forest behind our house everyday and pick up ticks from the dear and boar and stuff - must go - new chickens arriving any time!

Steve

[Rob Roy]

You dog might get ticks, it is not usually the end of the world, though. Get a tick remover from the local pharmacy, check daily for the little blighters and remove as necessary. It is just as important to check yourself  - last year I had one and our neighbours did too and none of us had ever had them before.

[sueyh]

When our Ridgeback had ear mites she shook her head constantly and scratched her ears, look for redness inside.  Also because she has an indoor cage she caught the tips of her ears on the side and they bled.  Now sorted by the vet thankfully.

Suey