Absolutely Working For Myah. . . For A Few Days, Sergeant’s Flea & Tick Squeeze-On For Dogs Is A Great Way To Kill Cooties!

The Good: Instantly effective, Inexpensive
The Bad: Does not endure at all.
The Basics: Sergeant’s Flea & Tick Squeeze-On For Dogs actually works to kill fleas, almost instantly, but then quickly fizzles out becoming ineffective.

[Note: It is a very rare thing that I go back to rework one of my past reviews. And yet, when Myah had fleas and I used the Sergeant"s Flea & Tick Squeeze-On For Dogs, I was so impressed with it that I went and reviewed it right away. Unfortunately, that led me to review it fast and I, alas, did not have the chance to realistically evaluate how it held up over the long term. It did not. Therefore, this has been heavily revised. Enjoy!
-W.L.]

Despite what my veterinarian’s office claims, my beautiful girl Myah came home from the vet hospital with fleas. I don’t really blame the vet’s office; getting our beautiful, pure-bred Siberian Husky spayed was vastly less expensive than I anticipated (yea, social programs!) and I did leave her there for almost two full days. But, about two days after her surgery, I noticed poor Myah had a pretty nasty bite under her armpit and, lo and behold!, there were a few fleas I could find. But, the vet’s office says there was no possible way that she got them there and I had no way to absolutely prove it. So, I took what little money I had and I went to purchase some flea & tick medication. I was a little wary of picking up the Sergeant’s Flea & Tick Squeeze-On For Dogs for only one reason; it was so inexpensive compared to the Frontline my wife and I previously used on Myah, I could not believe that it would be effective against fleas and ticks.

And yet, it was . . . for about a week.

The Sergeant’s Flea & Tick Squeeze-On For Dogs comes in a three-pack and is advertised to kill fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, flea eggs, and flea larva. Myah had a small colony of fleas and (what I have been informed since) flea eggs on her armpit. I noticed the colony a week ago yesterday while grooming and inspecting her. Myah has been flea free for a week now. In less than twenty-four hours, Myah’s fleas were all gone and there was no sign of infestation anywhere on her. She stopped scratching as much and she even healed up (that probably has more to do with her not agitating herself than the actual medication!).

Sergeant’s Flea & Tick Squeeze-On For Dogs is very easy to use. Opening the box, I found three tubes of the medication. Myah, being a fifty pound Siberian Husky, uses the adult formula for dogs between 33 and 66 lbs. The three tubes of Sergeant’s Flea & Tick Squeeze-On For Dogs are heavier plastic cylinders attached to one another on a plastic card. This medicine requires a pair of scissors to properly dispense it.

Using Sergeant’s Flea & Tick Squeeze-On For Dogs is very easy. Simply prepare your dog – I recommend brushing the hair on the nape of the neck out prior to dispensing the Sergeant’s Flea & Tick Squeeze-On For Dogs medicine. Then, simply cut the top off the cylinder and squeeze the fluid inside onto the hair on the back of your dog’s neck. Myah did not even flinch when I dispensed the Sergeant’s Flea & Tick Squeeze-On For Dogs medicine in such a fashion. The medicine had no noticeable odor and Myah showed no reaction to the Sergeant’s Flea & Tick Squeeze-On For Dogs.

The fleas, however, did. Within a day of applying the Sergeant’s Flea & Tick Squeeze-On For Dogs to Myah’s skin, all of her fleas were dead and gone. Because Myah was just fixed, I have not been able to bathe her, but for the past week, she has shown no signs of irritation or of any fleas (wherever they came from!) returning.

However, on day eight, I noticed Myah scratching again. This Sergeant’s medicine kills fleas, but it does not appear to poison the skin one expects flea medicine to. As a result, it becomes impossible to enthusiastically recommend. This is a great way to kill fleas, but to keep them off, one needs a stronger, better, product.

For other dog care products, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Flexi Freedom Large 110 lb. Leash
OurPet’s Store-N-Feed Pet Feeder
Grreat Choice Dog Stain & Odor Remover

5/10

For other pet products, be sure to visit my Pet Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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A feral dog, vomit, and ticks. Oh my!

For months I have said, “I’m going to take a rescue break.  I’m not going to foster anymore dogs.”  And for just that long, the universe has said: “No, not yet…”

That’s sort of how this situation went down two weeks ago.  I got a call from a friend Julie, who explained she was on her way to help another friend with a stray dog that she had caught.

