# Ticks, Ticks, Ticks...and some fleas



## RiverRun (Jun 29, 2011)

my oh my, I have never had this trouble before. I have recently moved to a new house(my first home actually) and it has a very large yard that backs up to woods, no surprise that the dogs are starting to come in with ticks all over them. I normally soak them in ACV, but because of the recent drought there has been a shortage and I can no longer purchase the gallon jugs and cannot afford to by so many smaller bottles. Any other suggestions? I also have a dog with BAD tummy issues so it needs to be gentle on the stomach. Even my cat has brought home a little unwanted friend after a day of exploration.


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

cedar oil, you can spray it all over them 1-2 times a week. 

Natural & Organic Pest Control | Natural Pet Products - Wondercide


----------



## RiverRun (Jun 29, 2011)

oooh, I like the idea of only spraying a few times a week. That saves money, thanks for the suggestion!!!!


----------



## BearMurphy (Feb 29, 2012)

do some research on cats and cedar oil before using it because I think you are not supposed to use it on them. there are other essential oils you can use too just make sure you dilute them properly


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

BearMurphy said:


> do some research on cats and cedar oil before using it because I think you are not supposed to use it on them. there are other essential oils you can use too just make sure you dilute them properly


The product is supposed to be safe for cats... my friend sells it at his store and has sold it to people with cats, and he tends to know his stuff haha. We had a teenager come in that had found a 6 week old kitten on the side of the road and it had fleas, and he said that she could use the cedar oil on it.


----------



## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

We have been giving garlic to ours that worked this past summer pretty well. We found a few ticks, but anything awful. Come about March I'm going to order some bug off garlic from Springtime,Inc. It takes about a month to get into the system so March should be about right for living in Bama.


----------



## RiverRun (Jun 29, 2011)

thanks everyone! I will definitely look into them all!


----------



## monster'sdad (Jul 29, 2012)

meggels said:


> cedar oil, you can spray it all over them 1-2 times a week.
> 
> Natural & Organic Pest Control | Natural Pet Products - Wondercide


Cedar Oil is toxic. K9 Advantix works extremely well.


----------



## RiverRun (Jun 29, 2011)

I cannot use Advantix for I have cats. It will kill cats. Plus, I do not use those types of products, they are EXTREMELY harsh on the skin and can cause internal issues as well. You have to watch out for those. Why do you say Cedar Oil is toxic, but Advantix is okay? Just curious.


----------



## meggels (May 30, 2010)

I guess all the dogs I meet are just extremely lucky then to be hanging around after using it...

I only recommend THIS product. It is made specifically for cats and dogs.


----------



## 3RingCircus (May 24, 2010)

Also, not all flea/tick remedies work in all areas. I discovered this after using Frontline Plus on my dogs. One of them came down with Anaplasmosis and is quite ill.

For my area, West Coast, K9 Advantage II works but not Frontline Plus. For Wisconsin and the East Coast, Frontline works best.


----------



## creek817 (Feb 18, 2012)

I have an electronic tick tag for my dog. Accessories

I'm sure you can find it in the US as well. We have paralysis ticks here, and they have been especially bad this year. Picking them off the horses and cows like CRAZY. Not one on my dog yet *knock on wood*. I also feed Garlic and ACV, and have a spray that is half water, half rubbing alcohol, with about 20 drops of lavender essential oil in it, although to be completely honest, I don't use the spray very often. So, something is working! And no chemicals in this house =)


----------



## Felix (Oct 9, 2012)

Advantix works great! Cedar oil is supposed to be extremely effective as well at repelling all insects, however, it is EXTREMELY expensive. At least for my budget. I don't know if the cedar oil can be used for cats. I have cats as well and have used Advantix and talked to the rep about it's use around cats. As long as the product dries, it is safe around cats. While wet, just make sure the cats don't groom the dog. My cats do this all the time and have suffered no ill effects when I use it during the wet, summer months here in Wisconsin.

ETA: the rep also told me about a scientific study that used the dog Advantix directly on cats and only one out of 1000 suffered any effects and only had a slight itching, no seizures or death reported when used DIRECTLY on cats.


----------



## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

3RingCircus said:


> Also, not all flea/tick remedies work in all areas. I discovered this after using Frontline Plus on my dogs. One of them came down with Anaplasmosis and is quite ill.
> 
> For my area, West Coast, K9 Advantage II works but not Frontline Plus. For Wisconsin and the East Coast, Frontline works best.


Ticks & fleas are almost a year-round problem down here. And of course you have to throw in mosquitoes for good measure. hwell:

We have found K9 Avantix II to be very effective. Our dogs are CONSTANTLY in fields, woods, etc so it's important to us to keep them pest free. Esp since they are 100% house dogs who wind up on all the furniture, including beds.

I can't remember the last time we actually discovered a live attached tick to one of the dogs. We usually check them after they've been afield and have discovered one or two then, usually in the hard to see places like inside an ear or (believe it or not) behind some of the "male bits". And those that we initially miss wind up being found later, but they are dead & unattached (just in the fur).

Sorry for the lengthy description. Hope it helps.


