# Ticks !!!!!!



## helenboden (Nov 1, 2011)

Well Barney was scratching a bit last week so when I was at the vets for his rworming tablet I mentioned it and he said there was nothing there x We came away but he was still scratching occasionally but I put it down to maybe the shampoo or poof spray x 
Yesterday morning Barney had been in the paddling pool and came to sit next to me and I was just messing with his wet fur on his paws and noticed some black bits x They were about the size of a small flat sesame seed x Some were black and some were cream x 
I took him straight to the vets and he confirmed they were ticks x He took about 3 off then sprayed the whole of his body with a spray and said they would kill them x He asked me where I had been in the last few days and the only place was in the garden, round the local roads and a country park near here that loads of dog walkers use on a regular basis x I wondered if it could be from a farm we had gone to 2 weeks ago but he said they were all too small to be that old. He also said he had never seen so many on a dog but they were all really small an mainly on his face and paws so he wonders if Barney has walked and sniffed a nest or infested area ??
Today I have hot washed all his bedding and Hoovered and bleached evert=ything I can and I have sat for 2 hours with some tweezers going through his coat and lost count after 20 x They were all small and there were no big engorged ones ( they go to pea size when they feed off them ) and they all lifted off straight away so they are all dead 
Barney also had an antibiotic injection just to be on the safe side

What a nightmare !!! I am now so paranoid about taking him out and even letting him in the garden !!! They can be dangerous if they get a grip or carry infection but I really dont know how to protect him from this happening again ? Will the spray keep ticks away in the future ? Will any be living in my house now ? Can anyone reccomend a spray for the garden ?
Please let me know of any hints and tips to help x 
He has been wormed and flead and I only did it 10 days ago but used what the vet gave me ? Maybe that wasnt the best product and Frontline may be better x 
Any advice will be welcomed x


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Helen there is a sticky with lots of info on Your cockapoos Health forum all about ticks. You will find it very useful, there are lots of tips for removing them. I found my first tick on Dexter recently and used tweezers after reading advice from the sticky.


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

Buddy had a massive engorged one the other week it was gross the vet removed it but i think he had more then one as i have found a few scabs where theve been my vet gave me a new flea and tick collar suppose to be 100% better then frontline.

Its horrid to look at but if it works who cares! I think the small brown ones are male they wait for the female to engorge herself on blood drop off then they mate.(gross)


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## Mogdog (Feb 6, 2011)

Hi Helen. I think ticks are rife at the moment, I recently removed 2 from Bess, unfortunately a third engorged one fell off a couple of days later that I hadn't spotted. Truly gross! And they are a worry as they can spread Lyme disease.

Donna, I will ask my vet about flea/tick collars for protection.

Do check your dogs while grooming. I have this tick removal tool, it works on dogs, cats and humans! The following link has a video on how to remove, it's very easy:

http://www.otom.com/how-to-remove-a-tick


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Hi Helen - poor you, I'm dreading Dudley getting them - I think Frontline would be good, you should give it monthly to protect against ticks, every other month is enough to protect against fleas - I don't like to over treat so thought I'd perhaps use every 6 weeks but reading your post I think I will do it as soon as the month is up (did first lot about 3 weeks ago).


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## helenboden (Nov 1, 2011)

Thanks for your replys x Barneys are a bit weird as he had so many ( approx 30-40) which is unusual but none of them were engorged they were flat, some brown, some cream and all about the same size as a sesame seed x I keep looking every time he is still and I think I have got most of them as I hvnt seen any since yesterday morning x I am going to give him a good scrub later to try to remove and remains ( yuk ) and then when he is wet check him again as its easier to see his skin then respray him once I know he is clear x I have boiled washed his bedding and covers every morning but after his bath tonight and another spray I am hoping thats the little buggers gone x I only used th flea treatment 10 days ago ( from the vets but I think it was called verbac ? ) so presumed I had done my bit but maybe this didnt cover ticks just fleas ?
I went into pets at home before and they had flea and tick collars but I want to give him the best possible cover from fleas/ticks/worms but obviously I need to stay within the safe limits as they are all chemicals !
All a bit of a minefield really but I need to get him covered to the max !!!! If I use all the best products as often as possible does that mean he definately wont get them or just probably not ? I am really paranoid where he goes now but dont really want to keep him on pavements !!!


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

Frontline, flea treatment also treats ticks and stops them getting a hold.

I had to weigh up flea/ticks or flea/lungworm. Although my vet said I could apply alternately every two weeks  Decided that would be too much flea treatment. I have more chance of picking up ticks, so went with that one.


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

The flea collars from the shops arent as good as the vet endorsed one its a new product.

And if using frontline i would get frontline plus from the vet and do it every month,my vet said the collar was better as most people forget when to treat their dog.

30-40 is shocking think i would of freaked out.


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## helenboden (Nov 1, 2011)

yes it is a huge number !!!!

The vet said he had never seen so many but also all so young as they normally latch on, feed, then drop off and most people find the odd big engorged one x The vet seems to think that Barey must have gone into a nest as they were mainly on his legs and his nose x 
I think I got most of them off on Friday but we have just given him a really good scrub in the bath and rinsed him really well and then gone right through him with a slicker brush so I am fairly confident he is now tick free and I am going to soak him in this solution again Monday and then start again x I think the frontline plus is the way forward to help cover fleas and ticks and I use Milbemax for the worms x I want to know if I can use a flea and Tick collar as well as the monthly treatment just to be sure but I dont know if that will be too much for him x 
Oh well just lungworm to worry about now !!!!!!!!!!
I thought the kids were a worry ha ha !!!!!


