Suggestion for a good tick repellant?

Hi All,

We use Advantix on Meenah, but it does not prevent ticks from hitching a ride on her and ending up in our house and on us. Now that Spring is around the corner, we have noticed a couple of ticks on her. I've heard that some tick collars can cause illness in dogs but that this is the only way you can actually repel ticks. I was wondering if any of you could suggest a tick repellant product that has worked well for your cavaliers. Thanks!

I've not used anything on my two because we don't live in a tick area, luckily. However, after a holiday in Scotland last year when we brought many little nasties back with us, I asked the vet and he suggested Advantix because it is the only one that kills on contact, not just once they've latched on and started sucking blood. We were planning on using it this year when we go up to Scotland again, but now I'm not so sure if you're saying that Meenah still gets ticks.

As far as the house goes - I got a can of RIP Fleas - a spray treatment that kills ticks as well as fleas on carpets and floors/ furniture etc. It lasts for 12 months, so that stopped Pippin (especially prone ) and Maddie getting the ticks re-attached after they'd dropped off. I vacuumed up several once I'd sprayed the house.

So, I can't help with something to put on Meenah, but you should be able to treat your house to minimise re-attachment. Can your vet suggest anything different?

I'm in the same dilemma. We've been using Advantix for years. However, this past summer, in Michigan, Riley got a tick that was attached and becoming engorged. When asked about what else to try, the vet said that she thought Advatix was the best. Even though it attached to Riley, she said it should kill it before it was able to transmit Lyme Disease. I have my doubts since it was feeding on her already. I am still using it on my four though because I haven't decided what else to use. I do apply it religiously the first of every month even in winter, so the tick happened when she should have been fully protected.

My vet had also suggested using Advantix. He said it kills the ticks once they bite and has a small amount of repellent. However, they still get on Meenah and she'll then bring them into the house. I have three kids and twice removed a tick from my youngest daughter and myself. I just don't want them in my house. Even after combing and checking her body, I still end up occassionally missing one or two and her hair is soooo long and bushy!

There are some herbal spray repellants. I've never tried them but they are non toxic and couldn't hurt. Try a holistic vet, they'll probably sell them

Jen and Ilsa

vshenoy said:

I have three kids and twice removed a tick from my youngest daughter and myself. I just don't want them in my house.

Click to expand...

:grnyuk: The thought of that just makes my skin crawl. It would definitely be worth you at least finding something to spray round your house so when they drop off Meenah they die rather than attach themselves to you and your kids.

Have you tried Frontline? It also works against ticks. I don't know if it's the same active ingrediant as Advantix or not, but it might be worth asking your vet.

We use Frontline Plus which is good for fleas, flea eggs, ticks and chewing lice. It is very effective and I find my dogs have been tick free all summer. We have a cabin in Northern Minnesota and every spring and fall the ticks are everywhere!

I'm sorry - I said that I used Advantix on my dogs, but it's really Frontline Plus. And Riley still got a tick on her. So now I don't know what to do. I thought I remembered from posts late last summer that more people seemd to recommend Advantix over Frontline. I'm still confused.

Someone on another forum (obedience) made some good suggestions for alternative flea/tick treatment - I'm going to try them this summer, having used Program Plus very succesfully when I just had Oliver, but it's too pricey now I have two.

1. Mix equal parts white (distilled) vinegar and water together in a spray bottle and apply the mixture directly to your dog's coat, avoiding eyes and genitals. Work into the coat with your hands, paying special attention to behind ears, base of tail and in 'armpits'.

2. Lavender, lemongrass, and geranium essential oils repel ticks - dab between the dog's shoulder blades.

3. Spray for house, dog beds and furniture: a spray bottle of distilled water with 3-5 drops of four of the following essential oils: lavender, peppermint, lemon geranium, lemongrass, rosemary, citronella, thyme, orange, cedar, rosewood, eucalyptus, neem, myrrh or lemon. Before using, shake well.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

I use advantix, and still find the occasional tick. In fact, I had a huge scare with our collie last summer. He actually got tick paralysis from one.
(you can read the thread about it here)
http://board.cavaliertalk.com/showthread.php?t=25929&highlight=tick+paralysis
I think, really, you have to just keep a close check on them in addition to using advantix or an equivalent. Frontline no longer works for us on the fleas around here (they were getting fleas on frontline month after month. The vet said to change that Frontline wasn't working well anymore)

I had always used Frontline Plus up until the end of last summer when we had a trip to the vets and mentioned that Jasper seemed to be scratching a lot only about two weeks after being Frontlined, he mentioned that Frontline did`nt seem to work anymore and recommended Advantix so we use that now and it seems to have sorted out the scratching.

We changed from frontline combi to Stronghold because the fleas were winning the battle. Unfortunately this works against fleas and the common worms, but not ticks. Hence the reason we were going to try Advantix for the summer holiday. We may still try it, and see how we get on.