Dealing with Ticks
Ticks are common in the United States and very few products work well at preventing a determined tick from attaching to you or your pet.
In addition to having a bite that can cause a severe local inflammation, reactions to ticks can cause neural inflammation and paralysis. And, they can transmit diseases:
Ehrlichiosis
Lyme Disease
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI)
Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever
Tick Typhus
What we have to offer:
For Cats: Revolution is the only product safe enough for tick control on cats and unfortunately it doesn't do a very good job. Luckily ticks aren't too common on cats... perhaps because they are such good groomers.
For Dogs:
Avoidance: keep your pets out of bushes and high grasses when possible.
Grooming: Petting, feeling, combing, and brushing your pet after it's been out will help you detect and remove ticks. The best way to remove ticks is with a little rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or on your fingers ... it seems to make them release their grip so you can pluck them out without leaving their reactive heads under the skin.
Preventic Tick Collars: Excellent for 3-5 weeks at a time here in the South East United States. (The label claims up to 3 months, but get real)
Promeris: Promeris is a new flea and tick control product introduced in 2007. It seems to be working better than Frontline Plus or Vectra3d, and it's the best product we've used for mange. Promeris gives very good tick control for 3-5 weeks. The only negatives is that it leaves a smelly, oily patch on the back of your dog's neck for a few days.
NOTE: Too potent and not safe for cats.
Very potent adult flea AND Tick control.
Vectra 3D and Frontline Plus: These competing flea and tick products both work quite well at tick control. Vectra3D is also good at mosquito control
Revolution: I really like Revolution for general parasite control. It works really well in most cases for long term flea control, for heartworm prevention, for ear mites, for sarcoptic mange, and for intestinal worms in cats. But it only works poor - fair for tick control.
