Tick help

[shhhgobacktosleep]

I'm hoping someone can give us advice. We've just discovered our border collie has his second tick in 3 weeks . He is a rescue dog and we frontlined him with spot on the day we found the first (2 days after we got him). I thought that the frontline was supposed to stop ticks . Are we doing something wrong? Is there anything else we can do? Eww I've just begun to accept dealing with headlice in the children and now this

I have found the ticks really bad this year . My springer has had several over the past few weeks (thankfully the lab has escaped so far) so I sympathise with you!
I don't use fronline, I use advocate and it has been really effective up until now.
have you got a tick remover? It is the best thing to remove them completely and is easy to use-they only cost a couple of pounds from most pet shops.

Frontline and Prac-tic only kills once they attach so you will see them on your dog, but they are killed within 48 hours.
Advocate does not protect againist ticks at all.
Advantix and Scalibor actually repel the ticks and prevent them from attaching in the first place.

The two remedies used by 'dog owners I know' are to either use some cotton wool soaked in vodka and hold is directly onto the tic, which then drops off - I didn't believe it til I saw it, but hey. Or to burn it off with a match - which did work but almost set my dear old retriever alight (he was fine and died at a ripe old age).
I always use the vodka now as it's quick and effective!

Please please don't take a lighted match near your dog I have seen too many burns from the match slipping. Vodka does cause the tick to inject saliva which can carry lyme disease a good safe remedy is to smoother the tick with vaseline.

I can't recommend O'Tom tick removers highly enough - I wish I was on commission, I sell so many. Really easy to use and work really well - lift the tick out cleanly, complete with mouthparts, and without squeezing it, thus reducing the saliva -> pet risk. Most vets sell them, as far as I know.

Our vets have just switched to prescribing Advantix to try and help keep the ticks down. We had Effipro which wasn't that bad before.

Definitely get a tick Twister. Sooo easy to use.

Thank you so much for your replies. I found it in the hall this morning (ewww) clearly it needed to injest his blood to get the frontline in to kill it (dunce emoticon), but am thankful that at least I know its doing its job (have marked on the calendar when it needs renewing).

alice15 - I've been reading up on the little beggars and I've seen a few places/people recommend the tick remover you mentioned so shall try and hunt one down to buy locally or order one from the net.

It's written on his medical notes, that we were given with him, that he can't have advantix as had an allergic reaction to it (I think it may be common in border collies) so its frontline, which I now know does work in killing them and a tick remover for when I'm being impatient and freaked by the growing beastie on our dog lol.

Lizcat-my vet has been giving me advocate for years and assuring me it covers the dogs for all the nasties including ticks! Am

Doggydaft I am afraid Advocate does adult fleas, immature fleas, roundworms, lungworm, demodex, sarcoptes and heartworm, but not Ticks. Advocate is made by Bayer and their Tick product is Advantix.