Can'T Get Rid Of Ticks - Help!

[dotx]

I have 3 dogs that get Frontline Plus every month. Two of them seem to do well on it. I find the occasional tick on them, but that's it. One of the dogs, however, is a tick magnet. I just can't keep him tick-free. The vet thinks that maybe the ticks like him more (he has longer hair, so he's warmer, so he might seem "yummier" to the ticks).

Anyway, I'm going absolutely crazy with this. I've tried everything and NOTHING helps.

My dogs don't go out into the street, so I know they're getting the ticks from my own garden. The grass is already short, but there has to be something else I can do! Is there anything I can spray on the garden to kill the ticks? Something that won't kill my dogs in the process.

Pest control sprays my garden/around my house for termites every month, but obviously whatever they're using doesn't kill ticks. There has to be something I can use. Any ideas? Recommendations? This is driving me absolutely crazy!

[Pushit]

"Preventic" collar for dogs is effective up to 3 mths we used one in combination with Frountline and worked well for a mangy old mutt that came with a house we rented and he was crawling with tics.

[dotx]

"Preventic" collar for dogs is effective up to 3 mths we used one in combination with Frountline and worked well for a mangy old mutt that came with a house we rented and he was crawling with tics.

Unfortunately, I can't do the collar. The dog that gets all the tics also had a very serious reaction to a tick collar once so they're a no-no. I'm hoping there's a way to get rid of the ticks (or at least reduce their number considerably) in my own garden, so there's not that many waiting to jump on him every time he goes out!

Edited January 5, 2012 by dotx

[Lantern]

Not sure how well this might work but wouldn't be expensive to try.

Can you get Tea-Tree oil in Thailand, if so run a bit through his coat. Or try the soap or shampoo.

http://www.thursdayplantation.com/product/Tea-Tree-Dog-Shampoo

[dotx]

Not sure how well this might work but wouldn't be expensive to try.

Can you get Tea-Tree oil in Thailand, if so run a bit through his coat. Or try the soap or shampoo.

http://www.thursdayp...ree-Dog-Shampoo

Thanks. Not sure if you can find tea tree oil in Thailand, but I had a friend send me some last month from the States (not for the ticks, for something else), so I could try.

ETA: I'm wondering if I could spray the garden using tick shampoo or maybe even Frontline spray. Mix either one with water and put into a sprayer. Not sure if it would do anything... Tea tree oil is too expensive to use it to spray the garden (and I probably don't have enough of it anyway).

Edited January 5, 2012 by dotx

[F1fanatic]

A couple of years ago I had a long-haired, terminally sick dog that attracted ticks like a magnet, despite 'Frontline drops and spray' .

Like you, I despaired as NOTHING worked. I found the only answer was to sit with her and catch the ticks as they rushed to her every time she moved...

It took a few days, but eventually it did.

[dotx]

A couple of years ago I had a long-haired, terminally sick dog that attracted ticks like a magnet, despite 'Frontline drops and spray' .

Like you, I despaired as NOTHING worked. I found the only answer was to sit with her and catch the ticks as they rushed to her every time she moved...

It took a few days, but eventually it did.

well, that sounds like a lot of fun

[Nienke]

The stuff pest control indeed doesn't work on ticks. You need to ask them to specifically spray for ticks.

When a dog attracts ticks like a magnet it is an indication that its immune system can't fend them of; in other words there is a immune problem.

And actually both F1fanatic and dotx indicate this already, terminally ill and severe allergic reaction to ...

So, first thing is to ask yourself is why the immune system isn't strong in this particular dog, and try to boost this with good nutritious food, maybe supplements (be careful there, though), pro-biotics to help improve the intestinal trac, minimize chemicals on and in the dog and stop giving annual vaccinations.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Nienke

[latelyo]

Read here

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/510671-dog-tick-problem/

[samsiam]

Try garlic....keeps most people away

[dotx]

The stuff pest control indeed doesn't work on ticks. You need to ask them to specifically spray for ticks.

