Flea/tick Collars

[Guest 2greys2cats]

Hi everyone,

 

I was wondering if anyone had experience using Scalibor or Seresto? I really dislike topicals so I'm trying to get away from them, and I like the idea of a collar taking care of both fleas and ticks.

 

Thanks in advance!

[KF_in_Georgia]

Re: Scalibor: http://www.ngap.org/scalibor-collar-reaction-y558.html

 

Seresto is not to be used in a home with small children, and it's not to be used on dogs that sleep in a human's bed. Sorry, but if it's not safe for me to be near it, it's not safe for my dogs to be near it. Bayer's own caution statement:

 

“Keep out of the reach and sight of children. Keep the collar in the outer packaging until use. As with any veterinary medicinal product, do not allow small children to play with the collar, or to put it into their mouths. Pets wearing the collar should not be allowed to sleep in the same bed as their owners, especially children. People with known sensitivity to the ingredients of the collar should avoid contact with the collar. Immediately dispose of any remnants or cut-offs of the collar. Wash hands with cold water after fitting the collar.”

 

While the Preventic collar has proved useful for preventing ticks on greyhounds, I don't think there's any flea collar out there that has an established safety record where greyhounds are concerned.

 

 

ETA: Topicals cause an oily/greasy spot for 24 hours or so. Then it's gone, and I'm not worried about kids (or me) petting my dog at a meet and greet or something like that. With flea collars, the risk lasts as long as the collar is on the dog, which is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, until you take the collar off.

Edited April 10, 2013 by KF_in_Georgia

[Guest 2greys2cats]

KF, thank you for the information. I did not have the info about the greyhounds being tested with Scalibor, so that is very helpful. Regarding Seresto, we don't have children and our cats (and my husband and I) don't sleep with our dogs. So that isn't a concern for me. Regarding the topicals, the oily spots stay on for a good week on both of my greyhounds. It prevents us from petting them, from kids petting them at meet and greets, they lay down and leave oily spots all over their beds. And they both itch the spot A LOT. I won't use topicals anymore. They just as hazardous in my opinion. With that being said, I do realize they need protection, especially because we live in a very wooded area. I do know some greyhound owners who have used the Preventic collar, with mixed results as far as effectiveness (not irritation or bad reactions). I've also used Trifexis which has a flea med in it, however one of my greys gets diarrhea from it. I was not able to find any greyhound adverse reactions when googling Seresto. Although I did find some mixed reviews, as with any product. My post is really aimed towards folks that have used either one on their greys. Hoping someone out there has tried Seresto?!

Thanks again.

[KF_in_Georgia]

If you use Seresto, though, you'll need to remove the collar before any meet and greets. Kids at the meet and greets around here inevitably grab my dogs' collars, look at their tags, etc., and we're not at a spot where the kids can immediately wash their hands. Preventic is designed for ticks only, not for fleas. I think very few people will have tried Seresto on their greyhounds simply because almost every greyhound group advises against collars for flea prevention, even if they recommend Preventic for ticks. There is one person on Greytalk using Seresto for her dogs; she's been using it for less than a month, I think, but you might PM her to see if she has anything more recent than her late-March post.

 

You can always rub off the excess oil on your dogs from a topical after the first 24 hours or so. When I've needed to do that, a dry paper towel got off the worst of the oil. These days, I'm using Advantage Multi (heartworm plus flea, but not ticks), which leaves a huge slick, but it's faded to nearly nothing in about 18 hours, invisible by 24. If I give it on Monday, there's not even a trace of the smell by Wednesday, and my girl's good for meet and greets by Saturday.

 

What will you use for heartworm if your guys can't handle the Trifexis? My guys--especially my old guy--are prone to diarrhea at the drop of a hat, so I've avoided Trifexis. Both of mine got diarrhea from Heartgard Plus, and Interceptor will not be available in the U.S. anymore. Sentinel will be available soon, and that's for heartworm + fleas, so that plus a Preventic collar might be safer for your guys and would avoid the problems of the topical--if your guys can handle the ingredients in Sentinel.

[Guest Fasave]

My vet told me if you are experiencing an oily spot after applying a topical you could be applying it wrong. You need to pull the fur back and apply drops at a time and wait for it to soak into the skin and then move a little bit further. It takes a while but definitely works. Sorry, no experience with collars.

[Sambuca]

I use the preventive collar for ticks and comfortis pills for fleas and I've been happy with them.

