Even though we live in an area that does have ticks, we have never
before had a problem with them and have not used a preventive. Well,
today we found and removed a tick from above the right eye of our
Shih-Tzu.

What is the current recommendation as to a preventative. I see
Frontline, Advantix, and various collars. Pros and cons? Are these
prescription or OTC?

Davel wrote in :

What is the current recommendation as to a preventative. I see
Frontline, Advantix, and various collars. Pros and cons? Are
these prescription or OTC?

All of those are OTC. Which one you use will depend on your
lifestyle. I believe Frontline is more water resistant than some
of the other drops, but that probably is not an issue unless your
dog is groomed or swims frequently.

My experience is that amitraz collars are very effective. They
work by paralyzing the tick's mouth parts so that it cannot attach
to the dog (or anyone else!). The drug kills the ticks fairly
quickly (usually within 24 hours). When using them, I found dead
and dying ticks on the floors, but never any attached to the dogs,
me, or the cats. Amitraz is toxic to cats, though, so if you have
cats that play with or groom your dog, you should not use it.

Ticks can get resistant to drugs. I used Frontline successfully
for a few years, then found that it stopped working. I switched to
amitraz collars, which worked well. I don't know if ticks would
have become resistant to those, too, because I've moved to an area
where ticks aren't much of a problem.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.
-- A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

In article ,
Shelly wrote:

I switched to
amitraz collars, which worked well.

are they something you can use once in awhile, like out in the field,
then put in a plastic bag for the next time?

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

In article ,
Shelly wrote:

I switched to
amitraz collars, which worked well.

and can they get wet?

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

Janet Boss wrote in
:

are they something you can use once in awhile, like out in the
field, then put in a plastic bag for the next time?

No, unfortunately. IIRC they take about 24 hours to become
effective.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

Color is all. When color is right, form is right. Color is
everything, color is vibration like music; everything is vibration.
-- Marc Chagall

Janet Boss wrote in news:janet-
:

and can they get wet?

You're asking a Boxer owner?!! Ha! You can get a water resistant
variety, but check the packaging, because not all of them are.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

Merz is a smile at the grave and gravity on cheerful occasions.
-- Kurt Schwitters

"Davel" wrote in message
...
Even though we live in an area that does have ticks, we have never
before had a problem with them and have not used a preventive. Well,
today we found and removed a tick from above the right eye of our
Shih-Tzu.

What is the current recommendation as to a preventative. I see
Frontline, Advantix, and various collars. Pros and cons? Are these
prescription or OTC?

I have used the tick-prevention collars with success.

We had a summer when there were ticks everywhere - couldn't go out in the
yard and stand still without them crawling up our ankles. The collars kept
the ticks off the dogs, but yuck.

I sprayed the yard, the shrubs, and the outside of the house as high as a
hose sprayer would reach - eight to ten feet - with malathion. That worked.

flick 100785

on Sun, 29 Apr 2007 13:02:17 GMT, Janet Boss
wrote:

In article ,
Shelly wrote:

I switched to
amitraz collars, which worked well.

are they something you can use once in awhile, like out in the field,
then put in a plastic bag for the next time?

Janet, FYI, I read that Amitraz collars are contraindicated with Proin, so
you may want to look into that.

--
Lynne


"We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly
We are brave enough to bend to cry
And sad enough to know
We must laugh again"

~ Nikki Giovanni, 4/17/2007, Virginia Tech

In article ,
Lynne wrote:


Janet, FYI, I read that Amitraz collars are contraindicated with Proin, so
you may want to look into that.

Thanks! I've already nixed the idea because of the cats, but a good
reminder for me to check anything that may have a problem with Proin.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com