mcguiregirl2248
Forums Enthusiast
I don't use any of the products listed. We have been very fortunate and have never had an issue with ticks or fleas. The girls are on interceptor year round and that is it.
What Type of Flea/Tick Medication Do You Buy?
- Thread starter OntarioSheltie
- Start date
The Quahog
Forums Enthusiast
The Preventic collar is purely a topical. The animal's body heat releases a chemical which gets onto the skin. This gives a much higher concentration in the neck/shoulders/ear area - where ticks predominate, and very little in the flea area. In my view there is no such thing as a 'flea collar.'
For the above reason it is more effective left on than 'used as needed'.
As for the other queries, I would respectfully suggest those be run by your veterinarian, as I don't want to be stepping on any toes by being the evil 'but the guy on the Internet said ' guy.
- Dr. Mac
For the above reason it is more effective left on than 'used as needed'.
As for the other queries, I would respectfully suggest those be run by your veterinarian, as I don't want to be stepping on any toes by being the evil 'but the guy on the Internet said ' guy.
- Dr. MacOntarioSheltie
Forums Celebrity
The Preventic collar is purely a topical. The animal's body heat releases a chemical which gets onto the skin. This gives a much higher concentration in the neck/shoulders/ear area - where ticks predominate, and very little in the flea area. In my view there is no such thing as a 'flea collar.'
For the above reason it is more effective left on than 'used as needed'.
As for the other queries, I would respectfully suggest those be run by your veterinarian, as I don't want to be stepping on any toes by being the evil 'but the guy on the Internet said ' guy.
Again, thanks for the info Dr. Mac. My vet's office said that the tick collar is used a lot in my area by people with farm dogs who are around ticks a lot, so what you said coincides with what my vet's office said.
Protecting the head area is the most important, since that tends to be where ticks attach since there's less fur there.
Maybe I'll give the collar a try first and see how it works, since I know my pack with react negatively to a tick spray. For how long is the tick collar effective?
The Quahog
Forums Enthusiast
We find the tick collar to be most effective for 2.5 up to 3 months. This is the reason for the 'collar in March, Frontline in June' advice.
Frontline and the collar are not 'additive', meaning yes you can use them together, though I generally tend to avoid it. Can't give a good scientific reason for that, just part of the 'art and science' of medicine. -Dr. Mac
Frontline and the collar are not 'additive', meaning yes you can use them together, though I generally tend to avoid it. Can't give a good scientific reason for that, just part of the 'art and science' of medicine. -Dr. Mac
OntarioSheltie
Forums Celebrity
Great! Thanks!
The fleas in my area seem to be bad this year too. I haven't found any on my fur kids but I've certainly seen them scratching. I'll probably pick up some advantage for fleas when I get the tick collars.
Sharon7
Moderator
My two cents worth - I tried Sentinel and it gave Ally seizures. We really don't have heartworm here - according to my vet, so I quit that right away. I use PROGRAM (one ingredient in Sentinel, for flea eggs) year round and Frontline Plus when I need to. Unfortunately, I'm with Cheryl - our So Cal fleas seem to not be too affected by Frontline, so I'm puzzled what to try. I have used Capstar after a day long event at the dog park when I know they've picked up some fleas, but thanks to PROGRAM, we have no environmental issues at home. Even the cat is on it.
It is fine to give PROGRAM and Frontline together. For 8 months or so of the year, that's all I seem to need here, and I try not to use topical unless I really need to. I know some areas where you all are, that's not an option.
Sharon
It is fine to give PROGRAM and Frontline together. For 8 months or so of the year, that's all I seem to need here, and I try not to use topical unless I really need to. I know some areas where you all are, that's not an option.
Sharon
Calliesmom
Moderator
we used to use Frontline but several years ago, it seemed to stop being effective. so now we use Comfortis- but not year-round, only when we need to.
OntarioSheltie
Forums Celebrity
Here's the link to the Preventic Tick Collar web site, for those who are interested. I'm picking up a few for my pack tonight so I'll post a thread on how well it works eventually. The collar is supposedly good for up to 3 months...
http://preventictickcollar.com/
http://preventictickcollar.com/
DebbieGilbert
Forums Regular
I have been using Frontline Plus for years and have had zero problems with fleas and ticks -- with one notable exception.
In late summer 2008, we had a record heat wave with temperatures hitting 100 every day for a week, even in the mountains where we live. Suddenly my dog started getting fleas, despite being on Frontline. Our vet said the heat was making the flea population so bad that a lot of dogs were having similar problems. He suggested giving Frontline more often than once a month. I felt that might be too toxic to my dog, so I went to Walmart and looked for an alternative product.
I found something (can't remember what it was called) that you apply between the shoulders just like Frontline, but it's all-natural, made with herbal stuff like citronella. Well, it didn't help at all. But worse than that -- it turned my dog's beautiful white ruff YELLOW, and it took about a month for the staining to fade.
Aside from that, I've been very pleased with Frontline Plus. If you do find a flea or tick on your dog, it's usually already dead. The bugs die even before they bite, which is important if your dog has a flea allergy, as mine does.
As for heartworm prevention, I use Interceptor. My previous Sheltie was on Heartgard, but Daisy's breeder recommended that we avoid ivermectin, which some Shelties are sensitive to.
In late summer 2008, we had a record heat wave with temperatures hitting 100 every day for a week, even in the mountains where we live. Suddenly my dog started getting fleas, despite being on Frontline. Our vet said the heat was making the flea population so bad that a lot of dogs were having similar problems. He suggested giving Frontline more often than once a month. I felt that might be too toxic to my dog, so I went to Walmart and looked for an alternative product.
I found something (can't remember what it was called) that you apply between the shoulders just like Frontline, but it's all-natural, made with herbal stuff like citronella. Well, it didn't help at all. But worse than that -- it turned my dog's beautiful white ruff YELLOW, and it took about a month for the staining to fade.
Aside from that, I've been very pleased with Frontline Plus. If you do find a flea or tick on your dog, it's usually already dead. The bugs die even before they bite, which is important if your dog has a flea allergy, as mine does.
As for heartworm prevention, I use Interceptor. My previous Sheltie was on Heartgard, but Daisy's breeder recommended that we avoid ivermectin, which some Shelties are sensitive to.
OntarioSheltie
Forums Celebrity
Preventick Collar Working So Far
We've found 3 partially paralyzed ticks today, one on my dh, one falling out of Toby's fur and one in the carpet. All of their limbs were all curled up and they died much more quickly than they usually do. I think I'm going to be keeping the dogs out of our bed for a while.
Don't tell my dh but it was hilarious watching him dance around and strip all of his clothes off! Now he knows how I felt when I found a fully functioning one crawling up my neck in bed a few days ago.
We've found 3 partially paralyzed ticks today, one on my dh, one falling out of Toby's fur and one in the carpet. All of their limbs were all curled up and they died much more quickly than they usually do. I think I'm going to be keeping the dogs out of our bed for a while.
Don't tell my dh but it was hilarious watching him dance around and strip all of his clothes off! Now he knows how I felt when I found a fully functioning one crawling up my neck in bed a few days ago.