My friend's dog has come home with ticks on himself and are now in her house. She keeps finding new ticks every day. She asked me what to do since she knows I have lyme. I have been gone from here for a while and am not up on the latest.
1. What is the best way for her to get rid of the ticks in her house? She is getting a pest control out Thursday but I am not sold that is enough.
2. I told her she should give both her and her dog 4 weeks of Doxy as a precaution. Is this enough? What dosage etc do you recommend? I also told her to save the ticks she finds and have them tested in lieu of getting lyme, bab, erlichiosis tests done since they aren't reliable.
I appreciate all your help!
Dana
Posted by sometimesdilly (Member # 9982) on :
have goldfish instead of dogs as pets?
Posted by LisaS (Member # 10581) on :
Use Frontline on the dogs. Its a liquid you put on their neck, I think like once every couple months or something like that.
Posted by Puterputz (Member # 11522) on :
My friend already uses frontline and had actually just put it on her dog the morning of when this happened. I am more concerned as to how to get rid of the Ticks that are in her house now! Frontline is not going to help get rid of the ticks that are on her bed, under the bed, rugs, etc.
Posted by Boomerang (Member # 7979) on :
The ticks have invaded her house?
[ 08. April 2007, 06:11 PM: Message edited by: Boomerang ]
Posted by SunRa (Member # 3559) on :
a friend of mine had this problem - his dogs are on Frontline and while it does prevent the ticks from attaching to the dogs, it doesn't prevent them from hitching a quick ride on the fur and BECAUSE of the Frontline, they'll jump right off into your home instead of feeding on the dog. his home was infested and had to resort to leaving for a while so it could be fumigated.
so you still have to do tick checks and brush throughouly after outings.
that's a horrible situation and unfortunately I don't have any advice...especially since I'm not a fan of ANY chemical pesticide...for several reasons.
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
Ok, this looks interesting. I just got out my info on TKO Orange, a nontoxic orange d'limonene concentrate spray that we use to kill bedbugs. After we spray premises, the smell usually lasts for about a half hour.
The literature says it's for ticks too! The national number is 1-800-484-9969. I'd like to call tomorrow and see what they have to say about tick control. Gonna need some info on how this will affect animals as well.
Posted by Dave6002 (Member # 9064) on :
Using high concentration of salt water to spray the floor?
Posted by treepatrol (Member # 4117) on :
Ps If you use a indoor Flea & Tick Fogger be sure that your furnace is turned way down so it dosent kick on when the fog is in the air because it could ignite?
heres a few brands
X O TROL Full Season IGR Flea & Tick Fogger Zodiac FleaTrol Fogger Sergeant's PreTect Indoor Flea and Tick Fogger
Zodiac FleaTrol Carpet & Uphostery Aerosol Spray Hartz 2 in 1 Flea & Tick Carpet Powder
Posted by Nebula2005 (Member # 8244) on :
What you're seeing is probably brown dog ticks. They are the only kind that will reproduce in your house.
We had them-they are very hard to get rid of.
A professional pest control company is a good idea.
We kept Advantix on the dog and we still got them. For years. It was a nightmare.
Brown dog ticks carry diseases; WHAT is still largely unresearched and unaknowledged.
Our dog died suddenly, we don't know what killed him but I strongly suspect it was something he contracted from all the ticks I was constantly picking off of him.
This type of tick doesn't seem to like to bite people or even cats--this is based on my experience with them.
However, I would take the dog to the vet. Most recently, I learned that North Carolina State University is doing a study on brown dog ticks, they think they carry Bartonella. What a surprise. If the vet is interested, I could find a contact for you to send the ticks and/or the dog's blood.
We had them hatch in dresser drawers, closets, under furniture. The females lay eggs that look like clumps of brown sugar. Gross gross gross.
Posted by 5dana8 (Member # 7935) on :
Ditto the above poster. I would have the house fogged.
Best to use a professional.
Fogging can get into those very tiny nooks & cravicies where the smaller ticks can hide.
