Does Anyone Use Tick "preventative" like Nexgard (Afoxolaner)?

[MaisyPancakes]

Hey guys!

TBN (down to Pia or Minnow) was advised to take tick killers because we like to go into tick-infested places. I was unable to keep MP safe despite her limited mobility (= wasn't running through grassy fields all day), short coat (easier to spot ticks), and extraordinary patience that allowed me to comb every centimeter of her body—she tested positive for Lyme and anaplasmosis at the very end!!!
Although Pia/Minnow also lets me comb/investigate all over, I have zero confidence in my ability to prevent tick attachment or disease.

Nexgard is what my vet has been using and considers the least bad kind. Do you guys use anything, and if so, what kind?

She'll be doing the heartworm drugs (either Heartgard or Interceptor), also.

Thanks so much!

[connie]

I do not use a (chemical) tick repellent and yep, I'm pulling ticks off my dogs -- well, not regularly, but not rarely, either.

Beau tested positive for Lyme this year, Rowley for Lyme in 2016, Dee for ehrlichia in 2016, and in the past, Miss Pip was positive for anaplasmosis one year.

Twenty-eight days of doxycycline has proved to be effective at wiping out all the tick-borne illnesses that my dogs had. I would rather not use the preventives -- that have a very uneven rate of success, from what I read -- when I know I will test annually and I will treat every positive with a month of doxy.

If heartworm were so easily treated, I wouldn't bother with preventive for that, either, but heartworm is a nasty customer and I never want to see a positive on that again, whereas I am resigned to my dogs periodically testing positive for TBD. As a vet tech in my BC rescue pointed out recently, it's almost impossible to keep your dog away from ticks, they are now everywhere in the Midwest.

Cedarcide makes TickShield, which is pretty effective, in my experience. If I remember to apply it to all my dogs, no matter how dense the coat may be, it does work. And it smells nice. https://www.cedarcide.com/ticks/

[MaisyPancakes]

Thanks, Connie! I will check out the Cedarcide product! I was looking into the picaridin stuff, although I recall a FB discussion where it wasn't as successful as DEET for some ODOers. I hate all of this.

I was using homemade EO formulas on MP with moderate success (i.e., probably not much!) but stopped when she started having seizures of unknown origins—plus, the smell was strong even for humans that I always felt so bad for her big dog nose. It seemed like anything strong enough to deter/kill ticks is strong enough to suck in other ways for the wearer.

For whatever reason *I* haven't gotten any this year so far, despite my relatively high-risk activities...unless they're getting full and falling off without my knowing.

Arghhhhh, ticks!!!!

[Sabine]

Ditto on the cedarcide, and don't use any of the new isoxazolines class tick drugs. You don't need your dog to be a guinea pig for minimally tested drugs.

[connie]

I'm with you on the EO, Nana. Rose geranium oil WILL repel ticks very effectively, but I cannot stand the smell of it, and even worse, my dogs hate it. Alex, my Nosework dog, acted like I'd lit his tail on fire when I put some on him last time (a couple of years ago). It does seem mean to do that to such sensitive noses.

The frustrating thing, I think, is that we want to prevent pests and parasites from zeroing in on our dogs AT ALL, and we really can't. Such is the state of the ecology now, and actually I question if we ever could prevent all unwanted bugs and critters -- I think we've been marketed to by big pharma in that regard.

Good luck!

[MaisyPancakes]

I hear you, Connie! I still think prevention (= prevent ticks from attaching) seems the most sensible of all the methods; kinda nuts to "circulate poison 24/7 in case a tick attaches, for however long it takes for it to work." If it must be the latter, then we sure would benefit from an as-needed, shorter-acting drug that you can just give during/immediately after high-risk activities! I feel like most people have relatively limited exposure via special outings, as opposed to all-day/everywhere.