Seresto Flea And Tick Collars

[countrypaws]

This year the ticks in our area of Pennsylvania have been off the wall, perhaps from our mild winter. We'll come home from our daily walk and pull two or three ticks off of us, let alone the dogs. We are going to try the Seresto flea and tick collars on our four greyhounds. We have heard good things about them. But each of our dogs has different sensitivities.

 

Frontline just does not seem to work as well lately, as we have seen ticks moving about or even beginning to attach on dogs which have been treated. We have never liked the idea of making our greys eat these nasty insecticide chemicals to ward off fleas and ticks.

 

Does anyone have any experience using Seresto collars on greyhounds, good or bad? Do they seem to repel fleas and ticks? While they seem expensive, if they last for eight months they would really be a bargain.

[winnie]

We put them on our dogs starting in March, I believe. We got them based on a recommendation from Petra at SAGE. We have yet to find a single flea or tick on our three hounds, even after being in Gettysburg for GIG. We got ours through Chewy.com at a great sale price.

[turbotaina]

You can get them on sale occasionally at Chewy.com. I think I got mine for $34 each and they last 8 months, so it's worth it. I'm south of you in Maryland, but ticks are routinely bad here (and where I live are a lot of deer). I recently found a dead attached tick on Heyokha - it looked like it hadn't fed though - attached and was killed. So I think they definitely kill ticks.

[Sundrop]

For those of you who use them, I assume you get the large size for your greys? They seem so huge...can someone post a photo with their grey wearing one so I can see what it looks like? We've been considering these also, as I hate using Frontline on them (it works, but hate the thought of poison absorbed into their bodies). We mainly need it for fleas.

[winnie]

For those of you who use them, I assume you get the large size for your greys? They seem so huge...can someone post a photo with their grey wearing one so I can see what it looks like? We've been considering these also, as I hate using Frontline on them (it works, but hate the thought of poison absorbed into their bodies). We mainly need it for fleas.

 

Yes, large. You cut off the excess.

 

Edited May 23, 2017 by winnie

[Remolacha]

I have used them for about a year & half (on our second eight months) and have had no problems. My vet recommended them, she has a client with severely compromised kidneys who uses the Soresto collar with no side effects. The only downside I see is it is another collar for the dog to wear, mine wear tag collars all the time and martingales for walks. The dogs don't seem to mind, just me

[cleptogrey]

have you considered frontline gold? i'll be trying this next month. i called the manufacturer, they do not tolerate water well, need to be removed if your dogs swim. mine do at every chance. so, a sticky lint roller after walks and FL Gold. Yes, the savings are quite considerable.

 

btw, it's the same principal, chemical spread out on the skin. absorption amount???

[rsieg]

Can you use the Seresto collar with Trifexis?

 

Trifexis handles fleas and worms, but not ticks (though I have heard it actually works on ticks as well, just not for the whole month). Trifexis (or actually Comfortis, the version without worm protection) cured a flea infestation in our house instantly, so I am not going off Trifexis. But, I would like something for the ticks. Tried the Preventic collar last year but Logan got a rash from it, I suppose similar results may occur with Seresto but may be worth a try.

[ramonaghan]

Can you use the Seresto collar with Trifexis?

 

Trifexis handles fleas and worms, but not ticks (though I have heard it actually works on ticks as well, just not for the whole month). Trifexis (or actually Comfortis, the version without worm protection) cured a flea infestation in our house instantly, so I am not going off Trifexis. But, I would like something for the ticks. Tried the Preventic collar last year but Logan got a rash from it, I suppose similar results may occur with Seresto but may be worth a try.

 

Have you looked into Bravecto? It's an oral flea and tick preventative given every three months. We used to give Comfortis too, but switched for the added tick protection and have been very happy.

[rsieg]

 

Have you looked into Bravecto? It's an oral flea and tick preventative given every three months. We used to give Comfortis too, but switched for the added tick protection and have been very happy.

I may do that, thanks for the suggestion. Bravecto does seem to get good reviews. My only reluctance has been the 3-month thing, just seems like it would either need to be a very heavy initial dose to work that long, or maybe it does not work that long.

