Tick Problem

takumi2

My 5 year old shiba, Takumi has been having tick problem last few weeks. I find a few ticks every single day on him, some of them are as big as the size of watermelon seeds. I try to remove them every day but they keep coming back to him. I don't know where they come from. Do they hatch inside my house or he gets them when he goes outside for walk?
I have sprayed my bedroom, where he usually stays, with Raid for flea and ticks a few times. I also apply him Advantage II every month. I used Comfortis too. I know it is for fleas but it seemed it worked. But in about 2 weeks ticks were back to him again.
It is probably just seasonal thing but I am afraid he might get desease that ticks transimit.
Can anyone help me about the best way to get rid of them?
Thanks!

shishiinu

This year the ticks have been really bad. Most likely it's coming from you yard as ticks will be on bushes, branches, and grass blades. There are tick replellant that you can buy also. I picked off over 15 ticks off of one dog last time we went to the mountains and pulled them off of my pant leg also. Once you pick them I like to collect them and flush them down so that they can't come back.

Calia

Advantage will only work on fleas, you need to use Advantix in order for it to work on ticks. He can pick up ticks anywhere outside, especially areas of tall plants and where wild animals roam. He's not going to pick them up inside unless he has already dropped them from being outside.

Heidi

TheWalrus

Heidi, that is hilarious.
Not for the dog though, obviously...

But yeah, ticks are out there. I use Frontline spray every month on my dogs, and I'll give a spray or two after coming back from the mountains too. Your dog is picking them up outside, not inside the house. They're not like fleas in that regard. A tick's life cycle is outside the house, so you're not really going to get an indoor infestation under normal circumstances.

WrylyBrindle

When we lived in Massachusetts it was very ticky. I combed the dogs frequently and stuck all the ticks on a handy roll of duct tape, then when the dogs were done, I just sealed the duct tape full of ticks into itself and threw them in the trash (our trash went to an incinerator)- I kept a roll of duct tape and a flea comb in the bins in the back of the subaru, too, so I could comb & tape when we went places.

Saya

Brown dog tick is supposedly able to reproduce in homes or I could be wrong it hasn't happened to me luckily.

http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/departments/esps/factsheets/medvet/ticks_around_your_home_mv05.html

Advantage only works for fleas you need frontline or advantix..

I live in country and it is required as we have raccoons, coyotes, badgers, deer etc. Tick heaven. Flea too I'm sure, but I mostly have issues with ticks no fleas yet.

Daily checks helps a lot maybe twice as shiba fur is so darn thick you can miss it easily.

takumi2

Thank you all for the great suggestions.
I guess basically I just have to inspect him and pick ticks every time I come back from walk. I live in condo in FL and asked some of the neighbor dog owners. The people whom I asked do not seem to have tick problems, even though we walk dogs around the same areas.....

I'll try to get Advatix for him.

omgtain

Taku, remember some people just aren't as aware as others.. They aren't actively looking for something wrong or feeling down their dog daily to check for any abnormalities, so sometimes they get skipped over, or even ignored.

Having said that, I saw a tick for my first time this year. :O I thought it was a skin tag or swollen little bump on my dog, but it freaked me out so much i got a flashlight and poked at it and saw those little black legs.. It was the only one on him, but I was furious! I pulled it out and took a lighter to it.
Fortunately that was my only encounter with them, so I don't really know any tips / tricks that work.

Saya

My catahoula mix had a skin tag I always got it confused as an engorged tick.. Though I realize in time it's that darn tag. Dink got lots ticks too since she loved to wander in the woods.

PoetikDragon

Trifexis works on ticks, its ingested so it doesn't wear off like topicals do.

takumi2

Yea, one of my neighbors I talked to told me about Trifexis.
I just bought Advantix and applied it to him.
I'll keep posted how it goes.
Thank you all!!

Losech

I use a metal flea-comb after hikes and tap the little buggers into a tin of alcohol then set them on fire when I'm done.

mdokic

Words cannot describe my hate for ticks...I'm not sure what their purpose is for being on this planet. -_- And I REEEALLLY like @Losech 's way of getting rid of them

Let us know how the Advantix works out!!

takumi2

Advantix has been working good so far.

yea, they are really disgusting creature....
Im glad I dont have to pick them up any more :-)

Myabee09

Trifexis has really worked for us. I can never get topicals all the way down to the skin on Mya, her hair is just too thick.

zandrame

Trifexis is not proven to work on ticks. It's expensive stuff, so I wouldn't want anyone to purchase it for that purpose. YMMV of course.

It's just a combo pill of Comfortis/spinosad for fleas + Milbemycin oxime for heartworm and internal parasites.

We have a discussion of it on the Shiba side -
http://www.shibainuforum.org/forum/discussion/7900/to-try-trifexis-or-not-that-is-my-question-/p1

Crispy

I use Advantix during high flea-and-tick times and "Vet's Best" flea & tick spray year-round. When the ticks are awful, I spray 3 times a week (every other day). When they aren't so bad (winter), I spray once a week. I haven't really had too much trouble with ticks. Found a few on my Malamute, but they don't usually stay on.

Myabee09

@zandrame it is expensive! We haven't ever had a tick problem, so i wasn't aware of that. I'll have to keep it in mind.

asian.sapphire

I use the frontline liquid. Works for us. I've seen dead ticks in one dog's bed who is prone to getting them or live ticks on her, but never one imbedded in her skin. I do have the handy tick removal tool just in case though. And I check both dogs after hikes or jaunts in tall grass. I was reading somewhere (else) that people had issues with washing their dog beforehand, applying frontline and not having it work, but those are the steps I go through. Works for us. I tried washing the dog after waiting a few days after application and saw ticks in and on one of my dogs, so I don't do that. Nasty, creepy bugs!