Is there a tick repellent which actually works?

[Labradorium2000]

Ddog is 2.5 years old so we have been lucky so far.
Last week was actually the first time a few ticks hitched a ride so the tick population must have grown where we live (rural countryside).

I detest them so much .
They are so tiny, my dog is black it is a nightmare to find them in his dense coat let alone the potential consequences of a bite to us or him although he is on tick/ fleas tablets.

I have tried a spray containing lavendar oil and followed the instructions to a T.
But that did not work. I found one already and they never seem to travel solo..
Will keep checking.

I am probably expecting miracles here.

But I would be most grateful for any recommendations of repellent sprays/ lotions which work for you and your dog.
Thanks

I live in an area with more deer than humans and find the Seresto collars work brilliantly

Thank you, I will check that out.

Yep seresto collars here too.

We’ve had one tick to remove this year (with 2 dogs) the last summer we didn’t use the collar it was 3 or 4 a week

Scalibor collars similar to Seresto, but only ever used Scalibor.

We use Nexgard Spectra as we are in a badger/fox area. Our vet gives us a script and we order online - our dog used to wear a seresto collar but for some reason developed a nasty sore underneath it. Both must work well as she is 11 and we've yet to find a tick or fleas....said quietly as I don't want to tempt fate!

Thanks, I am researching collars and nexgard spectra.
Good point about possible side effects or sensitivities.

Why must ticks exist? Could do without them.

One of my dogs has a little bit of a red area if he wears his Scalibor collar for a long period (they only wear it when they need to). I find it is the buckle part of the collar which does it. Bathe it and a little bit of sudocrem and it is fine. I will accept that instead of using Frontline type products.

Nexguard here too - they still get occasional ticks but they seem to die as soon as they bite. Also seems to make them crawl to the face where they are easily spotted.

I would not use the collars since it nearly killed my parents’ sprollie - although apparently collies are especially sensitive to them.

One of mine kept getting them above his eye and I would really struggle to get them out because he would not let me get close enough. Since using the Seresto collars on both, I haven’t seen a single tick on either of them. I live right next to the woods so plenty of ticks about, just not on my dogs!

You need a natural one if your dog ever goes in streams or rivers - it’s causing so much harm to the environment.

theriverstrust.org/about-us/news/flea-mergency-pet-treatments-taking-a-bite-out-of-the-health-of-englands-rivers

Another vote for Nexguard Spectra. I am in semi-rural Scotland so we have sheep, deer, badgers, foxes etc. . I have labs who love water, and this seems to work.
Seresto can cause allergies in humans so my vet suggested it woul not be ideal for my cuddle-monsters.

Hm, lots to consider here.. Thanks, guys

Billy no mates is what I've used for both my dogs. For the first year in ages we've had no fleas or ticks. It's a herbal supplement you can get a liquid or the dried herbs and just add to their food. I found the liquid easiest to use and the dogs seem less bothered by it on their food than the dried one.

Thanks, I hadn't thought about adding something to his food. Off to have a look at it .

I lived in tick central and found Billy No Mates on its own was not enough so started using Biospotix spot alongside it which worked perfectly.
Don't like the idea of putting chemicals into her if I can avoid it.

Nexgard Spectra here too with great success. Our dogs are swimmers so topical treatments are ineffective. Also aware of serious damage to water from all these treatments.
I don't know how these tablets work, but exactly 1 month after treatment I spot at least 1 tick. Like clockwork these little buggers. Not a cheap treatment and requires prescription.
Bravecto is a similar treatment but the tablet effect lasts 3 months.
These year we had ticks much, much earlier than usual. I think deer population is the main problem. Certainly lots of deer around where we walk so it's probably true.

There’s a gene mutation in some collies that causes issues with some drugs…it doesn’t matter whether it’s a collar or a tablet or spot on, it’s the active ingredient that’s the issue.

Seresto collars are highly effective BUT not recommended if your dog swims due to the release of chemicals into the water. It also renders them ineffective over a shorter period of time.

Nexguard nearly killed my lab.. she developed seizures and lost the use of her back legs. She's fine now but it was an awful 6 months.

Billy no mates works well.

Nexguard and the like aren't tick repellents. They kill ticks once they attach but they don't prevent attachment.

Yes, I need something to repell them so they don't even climb on.

He is on tablets ( bravecto) and they work because I removed a dead one last week.

But they apparently don't bite straight away, they are looking for the right spot for sometimes hours and crawl around.

I 'd think I have checked him thoroughly but then see some buggers happily crawling about an hour or so later, probably laughing at me and showing me the finger.

Thank you all for your replies. It really helped to read your suggestions and obviously I want to keep the environment in mind as well. Will read up on things a bit more over the weekend.

Shop All – Whippa Snappa

These may be worth a look. I wear insect repellent walking clothing and it does work.

Actually you are absolutely right to signal caution for this medication.

As I mentioned, my dogs are using this with great success.

One if my mother's dogs is quite old, of large size, in good shape for size, weight, alertness, stamina, but is under medication for the rest of his life because he suffered some serious health problem. I can't remember what was (is) wrong with him, some sort of stroke episode a couple of years ago from what I remember. Anyway, he had some injections and some other medicated interventions at the initial stage of treatment to stabilise him, and the medication he has now for the rest of his life is doing is a lot of good and there are no more problems at preset. His vet said he would not prescribe Nextgard to this dog because it is dangerous for him. I suggested to my mum to use Nextgard for ticks a few months ago and this is how the vet came to give his advice. I'm not clear if this is because of his age or his condition. In my head it is because of something to do with the nervous system but I have no idea how I reached this conclusion.
Sorry for being vague, but between how my mum explained it and the time since it all happened, I really can't remember the details.

So, yes, Nexgard is definitely not advised for all dogs. I should be a responsible dog owner and research into this a bit more for the sake of my own dogs, this has been a very useful prompt.

The only tick treatment that says it repels ticks is the Seresto collar.

The oral tablets nexquard, bravecto are meant to kill off the ticks in 24 hours.

Simparica is meant to kill the ticks in 8 hours (but not sure if they have to be attached to kill them as Ticks can wander around for hours this may not be more effective than nexguard or bravecto)

I live in a heavy tick area I run a lint roller over my collies, labs and wcs after each walk and get loads of unattached ticks of before they get chance to attach.

With Simparica, the ticks have to be attached to be killed. It must kill them pretty quickly as they're tiny but it actually makes them really hard to remove.

My accidental experiment earlier this year showed no difference in number of ticks gained, had one lab on Simparica and one on nothing and both ended up with three ticks over the course of a week on holiday in Devon.