When a dog attracts ticks like a magnet it is an indication that its immune system can't fend them of; in other words there is a immune problem.

And actually both F1fanatic and dotx indicate this already, terminally ill and severe allergic reaction to ...

So, first thing is to ask yourself is why the immune system isn't strong in this particular dog, and try to boost this with good nutritious food, maybe supplements (be careful there, though), pro-biotics to help improve the intestinal trac, minimize chemicals on and in the dog and stop giving annual vaccinations.

Thanks, this is great information. My dog has chronic liver disease. He's on medication for his liver and eats only prescription food (Royal Canin Hepatic), but this makes a lot of sense. He looks and acts healthy, so it's easy to forget about his underlying medical problems, but I'll talk to the vet about maybe giving him additional supplements or something to help build up his immune system.

[dotx]

Read here

http://www.thaivisa....g-tick-problem/

Read here

http://www.thaivisa....g-tick-problem/

Thanks for the link. I know about the pills (I have a friend who buys them for her dog) but don't like them. They're supposed to be really harsh on the liver, which is a big problem in my dog's case. My dog already gets Heartgard (which is basically ivermectin) for heartworm every month, and I think that's all I'm willing to risk giving him.

[Nienke]

Chronic liver disease. Poor dog, poor you.

I don't really believe in the prescription diets as they are all grained based, and as dogs are carnivores, grains are a heavy burden for their livers and other organs. The sources of the proteins are questionable. Proteins of for example soy and maize aren't very bio-available to a dog, and another heavy burden for the liver.

I prefer to make the liver diets myself, normally with good result.

As your dog has a disease, never ever vaccinate him again. The pharmaceutical industry themselves write in their guidelines, that come with the vaccines, to vaccinate ONLY HEALTHY animals (and humans).

I suggest you do some research on holistic or alternative health care for chronic liver disease in dogs.

For example, Milk Thistle has been proven to be a great alternative in helping to restore a damaged liver. You can get it at health stores.

[F1fanatic]

A couple of years ago I had a long-haired, terminally sick dog that attracted ticks like a magnet, despite 'Frontline drops and spray' .

Like you, I despaired as NOTHING worked. I found the only answer was to sit with her and catch the ticks as they rushed to her every time she moved...

It took a few days, but eventually it did.

well, that sounds like a lot of fun

Funnily enough, although I found it repulsive and boring at first - after a while (when I realised just how many ticks were 'coming out of the woodwork'!) I found it addictive !

It also had the added bonus of getting me 'used' to ticks, so that I am no longer horrified when I see one.

[dotx]

Chronic liver disease. Poor dog, poor you.

I don't really believe in the prescription diets as they are all grained based, and as dogs are carnivores, grains are a heavy burden for their livers and other organs. The sources of the proteins are questionable. Proteins of for example soy and maize aren't very bio-available to a dog, and another heavy burden for the liver.

I prefer to make the liver diets myself, normally with good result.

As your dog has a disease, never ever vaccinate him again. The pharmaceutical industry themselves write in their guidelines, that come with the vaccines, to vaccinate ONLY HEALTHY animals (and humans).

I suggest you do some research on holistic or alternative health care for chronic liver disease in dogs.

For example, Milk Thistle has been proven to be a great alternative in helping to restore a damaged liver. You can get it at health stores.

Thanks. He takes milk thistle daily. I absolutely believe milk thistle saved his life two years ago. He went into liver failure and the vet gave him a 20% chance of survival. After two horrible, horrible months, he finally pulled through. I was living in Vietnam at the time but had the most amazing vet (she was from Denmark) and she spent days and days researching ways to help him.

Two years later, he's doing great and is a happy, bouncy dog (he's always been full of energy). His liver enzymes are a bit higher than a normal dog would have, but not much. That is, as long as I keep him on the milk thistle. I tried stopping twice and they start going up again.

