Ticks!!!

For all you outdoorsy types who take your dogs on nature hikes with you -- what do you do about ticks?!

We took a long walk at a Civil war battlefield in our town that has paths through the woods. We used a long lead and Daisy did so well. She stayed on the paths, came to me every time I called, etc. I kept thinking "we have to do this regularly -- it's so much fun!" Well, the next day, we found two ticks on Daisy's belly and the day after that, I found one on my back!" Yuck and double-yuck! When I pulled one of the ticks off of Daisy, it's head broke off despite me being very careful. So now I have to watch that place on her. Plus, just thinking about them has sent me into a scratching frenzy feeling little things crawling all over me. I checked the kids over as well as possible and didn't find any ticks on either of them.

She's on Frontline Plus which is supposed to kill ticks within 48 hours. We found hers after about 28 hours and they were definitely still alive. It worries me because 24 hours of attachment is enough to transmit Lyme disease. I have no idea how long the little bugger was on my back.

Is there anything I can put on Daisy to prevent them from getting on her in the first place? I hate to be paranoid about taking her out places like that. Can I spray Off (TM) on her like I would on me and the kids? Just on her legs? I really want a repellant more than a tick killer. Any advice or wisdom would be appreciated. We'd like to take up camping as that is one of the few types of vacations where we can bring Daisy along, but if I have to be in a panic all the time about ticks, it certainly wouldn't be much fun!

I wouldn't spray any human repellant on a dog -- unlike your kids dogs are likely to lick it off and also, chemicals that are OK for humans can seriously harm animals.

Your vet should be able to give you information of what can be safely used in your area.

I think if you use Frontline before going out (like a few days before) then they are less likely to attach but I could be wrong on that. Some people use the Lyme vax in high Lyme disease areas.

You need to take her to the vet with that broken head so they can try to get it out and disinfect the wound -- it can turn into an abcess. I hate ticks but have never had them here in Ireland -- our dog in Calif got them though!

Here in Australia we have the dreaded paralysis tick which kills many dogs in this country every year.

According to my vet, there is nothing that is 100% effective. We use Frontline spot on every fortnight, but (as advised by our vet) every night the dogs are inspected for ticks as part of their evening cuddles.