Flea and Tick Preventative

[Casi]

Our new place is situated on about two-ish acres or more of land. What I thought was our backyard was actually just half of it, according to the landlord the woods and brush and oh so lovely poison ivy is ours to enjoy also! I thought the fence running down the yard was the stopping point of our lot but I was wrong. The landlord told me he got tired of fighting the brush back and just fenced the yard off. Anyway, Saint was on Frontline for awhile but I would still find ticks on her at our old place. It just doesn't seem to be working for us anymore. Now that we are on a semi wooded lot I'm waiting for the ticks to wage war on us. We're working on clearing out the brush to help drive out the bugs and whatever else that might be lurking around.

I'd like to know what you all use for your dogs and preferably what area you live in. Not sure if that might make a difference or not.

 

[JanS]

We live in northern Minnesota in a heavily wooded area so the ticks are thick to say the least. I do believe you'll still get the ticks on the dogs with Frontline and some of the other spot treatments since it's not a repellent, but it will apparently kill them before they're able to get stuck.

This year I went a little off the wall and tried a new all natural tag for Della and I'm amazed at how well it's working.
Of course I was skeptical at first whether something like this could work or not, but it had a 100% satisfaction guarantee so I gave it a try. So far I've pulled 2 or 3 ticks off Della all year compared to half a dozen a day off Albert who is not wearing one so the difference is amazing. My hubby and I can also pull up to a dozen a day off ourselves if we've been out in the woods, so it's definitely working on Della.

The tag is pretty pricey (79.99) but it's supposed to last for 3 years so overall it's way cheaper than the spot ons if it works this well.

http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Only-Natural-Pet-EasyDefense-Flea-Tick-Tag/999024.aspx

 

[Marinegeekswife]

I'd like to know what you all use for your dogs and preferably what area you live in. Not sure if that might make a difference or not.

It absolutely does matter. When we were living in North Carolina I brought home fleas from a client's house and for the life of me could not get them off the cats. I went to the vet and found out that in that area Frontline doesn't work. The fleas had become immune to it. I had to go with a shampoo and house spray instead. However here in Colorado Frontline is the standard and so far has worked just fine. Something you might consider is a flea/tick treatment for the yard instead of just for the dogs. Sort of stop them at the source.

 

[Denissov43]

There are all kinds of natural repellents and treatments for yards and your pets:
1. diatomaceous earth: sprinkle it around your yard and on your pets, it is even NON toxic to eat...
2. cedar oil and cedar granules
3. garlic oil
4. orange oil
5. penny royal and citronella sprays and repellents for dogs and horses
6. organic insecticides that are non toxic to pets and to people
7. flea and tick combs
8. Jan's suggestion of the tick collar! sounds great!
9. feed your dog brewers yeast and garlic capsules (repels fleas and ticks and mosquito's0
to name a few... all require more work than the UBER toxic products like FRONT LINE that require you to feed your pet a toxin that they have running around in their bloodstream that only kills the ticks when they actually GET ON the dog and attach and bite them.... just makes no sense to me whatsoever to poison my dog so I can kill a tick that has to attach itself to my dog in the first place to be killed....
what utter nonsense and a completely counter intuitive procedure!

 

[JanS]

UBER toxic products like FRONT LINE that require you to feed your pet a toxin that they have running around in their bloodstream that only kills the ticks when they actually GET ON the dog and attach and bite them.... ​

just makes no sense to me whatsoever to poison my dog so I can kill a tick that has to attach itself to my dog in the first place to be killed....​

I absolutely agree and this is the reason I don't use the spot treatments. I did buy some of the all natural stuff this year to try but I couldn't stand the smell of it (think citronella and spice), so I won't use that again, which is also why I have the rest of it for sale in the classified section.

 

[Casi]

Thanks for all the great feedback. Dennisov, I never thought about spot treatments poisoning my dog before. It's a very good way of looking at it. Jan, if the tag works that well than I just might order one. Saint is black and by the time I see a tick on her it'll more than likely already be embedded. I think the next time I go to work I'll pick up some diatomaceous earth and brewers yeast pills. I was also thinking about putting the dogs on comfortis, I've had great results with it before but the vet is a bit too pricey at the moment.

