Topical or pill for ticks? What’s your opinion?

Discussion in 'Labrador Health' started by pup-pup, Nov 4, 2017.

  1. pup-pup

    pup-pup Registered Users

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    I don’t like either, but we live in an area with deer ticks and Lyme disease. My sister was in the hospital over a month with heart problems because of Lyme disease. I just took a tick off my husband and he thinks he got it from jubilee since he hasn’t been out this morning. We are in the fields and woods every day.
     
  2. snowbunny

    snowbunny Registered Users

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    I use Advantix for my lot. We live in an area of Spain with masses of ticks. I tried Bravecto (pill) and it was good in that it killed 100% of the ticks that attached, but the problem is that it relies on the ticks attaching. That means, where there are loads of ticks, loads of ticks attach to your dog before being killed. Ick. Not only that, they would bring in lots of ticks on their coats that hadn't yet attached - which means more chance of them ending up on us. Double ick.

    So, while Advantix doesn't get 100% of them, I'd say it gets abut 95%, also deters them and I just do a regular check-over to pick off any others that might have broken through our defences.
     
  3. kateincornwall

    kateincornwall Registered Users

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    I use Bravecto for our two as we walk in deer forests several times a week . So far , I`ve only seen occasional dead fleas or the very odd dead tick on them , so I`ll carry on with it .
     
  4. snowbunny

    snowbunny Registered Users

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    I really do think it depends on the sheer volume of ticks. After being outside for a couple of hours, I could find 20 ticks on each of my dogs when they don't have a repellant on them. Ew.
     
  5. Karen

    Karen Registered Users

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    We live in an area that crawls with ticks in the spring/early summer. However, after a bad experience I no longer use the tablet, and we now use the Scalibor collar, which I have been very pleased with.
     
  6. charlie

    charlie Registered Users

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    That is awful and makes me feel quite :puke:

    I use Effipro and it works well for 6 - 8 weeks and not too expensive.
     
  7. Snowshoe

    Snowshoe Registered Users

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    My Vet prefers Revolution, saying in her readings it's best for ticks and good for all else. I haven't found a tick on Oban this year. Yet. Found one last year well into November.
     
  8. FayRose

    FayRose Registered Users

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    Have you seen the Seresto collars? We are also in an area with a huge volume of ticks and we've been using these for a few years now.
    We have never even seen a tick - or flea - on our dogs or cats since using them.

    Some friends who have working dogs are reluctant to use them, being collars and the dogs going into tangly undergrowth. They are flexible though and designed to come off if an animal gets caught.

    They are quite expensive but will last for 7 - 8 months. I would never use anything else.
     
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  9. Karen

    Karen Registered Users

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    Me too - Seresto or Scalibor get my vote from now on. Only thing is, you MUST take them off if the dog goes in water or is wet/damp - VERY poisonous to aquatic life, and also can cause hotspots on your dog. But a small price to pay, in my opinion. Also, if we are working in very dense cover (brambles etc), I just take the collar off, and put it back on again after the training session.
     
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  10. kateincornwall

    kateincornwall Registered Users

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    The problem I have , with Sam, is that due to his lymphoma , which is cutaneous in origin , is that I am advised not to put anything directly onto his skin , no spot on or collar types , so it narrows the choice for me , unfortunately x
     
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  11. lucky_dog

    lucky_dog Registered Users

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    My boy has a long coat around his neck - and when on a topical he got fleas. I think most of the topical just ends up in his coat, even though I'm careful to put it on his skin.

    Now he's on Bravecto which is fine for us. We're in a city and there aren't many ticks - he does sometimes bring them into the house though.
     
  12. pup-pup

    pup-pup Registered Users

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    Jubilee’s coat is very dense, so it’s hard to check for ticks. Do you think brushing helps? Any tricks?
    Thanks for all your ideas.
     
  13. Oberon

    Oberon Supporting Member Forum Supporter

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    The ticks we have to deal with aren’t numerous but they’re deadly (they cause paralysis). So we use Nexgard tablets every month in tick season. I want something that will have the highest likelihood of killing the ticks, even if they attach for a short time.

    I find the spot-ons messy and they have also damaged our leather couch - they bleach leather if, say, for example, your Labrador rolls all over the brand new couch right after your hubby applies the spot-on after hubby didn’t read the packet on which it says that this product will bleach leather :|
     
  14. Karen

    Karen Registered Users

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    :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
     
  15. snowbunny

    snowbunny Registered Users

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    We had a similar experience. It took the top surface off the leather. Now we always apply it just before a long walk! :D
     
  16. Emily

    Emily Registered Users

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    Ew is the understatement of the century!
     
  17. Liz Scambler

    Liz Scambler Registered Users

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    I'm using Bravecto because we have lots of ticks and our farm has redwater (babesiosis) fatal to cows and pretty awful for humans, not sure about risk for dogs but not risking anything. My pup is 5 months old and has just had his 2nd dose. Spring/autumn are heaviest infection times.
     
  18. Snowy

    Snowy Registered Users

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  19. drjs@5

    drjs@5 Registered Users

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    We used to use frontline but was pretty useless.
    Switched to Bravecro, using 2 doses a year and been very successful. We are in a moderate tick area with a lot of deer.
    Really don' like the spot ons as worry they stay on the fur for too long and where they may be transferring. Also keeping Lilly dry is a nightmare....both from generally rain and from swimming.
     

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