Tick season is on
Pyc I pulled 3 off my dog in the past 3-4 days. She does tend to stick her face in grassy stuff a lot when we're out walking.
Blackcat Hiked the orange to red loop in Stevens yesterday and found a biggie on my stomach. I hate ticks!
Consigliere
4catmom Seriously, it's terrible. We've been pulling them off my dog left and right, and she's treated with K9 Advantix, and my husband claims he's not even walking her in the woods.
Any other repellent suggestions? K9 has always worked for us before.
Tracy 
Jesse134 
LAS Garlic is good as well
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/garlic-for-dogs-poison-or-medicine/
Nosila Seresto collar works wonderfully. Very expensive but you get nearly a years worth of protection. Highly recommended.
Dallas I've been using the Seresto on my dog for about 2 months. He's a hunting breed so is always following his nose into bushes, leaves and grass. It is much better than Frontline - may still find an occasional few but not bad. I got it at Chewy.com for $35 on sale, best price I've seen.
Davis 
Lou Do you leave the Seresto collar on at all times or just when going out?
I haven't used anything on her for a year or two.
What is the best tick collar for long-hair cats who love to frolic in the weeds outside and are friendly with the deer?
DannyC Please read all the warnings on Seresto collars before choosing them. Google Seresto seizures or Seresto warnings. I'm not saying don't use them - just be aware of the reported deaths.
I am now only using natural products on my animals. Will snap a pic of what I use when I am home later. Products work great!
Rebecka I don't know if anything is completely safe. I put the drops on my cat and she ended up with chemical burns, same thing happened to my friends cats with flea collar (not seresto). I have also read about unfortunate side effects from natural products as well. Sigh....
I think some things are safer than others. Here's what I use. Actually mostly just the one on the right. It's just very diluted essential oils that repel bugs. Spray on legs before going out.
I was going to switch to Soresto until i read about the seizures and chemical burns. Granted it may not happen to every pet but..... I use Frontline and still find ticks on my dog. For the past 2 years he has been treated 4 times for Anaplasmosis & Erlychiosis. Just finished a 30 day treatment and found a tiny tick on his foot the other day. I Frontline him year round since it warms up and ticks are not gone.
I am wondering if I can spray a topical on him as well or if that would be too dangerous between the Frontline and another chemical????
Virginia I have used Frontline Plus for my cats because it kills fleas and ticks. Regular Frontline was only for fleas. The ticks need to be exposed to the animal's skin to be killed by the product so you might find some before they are killed.
BC I use Braveco chewables for my dogs. It's given once every 3 months. A bit pricey - more than $45 from my vet, but it's very effective against a variety of nuisance bugs.
hhz Permethrin spray for your clothing/booths has been working exceptionally well for me. The only two times I got bit was when I was out in the woods in untreated clothing. The instructions say to retreat every 60 days but it seems to last significantly longer.
brendan I also use Permethrin as I hike every weekend, year round. Never found a single tick on me during or after a hike. The only warning, and this is taken directly from the brand I use, is this - - -
Do not expose cats to wet permethrin as it affects their central nervous system. This is not true with dogs, horses, or cows. Cats can be around permethrin treated fabrics once the application has dried.
Rob Durana Just found a *deer* tick on my arm (attached)! I had 200mg of doxy in me about 30 seconds later. Does everyone know you don't have to wait to have any symptoms before taking antibiotics? You can choose to take them kind of prophylacticly, so you don't get a disease such as Lyme's. Doxy is something you may want to consider having on hand in your medicine cabinet if you're outdoors a lot and at risk of ticks.
Recbecka - Doesn't taking antibiotics actually reduce their effectiveness over time? I don't want to take them even when they are prescribed. LOL
I certainly wouldn't want to take them without actually needing them.
Calico696 As there is a real risk in our area of disease from a deer tick, a 200mg 1-time dose of doxy is almost standard protocol, I believe. Obviously, everyone should speak to their PCP and choose what's right for them. Medical decisions are so personal, and this is one case where a patient can have a lot to say in the decision.