 

[JanS]

I should add that they don't tell you in the info on the tag on the site, but they say it should be on the dog for about 3 weeks before it's totally effective. We had put Della's on back when the ticks weren't really out, but I'm going to order one for Albert right now too. Just today I picked 4 ticks out of one ear when I got home from work, plus one off his body, so he needs it.

I forgot to say that you should be able get 10% off the price if you use the code FLEAAWAY.

 

[pawpads]

Ok...magic flea/tick killing cute little dangly tag!!! Why was I not informed of this before now!! I live in Southern NC and they are bad here! I use Adams products and they work well. Frontline doesn't work on Shamus AT ALL! I buy the Pet Armor at Wal-mart and have found it to work just like it says. It works on all the dogs and is way cheaper. But I love the idea of the "magic tag"!! I will be ordering some for this house hold!!

 

[titan1]

wondercide.com or cedarcide.com

 

[Denissov43]

http://www.wondercide.com/content/spot-flea-treatment/

Max the Doby & Frank the Man
I got a call today from a man named Frank. Retired, he lives in rural Ohio with his wife and 4 dogs. He wanted to talk about spot flea treatment. They live on a large property where the dogs can run free, but Max is usually with Frank. A few months ago Frank was injured. Through a series of tests, it was determined he would have to go into the hospital for surgery. He was there for weeks and hated the food. When Frank arrived home he was not mobile. He spent most of his days stuck in bed on pain killers he hated taking and Max was right beside him. A few weeks ago, Frank realized Max was acting strange. He was dragging his left rear leg and he looked like he was in pain. Frank asked his wife to take Max to the vet. He wanted to know what was going on with his 5 year young Doberman. He knew it couldn’t wait.


Photo courtesy ilovedogs.com

When Frank woke up from his groggy nap a few days ago, his wife stood before him in tears. She said, “there is nothing they could do”. Frank explained to me exactly as she explained to him, and in his voice I could hear him living it all over again. “They put Max through a series of tests. They did an MRI because they didn’t see anything on the X Ray. They found a tumor on his neck between his shoulder blades.” As Frank cried, he told me that it was his fault. Frank thinks he killed his best friend Max, who didn’t get to live long enough. Frank told me how he called the vet and cussed him out for selling him chemical flea treatment to put on his dog. Frank said the tumor was in the exact location where he applied spot flea treatment on Max’s neck for 5 years. The vet stood firm that there was no proof of that claim. The vet didn’t appreciate it or offer his condolences. The call ended and Frank is officially looking for a new vet. Frank ponders the notion that vets must love animals, but something is wrong if they can’t admit these pesticides are harmful. Sobbing, he asks how they can keep doing this to dogs like Max? He was so young. I told Frank that I didn’t know, but I was very sorry and very sad for him.

Frank said, “I just called to tell you what happened to Max. I knew you would understand. I talked to you a few months ago before my surgery.” After a pause, “I’m sorry. I just needed to tell someone who cares as much as I do… that my Max is gone. I had to share his story… because I can’t bare to think of… other animals… being poisoned.” Frank told me he came across Wondercide last fall. He recalled being hesitant to “go green” at his age, but was tired of all the pesticides and thought it “just makes sense”. After our first conversation, Frank started using Wondercide on his property and 4 dogs. Now, Frank will use Wondercide on his 3 dogs.

Our thoughts and hearts are with you. Max the Doby & Frank the Man.

 

[Liberty & Justice]

K-9 Advantix II is the only stuff we use, and it's the best out of all of them rating wise, etc......Other's like the natural ingredients but I've heard it doesn't work nearly as well. This is a once a month treatment that takes only a few minutes to apply. You can bathe them, let it poor rain on them, etc and it keeps it's strength. Good luck in finding the right one for you, there are tons of choices.

 

[Denissov43]

K-9 Advantix II is the only stuff we use, and it's the best out of all of them rating wise, etc......Other's like the natural ingredients but I've heard it doesn't work nearly as well. This is a once a month treatment that takes only a few minutes to apply. You can bathe them, let it poor rain on them, etc and it keeps it's strength. Good luck in finding the right one for you, there are tons of choices.

