Advice for keeping dogs flea & tick free?

[Nautilus05]

I must be an idiot, but I can't seem to figure out how to get rid of fleas & ticks from my dogs permanently. They have their shots, and I've tried various things including those small bottles you get from Fresh Mart (don't know what it's called -- 60 baht per 10kg -- I just say "yaa hep" and point at the back of my neck, and they know what it means), pills that aren't Thai-FDA approved, Frontline, etc.

Everything I've tried has worked fine, but for only about 3 months at a time. After that, it seems the fleas / ticks become immune to it, or it doesn't take effect within my dogs anymore, or something. Right now I'm using Frontline, which used to work great, but not anymore. One application is supposed to last a month, but I'm giving them one every 10 days, so I'm spending 3000 baht/month on Frontline, and it's not even working anymore.

Any ideas? Or what am I doing wrong here? I have the special shampoo, and the powder for after their showers, and all that.

Edited October 15, 2013 by Nautilus05

[David48]

There is a whole forum dedicated to our loved Pets.

Ticks are a huge problem this last season.

Maybe have a read of ... cant-get-rid-of-ticks-help

and ... tick-season-is-here

[Ausladyinpatong]

Find a good vet.

My dog has an Ivermectin injection at the vet every 2 months which works well for her but Ivermectin is not safe for some breeds or dogs with certain medical conditions. Your vet can advise.

I don't think it's a good idea to over use Frontline and using too many different products at once could also be dangerous.

You have multiple dogs and an ongoing problem which means you might also need to treat your living space with some sort of pesticide.

It really is best to consult an expert familiar with the conditions where you live.

Best of luck and I'm sure some others here will have some ideas too but my advice is definitely to talk to a vet.

[Nautilus05]

Best of luck and I'm sure some others here will have some ideas too but my advice is definitely to talk to a vet.

Yeah, guess I'll do that. Have to head back to the old house tomorrow anyway, so hopefully his clinic will be open. Have an excellent vet though (when he's around). Educated in Michigan even, flies to the US once in a while for seminars, teaches at the local university, etc.

See if he's around tomorrow.

[CharlieH]

Pet forum may be better suited

[Sheryl]

Moved to Pet forum.

My pets are fine flea-wise with frontline but it doesn't seem to stop the ticks.....

[Beetlejuice]

You need to be persistent if you want to keep your dogs parasite free.

If you allow your dogs outside of your property where they conjugate with Soi dogs and parasite infested dogs, then there is no way to eradicate fleas, ticks and mites for long periods.

If you have a garden, keep the grass and weeds tidy and cut short. Long grasses and weeds are excellent breeding grounds for ticks, fleas and mites.

Firstly, shower the dogs once a week with either a baby shampoo of special mild shampoos especially formulated for dogs purchased at a pet supply store. Do not use flea and tick powders, shampoos, sprays or flea collars, they are poison, plus they don`t work.

Next, burn any bedding the dogs now sleep on and replace with new bedding. Otherwise no point in using expensive frontline if the dogs continuously become reinvested each time they lie on their bedding materials.

So in a nutshell, replace all the bedding and wash once a week. Have a spare set of bedding to use while the washed bedding is drying. Shower the dogs as described above, once a week. Add frontline once every 4 weeks, not by calendar month.

This will not completely stop the parasites, but will keep everything under control.

[Cuban]

A topic that comes up frequently so your might be better served by reading older threads with the wealth of information there in contained than seeking people to write it out again for you.

We feed our dogs a small clove of garlic on a weekly basis and now seldom have the problems we have had in the past.

We live in a rural setting where ticks are common.

When you have a tick problem you need to look hard in all the small cracks and places that they lay eggs - find them and burn out or use boiling water. (American style warning - do not use boiling water on pets!)

Also read the threads about Fake Frontline sold in well meaning outlets who have been conned down the supply chain from fake medication from China. This could explain your problem.

Search, read and take heed.

[boldface]

I use Frontline once a month, and on top of that, spray the garden foliage once a quarter with Bayticol. One of them had an infestation after I skipped a month by mistake. A bath in mild Bayticol solution stopped that quick smart. When using a produce such as bayticol, it is important to continue using it even after the problem has subsided as the eggs hatch sporadically. The vet inject is just as good as well, but of course the best policy is to frequently check your dogs all over for ticks before they are full with blood and drop off to lay eggs. My dogs love it as its just sliding my hand all over them which is fun for them but not for any rogue ticks.

The important point to realise is that frontline needs doing every month. It is not a one hit and they are gone for ever. Ticks and fleas jump onto them. The front-line, for a month, kills them. Keep a regular routine and the problem will be solved in no time at all.

Edited October 16, 2013 by boldface

[steelepulse]

Is Bayticol available here and if so, where do you get it? I haven't seen this at the local vets.

[kickstart]

Find a good vet.

My dog has an Ivermectin injection at the vet every 2 months which works well for her but Ivermectin is not safe for some breeds or dogs with certain medical conditions. Your vet can advise.

I don't think it's a good idea to over use Frontline and using too many different products at once could also be dangerous.

You have multiple dogs and an ongoing problem which means you might also need to treat your living space with some sort of pesticide.

It really is best to consult an expert familiar with the conditions where you live.

Best of luck and I'm sure some others here will have some ideas too but my advice is definitely to talk to a vet.

I use ivermectin on dogs all the time, with good results ,and have done for some years, but not ivomec "F", the f is for cattle /sheep liver fluke ,dogs could react.