She went on to explain that her friend was at a very busy intersection unsuccessfully trying to catch this little dog, had given up, was walking back to her car, and heard the dog screaming.  She ran back to see what was wrong, and he had fallen into a pond and was drowning.  She lassoed the dog and quickly pulled him to safety.  At that point he started freaking out from being on a leash, and was “alligator rolling” trying to get away.  In my mind I was thinking, “Oh, just a little dog being a little dog.  He is freaked out but will be just fine in a day or two.” 

I have never been more wrong….

Julie brings me this boy, who is pressed so tightly up against the back wall of the crate, that I was expecting the impression of cage bars on him when I reached into the kennel to remove him.

Usually this is the point where I would get bit and draw back a bleeding appendage, but that was too predictable for this boy!  Instead when I reached in to pick him up, he promptly barfed up 2 cups of food on my hand and arm.  In my mind I was quietly chanting:  “I love dogs.  I love dogs.  It is okay that you just vomited up warm, semi chewed food all over me.  I love dogs….”

I carry him into the house, Julie was in charge of carrying the cage full of vomit (small price to pay really…) and we set off to bathe the little prince.  Now, my bathroom is small, (It’s honestly the size of a shoebox…) and I’m bent over the tub scrubbing the heck out of this dog watching the fleas and ticks fall off him, when I hear Julie, who is standing behind me say: “Don’t panic.  Hold still.”  (Never something you want someone to say when standing behind you!)  I immediately froze and Julie in the calmest voice ever says:  “I think that’s a tick on your back.”  Suddenly, I hear the Reluctant Farmer scream from behind the closed bathroom door: “Just hold still!  I’ll get it!”  She knows her role in this relationship so WELL!  Secretly, I think she was worried about Julie’s safety.  There is not enough room in this bathroom for me to freak out and do my “bug dance”.

For those of you that have never been privileged enough to witness my “bug dance”, it entails screaming, jumping up and down, the flailing of arms, and occasionally the shedding of clothes.  (Think Tom Cruise during the infamous Oprah couch interview, but worse because I am naked.  Which is almost as scary as Tom Cruise, but an entirely different blog post…) So now, we have 3 women, 1 dog, and 1 dead tick squeezed into the postage stamp sized lavatory.  Crisis averted!

It isn’t long before we realize this little dog had some BIG issues!  He isn’t your average “I’m scared and out of my element, but I can be bribed” little dog.  He is an all out “I’ve never been around humans, not lived indoors, hunt for my own food” sort of dog. 

There were a few things about this dog that set him apart from any other dog I had ever fostered:

1) He tried to escape through any window, door or screen that he came into contact with, and would climb on any surface that might get him a little closer to the escape route.

2) He would be as quiet as a mouse in his crate during the day, but as soon as the lights were off he would scream like he was being killed.  (The trainer says this is a sure sign he had been running for a while.  He is afraid of the dark because he knows he has the possibility of being something’s pray.)

3) This dog was scared out of his mind of any and all humans.

All of this behavior was enough to make some think euthanasia was the best option for him.  But, there would be one thing that would save his life.  This dog, as feral as he was, showed no aggression towards people.  In the end, I would try to rehab and save this dog, purely on this fact alone.  Success?  Well, that remains to be seen, but what I do know is that death is permanent and I couldn’t sleep at night if I didn’t give this little guy a chance.  There will be more about this boy in the days to come.  

Meet Wigzi….

BITS AND PIECES.....SOME HELPFUL.....SOME LIFE SAVING

Today I’m going to share a little bit of different things with you. As you know, I’ve told you before; I belong to different dog lists or groups that send me all sorts of interesting material to write about. I also get a newsletter every day from a veterinarian on different ways to treat our pets at home. Many of these are holistic approaches to the care of our pets. Hopefully some of these things you can use or try or avoid.

It is spring time and along with the beauty of the season comes the “uglies” as well. The “uglies” that I’m talking about are bugs!! I’m talking about the ones that crawl on your dogs (ticks and fleas) and the ones that fly onto your dogs (flies, gnats, mosquitoes). I USED to use the spot on treatments like Frontline for my dogs to help with fleas and ticks. But because of all the poisons that are in these products, I’ve decided to stop using them all together. Not to mention the expense of using something that is putting poison into my dog’s system. So last year and now again this year, I’m using Lavender essential oil. I put a few drops in a spray bottle with water and everyday I spray my dogs with it. I spray their ears, their body, their bellies, their tails, their legs and feet. You must be careful however, not to get this in their eyes. Knock on wood, last year, I didn’t find any ticks on my dogs. I hope that this will be the same this year as well. I prefer to treat my dogs with natural products rather than poisons and it’s a whole lot cheaper as well.

