Tick Infestation and Dogs

[Bicoastal]

Year Two at farm in VA and the ticks are emerging. This property is infested. Tiny ticks crawling on both dogs. Three attached and alive, two engorged. So genuine Seresto collars new in December do not appear to work or those attached ticks would have been dead.

I’m going to attempt a ring of fire around the perimeter of a ~20 acre property this weekend. The perimeter is our walking path. It is edge where woodline meets pasture. Tick heaven.

I’ve talked with multiple vets. I’ve asked the extension office. Suggestions for what to do on the dogs? It makes me want to cry, torch the place, and not let the dogs step foot outside.

[BootsAndCoffee]

Bravecto or NexGuard seem to be the most effective Rx products.

[Simkie]

Wow! I wonder if, in addition to treating the dogs & keeping your path well mowed, it would be worth putting out tick tubes? There are also rodent bait boxes that have an element of tick control, which is pretty novel!

New Study Highlights Ups and Downs in Tick Management

[Mosey_2003]

I wish there was something that could easily be sprayed on a property, I HATE ticks so much.

[FjordBCRF]

My mini Aussie got diagnosed with Lyme a couple weeks ago. I was using topical Frontline Plus but am changing to Simparica Trio which is flea/tick/heartworm that was recommended as working well in this area at least. Even with short grass, I am still seeing them and have had 2 use me as a buffet and I go out fully covered with tall socks or boots! Thankfully tested negative for lyme myself.

[Simkie]

@Mosey_2003

I wish there was something that could easily be sprayed on a property, I HATE ticks so much.

There is. It’s a huge industry. Plenty of companies will come out and spray your place with permethrin. Will kill all the bugs…but also the good ones

Cedar oil is also used sometimes.

Here’s one company, but there are SO MANY:

https://tickranger.com/

[Mosey_2003]

@Simkie

There is. It’s a huge industry. Plenty of companies will come out and spray your place with permethrin. Will kill all the bugs…but also the good ones

There is a part of me that would be willing to kill them all over the ticks sigh

I remember reading something about garlic concentrate being tried too. Never saw more on it though.

[Pep_n_Ann]

Guinea hens are supposed to be good for tick control. Chickens are to some degree as well. Guineas are really loud though.

[Mosey_2003]

I’ve considered buying a 100 pack of guinea keets and raising them and setting them loose in the pasture. I just can’t bring myself to do it though, with the coyotes and hawks and eagles, it would be knowingly sending them to their death. But I do consider it every so often Maybe when the pup is older I could fence in a bigger area for him and a guinea herd.

[sophie]

@FjordBCRF

I was using topical Frontline Plus but am changing to Simparica Trio which is flea/tick/heartworm that was recommended as working well in this area at least.

Last year my dog (regularly treated with Frontline Plus) got a flea infestation. Took her to the vet, who acknowledged that the Frontline seems to have become ineffective in our area (Northeast) and recommended the oral Simparica Trio for fleas and ticks. Worked great on the fleas. Now we’ll see if it’s effective against ticks, too. They are starting to come out, and we’ve picked a few off the dog, but not attached.

I hate ticks too. But spraying pesticides and chemicals is so bad for the environment sigh

[FjordBCRF]

@sophie

Took her to the vet, who acknowledged that the Frontline seems to have become ineffective in our area (Northeast) and recommended the oral Simparica Trio for fleas and ticks.

Yep! Same here regarding Frontline. One of the boarders uses the Trio on her dog she takes out while trail riding, and has said it seems really effective.

[Mosey_2003]

@sophie

Simparica Trio

In case your vet didn’t tell you (or anyone else) - make sure you go to the Zoetis website and sign up for rewards! The Simparica trio is super spendy, if you send them pictures of your bill with the meds on there (and there is a whole list of Zoetis meds) you will get rewards dollars that you load onto a credit card they send you. You can use the card at the vet just like a regular card (although I think they have to run it for whatever amount is on it or below or it rejects it). The rewards add up FAST just buying the Simparica.

Simparica Trio Rewards Offers

[sophie]

Oooh thanks for this great tip!

[FjordBCRF]

Double thanks!

I did the math and Simparica Trio was quite a bit less expensive than Nexgard plus heart worm medication so I didn’t even think to look for other saving opportunities!

[Mosey_2003]

My vet told me last fall when I got Rimadyl for the old Cocker or I wouldn’t have known, they give back a surprising amount for rewards!

It does make you be very specific about taking the picture and you have to choose what you bought from drop-down boxes, like 3 or 6 of the Simparica of whichever pound size, etc. but it’s one of the ones that is well worth the time.

[frugalannie]

So far (as in last year) Seresto collars have worked pretty well for me here in the northeast. The problem with them is that they lose effectiveness if they get wet as in if my dogs are out in rain. Fortunately, they are hot house flowers and prefer to be dry…most of the time.

I think I’d consider using a collar (Seresto or something else) and then spraying the dog’s bed with permethrin. There are several products for this purpose, and I think it would work with some residual on the dog’s coat as well.

[Bicoastal]

Thank you for the suggestions. The photo of the cereal bowl of ticks is from last year. I’ll list the different things I tried last year, with little success. Every day I would pick off a bowl full of nymph ticks. After four ticks checks per day capturing 30 - 40 on average, every morning after the dogs slept on my bed overnight, my bed cover would be sprinkled with dead ticks as if from a coarse pepper shaker.

• Path mowed weekly with a lawn mower to keep it short
• Dogs wore Seresto collars AND received Nexguard
• Tri Tec spray every morning before the first walk
• Bi-weekly bath and blow dry to visually inspect skin and remove any embedded ticks
• Front and back yards sprayed with Seven
• 12 guinea fowl free ranged

[Mosey_2003]

I would be losing my mind if this was still happening after all of that! You have my deepest sympathies…

[candyappy]

The best thing along with flea/ tick protection( feed or topical) ( I don’t use collars) is to keep them out of the tall grass, weeds or heavily wooded areas.

[Mango20]

Topical Frontline (or generic equivalent) works just fine but only after the ticks bite the dogs. I haven’t seen a flea in many years, so I’m not concerned about how it works on them. I don’t think it’s losing its effectiveness with ticks, only fleas. I also spray the dogs (and my pants) with permethrin before we go on our weekly hike, where at least one of my dogs spends most of her time dashing through the underbrush. I found three ticks on me after one hour of roadside trash pickup Sunday, but zero ticks on my two dogs and myself after 2.5 hours of hiking on Monday.