Ticks... help! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

krystenah · 05-04-2006, 06:49 PM

Okay, Fleas are bad enough, but ticks.. aahhh. We've lived here 3 years and have never had a tick problem until this year. They freak me out. I noticed a tick crawling on me while I was laying on the couch yesterday.. and just saw one on my yorkie. I got the tweezers and picked it off of her, but I'm afraid I didn't get all of it. How can it harm her if I didn't? I'm obviously going to have to get something for the problem. I know it will kill the ticks, but do I have to remove them myself? and does anyone know any safe, cheap, and effective methods other than Frontline? I have four animals.. 2 dogs-2 cats and I've kept advantage on them for a while.. but its hard to keep buying it for them.. because it is so expensive. Over 200 dollars for a four month supply for each of them. We have been using advantage just for the fleas before the tick problem came.. but our vet wants us to start using it every two weeks on them because the flea problem is so bad too. And we just can't afford that.. we need a cheaper way. Any ideas? I dont want to use the walmart brand, I heard it killed some animals. Also, the vet told us how we can treat the yard for fleas.. but what about ticks???

puppylove123 · 05-04-2006, 06:53 PM

not so sure, but try washing all their beddings. when my dogs had ticks, we looked under their bed, and there was the nest! ticks usually have a main nest, so remove all the ticks by hand and wash the beddings. hope this helps!

txshopper73 · 05-04-2006, 06:53 PM

I treated my yard this year because I remembered how bad fleas were last year. They have granules that you can purchase...got mine from Lowes. Sprinkled it all over the yard (with fertilizer sprinkler) and then watered in really well. Kept the dogs in the house until it was dry. You treat once per season and we have not had a tick or flea yet. It cost around $15-18 for a 40 lb bag and I used about 1/3 of it to treat the front and back yard.

We use to use the frontline plus and it worked excellent for fleas and ticks but since treating the yard, I have not had to purchase any...yet.

txshopper73 · 05-04-2006, 06:56 PM

Also, had a couple of kids that came to school with a tick on their head. I took a q-tip and dipped it in vaseline. Coated the tick completely (their heads are buried in the scalp and they breath out of their skin.) Gently rubbed the ticks back and forth with the q-tip and eventually, they pulled their heads out.

Pulling ticks can sometimes leave the heads embedded in the skin. This can cause a nasty infection. That's why they always say it's best to use oil, vaseline, or even lighting a match, blowing it out and holding the match to the tick.

Hope this helps.

puppylove123 · 05-04-2006, 06:58 PM

yeah, i would go with Kim's advice, she has much more experience than me!

krystenah · 05-04-2006, 06:59 PM

Thank you so much.. 15-18 dollars a year compared to 600.00 a year sounds great! I will give that a try. Our main problem is that our neighbors get cats and never take care of them so I feed them and they bring the fleas I'm sure.

txshopper73 · 05-04-2006, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by puppylove123

not so sure, but try washing all their beddings. when my dogs had ticks, we looked under their bed, and there was the nest! ticks usually have a main nest, so remove all the ticks by hand and wash the beddings. hope this helps!

Oh, Gross!!!! yes, it is important that you need to check EVERYTHING! Fleas can breed in your carpets but I didn't know that about ticks. YUUUUUUCK! Now, my head is itching!

txshopper73 · 05-04-2006, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krystenah

Thank you so much.. 15-18 dollars a year compared to 600.00 a year sounds great! I will give that a try. Our main problem is that our neighbors get cats and never take care of them so I feed them and they bring the fleas I'm sure.

Oh, yes...that can happen.

My breeder/groomer/friend, Paula had told me about the granules. She highly recommended it. She grooms people's dogs that have fleas and yet, her dogs do not get them. She swears that fleas cannot survive in her yard. She's been treating it for years.

Rebel got out a few days ago...another long saga...anyway, when he came home, we found 4 fleas on him. Check the other 2 dogs and they were flea free. So, it is my opinion, that the granules ARE working.

krystenah · 05-04-2006, 07:05 PM

Will it at all hurt the outside kittys that come over to eat while its still wet?

txshopper73 · 05-04-2006, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krystenah

Will it at all hurt the outside kittys that come over to eat while its still wet?

don't know much about cats but I'm going to assume that the cats will not walk on the wet grass. Plus, it does give off a semi-strong odor while it is drying. also works great for fire ants, roaches and basically anything else you can think of.

krystenah · 05-04-2006, 07:12 PM

Is this the right stuff???

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...396&lpage=none

txshopper73 · 05-04-2006, 07:15 PM

This is what I got...looks like a smaller bag, though.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...340&lpage=none

krystenah · 05-04-2006, 07:16 PM

Okay, thank you so much for your help!

txshopper73 · 05-04-2006, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krystenah

Okay, thank you so much for your help!