Another product that I’ve used for the last few years and I love is the “Avon Skin So Soft” line. This product has been around for years and it comes in sprays and bath oils. Some people bathe their dog in the bath oil and others just wipe them down with it. I’ve never tried the bath oil, but I have used the spray successfully. The spray that I’ve used is “Avon Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus Picaridin Pump Spray. For some reason, I couldn’t get this last year, so I used the Lavender Essential Oils instead. This year I will keep both of them handy. I like to spray myself with the Avon product when I take the dogs for a walk.

On to another subject that I found very disturbing. From another list that I belong to, a writer sent an e-mail warning about giving dog’s stuffed toys that are made for children. It seems that a dog died from eating stuffing in a human grade toy. The stuffing inside the toy had fire retardant all through it. When it got into the dogs digestive system, it dissolved and turned into a gooey mess and wasn’t digestible. Unfortunately the poor dog died and when an autopsy was performed they found black gook in the dog’s digestive system. I was horrified because I buy my dog’s stuffed toys from the Good Will stores all the time because it’s a whole lot cheaper to do so. After reading about this terrible tragedy, I’m rethinking about where to get my dog’s toys from.
So I encourage people to get toys made for dogs – it will just might save the dog (and money, too) in the long run. You would think if it is a problem for our dogs, what about children if they decided to eat this????

Here’s another disturbing matter. From this same dog list that sent me the e-mail about the stuffed toy someone wrote about dogs and them chewing on anything that has strings attached to it. This could mean any of those toys that have string hanging from it like those tug of war types of toys. Or it can be like in this case of the lady who wrote about it, a dog unraveling the carpet and eating the strings. It seems like when the dog went to relieve himself, the owner saw him straining and saw blood coming out of the dog. She rushed her dog to the vet who performed emergency surgery and her dog had to have at least a quarter of her intestines removed. It seems that the string wrapped itself around the dog’s intestines and stopped the blood flow. That part of the intestines dies and so can the dog. Her vet told her NEVER pull anything out of the dog as you don’t know what it is wrapped around and by pulling it, you can end up tightening the knot. The dog can die a terrible death.

Some ingredients you don’t want to see in your dog’s food are three common poisons that increase the shelf life of the dog food but not necessarily the life of your dog. Those additives are: Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and Ethoxyquin (EPA regulated pesticide). A lot of time Ethoxyquin is used for fish products. I wrote an article about Ethoxyquin last year on this blog. You can check it out in the achieve section of this blog. It’s interesting to note that all of these substances are banned from human food because some of them promote kidney disease, stomach tumors, etc. If it’s not good for us, then why should we be feeding it to our dogs? Dogs get cancer (one of the top killers of dogs) just like we do and now research believes some of it it’s due to the food that we feed them and all the additives put into those foods. Become a label reader! Know what you’re putting inside your dog.

Speaking of labels, here are some ingredients to look for in your dogs food and those to avoid. Know which are good proteins and which ones that is not. The good proteins are: muscle meats, eggs and organ meats. The ones to stay away from are: wheat, corn and barley. The dog food manufacturers must have at least 9% protein in their food. This is called the Guaranteed Analysis. Otherwise, they are required to print on the label that the food is not nutritionally adequate. To cut corners, the manufacturers use wheat, corn and barley which are vegetable proteins to meet the Guaranteed Analysis requirement which keeps their profits high by not using the more expensive meats.

So there you have just a few interesting bits and pieces that I wanted to share with you today some of which can save your dog’s life.

My rating: knowing what ingredients are in the products that you use: (4), products that contain poison: (1)

Flea and Tick Season has Begun

 

For most of the country Spring has finally sprung. With the temperatures rising the fleas and ticks have started coming out. These little blood suckers are out and trying to take a bite out of everything, including me. A couple of weeks ago, I was helping a friend on his farm. We were walking through the edge of the woods planning a fence line. That night I found a tick that was attached to my rear end. My wife pulled it off for me. I of course thought everything was fine, but after a couple of days, the spot started itching like mad and turning red and swelling. Yep, that little bite was infected. My wife finally talked me into going to the doctor and I am now on antibio ticks, ha ha.

