Best way to deal with ticks

[blueskypink]

I put advantage on my dogs each month - for fleas and lungworm. I've asked at the vets before and asked again today if there is something that prevents ticks as well (ie all in one application). I'm told not. I'm sure I've read on here that there is, but if there is then our Vet doesn't stock it.

Most of the year is tick free, but last week we found 5 or 6 ticks on one of our dogs over the course of a week. There aren't really any grass free walking places near us and we can't keep the youngest out of the long grass where they're likely to be

Options seem to be:

Keep checking and remove ticks we find
A tick collar
Advantix or Frontline for ticks applied in between Advantage applications.

We're not in a Lymes disease area.

I ended up buying the Advantix and now DH is grumbling about overloading with poisons and thinks we should just keep removing when we find them. He also reckons the vet nurse is wrong when she says Advantix repels ticks and thinks they will bite anyway before they die so could still potentially pass on any disease.

I'm in two minds. It's really only an issue for 3-4 months over the summer and we normally only see a few over that time. What do others do?

TooTrueToBeGood I thought like you about Bravecto and let my puppy have it. It's the worst mistake I've ever made. He was really ill a few days after he had it and I really thought we were going to lose him.

It may be OK for the majority of dogs but for those who are taken ill afterwards, well they are far from OK.. Sadly it will be in my puppy's system for at least another couple of months so we are not entirely out of the woods even yet.

Someone on MN recommended lint rolling your dog - we now do this and it is fantastic.

We were getting 7 or 8 ticks a day but have not had one attach since using the lint roller.

We keep it in the car roll the dogs after each walk and the little spider ticks are stuck to the roller and can not attach - it has been a god send and takes a few seconds to do even on a hairy dog.

Wow, that sounds like a fab idea.

What a great idea! Off to order one from amazon. We brush when we can remember, but worry they might just reattach or move to one of our other dogs.

I'm a dab hand with the tick twister, but would prefer them not to attach in the first place!

I'm going to try the roller too! Elfpup is on a complete pesticide detox at the moment so he's having a herbal food supplement which is supposed to repel ticks and I'm using essential oils as well.

I'd rather repel the ticks or use a method of catching them than have to have them bite him and then be killed by the pesticide.