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## crazy lady (Jan 19, 2012)

ooh how horrible!i have never heard of the collars that vets sell, will be phoning monday to ask about them, we use advocate, as not really had a problem in this area with ticks, however when we go to somerset in july that is a different story, one year when we went there when our daughter was about four one attached itself to her neck! that really freaked me out!


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

Frontline combo will kill ticks which latch on but will not prevent them. The best possible tick treatment that i know of is Advantix which also does fleas. Personally i would worry more about lungworm than ticks but it depends on your area, the south is much more effected by lungworm than up here but we have had a fair number of cases too. 
The risk of disease transmission in ticks begins 48hrs onwards from the tick attaching- they attach themselves and feed for 48hrs or so and then begin to feed and release saliva into your dogs blood stream. This is when diseases are passed on so if you can get the tick off before this time, you should be fine. During the times when i feel my dogs are 'high risk' for ticks i use advocate and advantix alternate fortnights.


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

crazy lady said:


> ooh how horrible!i have never heard of the collars that vets sell, will be phoning monday to ask about them, we use advocate, as not really had a problem in this area with ticks, however when we go to somerset in july that is a different story, one year when we went there when our daughter was about four one attached itself to her neck! that really freaked me out!


If it is the 'scalibor' collar you mean, they are good but not great for dogs who swim....... You could use Advantix before you leave.


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## crazy lady (Jan 19, 2012)

thankyou for that, i will do that x


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## mariag (Jun 19, 2011)

Don't forget to check yourself for ticks & even though it is hot, wear long trousers when walking in woodland or long grass.

My son & I both got a tick when we visited Exbury Gardens a few years back. I had one on my thigh & my son had one on his neck. I was so worried about Lyme Disease & put the ticks in a ziplock bag & froze them in case evidence was needed


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

lola24 said:


> Frontline combo will kill ticks which latch on but will not prevent them. The best possible tick treatment that i know of is Advantix which also does fleas. Personally i would worry more about lungworm than ticks but it depends on your area, the south is much more effected by lungworm than up here but we have had a fair number of cases too.
> The risk of disease transmission in ticks begins 48hrs onwards from the tick attaching- they attach themselves and feed for 48hrs or so and then begin to feed and release saliva into your dogs blood stream. This is when diseases are passed on so if you can get the tick off before this time, you should be fine. During the times when i feel my dogs are 'high risk' for ticks i use advocate and advantix alternate fortnights.


Hi Lola im confused now ,Buddy has milimax for worms every two months can i use advocate and advantix ? 

The collar is good and Buddy dosnt swim but sometimes falls in the canal so im always washing him(but take collar off) the only thing ive found is that the collar can cause a few matts because of his long hair so i would prefer a spot on.

What do you think would be best for me thanks.


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## crazy lady (Jan 19, 2012)

can i reply to this one? we use milbemax for our older dog twice a year, and advocate every month, as that is what vets recommend, but we will use frontline the month we go to somerset because of the ticks instead of advocate, as that does nt cover ticks,murphy, who is 5 mths, i have only just put on advocate, so as he is 6 mths soon, i will worm him next month with milbemax, and then 6 monthly therea fter , hope this helps,x


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

DONNA said:


> Hi Lola im confused now ,Buddy has milimax for worms every two months can i use advocate and advantix ?
> 
> The collar is good and Buddy dosnt swim but sometimes falls in the canal so im always washing him(but take collar off) the only thing ive found is that the collar can cause a few matts because of his long hair so i would prefer a spot on.
> 
> What do you think would be best for me thanks.


Hi Donna, parasites are a tricky one as it comes down to the risk for the individual based on lifestyle and local risk.

Strictly speaking milbemax and advocate shouldn't be given together as it contains similar ingredients and has not been tested together (as they are made by different companies) but it is often used together by many practices with no problems at all.

For me the things i worry about are:

Fleas- i don't want them in my house!
Lungworm- it is a killer
Roundworm- can cause health problems in people, especially children.
Tape worm- not a huge worry but something to consider
Ticks- varies on time of year and where we go away as to how much i worry about them.

This is what i use: 

Advocate monthly- covers fleas, lungworm and roundworm
Droncit* tablets every 3 months (although every 6 is fine)- covers tapeworm
Advantix during high tick times/ when i am going away as we go to the lakes/moors a lot. This is applied 2 weeks after advocate. This covers for ticks. I do have the tick hooks and check for ticks regularly otherwise so could remove them if found.

*Droncit tablets are the tapeworm only part of Drontal (round and tapewormer). If you use advocate monthly then Droncit is sufficient as a tapewormer.

That has probably made things as clear as mud! If you are confused, it may be worth speaking to your vet/ vet nurse to find out the risk factors in your area and work something out for your dogs lifestyle.


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

Thanks Lola ,i toke a quick look online at the advantix and it does a smiliar thing to the collar.
The collar is called seresto its new to the market,i double checked and it is waterproof (however i think if you have a dog that swims its not that great)
Think it gives 8 mths cover.
I'll keep to it for now as it was £28 its just abit ugly looking and Bud's hair matts alittle around it ,but now he's been cut its not so bad.

Next time i go into the vets i will discuss all you've suggested thanks for your help x


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## lola24 (Aug 14, 2011)

Thanks donna, have heard a little about that collar but we have not got it in yet. Sounds very good by what the rep has detailed.

Be worth giving the vets feedback on the collar (that its ugly and matts his fur) as with it been a new product, the manufacturer will be open to altering it if they get the same sort of feedback enough.


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## DONNA (Jan 7, 2011)

Yep will do ...if only it was blue and sparkly LOL


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