[locket]

I may do that, thanks for the suggestion. Bravecto does seem to get good reviews. My only reluctance has been the 3-month thing, just seems like it would either need to be a very heavy initial dose to work that long, or maybe it does not work that long.

Similar is Nexgard which is a monthly dose.

[greyhoundlady]

We have been using Nexgard here with no side effects. I greatly dislike using any pesticides, but the worry of my grey getting a tick borne disease makes using a tick killing product necessary. I have used topicals but didn't like the drippy mess and I have two young grandchildren and didn't want them touching the chemical. I read the warnings on the Seresto collars and they say not to let children touch/play with it, wash well, avoid contact with eyes, skin and clothing when attaching the collar. I decided not to use that either.

 

It is a tough decision about what to use. I don't like chemicals in the dogs, or on the dogs, but the risk of tick disease is too great. We just returned from a visit to Massachusetts and just walking near a bush, my grey had 7 ticks on her! They are bad this year indeed.

 

I recently received an order for Wondercide which claims to be a natural cedar/lemongrass tick and flea killer. If you don't mind smelling like a cedar closet, it isn't bad. I can't swear by its effectiveness, since my grey is on Nexgard and I check her constantly and avoid bushes where I can. I will try the Wondercide (it is a spray) and see what the results of that are. I am pretty sure that moths will stay away as well .

[smurfette]

We started with Seresto this year and they are great. We haven't had any ticks since the collars.

[countrypaws]

Appreciate all the good feedback. Our Seresto collars are on and we'll keep you posted. It takes them 48 hours to reach full effectiveness.

[palmettobug]

I've used Seresto and Trifexis together, no problem.

[Guest RamblingWreck]

I've been using Frontline Plus consistently for the last year and a half, but yesterday I found over 20 ticks on my grey. No difference in application technique, so I'm pretty sure Frontline isn't working anymore. We haven't been to the dog park/wooded outdoor areas in half a week so I don't think they're a brand new occurrence. I saw one flea on him last week but I didn't recognize what it was until this weekend.

 

I just went out and bought a Seresto collar to give it a try, but I'm having a really hard time figuring out how tight it needs to be -- Greyhound necks are so long and weirdly shaped. Any advice? Does it need to be really tight? I feel like the more I tighten it, the more it's just going to slide up his neck. Does it need to be higher up, like below his ears?

 

Edited for spelling.

Edited May 24, 2017 by RamblingWreck

[countrypaws]

For those of you who use them, I assume you get the large size for your greys? They seem so huge...can someone post a photo with their grey wearing one so I can see what it looks like? We've been considering these also, as I hate using Frontline on them (it works, but hate the thought of poison absorbed into their bodies). We mainly need it for fleas.

 

Yes the sizes available are "Small dog, below 18 lbs" and "Large dog, 18 lbs. or more" so the greyhounds are in the "large" category. The collars are quite long to accommodate German Shepherds or other big dogs so they'd require us to trim the ends off the collars for the greyhounds.

[countrypaws]

I've been using Frontline Plus consistently for the last year and a half, but yesterday I found over 20 ticks on my grey. No difference in application technique, so I'm pretty sure Frontline isn't working anymore. We haven't been to the dog park/wooded outdoor areas in half a week so I don't think they're a brand new occurrence. I saw one flea on him last week but I didn't recognize what it was until this weekend.

 

I just went out and bought a Seresto collar to give it a try, but I'm having a really hard time figuring out how tight it needs to be -- Greyhound necks are so long and weirdly shaped. Any advice? Does it need to be really tight? I feel like the more I tighten it, the more it's just going to slide up his neck. Does it need to be higher up, like below his ears?

Twenty ticks!? Holy cow, that's a tick farm! You know, we've just found Frontline to be less effective in recent years. We see tick after tick attaching even a few days after application.

 

The instructions on the Seresto collars say to tighten the collar so that you can insert two fingers between the collar and your dog's neck. We have our collars behind their normal Martingale collar on their neck, closer to the tail. We want the medication to spread via the natural film on the dog's skin backwards to the rest of their body. The collars take 48 hours to really be effective but last for eight months. Reports on their effectiveness seem to be stellar, with no adverse reactions and very high rates of effectiveness.

Edited May 24, 2017 by countrypaws

[Walliered]

I use them with no problems.