As far as I know, taking antiobiotics over time does not reduce their effectiveness on an individual level, no.
I'm not a fan of anti-tick medications or applications.
My last dog was on Frontline Plus, yet somewhere along the line, STILL got a positive Lyme test. So what's the point other than putting money in big pharma's pockets?
Did some research. Very few deer ticks ACTUALLY CARRY lyme disease. Or any disease for that matter. And even if they are carriers, they have to be on the dog 72 hours to transmit the disease, reportedly.
Counting the ticks I pulled off my dogs over the last 5 years on one hand, I like the odds better at NOT giving them drugs. I just look for, and remove, the ticks.
FYI pure peppermint oil (like the essential oil) removes them easily. Just drop it on them, and wait. You can also do this with Frontline- put a drop right on the tick. It'll drop off in a couple minutes, max. It'll also be dead.
Calico, what Rebecka did is actually the prescribed method of preventing lyme from a deer tick. Heavy dose of AB immediately, no worries. The longer you wait, the less it works- i.e., if you wait until you have full-blown symptoms of lyme, one dose of AB won't do a thing. You have to go on a full course, sometimes more than one course.
JeffersonRepub Wish there was some kind of prophylactic measure I had on hand for Powassun virus! I don't think there is one, though. I'll have to ask DH. That is the scariest of tick-borne diseases as far as I'm concerned!
I had no idea about using peppermint oil & I have some so thank you so much JeffersonRepub for the recommendation!
Luca I have heard that pouring peppermint oil or anything else on a tick makes them regurgitate making it more likely you will get sick if the tick is carrying a disease. Not sure if it's true but it is what I have heard.
I didn't realize that doctors will routinely prescribe antibiotics to just "keep around the house". Is this something they will really do, or is it a "who you know" type of situation?
I did some digging, and some people are saying that applying peppermint oil (or ANYTHING) to an imbedded tick "increases the risk of regurgitation", however no one supplies any evidence or actual knowledge of this actually happening.
I guess anything is a risk- peppermint oil MIGHT increase the risk of regurgitation, and a tick removal tool of any kind has a risk of leaving some part of the tick behind, which would be especially hard to see on a dog.
Pick your poison. All I know is, I won't poison my dogs with Frontline anymore. The oral stuff like Bravecto hasn't been out long enough to REALLY know anything about it.
Doctors don't routinely prescribe antibiotics just to keep around the house, thankfully. However, if someone asks their doc specifically for an Rx of 200mg of doxy to keep on hand in case of a deer tick bite, because they are at risk based on their work or hobbies (hiking), I would think most docs would be happy to write it. That's exactly how I had doxy in my cupboard.
I use Bravecto, found a tick on my dog the other day and it was dead (assuming the Bravecto did its job). Oral chew a lot easier to apply then liquid Advantix.
Bev Bev,
Just so you understand, neither Bravecto or Frontline/Advantic claim their products will in any way stop the transmission of tickborne diseases. They simply stop the dogs from bringing LIVE ticks into your home. Instead, they bring in dead ticks. LOL. But no tick product for dogs can stop the transmission of any tickborne disease.
iJay iJay,
and many vets say the opposite..... who to believe?
Personally, I believe NEITHER. Altho there is now a lyme vaccine that I've been meaning to look into.... of course, that wouldn't protect against other tickborne illnesses, but then neither do the pesticides (frontline, advantix, bravecto)
We use Advantix on Daisy. She gets the lyme vaccine, and is also tested for tick borne diseases yearly. 10 years old and still negative.
I used Frontline on my first dog (RIP), he was negative for lyme when we got him, somewhere along the line he ended up positive- even with the use of Frontline. So what's the point?
We would still find live ticks on Daisy when we used Frontline. We only used it the first year we had her. That's why we switched to Advantix. We have never found a live tick on her since the switch.
A tick has to bite the dog for the Frontline to affect the tick. Frontline is not a repellant.
3wbdwnj Frontline never seemed to work on my inlaws' dogs either. They always had ticks. We use/used (I'm terrible at remembering to treat our dog) Advantix and never found a tick.
