Tick prevention

Let’s hear it – What do you use? How long have you been using it? Are you happy with it? Have you tried any other products?

I have a 3 year old golden and for her first tick season, I used Frontline and I wasn’t happy with the results. Seemed like I would find ticks quite often. I never have been a fan of the topical applications either. I was always afraid I didn’t get enough to absorb into the skin or the dog would get into the water before it dried over 24 hours. The last 2 years I switched to the Seresto collar and had great results. It seems to be much better at tick prevention – in the 2 years using it, I can count the number of ticks I have found on her on one hand.

The thing I dont like about the seresto collar is its a collar and its on all the time. I’ve been thinking about going the chewable route (nexgard or bravecto) but have heard too many horror stories about bravecto and am unsure about how good nexard works. I would love to get some first hand reviews of other products people have tried.

Ordered Bravecto from a previous thread on here, so excited to try it out. Will let you know, as the ticks are out and thick already.

Let me know how it goes BigWerm. What have you used in the past?

I’ve used K9 Advantix in the past. Works phenomenally, but I hated the greasy application. We used Bravecto for the first time this spring. I haven’t found any ticks on him yet.

Our vet recommends Nexgard, but I wanted the 12-week protection.

We have used frontline for the last 4-5 years and I am not real happy with it. I find way too many ticks on my dog.

sticker wrote:

We have used frontline for the last 4-5 years and I am not real happy with it. I find way too many ticks on my dog.

From what I recall with Frontline, the tick actually has to bite for the Frontline to do its thing. K9 Advantix will actually keep them off the dog, but it contains permethrin, which is extremely toxic to cats, so if you also have cats, it’s a no no.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

Let me know how it goes BigWerm. What have you used in the past?

Frontline

I’ve used Frontline and was unimpressed… We now use a Seresto Collar and last year was our first year trying it but I’m very happy with it. I would find a dead tick on the carpet every now and then but never on the dog. We bought another one for this year.

Bravecto.
Started 3 years ago and never looked back.
No ticks, no grease spot between the shoulders and water proof since they eat it.

We’re using a Seresto Collar for the first time this year. So far so good as the ticks are certainly out already.

We are also former Frontline users.

Something else we try to do is give the pooch a quick brushing before she comes inside.

My vet gave me a free pill sample to get my pointer started. Not sure what it was. Then applied Frontline as usual. The two weekends before I applied she got tore up. Still has several wounds.

I think I am done with frontline as soon as we use up what we have. My wife reapplied it Sunday on schedule and within a minute there were 3 ticks crawling on the floor below the dog.

Is the Seresto collar waterproof? My dog isn’t in the water all the time, but she does go for a swim at the lake.

Per the Seresto website:

Personally, whenever I am going to the lake for the day or weekend, I will take the collar off.

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Thanks, I am going to grab one of these then take the pup to the farm for the weekend. That will be the true test.

Good luck Sticker. Just a heads up, I believe it takes 24 and 48 hours to kill fleas and ticks, respectively, after initially putting the collar on.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

Good luck Sticker. Just a heads up, I believe it takes 24 and 48 hours to kill fleas and ticks, respectively, after initially putting the collar on.

Great, thanks

I used Frontline Plus for years, but around here it seems to be losing its effectiveness. Last year I put Saresto collars on our three dogs and they seemed to work fine. One came off and I had to buy another. This year I’m going with Bravecto. So far so good. My dogs did not have any adverse reactions to it. No grease spots or worries about losing a collar in the brush. No ugly plastic collar on my handsome boys.

We don’t use collars unsupervised. Almost lost a dog once in a living room play time where the collar of one got wrapped around the jaw of the other dog and then she did an alligator roll, asphyxiating one of the dogs in the living room.
Luckily my wife found them in time and cut off the collar. By asphyxiated I mean, already passed out and eyes bulged out. She was almost gone.

Haven’t used a collar unsupervised in eight years.

We use Frontline but have short hairs. We have only found two ticks on them in eleven years. I think Frontline just deters the ticks. Most of the ticks decide to crawl off the dogs. I find a few on me every year and I blame Frontline for choosing me instead of the dogs.

Just wanted to add tick control is important. My 10 year old yellow lab, Micha, got lyme’s. Got it cleared up with meds but the damage was done. It damaged her kidneys and was drinking lots of water to compensate. Eating good but loosing weight. Then she went suddenly blind from the hypertension. Was doing ok but had to put her down due to the now uncontroled, in the house, bathroom issues. Very hard decision since she wasn’t suffering.

@Jake we have been on Bravecto for both our dogs, and have not found a tick since they took it. And I have found them on myself, so I know they probably have had a couple attempts. Only possible downside, which we do not know if it is related or not, is our 8 year old boxer Ruby had one possible seizure (I wasn’t home so I didn’t see it) and swelling in her lymph nodes. We had her to the Vet and a bunch of tests and they weren’t able to confirm (or deny) any relation to Bravecto, and it could have just as well been due to Ruby forgetting she is 8 and trying to keep up with our 3 yo lab Belle. I will definitely continue to use it on Belle, guessing mama will veto further use on Ruby.

I did find a wood tick crawling along Ripley’s back this weekend. It was nowhere near skin, but it was in my house, much to my wife’s horror.

He’s due for round 2 of Bravecto this week. So far, I am quite happy with it.

I got bit one two weekends ago. Itchy bump that lasts for weeks is the usual scenario.

suzuki wrote:

I got bit one two weekends ago. Itchy bump that lasts for weeks is the usual scenario.

Maybe you should take a Bravecto. Ripley says they’re delicious.

I would if it helped. All they have to do is nip me and Im toast. I had one last year in my waistband bit me 3-4 times. Itchy long-to-heal bumps in every spot.
Their spit is bad juju to my body and that’s not even the infected ones!

I’ve used both nexgard and bravecto. Both are great I just like the 12 weeks with bravecto.

My English Pointer had a severe reaction to Nexgard and it nearly killed him. His health spiraled downward very quick until he completely went limp. He started to improve once we got him to vomit but it took days for him to fully recover. Trip to ER, follow-up vet visits, vet canned foods during recovery period, etc. got pretty expensive. He’s now using Frontline. I do find an occasional tick on him but they are not biting him, just crawling on him. I also got him vaccinated for lyme disease prevention.

I got nailed by the smallest tick I have ever hardly been able to see yesterday. It was like the point of a sharpened pencil small. I didnt even realize it was a tick for the longest time. I don now. After scraping it off I have the itchiest bump ever. Watching closed for any other signs but so far so good.