Moving To The Sticks Means Ticks?

[Guest 8fleetfeet]

I've had greyhounds for years (am on my second generation), and suddenly, I'm completely baffled and disgusted. Until recently, I lived in a lovely residential area of Providence, Rhode Island (nice sidewalks, well-manicured lawns, parks, etc.). In twelve years of living in this area and walking my greyhounds four times a day, I think I saw one or two ticks. Ever. In my whole life. Now, however, I'm living in a small town in Massachusetts. While I have a very large yard (surrounded by woods), the roads around here are, for the most part, without sidewalks. Whether I take my dogs into the yard or take them for a walk around the "neighborhood," they ALWAYS come inside with ticks on them. Today I took one of my greys out in the backyard for a quick pee (we were probably out there for five to ten minutes), and when we came back inside he had FOUR ticks on him! They weren't attached yet, but still--DISGUSTING!

 

As soon as we come inside, I make both dogs stand by the front door and I go over them with a flea comb and sticky roller, and I'm positively shocked at the number of ticks they pick up. Until I moved here, I never used topicals for fleas and ticks; I simply didn't have to. Now both dogs are getting Frontline Plus (though I'm thinking of giving Certifect a try, but all these chemicals scare the crap out of me).

 

On a side note, I just got home from work and found a tick crawling around on the sofa. After obsessively checking the sofa throws and pillows, then checking myself from head to toe (had just gone over both dogs with flea comb and sticky roller), then going into the bathroom and smearing neem oil on every part of my body on which a tick might gain entry from my clothing (ankles, wrists, neck, waist), I'm sitting here with laptop on sofa and feeling very creepy-crawly. And I stink--neem oil smells gross, but I can live with it.

 

What do you folks who live in rural areas do? Will I ever become desensitized to the sight of ticks?

 

BTW, in addition to several flea combs and a sticky roller, I also keep a "Tick Twister" and a "Ticked Off" just inside the front door. They are worth their weight in gold.

 

Have any of you tried any of the neem oil tick repellants on your greys? Did they work? If so, can someone recommend a brand? I put straight, undiluted neem oil on myself a few minutes ago, but I doubt that's good for dogs.

 

Please, someone give me a pep-talk. Oh, and it's only March. How will we survive the summer?

[Guest greygirls2]

I don't know where in MA you are located but I am 60 miles west of Boston in the sticks and I can tell you the ticks have been in full swing for a while now! My son's grey is just getting over a scare with Anaplasmosis complete with right sided paralysis, seizure activity, disorientation etc. He is on a high dose round of doxy. One of my girls. Laci, just came up positive on the snap 4 for Anaplasmosis and lyme....she has no symptoms but i opted to treat anyway. My other grey, Diamond, came up neg for all. I stopped using Frontline a couple of years ago because it didn't seem to be working so I figure why poison the dog. I have used a mix of essential oils...rose geranium, lavendar, rosemary and that has seemed to help but I still have to diligently check for ticks each time we are out. I mix the oils and spray or dab them on stretchy fabric girl's headbands that you can buy in Walmart.You can't just put the oils right on the dogs because it is harsh on the skin. You can add the neem oil to this mix also....I have a neem oil shampoo to use too. I do sometimes put the oils on a cloth and lightly rub over their fur but i have to be careful with this because I do have cats that love to rub on the dogs. I also will use the water based spray formula from Adams at times when I think they need extra protection, that formula is safe for greys. Since you seem to be getting some of the ticks from your yard you might want to consider spreading a tick killer on the lawn in addition to what you use on the dog.. Good luck in the tick wars....I think we are all going to need it this year!

[heartdogs]

Since we didn't have a cold winter my DD has had a terrible tick problem as year. She keeps a bottleof alchol handy to drop the ticks into as she takes then off the dogs & she goes over all 9 of her dogs when they come inside. Frontline doesn't work for us so I'm not sure what she'll use this year. She lives on a ranch & I live in the small town near her & I've had troubles with fleas the past 2 years but so far no ticks. We don't freak out over bugs but really like them either.

[Feisty49]

Yes, you will get desensitized to them. I'm originally from a city atmosphere and when I moved to a rural county in New York State (that, by the way, has the 2nd highest incidence of Lyme Disease in the state), it didn't take me long to deal with spiders, mice, snakes and ticks (aren't ya glad you asked? LOL). My place sounds somewhat like yours: a small town, few sidewalks. I have a big backyard (unfenced) and 11 acres of land.