[Guest RamblingWreck]

Twenty ticks!? Holy cow, that's a tick farm! You know, we've just found Frontline to be less effective in recent years. We see tick after tick attaching even a few days after application.

 

The instructions on the Seresto collars say to tighten the collar so that you can insert two fingers between the collar and your dog's neck. We have our collars behind their normal Martingale collar on their neck, closer to the tail. We want the medication to spread via the natural film on the dog's skin backwards to the rest of their body. The collars take 48 hours to really be effective but last for eight months. Reports on their effectiveness seem to be stellar, with no adverse reactions and very high rates of effectiveness.

Oops, I meant 20 fleas! Not ticks. I would be terrified if there were 20 ticks on him hahaha.

 

It's been a few days using the Seresto collar and I'm still seeing fleas on him. They may be "residual" fleas, as the infestation is probably in the house now, but I have yet to find a dead flea on him.

 

I ended up tightening the collar a bit -- I think it was too loose before. Now it's pretty much in constant contact with his skin. I also placed it so that his tag collar is above the flea collar, I think it will help keep the flea collar from moving up his neck.

 

Fingers crossed that these adjustments will help. I just want to see some dead fleas!!

[Guest bayhound]

Throwing in my two cents about the Serestos! I've seen hundreds of our clients at my work in the few years since the collars became popular, and I have yet to hear a negative thing about them. No human/dog skin sensitivities from the collar (even from handling), no word of them not working, etc. Fleas were so bad down here (VA) a while back and nothing topical was working in our area aside from this. And you can't beat the price. Also check Amazon for them - sometimes they're cheaper than on Chewy. I've also heard good things about Bravecto, but it is a little more expensive. Guess it depends on your preferences.

 

If you're still struggling with fleas, maybe add a little apple cider vinegar to their drinking water (so long as you don't have cats that drink from the same bowl - the vinegar is a no-no for cats). Pretty sure there's a conversion rate if you google something like "apple cider vinegar in water for dogs". Hope your pups gets some relief soon!

[SanTanSnuggles]

Got Seresto Collars for my nine year old and my three year old. First time we have used them. They have been on full time a few weeks now and we have not had any ticks. We live right next to a state park in MD, so there are many creatures around with many kinds of ticks. I let them get used to them the first week by putting them on a few hours and than removing them. I increased the hours each day and took them off at night, than left them on after a week 24/7. I just wanted to see if they were doing okay with them. They did not show any reactions and so far after I put flea collars on them full time, we have had no more ticks on their little bodies. The nine year old is black and has thick coarse hair and the three year old has soft, thinner black hair and pink skin underneath. She is usually soooo sensitive. So far all is good. I am a little anal about tick stuff because in the past with the spot on at one-half the dose, i often got bad reactions. I also spray furniture, rugs, beds and dogs once a week with a natural flea and tick spray that contains cedar, pine, and peppermint oils in a low dose to help insure we are doing the best we can afford to keep them safe. MD is a very serious tick state with about six different disease the dogs can get and humans. On You Tube you can find out information about tick boxes. If you buy the commercial kind, they are very expensive, but if you make them yourself and you can get the chemical yourself on Amazon. Good to review many of the instructions to see what works for you. They go on exterior areas where your pets and kids are not. Just another avenue if the typical things available do not work alone. The tick boxes are just an additional precaution, especially if you have lots of wild animals around.

[GreytHoundPoet]

We have been using Seresto Collars for 3 years because they are the only thing that works where we live (lots of ticks and fleas in my area). I consulted 4 different sighthound vets to make sure they were safe.

Edited May 27, 2017 by GreytHoundPoet

[Guest RamblingWreck]

Update -- as of this weekend, no more fleas!! I couldn't find any during the past weekend and I can't find any this week. I'd say it took about 5 days after tightening the collar to get rid of them all.

 

No signs of irritation or itchiness either. FWIW, I tried K9 Advantix II topical in the past, and it made him itch like crazy.

 

Very happy to report that the Seresto collar appears to be both safe and effective. And at $55 for 8 months, pretty cheap to boot.

[winnie]

Drs Foster and Smith has a special going on the Seresto collars now (ends 6/1).

 

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25802