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Eww. Ticks.

Fori
11 years ago

Is there a better choice for tick control than Revolution? We don't expect to deal with ticks but we ran through a bunch of them this weekend. Dermacentor variabilis, which is supposedly the one species for which Revolution is approved. Didn't work. Pulled one right behind the greasy patch from a recent application and another nearby.

I assume I can't spray DEET all over the dog (those in our party that were more liberal with the DEET ended up tickless.). The Revolution has worked well enough for fleas but it's almost time to renew the prescription. Should we switch just for ticks, who we hope to never encounter again? And to what?

Dogs. What a pain. My cat never went camping and collected ticks. :P

Comments (8)

  • User
    11 years ago

    I think you may have been misinformed Fori, cause we had our puppy on Revolution but we were told it's just for Fleas and Heartworm and does not cover ticks and I later confirmed this when doing some research on my own. Since we live in an area with deer and woods, I was concerned so we switched to Frontline Plus which works with Fleas and Ticks and is readily available at Costco without a prescription. A 3 pack was 37.99 any size dog, which is the cheapest price I've found yet.

    Since the Frontline Plus does not help with Heartworms, you'll need to get something like the Hartguard from your Vet instead which is an edible goodie they can eat. My Vet originally wanted us to put the Frontline Plus on her and then the Revolution 2 weeks later, but in my thinking that's a LOT of pesticides for one little body to absorb so we opted for the Hartguard instead. Hartguard doesn't stay in the body, but does a sort of flushing of the the system instead, any side effects the dog may have from the treatment would only last a day or too. Hope this helps!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Revolution information

  • Fori
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Oh but it's on the package! For just one species which I guessed meant it hadn't been tested on others but maybe it just means this is the one they just barely got control in tests.

    But seriously, I selected it for the heartworm/flea control. The tick thing was just a "nice to have" that "we won't ever need". Yeah nice to have a jar of ticks. I really wasn't planning on ticks and so didn't look into how good the various controls were for ticks.

    I think it makes sense go for the separate heartworm pill for better flea and tick control. Ticks are icky. Apparently Heartguard does roundworms? Those are even more icky. I'll see if the vet thinks Frontline plus works for our local fleas.

    Thanks, Lukki!

    Here is a link that might be useful: the tick part

  • User
    11 years ago

    Wow, that is interesting...they told me it didn't work for ticks, maybe its like you say, regional on type.

    To be honest, I've never even seen a tick but after all the horrible stories about them, I don't want to either! LOL I'm not sure about what all the Hartguard works for, but if it helps with other stuff that's a nice bonus.

    FYI, Before using the Frontline Plus, our Vet urged us to try new product by the makers of Frontline Plus called Certifect. It takes care of all three issues, Heartworm, Fleas and Ticks which really tickled me but it was HORRIBLE. The sensation this stuff gave our puppy drove her insane and all she did was rub on the ground trying to get it off. It also smelled very strongly and it was not pleasant at all. After only one day, I had to give her a bath using Dawn to get it off of her. Then to get rid of the smell, I also had to air out the house, wash all her bedding and replace her collar.

    I think it just has too many chemicals in it and she couldn't handle it but I also read how many others have had a similar experience.

  • Fori
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hmmmm. Yeah a pesticide cocktail does sound sort of hard to stomach!

    Our guy had some stinky stuff for mange when he was little and it was stinky for a week. COmpared to that, the Revolution is a joy to apply!

  • eahamel
    11 years ago

    Certifect doesn't work for heartworm prevention. Read the label, please!

    I've had to start using it on my dogs because for the first time ever, I have ticks. The vet told me they are being spread by coons and possums and we have both here in the city. Advantage Plus is labeled for ticks but I had to go to the vet when it didn't work, and he told me it doesn't kill them, and gave me Certifect. I couldn't stand the smell of Advantage, but didn't notice any smell with Certifect. You can also get a collar, Preventick, which is prescription, and it works for ticks as well as fleas.

  • Ninapearl
    11 years ago

    the Preventic collar is not prescription, you can buy it OTC at the vet's office. it's effective but do read the side effects. my female dane was on Proin for incontinence when i tried this collar. it made her face swell like a balloon!

  • calliope
    11 years ago

    I could not get good flea control on my dog with frontline plus. I returned to using Vectra, a brand my vet had preference for last year. They change their preferences and rotate because of resistance issues. Vectra has tick control. Let's put it this way. This has been a booming season for ticks. I've pulled numerous ones off me, but then again I work alot outside and we have acreage. However, the dog is out numerous times a day and he has not had a tick on him yet. The only other preventative I give him is a once a month heartworm pill. He is parasite free.

  • Fori
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks all. I'll see what the vet recommends for local fleas and go with that. We rarely encounter ticks so they aren't our primary concern, but it would be nice...