Chemicals usually are so much stronger than natural stuff that it defeats the purpose which is just to kill the bugs not my pets... they are strong that it becomes toxic to you and your pets...
So old fashioned, and antiquated methods are preferred and I would rather pick off the ticks then put that toxic shit on them and see them end up like Max here above... its not worth it...
I will fight the bugs with plethora of natural defenses and it is true, that it takes more time to do it and more time applying and subsequently removing ticks, but I feel they are worth the extra time and effort... and keep my beloved's from as many toxins as I can.
but hey... thats just my

 

[Liberty & Justice]

Chemicals usually are so much stronger than natural stuff that it defeats the purpose which is just to kill the bugs not my pets... they are strong that it becomes toxic to you and your pets...
So old fashioned, and antiquated methods are preferred and I would rather pick off the ticks then put that toxic shit on them and see them end up like Max here above... its not worth it...
I will fight the bugs with plethora of natural defenses and it is true, that it takes more time to do it and more time applying and subsequently removing ticks, but I feel they are worth the extra time and effort... and keep my beloved's from as many toxins as I can.
but hey... thats just my

Everyone has a right to investigate, but I've tried the natural way and the ticks don't seem to be effected. I worry about chemicals as well but all in all when the Vet said it's much, much worse with ticks, I choose the medicine. I'm also looking for the perfect preventative but have yet to find it. If it's fleas, ticks, mosquitoes you wish to avoid on your dog then Advantix is the best. Not saying it doesn't offer side effects as it's stated it COULD ! You could try Frontline as well but I've heard ( vet ) that it's not nearly as effective as it use to be, flip side is it's not entering the blood stream. I wish there was a perfect pill one could take that was effective/safe/easy, but it's not out there yet........

 

[Marinegeekswife]

I'd love to do the natural way but it isn't always an option. Natural stuff has side effects, too. Fleas and ticks bring parasites and disease, something I'm not willing to subject myself and my family to. I'm with Stephen, I wish there was a magic solution that would be safe and effective but there isn't and until that day I'll be weighing the pros and cons of any option.

 

[Denissov43]

Frontline is HIGHLY toxic and rumors are its been recalled and therefore they are all toxic and will all be recalled eventually... its only a matter of time. Using it till its recalled is everyone's choice....
DDT was considered safe for years... so was Malathion, and Diazanon... Diazanon flea collars are being banned in the UK and in Europe, its already banned here as a insecticide, but I even used it five or so years ago... till I found out how toxic it was to us and to my pets..
ALL of those insecticides once considered safe and used in people homes by the millions, have been recalled and banned because of how toxic they are.
You have to do more than weight the pro's and con's of toxic chemical's you have to weigh how much of the information you read about how 'toxic' the bugs you are trying to kill are and how 'dangerous' they are in comparison to the chemicals we have chemical companies touting as the 'be all end all'...
How many dogs need to get cancer at the point of application before we consider it lethal to all dogs?
How many of our pets need to have a toxic overload of chemicals and come down with internal cancers before we choose to avoid them at all costs.
Fleas and ticks have been around for millinea and wolves and foxes and wild creatures live with them every day of their life? so how toxic are they really to the host animal? How long do wild creatures who have no access to preventative meds survive in the wild carryign perhaps hundreds of not thousands of fleas and ticks? How do they deal with it?
We have an advantage here over the wild creatures with our creatures... we can comb before and after a walk, we can bath, groom and we treat our yards weekly with natural things like cedar oil, orange oil, penny royal, cintronella, we can treat our pets with them to before they go out daily... just like you spray yourself with 'repellant' Daily before your walks with your pets...
So why is that any harder than putting something on them that is so toxic it causes cancer at the site where it is placed on the animal after repeated applications?... why would you risk something to horrific and dangerous to your pet once you have heard that it is that dangerous? Why would you even want to take the chance that one of your beloved pets could end up a statistic like Max in the story above? Its not a lone and isolated case here guys... its a common occurrence and becoming more common every day.
articles about this very thing are everywhere.. and most advocates for pet health DO NOT endorse these products... ignore the information at perhaps your beloved pets peril.. perhaps! Russian Roulette chemical treatements just does not work when it comes to my guys. I wont play it no way no how.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/site.../03/31/dangers-of-flea-and-tick-problems.aspx
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/avictim.htm

http://www.midtownanimalclinic.com/poisons/flea-control

http://www.examiner.com/article/spot-on-flea-control-may-be-deadly-to-your-dog

 

[Dobs4ever]

There are several tick born diseases that have the potential to be just as dangerous to our dogs and to humans. Ticks are nasty little creatures and the only good tick is a dead tick!!!! Fleas also create problems of their own. While I do not treat year round I do treat March through Nov. Then rest.

