My Battle With Ticks

I. HATE. TICKS. Ticks have got to be the grossest, most disgusting, loathsome creatures that ever existed. And did I mention I HATE TICKS? I’ve had dogs since 1990, and I never had a problem with ticks. And especially with this batch of dogs, I’ve been extra careful when it comes to parasites, since all 3 dogs have tested positive for Ehrlichiosis in the past. We were successful in treating them, but we were warned that subsequent infections could prove more difficult to treat. So imagine my panic when I woke up one morning to find HORDES of these despicable parasites practically devouring our dogs! It’s as if they came out of nowhere! Like a hellspawn army of bloodsucking tiny demons.

I had our dogs slathered with Frontline and the vet recommended getting them a “semi-kal” (semi-kalbo) cut, with the hair almost cropped to the skin. I’ve never seen how our furry dogs actually look like under all that hair. Siam looks like a giant curly Jack Russell, while Cairo looked like a rat. They couldn’t really remove all the ticks, but they’re mostly dead already. We just have to wait for them to fall off (ugh!). But even then, my concern now is the multitude of ticks in their play area, just waiting to pounce on the dogs once the Frontline wears off. They suggested different solutions. One is Asuntol, a highly toxic powder that your dissolve in water then spray all over the affected areas. But it’s hard to find now, and it’s toxic to animals, so I’d have to move the dogs somewhere else for a day or two. The vet also suggested spraying anti-tick shampoo like Axxit, which aren’t as toxic and works relatively just as well.

I’m still scrounging the internet for possible safer ways to treat the area to kill the ticks and their eggs. I’m still at a loss how to purge my house of these vile creatures.

Suggestions are highly welcome.

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