Why use tick treatments?

[Buchan]

Why do you apply an acaraicide (tick-killer) to your dogs?

I'm doing some research in this area and I'd like to know the reasons people on this group, being a group that has dogs and is in regular tick area, treat their dogs for ticks. Many thanks

 

[llwynog]

Good question.
I'm in North Wales in sheep country so ticks can be a problem. It's very ground dependent, with the mountain heather areas being worse. Weirdly it's also very dog dependent as well. My red fell terrier who has a course wirey coat is almost guaranteed to come home with ticks after being on the mountain. The Border terrier in the same conditions with a very dense slapey coat never gets any ticks on her.
I tend not to treat them as a matter of course but use a mechanical removal tool.

 

[Tim.243]

Why do you apply an acaraicide (tick-killer) to your dogs?

I'm doing some research in this area and I'd like to know the reasons people on this group, being a group that has dogs and is in regular tick area, treat their dogs for ticks. Many thanks

No ticks around here as far as I know....never seen one on a muntjac red or fallow. I never check the foxes only for
M/F
But I do keep the dogs up to date ( as the vet said so)
Not your area but thought I would tip you a reply.

 

[slider]

I use Bravecto tablets from the Vet. One treatment lasts 12 weeks

 

[Buchan]

Why do you apply an acaraicide (tick-killer) to your dogs?

I'm doing some research in this area and I'd like to know the reasons people on this group, being a group that has dogs and is in regular tick area, treat their dogs for ticks. Many thanks

Just to be clear I want to know WHY people treat not what treatmetn they are using

 

[Husky]

Dogs health would be my reason.

 

[Milk no sugar please]

Just to be clear I want to know WHY people treat not what treatmetn they are using

Because I love my dogs and would be sad if they got an infection from a bite. Also I don't want the little buggers dropping off after a big feed still alive in the house ready to latch onto us, my mrs would blow a fuze if she got one.

 

[NigelM]

Dog welfare as well as my own and that of the family. I don't want Fido to come home and deposit ticks all over the house for them to latch onto the wife, kids and other dogs.

 

[shakey jake]

i dont treat for ticks just for fleas, i do worry about the amount of treatments put on to, in to pets mainly under vet advisement. i think its become the norm but worry it is mainly done as up selling by vet chains and will lead to increased resistance to flea, tick and wormer products

 

[Fosbery Holster]

First and foremost must be the dogs welfare.

Years ago l made enquiries with the local farmers about tick levels in and around my location, typically the farmers reply was “you won’t find any on my land” but if you go beyond our land you will !

Running the two dogs at the time over farms, grouse moors, common land, pheasant coverts, and snipe bogs, l was finding more and more ticks on the dogs especially the GWP, thicker longer coat as against the HWV thinner shorter coat, and consulting our Vet it was recommended that we use a tick treatment to combat this invasion.

Another reason to use a tick treatment would be the fact that you could be running the dogs on unfamiliar grounds.

 

[Tim.243]

Just to be clear I want to know WHY people treat not what treatmetn they are using

Dog welfare which is the forefront of any owner

 

[Keith Edmunds]

I don't use treatment now, despite deer and sheep around us, I check the dogs over regularly and remove them on sight - luckily no more than a couple of times a year. However.....My male has a thicker, deeper coat, his undercoat gets very thick and I have recently missed a couple until they had got to a reasonable size. I would say the dogs' coat and ease of maintenance is a point to consider too.

 

[NoIDeer]

To help prevent lyme and various other tick borne diseases that dogs and humans can catch. Don't particularly want our dogs carrying live ticks to share around too!
We only treat when the dogs are likely to come into contact with ticks.

 

[Norfolk Horn]

Because the area I stalk has a lot of ticks present on the deer I shoot so I assume there must be a high population of ticks in that area.
I treat as a precaution
I dont want my dogs carrying ticks with the possibility of becoming I'll from anything the tick has.
In the previous 30 years before stalking in this area this wasn't an issue so I didn't feel I needed to treat.

 

[Alantoo]

I don't chemically treat the dog for ticks per se, but the Nexgard flea control tablets which I do use on occasion, also kills ticks...

I only use the Nexgard if I see evidence of fleas...haven't used any for around a year now.

I feel for ticks at least daily, whenever I give the Spaniel a stroke. They come off easily and cleanly with an O'Tom twizzler.

The great majority of the ticks I have taken off the dog have always been tiny and not engorged. Even when she has been dosed with Nexgard some have been alive and start moving again when taken off.

I read that danger of transfer of bugs [lyme etc.] from tick to host is most likely after 36 hours, or if the tick is disturbed or squeezed when being removed. Even without Nexgard I think I get most of them off within that time frame, and unsqueezed.

We have ticks here, one or two a month per dog, but nothing like Arran for instance. The first time I went there with the dog on the left of my icon I found 27 on her! We haven't been up to Arran for a couple of years, but used to go once or twice a year...I always gave the dogs Frontline plus or Nexgard a week or two before we went, partially to ensure no fleas deposited in the time-share and in case I missed any ticks.

Alan

 

[Sharpie]

Mine is not a working dog, but gets out and about in several areas that can have a high risk.

Previous was a flat coat collie with pricked up ears, who was regularly combed, and fastidiously clean, the only ticks he picked up were inside his ears. New dog however is a standard poodle with a thick curly coat, so I suspect rather more at risk.

Becoming concerned about canine borellia and have heard that it can be transmitted not just by ticks but by the undetectable larvae etc. However I haven't found a source of information about how it is currently distributed or what might be a prophylactic treatment.

Our dogs (used to) travel widely throughout Europe, where there can be other risks too that we don't (yet) have in the UK, so I am interested to learn anything that I can about this.

FOR what its worth, I find this site interesting. I don't know how reliable the predictions are, but you can check the current risk levels for ticks, fleas and sandflies throughout Europe.

https://www.fleatickrisk.com

 

[arron]

I am in in Scotland pretty often stalking and when not I will be locally stalking , the dogs pick up 100's of them( true a lot are nymphs) and also from back of truck off the dead deer , so I use bravecto and am happy with the results , why , because I don't want any on my dogs, me and my home ( dogs live indoors) ,are you thinking it's not good to use theses types of control measures ??

 

[Sharpie]

To clarify, because it's not obvious, go to https://www.fleatickrisk.com Enter a location, then click on the "learn more" link, which brings up the map. Select your insect of choice (tick, flea, sandfly+mosquito). Now you can zoom in and out, pan and scroll etc.

Today's tick prediction:



Portugal however at high risk:

 

[sikamalc]

Well just checked this site out, and in my opinion way off the mark. Horsham, West Sussex low risk for ticks. Having caught Lyme about 10 years ago from an infected tick in May, I would say its NOT a low risk area. Also click on New Forest and it also says low risk area REALLY!!!
I know of a 4 year old boy at the time when I had been diagnosed, who ended up in a London hospital with Lyme, nearly died. Caught it whilst camping with his family in the New Forest.
Looks like the site is vastly outdated in my opinion.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Well just checked this site out, and in my opinion way off the mark. Horsham, West Sussex low risk for ticks. Having caught Lyme about 10 years ago from an infected tick in May, I would say its NOT a low risk area. Also click on New Forest and it also says low risk area REALLY!!!
I know of a 4 year old boy at the time when I had been diagnosed, who ended up in a London hospital with Lyme, nearly died. Caught it whilst camping with his family in the New Forest.
Looks like the site is vastly outdated in my opinion.

Agreed! Just declined downloading their mobile app on the basis they are so off the mark.

K