 

I was pulling ticks off Annie Bella all winter. It just wasn't cold enough to kill them. They're easy to see, and I just use my fingers. Unlike fleas, ticks are squishable so I use my fingers to kill 'em. (Yes, I've become very desensitized.)

 

Annie Bella's on Advantix II for fleas and ticks all year long, I sure hope it works because no doubt I miss a tick now and then. She gets yearly Lyme disease blood work.

 

I've found only one tick on me in the past 6 years; one month ago. It had attached itself but was easy to pull off. Info from calls I made to two different doctor offices was that it takes 48 hours of a tick sucking before Lyme is passed on and it takes 3 weeks for the Lyme antibody to show up in the blood. After 3.5 weeks, I got a blood test and it was negative. BTW, I get tested for Lyme twice a year, just in case.

[OwnedBySummer]

I have never seen a tick but we get cold winters. Well, not THIS winter so maybe we will have them here this summer? I hope not! I've always used topicals on my previous non-grey dogs and once I got Summer, I used the same topical on her (Revolution). But then we discovered the world of greyhounds and started coming into the U.S. a lot for The GEM Event, GIG, etc. and Revolution wasn't good enough for the tick issue. So I switched her to the K9 Advantix product (& had to add HeartGuard separately, it was included in the Revolution). It claims to both kill AND repel. And I'm happy to report that I have still never seen a tick!

Edited March 17, 2012 by OwnedBySummer

[BauersMom]

My parents are in MA and their yard is very much tick heaven. You can do some things to keep the numbers of ticks down, but a warm winter will always mean more ticks in the spring.

 

Here are some suggestions for the yard: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/prev/in_the_yard.html

[MerlinsMum]

I feel for you I can't stand ticks. I always worry about finding them on me or the dogs. I'd never even SEEN a tick before I moved to the US. Ugh! Fortunately I live in suburbia so we escape the worst of them, but of we go hiking or walking anywhere a bit further from home, we have to check the dogs and ourselves, and be very vigilant about it. We don't really like suburbia at all, but not having too many ticks is one advantage that I'm grateful for.

 

However, this year it's going to be a different ballgame. We had a very warm winter (for Maine), and we're going to pay for it. The ticks and fleas are going to be HORRIBLE this year.

 

It's going to be a looooooooong summer

[BatterseaBrindl]

I have lived in a rural part of Eastern Ontario Ontario for 19 years. We have 80 acres of feidls and woods and walk there daily.

I never saw any ticks at all until this past fall, but by November there wasn't a day that the dogs and/or myself did not have one on us.

 

I pretty much gave up on walking in the fields/woods and now pretty much stick to the side roads.

 

Luckily the dogs fenced-in yard is small and we don't have a problem there.

[joejoesmom]

Yes, you will get desensitized to them. I'm originally from a city atmosphere and when I moved to a rural county in New York State (that, by the way, has the 2nd highest incidence of Lyme Disease in the state), it didn't take me long to deal with spiders, mice, snakes and ticks (aren't ya glad you asked? LOL). My place sounds somewhat like yours: a small town, few sidewalks. I have a big backyard (unfenced) and 11 acres of land.

 

I was pulling ticks off Annie Bella all winter. It just wasn't cold enough to kill them. They're easy to see, and I just use my fingers. Unlike fleas, ticks are squishable so I use my fingers to kill 'em. (Yes, I've become very desensitized.)

 

Annie Bella's on Advantix II for fleas and ticks all year long, I sure hope it works because no doubt I miss a tick now and then. She gets yearly Lyme disease blood work.

 

I've found only one tick on me in the past 6 years; one month ago. It had attached itself but was easy to pull off. Info from calls I made to two different doctor offices was that it takes 48 hours of a tick sucking before Lyme is passed on and it takes 3 weeks for the Lyme antibody to show up in the blood. After 3.5 weeks, I got a blood test and it was negative. BTW, I get tested for Lyme twice a year, just in case.

 

I agree, most people do get desensitized with time. I certainly can't say that I like them, but I don't freak out anymore. I also put up with mice, snakes, bats, skunks, spiders, wood roaches, and other creepy crawlies.

