Re-visiting Tick repellents

[nitecapt]

Hi all

I HATE TICKS!!!

Just wanted to share some thoughts and get ideas from the members of this forum. There has been some discussion on the forums about the impening bad year for ticks. I agree. I live on Long Island and have been seeing LOTS of them. And there's loads of Lyme Disease here.

I have used the topical oily repellents such as Advantix and have found in a few instances that the dogs have a slight adverse reaction for some days after application. Skin twitching, itching and sensitivity. Now, I am embarassed to admit that my 3 little French Brits sleep in the bed with me and based upon what I know, these medications such as Advantix will not necessarily repel ticks but will kill them when they bite, thus they can climb onto the dog in the field and climb off in the bed only to attach to me. I haven't gotten one but I've seen 2 in the bed this year.

I have used a pyrethrin dip on my dogs before the freeze in the fall and have never found a tick on them after a hunt. I am convinced that the dip effectively repels ticks to the point where they wont even climb on. Problem with pyretrin is that it does not last long (perhaps a week) and my dogs do a lot of swimming in the summer (they use the saltwater pool) further washing it off.

I suppose I'm looking for feedback on an effective way to prevent ticks from climbing on in the first place that will last.
Any ideas?

Thanks

[Roccus]

I've been having really good luck so far with Certifect. It's Frontline with a new ingredient that kills them before they bite. After working the dog in a deer tick infested area, the ticks seem to be repelled away from the skin and stay on the surface of the coat so they can be easily removed before bringing the dog into the house. If they're left on I believe the Certifect kills them. My dog has had many, many ticks on him this Spring but not one has become imbedded.

[nitecapt]

What area of the country ar you in?

[royta]

From what I understand, Advantix II is the only OTC topical that repels ticks. That being said, I just ordered a 3 pack of the Frontline Plus for my Brittany pup. It kills but doesn't repel. I figured it was a little safer around the kids for the first couple days after application. I live in Northern Utah and believe I only need to worry about ticks, not fleas.

[Roccus]

I'm in Southeastern Massachusetts near Cape cod. Serious deer tick country.

[KCBrittfan]

I hope this helps. I also worry about ticks falling off the dog in the house before the preventative has the opportunity to kill them.

I was told that products such as Frontline and Advantix work better if the dog has not been bathed for a few days prior to application. The reason given was that the hair oils need to build back up and redistribute for the product application to be most effective. The source of my information worked at a local dog and horse supply store and probably based her information on anecdotal rather than scientific evidence, so take this for what its worth. I wait a few days after bathing and/or swimming before using these products. I figure it can't hurt to wait. I also try to keep them dry for several days after application (this may be in the product instructions -- I can't remember. Again, it can't hurt).

Long before these products came onto the market I got into the habit of doing a thorough tick check after every warm season run, and before loading up in the truck. I then repeated the tick check when we got home. I often (more often during heavy tick periods) would finish our outing by spraying with pyrethrin based Adams Flea & Tick Spray.

I still give my current Brittany a thorough tick check and double check any time during tick season that he gets in cover higher than a suburban front lawn. I use K-9 Advantix II, but I guess old habits die hard.

One more thing: I often shave my Brittanys with a number five finish cut blade. This really makes it easier to spot ticks on the dogs, especially in the non-white fur. It also helps with shedding clean up in the house.

[hill]

I use Frontline and Advantix (depending on what I have on hand) and the Adams Flea and Tick spray. I have had good luck but because of our mild winters the past couple of years, the ticks were terrible this past hunting season. I've never seen so many ticks on a wild hog, much less a dog. I don't think anything could have kept them off during November. Fortunately we had a few good late cold snaps that will hopefully cut down their numbers.