You are VERY welcome! Let me know how it works for you.

romeos mommy · 05-04-2006, 08:02 PM

dog.com sells biospot. it's similiar to frontline , but much cheaper. a 3 month supply is around $5. maybe that will help too.

05-04-2006, 06:49 PM	#1
krystenah YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Arkansas Posts: 386	Ticks... help! Okay, Fleas are bad enough, but ticks.. aahhh. We've lived here 3 years and have never had a tick problem until this year. They freak me out. I noticed a tick crawling on me while I was laying on the couch yesterday.. and just saw one on my yorkie. I got the tweezers and picked it off of her, but I'm afraid I didn't get all of it. How can it harm her if I didn't? I'm obviously going to have to get something for the problem. I know it will kill the ticks, but do I have to remove them myself? and does anyone know any safe, cheap, and effective methods other than Frontline? I have four animals.. 2 dogs-2 cats and I've kept advantage on them for a while.. but its hard to keep buying it for them.. because it is so expensive. Over 200 dollars for a four month supply for each of them. We have been using advantage just for the fleas before the tick problem came.. but our vet wants us to start using it every two weeks on them because the flea problem is so bad too. And we just can't afford that.. we need a cheaper way. Any ideas? I dont want to use the walmart brand, I heard it killed some animals. Also, the vet told us how we can treat the yard for fleas.. but what about ticks??? __________________ Benji and Chloe

05-04-2006, 06:53 PM	#2
puppylove123 Waiting for my Little Girl Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: miami, florida Posts: 1,313	not so sure, but try washing all their beddings. when my dogs had ticks, we looked under their bed, and there was the nest! ticks usually have a main nest, so remove all the ticks by hand and wash the beddings. hope this helps! __________________ Nicole Im getting my girl in 2 months!!! I Marie and My Little Girl!

05-04-2006, 06:53 PM	#3
txshopper73 Donating YT 14K Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Victoria, Texas Posts: 14,162 Blog Entries: 1	I treated my yard this year because I remembered how bad fleas were last year. They have granules that you can purchase...got mine from Lowes. Sprinkled it all over the yard (with fertilizer sprinkler) and then watered in really well. Kept the dogs in the house until it was dry. You treat once per season and we have not had a tick or flea yet. It cost around $15-18 for a 40 lb bag and I used about 1/3 of it to treat the front and back yard. We use to use the frontline plus and it worked excellent for fleas and ticks but since treating the yard, I have not had to purchase any...yet. __________________ As always...JMO (Just My Opinion) Kimberley Gracie, London and Dallas

05-04-2006, 06:56 PM	#4
txshopper73 Donating YT 14K Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Victoria, Texas Posts: 14,162 Blog Entries: 1	Also, had a couple of kids that came to school with a tick on their head. I took a q-tip and dipped it in vaseline. Coated the tick completely (their heads are buried in the scalp and they breath out of their skin.) Gently rubbed the ticks back and forth with the q-tip and eventually, they pulled their heads out. Pulling ticks can sometimes leave the heads embedded in the skin. This can cause a nasty infection. That's why they always say it's best to use oil, vaseline, or even lighting a match, blowing it out and holding the match to the tick. Hope this helps. __________________ As always...JMO (Just My Opinion) Kimberley Gracie, London and Dallas

05-04-2006, 06:58 PM	#5
puppylove123 Waiting for my Little Girl Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: miami, florida Posts: 1,313	yeah, i would go with Kim's advice, she has much more experience than me! __________________ Nicole Im getting my girl in 2 months!!! I Marie and My Little Girl!

05-04-2006, 06:59 PM	#6
krystenah YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Arkansas Posts: 386	Thank you so much.. 15-18 dollars a year compared to 600.00 a year sounds great! I will give that a try. Our main problem is that our neighbors get cats and never take care of them so I feed them and they bring the fleas I'm sure. __________________ Benji and Chloe

05-04-2006, 07:05 PM	#9
krystenah YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Arkansas Posts: 386	Will it at all hurt the outside kittys that come over to eat while its still wet? __________________ Benji and Chloe

05-04-2006, 07:12 PM	#11
krystenah YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Arkansas Posts: 386	Is this the right stuff??? http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...396&lpage=none __________________ Benji and Chloe

05-04-2006, 07:15 PM	#12
txshopper73 Donating YT 14K Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Victoria, Texas Posts: 14,162 Blog Entries: 1	This is what I got...looks like a smaller bag, though. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...340&lpage=none __________________ As always...JMO (Just My Opinion) Kimberley Gracie, London and Dallas

05-04-2006, 07:16 PM	#13
krystenah YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Arkansas Posts: 386	Okay, thank you so much for your help! __________________ Benji and Chloe

05-04-2006, 08:02 PM	#15
romeos mommy YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Voorhees, NJ Posts: 3,282	dog.com sells biospot. it's similiar to frontline , but much cheaper. a 3 month supply is around $5. maybe that will help too.