 

I have several acres in a fairly rural area and ticks are an everyday thing. I have never been able to squish ticks unless they have partially engorged with blood. This rarely happens as Frontline is still fairly effective for me and I go over the dogs very carefully at least once a day. I will either drop the tick in a small jar of alcohol or burn it. Luckily we don't have many cases of tick borne diseases in my area. Since Joe was a blood donor at OSU, they did tick titers at least once a year. I was also to tell them if I ever found an embedded tick.

 

This year is going to be bad because of our extremely mild winter. I can't wait. NOT!!

 

Jane

[MaryJane]

I live in Mass and the tick problem here has been getting progressively worse each year. With the strange winter this year, I expect that the ticks will be out earlier and much more of them.

 

I've been so concerned that I've been vaccinating the dogs for Lyme and they also get a yearly snap test. So far, I haven't seen any on me but, I'm finding them quite regularly on the dogs.

 

Where in Mass are you?

[JJNg]

Keep in mind that most of the topical products don't repel ticks (or fleas) and only kill them after they've gotten on the dog. K9 Advantix does claim to repel in addition to kill, but I'm not convinced of the efficacy of the repellent action, especially in areas with heavy infestations. With that bad of a problem, I would definitely use Certifect rather than Frontline. I've also heard good reviews for Preventic collars, which do seem pretty effective at actually repelling ticks.

 

The active ingredient in Preventic collars is the same as the extra ingredient in Certifect that makes it more effective against ticks than Frontline, so you would just use one or the other, not both. If you need the flea protection, I'd use either Certifect, or the combo of Frontline with a Preventic collar. If you don't think you have a flea issue, you might consider just the Preventic collar.

[GeorgeofNE]

I think you just got lucky in your prior home. I'm certain Rhode Island has plenty of ticks and fleas, what with being right next to Mass. and the size of a dinner plate!

 

The Preventic collars work pretty well.

 

For your yard, keep the grass cut, keep any yard refuse cleaned up (leaves, etc.).

 

My town (Canton) was recently reported as having a "hot spot" for Lyme disease! Of course the rest of the family lives on Nantucket, AKA tick disease heaven. I wonder if the realtors selling the $20,000,000 houses mention that?

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

The only ones that still gross me out are the big fat green ones that explode when you smash them. GROSS. I always use a tissue. And I gag. The normal ones I just pick off and flush or set on fire (they make a cool popping sound!). We don't really have to worry about Lyme where I am. Just grossness.

[joejoesmom]

The only ones that still gross me out are the big fat green ones that explode when you smash them. GROSS. I always use a tissue. And I gag. The normal ones I just pick off and flush or set on fire (they make a cool popping sound!). We don't really have to worry about Lyme where I am. Just grossness.

 

OMG, I almost wrote something about the cool pooping sound when you burn them. I figured people would think I was nuts OR report me to the SPCT (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ticks).

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

HAHAHAHA They are so fun to burn- pyros unite. I had my doubts too about saying it! LMAO

[Guest zombrie]

I feel your pain... we live in a small town in MA as well and we have miles of gorgeous trails by our house, but we are forced to walk on the streets because of the ticks. The useless creatures were around all winter, too. They never died off.

Ticks used to freak me out, now they don't bother me one bit. Nothing much can be done. Tick preventatives don't work here anymore...

 

We get our dogs tested for lyme every 6 months now.

[joejoesmom]

The only ones that still gross me out are the big fat green ones that explode when you smash them. GROSS. I always use a tissue. And I gag. The normal ones I just pick off and flush or set on fire (they make a cool popping sound!). We don't really have to worry about Lyme where I am. Just grossness.

 

OMG, I almost wrote something about the cool pooping sound when you burn them. I figured people would think I was nuts OR report me to the SPCT (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ticks).

 

OOPs. I meant to say popping sound, not pooping sound. I'm a good dog owner -- always have poop on the brain.

 

Jane

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Too funny! I read it as popping!

[RedFawnMom]

It's going to be a horrendous year for them. It's only March and we are already finding deer ticks on Lucy, and we don't hike or anything (we are in northern CT). We've had good luck with the Preventic collar in previous years, so we just put a new one on her. They last for 3 months before losing effectiveness, and it's been 5 months since we replaced hers (we don't usually have to worry about ticks in the winter).