****Make sure to stay out of the house for a while to let the fumes disapate. And cover all food surfaces & eating stuff. make sure all your bags & food are sealed when You fog.-pet water dish's ect..*******
In FL I used pest-X. They came in & used an all natural salt that they put everywhere. It works on fleas not sure about thicks. The salt is supposed to dehydrate the critters.-would not be my first choice with ticks.
Personally I would not spend one minute in a house with a tick infestation. Yikes. Scary
hope this helps Dana
Posted by just don (Member # 1129) on :
Okay here is my two cents,,,whether or NOT you like it.
Get a 2 gallon sprayer and a little bottle of Tempo SC insecticide spray. It is made of Geraniums(sp)the flowers, okay,,,so I cant spell worth a hoot,,whats new,
The spray in the water smells not at all,,,NO fumes and very safe for inside the house. It is even labeled for resurants,,so you know it is real safe. A thick layer or in a fogger would be an excellent first line defence of ticks. Frontline and a tick collar,,,double whammy on the dog would 'help'. BEST solution is NOT have a dog that goes in and out.
Just talking about dogs 'here'. IF I have one it stays outside 24/7 always NEVER allowed inside. Any animal in and out of a door is a walking tick carrier,,,period.
I guess this is easier to me because I am allergic to cats and dogs in the house,,,so they are NOT an option HERE.
But of all sprays the tempo is definitely the safest,non smelly stuff you can find,ever!! Might even be able to spray with a spritz bottle right on the dog. Dunno if its labeled that way,,but sure would 'try' it if he has any chance of hitch-hikers coming in with him. This stuff is so benign,,,hard to tell how it works!!!Try buying at a farm supply store.
Edited to PS.---this stuff also kills all the normal household pests,,such as spiders,crickets etc, I think even ants. So good stuff to have around,,,better than a can of stinky old Raid,or whatever. Use it to your good health!!
Posted by ESG (Member # 4816) on :
and please do not have her medicate her dog without advice from a vet! Dogs are not people & their needs/tolerances are different.
ESG
Posted by Puterputz (Member # 11522) on :
Thank you everyone for your replies!
Lots of good information for her.
Dana
Posted by Osp (Member # 10593) on :
Years ago, I was told by a professional that, once a house was infested with ticks, they were impossible to be 100% rid of. I hope, for your friend, there are new things on the market.
Posted by canbravelyme (Member # 9785) on :
Someone assure me that your friend isn't hanging around the house, and has taken her pets, too.
We (my dog and I) were exposed to - so many! dog ticks. I used to comb them out of her fur.
We were also exposed to deer ticks. We both were very ill. She's better than I am; I'd say she's 87% better. Myself - oh the slog...
I don't know which or how many or both bit me - I don't remember any bites, but I have the evidence. The story of the dog dying makes me very sad, and I think one should pay heed.
With best wishes,
canbravelyme.
Posted by BOEJR (Member # 1734) on :
Hi Puter,
Here is something I did however you must use caution as it can be toxic if you a child or a pet gets into it. However it will work over night.
boric acid powder,,,
I used this on a house that my cousin had repossed... there where so many different things crawling around but she, and her husband where asthmatic. They where both allergic to sprays, and the foggers did nothing.
I poked holes in the top like a salt shaker. (This house was vacant however) And sprinkkled it everywhere. The next day we entered the house and everything was dead. Till this day she does not have a pest problem.
READ THE PACKAGE INSTRUCTIONS THIS CAN BE TOXIC!
You should tell your freind only to do this if the case is severe and there are no other options. Also, it is highly recommended that everyone leave until it can be cleaned up wearing protective clothing of course.
I would try garlic concentrate, the Tick Barrier product. At least, not harmful.
I use garlic spray on my garden, it seems to work for about a month, then I need respraying. I would start with that, even if my house smells garlic for a while. The smell is not that bad, only in the first day, but that's for my garden. No idea for inside. But I'd rather have garlic smell than ticks.
Another option seems to be Neem oils, powder etc. someone just posted about taht in the Buhner's forum... selma
Posted by jfb42 (Member # 11642) on :
My doctor recommended BioUD - organic insect/tick repelent.
Becareful with the garlic, its toxic for dogs.
Posted by Just Julie (Member # 1119) on :
Frontline, and Frontline Plus (has ingredient that kills tick eggs, so it says on the package) will not, I repeat WILL NOT, keep ticks from attaching. This is so important to realize!
