Tick season. Protect your beloved pups.

[SeaDawg]

Our home is in a suburban area of Florida with almost zero tick risk.

 

But, our dogs travel north with us. I change their flea meds to a flea and tick med during camping season to help prevent Lyme disease. They're susceptible, too.

 

Just a thought, for those of us travelling into tick country.

 

Sherry

[Buzzy]

Sherry,

 

A good flea and tick med for your dogs is great advice.

 

In my section of New England, we have a lot of white tailed deer.  The ticks associated with the deer are infected with Lyme disease.  We need to take two precautions based on our geographical region.  Most of the dog owners I know, treat their dogs with Frontline Plus monthly flea and tick medicine.  We apply it for 10 of the twelve months, we exclude January and February.  In addition, the dogs get an annual Lyme disease vaccination which involves two shots spaced three weeks apart.

 

In addition, we have a habit of carefully checking our dogs for ticks after each walk.  Sometimes the ticks are loose in the hair and could enter your trailer and bite you.  Not a good thing!

 

Sometimes it is wise to mention your travel plans with your veterinarian to determine if any additional vaccinations are recommended.  Think of it as travel protection for your canine buddies!

 

Buzzy

 

PS - Pic of my little tick magnet, Buddy, in Kindergarten.  At 20 pounds and growing on his way to 30+.  He got his Frontline Plus treatment this morning!

 

[Laps]

The last two years I have had fantastic success, no ticks or fleas seen on my GSDs, with the Seresto collars.  I change them, as recommended every 8 months, and I find that applying a fresh one in March or April and leaving it on until November/December works very well indeed.

[Overland]

Thanks for the info on the Seresto.  I'll have to remember that if we get another pup.  I was never comfortable with frontline - maybe it was irrational, but  I always figured that I wouldn't want to put it on me, so why am I O.K. with it on my dog?  We were fortunate though to never have a flea or tick problem in our yard.  It was only when we went out to the forest that he'd pick up his little companions.  For the most part, I could brush them out before putting him back in the car but at least three or four times a year I'd miss a few.  Fortunately we don't have lyme or spotted fever here so there isn't a huge danger.  That's changing quickly though - a neighbor of ours came down with spotted fever last year from a tick that he picked up in east TN.

 

Buzzy, that's a cute pup!

[Buzzy]

I have noticed geographical variation in the tick treatments preferred by veterinarians.  My pup is from Ohio where the veterinarians prefer to use Revolution.

 

Buzzy

 

 

[Hikegsm]

We use to use Frontline plus on our dogs but have switched to Seresto collars for past 2 years. We have had 2 dogs develop seizure disorder and the vet said the topical treatments have been associated with that.  The collars seem to work well. No ticks since the change. Dogs like it. They hated the stuff on the back. We are in tick country and we wildernesss canoe camp with our pups for 2 weeks every year in Quetico Provential Park ( Canadian Boundary Waters) in June.  We always find ticks but none on pups! If you are going to the rally be sure to take precautions.  My husband found 4 ticks in the 3 days we were there picking up Ollie.  Bumper crop of ticks this year.

[SeaDawg]

Thanks to all of you for the info on the serento collar. It's not something we see here. But, as Buzzy said, different products appear regionally.

 

Our older dog suffers from seizures, from a young age. The younger, smaller pup doesn't seem to have any issues with any immunization or medicine, but it's always a concern.

 

Sherry

[trumpetguy]

Be sure to vaccinate for Leptospirosis.  We failed to do so and almost lost our Bichon when we were at Mount Pisgah Campground.  She must have just licked where the bacteria was living and got so sick.

[SeaDawg]

So glad your vet saved her. What an awful experience, for all of you.

 

Sherry

 

 

[trumpetguy]

Sherry it was scary.  We found a vet in Brevard who recognized the symptoms and gave her some aggressive meds.