Our beagle Daisy had a terrible reaction to the Lyme vaccine and I outright refuse to give it to her anymore. She was hospitalized or 2-3 days and that is when we established she had a vaccine reaction. We are absolutely certain it is more harmful than good in our case. Daisy did test positive for Lyme disease a few years ago and we treated with antibiotics as recommended by our vet. I would rather treat her than risk a future reaction. I am very wary of any vaccines for her as a result now and in the event that she needs a particular one, I actually schedule it for early in the week and take time off so I can monitor her. She is just a really sensitive dog and I think her GI issues just add to the problem.
Antimony My family is moving to Blairstown, and the place we are moving into has ticks. We've come home after visiting the property a couple times now, and both my kids have been bitten by ticks. Does anyone have suggestions for how to treat a lawn or some essential oils that can be used on your body to repel them? I'm pregnant, and my kids are very young so I'm looking for ideas that do not involve chemicals. I've read about several methods, but I'd like to hear firsthand from anyone who has tried something and is confident it actually worked. I was on antibiotics for 3 years for Lyme and Babesia when I was a teenager. I don't want to put anyone else in my family through that.
Megan i had the same problem when I moved into our rental house. The best thing I have found is cut the grass very very short. We also got chickens & we let them free range. First summer here we were loaded with deer ticks. 3 years later my lawn doesn't look great but no ticks.
Weedwacker Thanks. I've thought about chickens. We wanted to get some anyway but was wondering how they affect the lawn.
I love chickens, we have 11 of them. They do help with ticks but they poop everywhere. With little kids it can be a bit messy. They also eat gardens, etc... If you buy from tractor supply or other large places they require you to buy 6, some smaller places will let you buy 3 or 4. Backyardchickens.com is a great educational tool. Make sure your town allows chickens.
Back to ticks.. there is an organic brand that you can buy to treat the lawn, lowes sells it. It isn't cheep but it works and smells great... like rootbeer and cloves! I also use natural repellent on my kids and it works great. I but the Lemmon grass stuff, it is cheaper.
Best of luck and welcome!!!
Go with chickens. They devour everything, and bugs are a favorite. Unscientifically, I've noticed a drop in fleas being on the cats for the past 2 years. One cat ends up at the vet for cortisone shots because her skin can't handle flea bites, and I haven't had to bring her for over 2 years.
Denise There are natural ways to treat yards for ticks, but I imagine they are expensive. Have been meaning to look into it.
http://www.goorganiclawncare.com/flea---tick-care.html
Also- I think a fenced-in yard helps; no deer in our backyard = fewer ticks. Yes, of course they come in any number of ways, but anything that helps...
My son's house is in the middle of the woods. He has about an acre of property cleared and landscaped. He was loaded with ticks the first year he was there. After that first year, he has had the "Mosquito Squad" come and spray his lawn. Since then he has not had the tick problem. The kids play in neighbor's yards and have come home with a tick or two on occasion, but their own property seems to be fine, even the dog does not get them. He lives in Passaic County and I'm not sure if they service this area, but if not I'm sure there is some company who provides the same service. The recommendation is to do it monthly, but he gets through the summer with one treatment. I don't know the cost, but the phone number is 973-917-4230.
P.S. It's been about 10 years and no one has ever had any kind of adverse reaction from the spray, including the dog.
Parental Unit Get some hens. Kids plus chemicals is a no go for me. We have no idea what it will mean decades from now. Plus, it is polluting the water table.
maja2 Make or buy tick tubes. To make, buy some Sawyer permethrin. Save up empty toilet paper rolls. Get some cotton balls, wear gloves, soak cotton balls with permethrin. Allow them to dry. Fill tubes partway with dried cotton balls. Place tubes around property near woodpiles, brush, etc where mice, chipmunks would hide. Ticks are carried by small animals and when they make their nests from the treated cotton the ticks die. Does not affect the mice. Look up tick tubes, you can buy premade or watch you tube video.
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