I've tried cooking for him. I tried a raw diet. I tried chicken and vegetables... The hepatic food from Royal Canin is actually the only option that keeps him healthy and helps control its liver enzymes. It contains no corn, so that's a huge plus.

So far, I haven't found anything that works better than the food/milk thistle combination. And believe me, I've done A LOT of research. But I'm always open to trying other options because I adore this dog.

I'm not a big fan of vaccines (for dogs or humans). In fact, when I lived in the States I didn't vaccinate my animals every year. But I'm a bit freaked out about skipping vaccines in Thailand. There are just so many things they can get. And I have three dogs, so I'm afraid of leaving my boy unprotected and then having him contract something because he wasn't vaccinated. I'm struggling with this one.

Edited January 6, 2012 by dotx

[Nienke]

Thank you for telling about your experience with Milk Thistle. Very interesting.

As far it goes for annual vaccinations and the higher exposure to infectious diseases,

have you seen the following link on the minimum duration of immunity of the core vaccines:

http://www.cedarbayvet.com/duration_of_immunity.htm and another more recent study done by Dr. Schultz and Co.: http://www.aimeeslaw.com/2010/04/new-study-vax-may-confer-lifelong.html

More vaccination does NOT give more immunity. On the contrary, it increases the chances on adverse reactions.

Also, when your other dogs are vaccinated against the infectious diseases, why the fear? They should be protected then, right? And therefore not a danger to your sick dog. At least that is what the vaccine factory wants you to believe. So, that doesn't make sense, in fact.

Vaccinations guidelines: http://www.aimeeslaw.com/p/vaccination-guidelines.html with links to full reports.

Here's a link to a DVM, Dr. Patricia Jordan ( http://www.dr-jordan.com/ ), who's anti-vaccine and why:

Another link to an interview with Dr. Schultz who recommends puppy core vaccines:

And a link to an excellent article about how vaccines dysregulate the immune system:

http://www.thedogplace.org/VACCINES/Genetic-Impact-10073_Jordan.asp

Have you ever considered homeopathic treatment for your dog? There are some excellent ones, although they ain't exactly cheap.

[dotx]

Thank you for the links and the videos! I'll spend time reading and looking through them this weekend.

Homeopathic treatment for his liver or his immune system? If you can recommend something, let me know. I don't have a problem trying new things. When the Danish vet was treating my dog in Vietnam, at one point she came back and suggested we try adding SAMe to the treatment program. We did and it seemed to help. She had never used it before but she looked into studies that suggested it was good for liver disease. So new things are ok, especially if we're talking about non-toxic, natural options.

[ericthai]

"Preventic" collar for dogs is effective up to 3 mths we used one in combination with Frountline and worked well for a mangy old mutt that came with a house we rented and he was crawling with tics.

where can i find the flea tick collar here in Thailand. Im in Surin and I checked almost every pet shop, Tesco and Big C and have not been able to find them, please post or send me a message. Thanks...

[schondie]

One solution may be white vinegar. Dilute some with water and spray the dogs with it as ticks really dislike the smell or taste. I've heard many people have had success with this method. I'll be trying it out on my golden retriever later as she's a total tick magnet.

You can also spray the areas in which the dogs stay as that also keeps ticks away.

The only medical procedure that worked was an injection (I don't know the name of the medicine but it was a dam_n sight cheaper than Frontline etc - around 200 Baht per dog) that killed the ticks as they fed on the blood. Over a couple of weeks the ticks couldn't breed and they eventually just all died out.

I'll be trying the white vinegar method out but if fails the dogs are going back for their injections.

[Cuban]

We started feeding a small clove of raw garlic to the dogs about 3 months ago, size of clove pro-rata to the dog's size ranging from 45Kg down to 5Kg. We have chickens etc milling about but thus far much fewer ticks on the dogs - it will be interesting to see the effect over a whole year.

Although garlic is on the list of evil poison foods for dogs - a low dose does not seem to be a problem so far we are monitoring progress.

[F1fanatic]

Where do you buy milk thistle?