The collie breeds should not be injected with ivomec they will react ,some very badly.

Yours KS

[Nautilus05]

Is Bayticol available here and if so, where do you get it? I haven't seen this at the local vets.

I'm up in a Issan city, just went to the standard pet store I always go to buy treats, etc... and they had Bayticol. I'm not sure if I would want to bath my dogs with it though, as recommended. What I did was when mopping the floor, put 2ml of it in the water bucket, and just that was enough to get me a little high and keep my dogs outside for 3 hours. Whatever it is, it's powerful shit. Then I just pour the dirty water out on the backyard, which is where the majority of the weeds grow, so hopefully that will help as well.

I can also confidently say those flea & tick sprays don't work at all, and if anything, just burn my dogs skin. I sprayed the sofa down, and now they won't even touch it, so I feel pretty bad for spraying them directly now.

And while I'm here, instead of starting a new topic, what should one due about back wounds (ie. just below their shoulder blade)? My one dog won't leave his alone. Is vaseline ok to put on it? All I really care about right now is keeping the fleas / ticks out.

Edited October 31, 2013 by Nautilus05

[kirkieb]

Sentinel Spectrum Tasty Chews covers the cycle of fleas, ticks and all intestinal parasites but we haven't been able to get her so we get six monthly sent over from Oz type in Dr Carl they send a six pack for about 88 Aus Dollars and we never see our dogs scratch and they live inside and they are Border Collies so we know how many fleas you can get on a big dog. Been giving this to my dogs for many years and works perfect even safe to give to my girl who is currently pregnant. No idea why they don't have it here but have been told by local vet its too expensive for Thais but if someone is already paying 3000 baht for something not as effective and only covers some issues then I say maybe some one on here could import. They do have different size chews for all dogs

Hope this helps

[kirkieb]

A topic that comes up frequently so your might be better served by reading older threads with the wealth of information there in contained than seeking people to write it out again for you.

We feed our dogs a small clove of garlic on a weekly basis and now seldom have the problems we have had in the past.

We live in a rural setting where ticks are common.

When you have a tick problem you need to look hard in all the small cracks and places that they lay eggs - find them and burn out or use boiling water. (American style warning - do not use boiling water on pets!)

Also read the threads about Fake Frontline sold in well meaning outlets who have been conned down the supply chain from fake medication from China. This could explain your problem.

Search, read and take heed.

For those with flea infestation and ticks around the home try spreading garden lime on all soil by sprinkling it all over every week for a few weeks and see if the fleas slow if not leave. The lime burns the fleas and make sure all dog areas like sleeping areas etc are sprinkled with lime also after washing thoroughly

Its a cheap solution but to stop the cycle you need to use stuff like sentinel all round flea, tick and intestinal parasites will kill them all and stop the cycle

[David48]

Sentinel Spectrum Tasty Chews covers the cycle of fleas, ticks and all intestinal parasites ...

I am looking for a cost effective solution for the Farm Dog.

So I looked the product you mentioned ... but there is no advertised coverage against ticks ...

Sentinel Spectrum Tasty Chews are a highly effective way to aid in the prevention and control of fleas, heartworm, round worm, hook worm, whip worm and tape worm in dogs, and also assists in the treatment of allergy dermatitis.

Here

[wayned]

IMHO it is impossible to control fleas and ticks on domesticated farm animals. On of the basic things that is required is to provide them with a clean and pest free environment which is impossible if let free to roam . I currently have 10 dogs, and have had as many as 23 as I used to raise Golden Retrievers, that live on a farm and are free to roam and have 100% access to my house. I use sevin dust (in small amounts), which is a very powerful insecticide, to control the pests in and around the outside of the house and ivermectin injections to control heartworm. I read posts that claim that injections of ivermectin can also be used to controls ticks and mites. True, it can be used to control ticks and treat mange, which is caused by mites, but the dosages required to do this are very high and prolonged use with those high dosages can/will cause health problems and even death. It also can not be used on some breeds of dogs. I have tried everything that is on the market, Frontline, collars, pills, etc. but have found nothing that is an effective control of the pests on dogs that live in this environment. I bathe my dogs regularly with a flea and tick shampoo and my wife and I engage in a daily "tick hunt" every day. Some dogs do not attract ticks as much as others. It has something to do with their natural immune system and often sick dogs are very suceptable to infestation. I recently had a dog that died from cancer, he would go out and come back with scores in a matter of minutes, they really loved him. The same with people. I get the buggers on me often, but my wife never does. I just tell her that she's too mean.

Good luck with the critters!

Edited November 8, 2013 by wayned

[ozzydom]

Sentinel Spectrum Tasty Chews covers the cycle of fleas, ticks and all intestinal parasites ...

I am looking for a cost effective solution for the Farm Dog.

So I looked the product you mentioned ... but there is no advertised coverage against ticks ...

Sentinel Spectrum Tasty Chews are a highly effective way to aid in the prevention and control of fleas, heartworm, round worm, hook worm, whip worm and tape worm in dogs, and also assists in the treatment of allergy dermatitis.

Here

Ivermec 6000 and 12000 chewable tabs are available at most good vets and animal food suppliers ,we have been using them on our 4 dogs for 2 years with success.

About 230 baht for a 6 tab box gives us 2 x monthly doses ,(large dogs =1xtab , small dogs =1/2 tab.