Several of the sites that I looked at for tips on avoiding ticks talked about things like getting rid of leaves, keeping lawns cut very short, limiting the amount of shrubs around your yard, and things like that. If you are like me most of these suggestions are not an option. I rake leaves up and put them in either the compost pile or on the garden spot as mulch. I am trying to have as little grass as possible in my yard, but the grass is being replaced by surprise, surprise, other plants like blackberry, blueberry, and fruit trees. These are the very type things that according to the experts should be avoided to keep away ticks. As a result of my choice to try to be more food sovereign  I must turn to a repellent.

Tick Repellent for People

There are several products available for purchase to repel biting insects. The most well known is Deep Woods Off. This can be very effective against mosquitoes, but does only a fair job of protecting against ticks. The active ingredient of Off is DEET (Diethyl-meta-toluamide). Research has shown that DEET can cause seizures, insomnia, radical mood swings, and impaired cognitive function. Seizure likely hood is quite rare.

The second most common commercially available insect repellent is permethrin based. Permethrin is a compound naturally found in chrysanthemums. Studies have shown that permethrin is far superior at repelling ticks than DEET. One huge problem is there is only one company that manufactures a product for human use. The human permethrin product costs about twice as much as the DEET products per ounce. There are several premethrin based veterinary products that are designed for horses that are considerably less expensive. Some people have used the horse products for themselves and their pets. I however do not suggest this practice.

What if you want a more natural way of protecting yourself? There are several essential oils that are purported to repel ticks and fleas. The most common suggestion is to add 10 drops of eucalyptus oil to sunscreen and apply to all exposed areas.  Other recipes for homemade tick repellent include things like lavender oil, geranium oil, lemon balm, citronella, peppermint and pennyroyal.

There are ready to use products available that can be purchased like Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent Pump Spray or Botanical Solutions Tick Guard 4 Oz. Both of these products reviews are pretty good and both are rated for human use. The Botanical Solutions has been used on pets, but according to one of the reviews the scent is so strong that their dog sneezes constantly.

Tick Repellent for Dogs

The most common two insect repellents for pets is Frontline and Advantix .The links I provided are to the product for the big boys, like I have, the 89 to 132 lbs doggies. Frontline and Advantix are very effective against ticks, but around here only works for about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks for fleas. According to a doggie dermatologist, the fleas in this area are developing an immunity to the chemicals in most of the topical treatments. The problem is many of the things made for dogs will only control either fleas or ticks. For example Comfortis can be purchased at your Veterinarian’s office and is incredible at controlling fleas, I have found nothing that even comes close, but it only protects against fleas.

Several sites I have searched actually say to use the same homemade flea and tick repellents as with people only to not mix it as strong with the essential oils. One person said that they use one drop of rose geranium essential on their dog’s collar once a week. There are also ready to use products designed for pets such as  Vet’s Best Natural Flea and Tick Spray, 8-Ounce. Again with this product the reviews are really quite good.

We will always use something to control the fleas on my dog and my families cats and we are going to try some of these essential oil treatments. If you do end up having a tick bite, even if you get the head out, you may have to go to the doctor. I am glad I finally let my wife talk me into going.

Remember to 
Keep It Rural

When Are Dogs More Likely To Pick Up Ticks?

According to a new study, it may be slightly later than expected.Spring means the start of the tick season, both for pet parents and their pooches.A new study by Georg Duscher and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna has shown how much more likely it is for pets to pick up ticks when the temperatures go up.

Georg Duscher and colleagues analysed data for 700 ticks found  on 90 dogs, that were frequently walked in a particular area in eastern Austria.Of all the three species of ticks most often found,the most common one-Ixodes Ricinus, mostly infected dogs in April and May, although a second peak in infection occurred in September,Dermacentor Reticulatus was largely found during the months of March/April, with much lower numbers in October.Meanwhile Haemaphysalis Concinna seemed to favor the summer months-June/July.

So although the species of tick that your furry friends are most likely to encounter will vary according to the season, dog parents need to pay special attention to the possibility of ticks throughout the year, most especially from March through November.

The scientists also discovered that the number of ticks per day on animals treated with an acaricide, either alone or together with a repellent, was not significantly lower than untreated animals.Disturbingly, the ticks in question are capable of major tick-borne diseases.