[canda]

Hey Dotx, Don't despare about the tick situation, you do have to become more proactive in your approach though.

Up until 3 years ago our dog had been completely tick free, until one day a friend brought their supposedly tick - free dog to stay whilst we were on holiday, Much to our shock and dismay, within a week or so, not only was our dog literally covered in seed ( first lifestage) ticks but we discovered our bedroom was infested as well, from what I have read, the seed tick has to have a blood meal then drops off to then go into the "crab like" stage again attaching itself to the dog, but this time, unless removed, engorges til it's almost ready to burst.

The first seed ticks I discovered were on the outside of my dogs ears, she is only about 4 kgs in weight, mostly white and long coated but her ears are sable coloured, the ticks felt like small lumps under the skin but then I found they moved under my fingertips, I don't think my poor little dog knew what was the hell was going on as she was quite agitated by this time, I put her in the bath and wet her down to find lines of these little blighters under her stomach, inside her leg areas around her face and neck area, I lost count at over 100, picking and scrapping them off her as I washed her, in the mean time my partner had found some funny little things in between the bottom end of the bed sheets and the quilt and then on further inspection a whole lot more, we then found them on both sides of the curtains and even on the walls and skirting boards... I reckon within the couple of hours it took to find and remove them, we must have removed around another hundred at least.

First thing in the morning we headed to the local vet and he suggested injections, washes, sprays, collar etc, we checked with our gardener and bought tick (Hep) solution to spray the garden, another to spray the bedroom, which we bought from the local hardware store, I remember spraying it 3 times over a couple of weeks, particularly spraying down in between the walls and skirting boards, and even the timber bed frame and matress, mask & gloves on and showering after, closing the room off to let it dry for a few hours each time, the lawn and garden had to be sprayed as well.

The second stage life cycle began and again the bigger ticks came out to play, not sure, but I think it corresponded to a short burst of humid weather, found out that the tick wash was obviously not well tolerated by our dog whose skin turned bright pink after it was washed into her coat, experimented with various less intense shampoos, she wears a tick collar year round and we have a tick check at least twice every day, under a brightish light, basically feeling all over her body, paws, in particular in the ears and all the nooks and crannies, she tolerates this massage type of treatment well, though at first she would be hard to calm down, particulary when she has had quite a few on board.

The last major outbreak was about a month ago, but very much less than previously, in fact each time there seems to be less, so hopefully one day our place might again be the tick free haven it was.

My suggestion would be to keep a close eye on were your dog sleeps at night and treat that area as well, our dog doesn't sleep on our bed but we found the ticks migrate up surfaces, walls, the bed posts, curtains etc, inspect your dog as often as you can, even with the twice daily checks I can still miss one and within a day or so they start to engorge, anyway hopefully our experience might give you some help in the fight for a tick free and I would imagine, more comfortable dog.

All the best,

CANDA

[dotx]

@F1fanatic - Milk thistle is available in pharmacies. I get mine at Boots.

@schondie - Not sure about the vinegar method. I hate the smell of vinegar and my dog sleeps in the bedroom with me, so I think it would drive me crazy.

@canda - Thank you for the very detailed answer. I had pest control come yesterday and spray my garden for ticks. We'll see if that makes any difference. I would like to buy something to spray the inside the house, but haven't been able to find anything at HomePro and I don't know where else to look. I don't want pest control to come spray the inside of my house --I'd rather do it myself so I can control the amount and where the product goes so nobody gets poisoned in the process.

Edited January 10, 2012 by dotx

[canda]

Thanks Dotx, with the advise of our vet, I managed to source the indoor solution from a local pet shop here, the outdoor stuff from a local Thai hardware shop, the outside one was in a small brown bottle with a tick on the label, the indoor one, may have been a Frontline product, it was a few years ago when I bought the stuff & I threw out the original bottles a while ago, still have an a premixed spray bottle of it left. For inside of the house I bought a simple spray bottle with a twist adjuster to squirt directly onto the top of the skirting boards and then turn to mist for the other areas, during the time they were active it was suprising to see them coming out and up the walls from behind the boards within 15 minutes or so of application, obviously it's important to get the percentage of the tick liquid and water amounts correct and as you said, you want to know were the product goes and the amount used etc.