I have outside only cats, that I have been applying Frontline Plus to, for four years now. We live in tick country in Northern CA. I keep a Mason jar filled with rubbing alcohol, that I deposit the ticks that I take off of the cats, into.
I have done my own unscientific research on this issue, as I feel it is the only thing I can do to keep my sanity while still having outside only cats, while living in tick country. This amounted to, noting that there is an attached tick on my cat(s). Noting where, exactly, (I mean exactly---they are not tick infested cats, so this is easy to do) where that attached tick is, was it there the day before? No, well, then every single day, check to see if that tick is still there, attached. Then, remove the tick. Removing the tick on day #1, resulted in a LIVE TICK BEING REMOVED. Removing the tick on day #2 of attachment resulted in a DEAD TICK. My conclusions were that ticks crawled on my FRONTLINED cats. Ticks that were attached for one day, were not dead yet. Ticks removed on day two, were dead.
I concluded that Frontline does NOT prevent crawling ticks, DOES NOT PREVENT ticks from attaching, then being detached (while cat scratches itself, or while it's being petted). Does not kill ticks on contact.
Frontline Plus takes 2 days to kill an attached tick. I proved this several different times, on cats. It was very clear to me that this product takes a full two days of a tick attached, to do the job it was intended to do.
I just wish this were VERY VERY CLEAR on the package of Frontline. People can get a very false sense of safety if they are not aware of this. I tell everyone I know where I live that this needs to be paid attention to, and yet I still have neighbors who say incorrect stuff.
The Frontline instructions do say that you need to wash your hands every time after having petted the animal. I do this automatically when I come inside my house, after having been in the garage to attend to my cats. You just get in the habit of doing this, I could not imagine having an inside/outside animal, cat or dog, like Just Don says, this merely makes the animal a tick carrier.
I personally would not re-enter a house that has had a known tick infestation. Julie
Posted by Just Julie (Member # 1119) on :
Also, Frontline (and Frontline Plus) needs to be applied to the cat or dog, EVERY FOUR WEEKS. This is per the instructions on the box, not every couple of months, as one person stated.
That's once a month. It's expensive, too. I've talked to a slew of friends/neighbors who report that using the grocery store topical flea/tick stuff (Hartz?) does not work as well, or effectively as, Frontline does. You get what you pay for in this product.
You just need to realize there are limitations, and acknowledge that there is nothing that can prevent a tick from hopping onto your pet, and hopping off in your house, even if the pet has Frontline on it, if the tick gets off the animal before 2 days have passed, it can still find YOU and attach to YOU, and then, well, the rest is as we all know it. Doom and gloom. Lyme. Sigh. Dang. Julie (no smiley face, please).
Posted by Nebula2005 (Member # 8244) on :
Just Julie is absolutely right about it taking days for attached ticks to die using flea/tick control products. Our cats do go in and out, and I check each one of them every day.
NEVER never never use a product for dogs on cats unless the package specifically says you can use it on cats!! It can kill them. It's a very disturbing thing to have happen to a pet. My husband is a vet, and he sees this from time to time.
Cats have very sensitive nervous systems. Also, some of these products that you can use on cats you should not put on kittens.
I wouldn't recommend the stuff at the grocery store, for one thing it doesn't work. It's a waste of money.
One other step you can take is having your yard treated, if you don't live in the country or the middle of the woods like we do, in which case it's impractical. Other than that, you just have to be vigilant, or keep your pets in or out.
In my experience with ticks, boric acid doesn't work. It's very effective against fleas, however.
I love my cats, I would rather have them in the house at night to keep them away from the coyotes and stray dogs. They are very spoiled and really like being outside during the day.
Of course, my main purpose in life has become being a cat slave. Not for everyone!
Luckily, the worst ticks won't live in your house. Not that our brown dog tick experience wasn't horrifying, but they preferentially feed on dog blood.
We haven't gotten another dog since our dog died, because we are still broken hearted and because he was a world-class tick magnet. We haven't seen any dog ticks for about six months. He died in October 2005. That's how long the little ******** can live without eating!
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