[Guest 2greys2cats]

If you use Seresto, though, you'll need to remove the collar before any meet and greets. Kids at the meet and greets around here inevitably grab my dogs' collars, look at their tags, etc., and we're not at a spot where the kids can immediately wash their hands. Preventic is designed for ticks only, not for fleas. I think very few people will have tried Seresto on their greyhounds simply because almost every greyhound group advises against collars for flea prevention, even if they recommend Preventic for ticks. There is one person on Greytalk using Seresto for her dogs; she's been using it for less than a month, I think, but you might PM her to see if she has anything more recent than her late-March post.

 

You can always rub off the excess oil on your dogs from a topical after the first 24 hours or so. When I've needed to do that, a dry paper towel got off the worst of the oil. These days, I'm using Advantage Multi (heartworm plus flea, but not ticks), which leaves a huge slick, but it's faded to nearly nothing in about 18 hours, invisible by 24. If I give it on Monday, there's not even a trace of the smell by Wednesday, and my girl's good for meet and greets by Saturday.

 

What will you use for heartworm if your guys can't handle the Trifexis? My guys--especially my old guy--are prone to diarrhea at the drop of a hat, so I've avoided Trifexis. Both of mine got diarrhea from Heartgard Plus, and Interceptor will not be available in the U.S. anymore. Sentinel will be available soon, and that's for heartworm + fleas, so that plus a Preventic collar might be safer for your guys and would avoid the problems of the topical--if your guys can handle the ingredients in Sentinel.

I wonder why they would more strongly recommend collars for ticks and not fleas... I can't PM yet, so I posted in his thread. Hopefully he'll see it and respond. Mine use Heartguard and Comfortis lately, but they hate Comfortis. They won't chew it so I have to cut it in half, dip it in yogurt and shove it in two pieces down their throats. It's a pain. And we've been picking off the ticks. I know this isn't really ideal...that's why I wanted to try the collar that handles both. Until I hear from someone who's used it, I'll just have to use a topical....reluctantly. I do apply it slowly but it still leaves a huge grease spot for quite some time.

ETA: I wonder when Sentinel will be available?

 

I use the preventive collar for ticks and comfortis pills for fleas and I've been happy with them.

Do your greys eat the Comfortis? Mine won't touch it no matter how hard I try.

ETA: Can you pat your dogs and kiss their fur even with that collar on? The warnings for the flea/tick collars are a little daunting.

Edited April 11, 2013 by 2greys2cats

[KF_in_Georgia]

Things like Capstar, which kills fleas on dogs almost immediately but doesn't last long-term, don't work on ticks. The critters have different systems, so different stuff works, and the chemical that kills/repels ticks in a collar is less toxic to greys than the stuff that's usually in collars for fleas. The problem with Seresto is that there isn't enough experience with it on greyhounds for people to feel comfortable about it given that greyhounds react differently to many things (like narcotics) than other dogs do.

 

Here's my feeling: If I apply a topical, I might have a day or two (or three) where I'm reluctant to handle my dogs' necks and won't let kids pet them there--a day or two or three out of 30 days in the month. But if I put Seresto on--with its warnings--that's 8 months out of 8 months where the manufacturer says it won't be safe for for kids at meet and greets (or me in the same bed as the dogs) to pet their necks, give them a hug, etc. And if Bayer thinks the chemical isn't safe for people in bed with the dog, I'm inclined to think perhaps the chemical may not be all that safe for the dog, either.

 

I wonder if you could dress your dogs in kerchiefs when you put a topical on the dogs. That kerchief would serve as a reminder to you and to kids not to touch the dogs' necks, and might keep the oil of the topical off your furniture and the dog's beds. Then wash the kerchiefs and put them away until the next month. Since I've been doing a lot of meet and greets on weekends, I've been marking my calendar to do the topical on Monday so that all trace is gone by the weekend.

 

But vets who say there shouldn't be an oily spot after application of a topical have been putting the stuff on labs or border collies or Aussies or something--not greyhounds. Even the packaging for most topicals admits that there'll be an oily residue--never mind that you're putting it on dogs who don't have enough hair to hide it in the first place. And the amount of goop you have to put on dogs that weigh 55+ pounds just makes trying to hide it even more difficult.

[Walliered]

I have been using Seresto Large Dog collars on my greys since March 25. I have had no problems yet. So far I like the collars much better than the topical. I also give Heartguard Plus with no problems. We don't go to outside M&G's in Savannah in the summertime. It is way too hot for my two.

[Sambuca]

I shove the comfortis down their throats. Comfortis is a month long flea killer. Bu came to me with a huge scab on his back/neck that I was told was possibly from frontline, so I avoid it. I try not to touch the preventive collars, but I still pet their necks often. If I touch the collar I make sure to wash my hands after the pet session.