The vet suggested when we asked for the solutions to explain it was for Hep (the Thai for tick) and to confirm the solution strength as well.

Again, I really hope that this will give you some help, it's was a bit of a dilemma as our dog is now 18 years old, obviously you want to do very best to alleviate the problem, but then again you worry that the sprays etc,. hopefully won't harm either the dog or yourself.... On a good note I have'nt found a tick for 4 or 5 days now, though I'll still keep up the daily checking.

All the best,

CANDA

[jehricaholic]

From what I've read, Frontline will only prevent ticks from breeding, it does not kill the ticks feeding on your animal. I want something that will repel the ticks from the animal either on contact with the animals skin or after first bite. On my dogs the ticks seem to only live/feed between the toes.

[canda]

From what I've read, Frontline will only prevent ticks from breeding, it does not kill the ticks feeding on your animal. I want something that will repel the ticks from the animal either on contact with the animals skin or after first bite. On my dogs the ticks seem to only live/feed between the toes.

If you would care to read the topic from the beginning you would see that from past experience, for us, it is better to try to eradicate the cause, sure there are many tick collars, washes, pippets, types of injections and home remedies that might of helped, but at the time we were dealing with the discovery of hundreds of ticks, not only all over our poor dog but in the house as well. At the onset I also wished there was a simple answer to the problem, but obviously it's was a little more involved.

We have tried various treatments over the couple of years, both the monthly injections & pippets on application, used to send our dog into a frenzy, also the commercial tick washes weren't suitable, now we use No Tears baby shampoo and a mild conditioner for washing and a Preventic collar year round, changed every couple of months, but still ticks attach to her, quite possibly they are injesting the poison but they still seem pretty active even when I remove them from her.

In regard to the ticks on your dogs feet, is your dog a large breed, & does your dog have a tick collar ? it could be the effectiveness is reduced the further they are from the collar, also, if you are using a tick wash or shampoo the solution may not be as strong if your dog is standing in water whilst bathing etc.

Our local vet suggested undiluted Frontline Spray when removing attached ticks, a quick squirt onto the tick and then removing with tweezers, pulling backwards and straight out to remove all the tick in one go. The reference I made to the use of a mix of Frontline / water spray for indoor use was, ONLY FROM MEMORY, as it was a few years back now, it may have been another brand of tick solution, that's why I suggested to the original poster they consult with their vet in this regard.

CANDA.

[Chayakon]

Had a major infestation a couple of years ago, the wife bought a bag of white powder called S85 (i think) and I mixed and sprayed the stuff everywhere, particularly in the dogs favorite spots, I even dipped the dogs in the stuff weekly with no harmful reactions, it worked but I also bought some guinea fowl and never threw my tweezers away because it's a war I cannot win but can stay ahead, I still find the occasional tick but nothing like before.

In the UK I lived near moorland and used a local farm for dipping my dogs in sheepdip, it was awesome stuff and kept them spotless, be great to get some here.

[puck2]

Did you ever try Chrysamed ?

It's harmless for human, pets and plants, however effective.

Google:

"chrysamed Thailand"; there is an English version.

[triffid]

From what I've read, Frontline will only prevent ticks from breeding, it does not kill the ticks feeding on your animal. I want something that will repel the ticks from the animal either on contact with the animals skin or after first bite. On my dogs the ticks seem to only live/feed between the toes.

This - between the toes - is precisely the main problem with my GSD. The frontline has reduced but not eliminated the tics elsewhere, but the colonies between the toes are not apparently effected.

[23962323]

Try Baytocol 6% Most veterinary stores carry it,be careful not in the eyes or mouth,only thing better was RIDD,but I do not think Thailand has it. Leave it on dog,the ticks hate it