Dogs in central Europe are at risk of four granulocytic anaplasmosis:

canine babesiosis

canine granulocytic anaplasmosis

canine borreliosis

tick-borne encephalitis

Michael Leschnik of the Vetmeduni Vienna’s Small Animal Clinic was able to show that over half of the 90 dogs in the study had become infected with one or more of the pathogens during the study period. He found that the chance of being infected did not seem to be reduced by the use of an acaricide, either alone or with a repellent.He also thought that the poor performance of the acaricide may be due to pet parents only applying the spot-on drugs after finding the ticks and that they did not use the drugs often enough.” The efficiency is much higher under laboratory conditions, so we should try to raise the owners’ awareness of how to apply the products correctly,” says Leschnik.

Duscher also found that the ticks preferred to be on the heads, shoulders and chests of dogs .”their body shape makes it difficult for them to crawl through dense fur, so ticks probably attach close to where they arrive rather than risking being knocked off by vegetation,” says Duscher.

Claudia Bensimoun

© Copyright 2013

07 | March | 2010

Archive for March 7, 2010

Tick Season Already?

With daytime temperatures rising into the 40′s, spring has been on my mind. There’s still more than a foot of snow on the ground but the creek is filled with meltwater and the birds’ spring migration is just beginning. Life was great — until this article from The Culpeper, Virginia Star-Exponent ruined my day…

Robins and many other songbirds are often the heralds of springtime and warmer weather just around the corner. Unfortunately, a new report is stating these welcome spring visitors are quite possibly spreading a serious disease of humans and pets … Lyme Disease.

Ticks are the primary vector for spreading Lyme Disease to people, dogs, and horses. Most ticks acquire the disease-causing bacteria by feeding on infected rodents. Deer also play an important role as expanding populations import large numbers of ticks into new areas of the country.

But now, researchers at Yale have found that robins, blue jays and other common birds are also reservoirs of this illness. Furthermore, the nymph and larval stages of the tick life cycle can be carried by the birds across distances and into the yards where pets and people often roam. What this means is that the heralded robin of spring could be leaving their parasite passengers and Lyme Disease in your backyard.

I hate ticks. I really hate ticks. If I could wave a magic wand and make every last one of the evil eight-legged bastards disappear – I’d say damn the environmental torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Sadly, I don’t have a magic wand. And – if robins and jays are dropping evil arachnid invaders into our midst, they could already be active during the day. Deer ticks typically become active at temperatures above 45° F.

This means it’s time to get off my duff and figure out what kind of preventative to use on the dogs this year. Here are the options:

Revolution/Stronghold (Pfizer)
These are monthly spot treatments typically applied between the shoulder blades. They enter your dog’s bloodstream through his skin and then are selectively distributed from the blood to the skin where they provide protection against a wide range of pests. The active ingredient in these products is selamectin.  Revolution and Stronghold are listed as being active against fleas, American dog ticks, ear mites, sarcoptic mange and heartworm in United States and fleas, ear mites, sarcoptic Mange, heartworm and roundworm in Europe.  Selamectin kills parasites by blocking nerve signal transmission. These products are absorbed through the skin and travel to the bloodstream and gastrointestinal tract where some of the pesticide action occurs. The products eventually migrate out to the hair and skin where they provide some external protection against fleas, mites and ticks. There have been scattered reports of adverse reactions to these products.

Frontline Top Spot (Merial)
Another monthly topical spot treatment with the active ingredient Fipronil. It is listed as being effective against fleas for 90 days and ticks for 30 days. Frontline used to be the treatment of choice here for ticks, but studies suggest that fleas and ticks are quickly becoming resistant to it. Frontline only protects against fleas, ticks and biting lice.  The fipronil is mixed with an oil carrier that allows it to collect in the sebaceous glands of the skin where it is released over time. This product offers some water resistance and it acts by blocking chlorine in the insect’s nervous system which causes paralysis and death. It doesn’t contain permethrins that are toxic to cats. There have been some reports of adverse reactions in dogs.

Frontline Plus (Merial)
Frontline Plus contains fipronil and methoprene, an insect growth regulator. Methoprene mimics juvenile growth hormones and keeps immature fleas from developing by preventing them from molting. The main advantage of this product over regular Frontline is that it provides extra protection against fleas.