[Guest 2greys2cats]

Things like Capstar, which kills fleas on dogs almost immediately but doesn't last long-term, don't work on ticks. The critters have different systems, so different stuff works, and the chemical that kills/repels ticks in a collar is less toxic to greys than the stuff that's usually in collars for fleas. The problem with Seresto is that there isn't enough experience with it on greyhounds for people to feel comfortable about it given that greyhounds react differently to many things (like narcotics) than other dogs do.

 

Here's my feeling: If I apply a topical, I might have a day or two (or three) where I'm reluctant to handle my dogs' necks and won't let kids pet them there--a day or two or three out of 30 days in the month. But if I put Seresto on--with its warnings--that's 8 months out of 8 months where the manufacturer says it won't be safe for for kids at meet and greets (or me in the same bed as the dogs) to pet their necks, give them a hug, etc. And if Bayer thinks the chemical isn't safe for people in bed with the dog, I'm inclined to think perhaps the chemical may not be all that safe for the dog, either.

 

I wonder if you could dress your dogs in kerchiefs when you put a topical on the dogs. That kerchief would serve as a reminder to you and to kids not to touch the dogs' necks, and might keep the oil of the topical off your furniture and the dog's beds. Then wash the kerchiefs and put them away until the next month. Since I've been doing a lot of meet and greets on weekends, I've been marking my calendar to do the topical on Monday so that all trace is gone by the weekend.

 

But vets who say there shouldn't be an oily spot after application of a topical have been putting the stuff on labs or border collies or Aussies or something--not greyhounds. Even the packaging for most topicals admits that there'll be an oily residue--never mind that you're putting it on dogs who don't have enough hair to hide it in the first place. And the amount of goop you have to put on dogs that weigh 55+ pounds just makes trying to hide it even more difficult.

Your posts are so helpful. Thanks!

 

I have been using Seresto Large Dog collars on my greys since March 25. I have had no problems yet. So far I like the collars much better than the topical. I also give Heartguard Plus with no problems. We don't go to outside M&G's in Savannah in the summertime. It is way too hot for my two.

I'm glad to know there are no problems. I was worried about skin burns.

 

I shove the comfortis down their throats. Comfortis is a month long flea killer. Bu came to me with a huge scab on his back/neck that I was told was possibly from frontline, so I avoid it. I try not to touch the preventive collars, but I still pet their necks often. If I touch the collar I make sure to wash my hands after the pet session.

This is good to know...I guess I can keep breaking them in half and putting them down their throats, and use the preventic.

[Guest 2greys2cats]

I have been using Seresto Large Dog collars on my greys since March 25. I have had no problems yet. So far I like the collars much better than the topical. I also give Heartguard Plus with no problems. We don't go to outside M&G's in Savannah in the summertime. It is way too hot for my two.

 

Interesting... in another post you indicated tick collars should not be used on greyhounds (http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/278481-preventic-collar-together-with-advantage-ii/)

Have you changed your opinion/practice because of this new one on the market?

[Walliered]

Hey, sorry I just saw your post. I have read not to put tick/flea collars on greyhound, but this new one by Bayer is the one my vet highly recommended. So, after about a week of just looking at them on the counter, I took a deep breath and put them on. So far there are no problems and no fleas/ticks. My vet actually talked to Bayer about the collars for my specific dogs and was assured they would work fine. I guess time will tell.

[Guest 2greys2cats]

Hey, sorry I just saw your post. I have read not to put tick/flea collars on greyhound, but this new one by Bayer is the one my vet highly recommended. So, after about a week of just looking at them on the counter, I took a deep breath and put them on. So far there are no problems and no fleas/ticks. My vet actually talked to Bayer about the collars for my specific dogs and was assured they would work fine. I guess time will tell.

That is great to hear. No irritated skin, lethargy or tiredness?

[Guest 8fleetfeet]

Okay, I was thinking of trying the Seresto collars on my dogs: two greyhounds and a lab. But I just read above that if they're wearing Seresto collars they can't sleep in bed with us, which all three of the dogs do. So, according to Bayer, the collars are safe if the dogs ingest them but they can't be on our beds? Does this make sense?

[Guest rbettger]

My dog has worn the Seresto Flea Collar for approx. 2 months. He is itching constantly and pulling out his hair.

 

First we thought it was a food allergy or grass, perhaps. however after removing this collar for two days my dog

is almost 100% relieved of chewing or scratching.

I'm thinking that it is the Seresto collar as he is 3 years old and has never had a skin issue.

I'm very interested in other's opinions regarding similiar problems.

Thanks.