----------



## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

have you tried a tick collar? Amazon.com: Preventic Tick Collar 18" for Dogs Under 60lbs - Pack of 2: Pet Supplies


----------



## creek817 (Feb 18, 2012)

Unosmom said:


> have you tried a tick collar? Amazon.com: Preventic Tick Collar 18" for Dogs Under 60lbs - Pack of 2: Pet Supplies


Those things give me a MASSIVE headache - the chemical smell coming off them is really strong. That, and my neighbor uses them, and both of her dogs have gone down with paralysis ticks while they had fresh collars on, so I don't really trust them. JMHO


----------



## RiverRun (Jun 29, 2011)

creek817 said:


> Those things give me a MASSIVE headache - the chemical smell coming off them is really strong. That, and my neighbor uses them, and both of her dogs have gone down with paralysis ticks while they had fresh collars on, so I don't really trust them. JMHO


Oh I agree, I don't mean to offend anyone, but I cannot stand those collars! I steer clear of all chemical drops for the shoulder blades. I cannot stand getting that stuff on my skin and I surely don't want it on my dogs' skin either. Plus, my cat grooms my dogs OFTEN, usually every night, so I cannot take any chances. Since I worked at a vet for over 5 years, I have seen every bad reaction when it comes to those chemical filled 'preventatives' and I could never use those. 

Hey Stef, thanks for posting the link to the electronic tag you use! As expected, my shoo!tags do NOT work. With the cold weather the ticks have calmed down, so I plan on letting my bank account replenish for a month or two after Christmas and then order a few of those tags for my pups. PLEASE let me know if it ever seems like it is not working for you! Im probably going to order some of that spray that Meggels posted about too just to double up. 

..question for you Stef, does it matter if you take the tag off for a while and then put it back on? I noticed on my shoo!tags that is said something about not taking it off and it only lasts for 3 months...I thought that was odd.


----------



## creek817 (Feb 18, 2012)

No worries - that link is an australian store, but I'm sure you can fins the same thing online somewhere in the US. Mine doesn't look exactly like the one pictured there, but it's still red, and the same brand.

Today, we had some cows through fences and we were down trying to fix all the fences, and Dobby was in the long grass, and the creek, and everywhere. At one point, while I was just standing around waiting, I was patting Dobby, and I found a bunch (like probably 8 or 10) ticks on him, little tiny ones, not the bad paralysis ticks. BUT they were just crawling on him, none had bitten him. I picked off all the ones I found, and then I was busy, so I didn't check him again till a few hours later after dinner, and then I only found one, and still only crawling on him, not biting him. 

Literally AS I WAS WRITING THIS, I found a bad paralysis tick on myself. But so far none on Dobby. He did also get a bath tonight, because while we were down there, he was swimming in the creek, and rolling in stuff, and he smelled, so he had a bath and I did an ACV rinse after. I will see over the next few days if I find anymore ticks, but the fact that the ones I found weren't biting him makes me feel pretty good about the tag, and the garlic I'm feeding him.

As far as taking it off and then putting it back on, I have, as of this week, started taking his off at night because he's really itchy from wearing his collar 24/7. I just sit it on his bed next to him when I take it off. From what I've read about them, they have a 1.5 meter radius, and you can hang them on crates and things as well as collars, and they're still supposed to work, so I figure sitting on his bed next to him is okay overnight, and then he wears it all day. I won't be taking it off tonight, after all the ticks we found today, but that's what I'll be doing normally. They are supposed to last a year, which is awesome. There is a button on it that you can push and a red light lights up if it's still working.

Overall, I'm really happy with it. It doesn't seem to bother him at all, other than the itching from his collar. It's safe to be worn in fresh water, just not salt water - Dobby won't go in the ocean anyway, so that doesn't matter for me haha. He is afraid of the waves. And, I think it might just be working. Best of all, no chemicals! And the chemicals aren't 100% effective anyway, so really, even if I find a tick or two on him, I'm not going to run back to chemicals!

I will try to update over the next few days whether I find any ticks or not =) This will be a good test for it.


----------



## creek817 (Feb 18, 2012)

Oh, and here is a link to a YouTube video about the tags =)

Skudo Pet Tick Repeller - YouTube


----------



## creek817 (Feb 18, 2012)

And here is the link to the exact one I have, straight from the manufacturer's website. They do ship internationally, but may or may not have stockists in the US already. 

https://miteyshield.com.au/shop/mitey-tick-off-for-pets

They make one for people too, and I'm thinking I might need one in the future! haha


----------



## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

monster'sdad said:


> Cedar Oil is toxic. K9 Advantix works extremely well.


Cedar can cause an allergic reaction in some, but overall I have never heard of it causing any real problems. Chemicals in topicals on the other hand, are another story. A much bigger risk.


----------



## creek817 (Feb 18, 2012)

Update this morning - I could only find one tick on Dobby this morning, and it was tiny, and DEAD! So, That's an excellent sign =) Will keep checking, as the paralysis ticks are nearly impossible to see until they are full of blood, because they are a light tan color and very very small. But I'm really happy so far.


----------



## creek817 (Feb 18, 2012)

Still no ticks! I had a bit of a panic attack this morning, Dobby threw up a little bit, and he almost never throws up, and that's one of the early signs of paralysis tick poisoning. So I was freaking out for a few hours, but he is fine =D And I can't find any ticks. Very happy with the tag!


----------



## RiverRun (Jun 29, 2011)

Stef you are amazing! Thank you for the wonderful updates!!! I will definitely be purchasing a few of those for my kids next summer! I am so thrilled to hear Dobby's is working so well!


----------



## creek817 (Feb 18, 2012)

Good to hear =)

I DID find three ticks on Dobby last night at our town's Christmas party - but they weren't the bad ticks, and we were sitting right under a tree. I have no idea if I had left them on if the tag would have repelled them or not, but I just picked them off and didn't worry much. I don't think anything is 100% effective, but I still feel a lot better having this tag on him than not.


----------