K-9 Advantix (Bayer)
Advantix is a topical treatment marketed as preventing heartworm by repelling and killing mosquitoes before they bite your dog. Like Frontline, it collects in the sebaceous glands of the skin and is released over time. Active ingredients are the pyrethroids imidacloprid and permethrin. Imidacloprid acts by blocking insects’ nerve receptors. Imidacloprid kills fleas but doesn’t affect ticks so permethrin is added to provide protection against them. Pyrethroids may offer some environmental advantage because they are highly biodegradable, but permethrin is extremely toxic to cats, so you may not want to use this product if your household includes cats (or ferrets). There have been some reports of adverse effects related to Advantix.

Advantage Multi/Advocate (Bayer)
A  monthly topical treatment that protects against fleas, ear mites, sarcoptic mange, heartworm, roundworm, and hookworm. Advantage and Advocate provide NO TICK PROTECTION. The active ingredient in both products is imidacloprid. A poodle in Canada was reportedly glued to the bottom of his crate after application of Advantage. Benzyl alcohol, one of the inactive ingredients in the product, is a common organic solvent. Benzyl alcohol can be used to extract and dissolve many kinds of plastics. It is used as a preservative, solvent, anesthetic, and viscosity-decreasing agent in many products for human use. It is probably an ingredient in other topical antiparasitics as well. Be sure these products are fully dried and/or absorbed before putting your pet in a crate, car seat or other potentially adhesive environment.

Bio-Spot On (Farnam)
This monthly topical treatment contains imidacloprid and permethrin like Advantix and adds insect growth regulators and insect growth inhibitors. Insect growth regulators include methoprene, pyriproxyfen and fenoxycarb. Insect growth inhibitors include lufenuron and diflubenzuron. Bio-Spot On is listed as being active against fleas, ticks and mosquitoes and, like K-9 Advantix, should provide some repellent action. There are scattered reports of adverse reactions to this product. Like Frontline and Advantix it collects in the sebaceous glands where it is released over time.

Preventic and ProMeris (Fort Dodge)
Preventic is a collar, ProMeris is a monthly topical treatment. Both products contain amitraz. ProMeris also contains metaflumizone which targets synaptic sodium channels and blocks nerve impulses resulting in the paralysis and death of fleas. Amitraz kills ticks by disrupting nerve function leading to reduced feeding and attachment, paralysis and death. ProMeris is listed as controlling fleas, ticks and mange. Preventic is a tick collar. There have been several reports of adverse affects related to ProMeris. Both products have a very strong, eucalyptus odor that many people (and pets) find offensive.

Program and Sentinel (Novartis)
Program and Sentinel are monthly oral treatments containing the insect development inhibitor lufenuron. Lufenuron is stored in the animal’s body fat and transferred to adult fleas through their bite. It acts by inhibiting chitin production in larval fleas and is NOT EFFECTIVE AGAINST TICKS OR ADULT FLEAS. Sentinel also contains milbemycin oxime, a microfilariacide which disrupts nerve transmission in parasites leading to their death. Milbemycin oxime is active against immature heartworm larvae and adult hookworms, roundworms and whipworms.  It is not listed for use against ticks.

Capstar (Novartis)
Capstar is an oral treatment containing nitenpyram. Nitenpyram blocks fleas’ nerve receptors. It enters your pet’s blood stream in about twenty minutes and when the fleas bite they’re killed very quickly. Capstar can reportedly be used as frequently as on a daily basis. It is listed for use on pregnant or nursing dogs and cats, and puppies and kittens 4 weeks and older. Capstar can wipe out an ugly infestation but it provides no long-term pest control because it passes through your pet’s system in just 24 hours. Capstar also provides NO TICK PROTECTION.

Comfortis (Elanco)
Comfortis is a monthly oral flea treatment. The active ingredient is spinosad, a tetracyclic macrolide that activates nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the fleas’ nervous systems and makes it seize until it dies. FDA has warned that it has received adverse reaction reports on spinosad that are consistent with ivermectin toxicity, so use caution in treating dogs with known or potential ivermectin sensitivity. Because Comfortis acts by triggering lethal seizures in the flea, I would not use this product on an epileptic dog.  Comfortis is NOT EFFECTIVE AGAINST TICKS.