Fleas and ticks have been around for millinea and wolves and foxes and wild creatures live with them every day of their life? so how toxic are they really to the host animal? How long do wild creatures who have no access to preventative meds survive in the wild carryign perhaps hundreds of not thousands of fleas and ticks? How do they deal with it? [\quote]

They don't crawl in bed wiht me at night!!!!

 

[GennyB]

When people think natural, they think safe. Natural can be just as toxic as any chemical. It is important for people to do their research and find what works for them and their pets.

 

[JanS]

I agree that there are many toxic plants out there so sometimes natural isn't as good as it sounds. That said, I'm totally anti chemical and try to go the natural route whenever I can and perhaps if fleas were any sort of an issue in this area I would probably have to treat with stronger stuff, but we don't have fleas around here unless they're imported from a dog coming in from a southern state. Tick diseases are indeed scary though so our dogs get checked over several times per day, and I also ordered one of the tags that Della is wearing for Albert yesterday and that will help immensely.

I guarantee you that our land has never had a pesticide or insecticide put on it and never will because I'm allergic to it and it can be so bad for the dogs and everything else as well, even though we don't always realize it. Our poor power company just got a beating down from me for sending a letter saying they may be applying herbicides on our land next month, so I don't think they'll be doing that.

 

[Marinegeekswife]

There are several tick born diseases that have the potential to be just as dangerous to our dogs and to humans. Ticks are nasty little creatures and the only good tick is a dead tick!!!! Fleas also create problems of their own. While I do not treat year round I do treat March through Nov. Then rest.

Exactly. Allowing the ticks to latch on is an danger on its own so just picking them off won't work unless you can find them all before they attach. Ticks transmit things like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Fleas can transmit things like Y-pestis, cat scratch fever, and flea-borne typhus. Also, once you get a flea infestation started it takes 3 months to completely get rid of them. We treat year round because the dogs go to places like boarding from time to time but we do the minimum of once every 3 months, once every 2 months in the high time (Summer). The cats are able to go without any treatment because they don't go outside and the dogs don't bring anything in since they are treated. Once every 2 - 3 months is a better risk to me than constant treatments and collars if we get an infestation. But that is just me and folks can do what they want.

When people think natural, they think safe. Natural can be just as toxic as any chemical. It is important for people to do their research and find what works for them and their pets.

Precisely.

 

[AxelRose]

Speaking of the wild creatures and the way they must live with ticks, etc....and have not all perished..Im wondering 'What are the statistics for your areas for dogs dying of these 'tick' and 'flea' diseases?

Also, just a short story of a Golden that lives across from me. I noticed she had all these big shaved spots on her a few weeks ago. Her kneck and rump areas. I asked my neighbour what happened and he told me its from surgery. The dog had lumps removed from years of innoculations at these sights. I knew bumps can form if the areas are not massaged right after the shot, as it can sit in the spot of the needle and not disperse into the animal properly.

As well, my other neighbour's mini schnauzer took seizures after having the spot on treatment for fleas put on her back.

I dont have the tick problems like a lot of you do, and we dont go to too many forested areas where the deer are, but we go get fleas around here. I've gone the natural route using Eucalyptus oil and olive oil with lavander plants soaked in the mix, and dab it on all of us. BUT I do use Premise Spray in my groom shop in the basement, the garage, stairs coming from the basement, and the yard (sometimes). This is by Zodiac and it uses Pyrinthian (spelling?) in its base. But it is a chemical. I just make sure everybody is out of the house when I use it and I wear a mask when I spray...then get out myself. When I spray outside, everybody goes inside for at least 2 hours until dry.

Just my thoughts.