Vectra 3D (Summit)
Vectra 3D is a quick-acting monthly topical treatment that repels and kills fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, lice, sand flies and mites. The active ingredients in Vectra 3D are dinotefuran, pyriproxyfen and permethrin. Dinotefuran is based on acetycholine, other flea control products are based on nicotine.The manufacturer states that the differing lead compound makes it less problematic with respect to . Dinotefuran also binds to different nerve synapse receptor sites than other products and it kills pests by contact, not ingestion. Unlike other products, it is reportedly spread through a dog’s hair. Because it contains permethrin, it is highly toxic to cats.

TriForce (Agri Laboratories Ltd.)
TriForce is a fast-acting monthly topical flea and tick treatment for dogs. The manufacturer states that it also repels ticks and mosquitoes. The active ingredients are etofenprox and pyriproxyfen. Etofenprox is a pyrethroid, so it cannot be used on cats. Pyriproxyfen prevents larvae from developing into adulthood and reproducing.

We don’t have a significant problem with fleas, ticks are our primary concern. So Program, Sentinel, Capstar, Advantage, Comfortis and Advocate are easy to eliminate. Like many other people, I’ve noticed that Frontline doesn’t seem to be as effective as it used to be, so I’ll nix Frontline and Frontline Plus as well. I’m not comfortable with the number of reports of adverse effects I’ve seen with ProMeris so it’s off the list too.

That leaves me with Advantix, Bio-Spot On, Revolution and Preventic. Since we don’t have cats, I’m more comfortable with pyrethroids than growth inhibitors and regulators (on a purely subjective level, neurotoxins don’t seem as nasty to me as compounds that interfere with the growth and development of organisms). So the current plan is to use Preventic collars (we’ll try them on top of bandannas) when we’re out hiking in the brush and have some Advantix on hand for any infestations the collars don’t prevent. The dogs are already on Heartguard, so they don’t need the extra protection (and chemicals) in Revolution. If we have significant tick problems this year, I may try Revolution next summer.

Pyrethroids are toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms at part per trillion concentrations, so I’ll make sure I apply Advantix on a day when the dogs aren’t going to be in or near the water. Because it’s safe to assume that benzyl alcohol or other organic solvents are probably a part of all topical formulas, I’ll make sure they’re completely absorbed before I put the beasties in crates or let them wrestle on the rubber mats in the training room. And because there is some risk of adverse reactions to all drugs and treatments, I’ll treat the dogs when I’ll be home with them for a least a few hours after applying the product.

The usual caveats apply: I’m not a veterinarian, your experience may be different than mine and your pets may have sensitivities and problems not mentioned here. This information is incomplete and simply represents the process I went through to decide what products to use for my own dogs. In other words – your mileage may vary.

Ideas? Opinions? Anecdotes? – Put them in the comments!

March 7, 2010 at 7:48 pm 36 comments

Ticks in Toronto!

My neighbour recently mentioned that her dog was bitten by two ticks in the past several weeks. Her veterinarian mentioned that ticks have become a more prevalent problem lately in the Toronto area. The Public Health Agency of Canada has information about ticks in Canada on their website http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/id-mi/tickinfo-eng.php but I found the information dated and not as detailed as I was looking for. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website is more useful and detailed. You can find the CDC’s website here http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/.

Ticks can carry nasty diseases such as Lyme Disease, Ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, to name just a few. The best approach for dealing with tick-borne diseases is to prevent ticks from biting you and your dog in the first place. Not all of the heartworm/flea/tick prevention products purchased from your vet will prevent all types of ticks from biting and transmitting diseases to your dog. It is therefore important to take an additional step to protect your furry friend.

Whenever I hike, I spray my dogs down with a natural repellent  made from essential oils and water. Since using this spray, I have not found a tick on me or my dogs after a hike. Here is the recipe I use:

• 15 drops lemongrass essential oil


• 30 drops lavender essential oil


• 30 drops cedar wood essential oil


• 20 drops peppermint essential oil


• 20 drops eucalyptus essential oil


• 10 oz distilled water

Place all ingredients in an 10oz. or larger spray bottle. Always shake before spraying you and your dogs. You can also double the recipe if you have a larger bottle. I carry this spray in my van so that I am ready and prepared to spray each dog down at the trail head of the day.

In addition to using a natural repellent, I also examine all dogs in my care after each hike. I look for scrapes and injuries as well as external parasites such as ticks and fleas so I can remove any I find. I have yet to find a flea or tick on the dogs though!

Happy, safe hiking!