Thanks for stopping back by my blog.  I know it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve had a chance to post anything up, but I’ve kind of just been waiting to see how the tick treatments (Preventic collar, Frontline Plus, and Advantix) that I used on Lucy, Lauren, and BoBo were going to work.  I have had some pretty good results.

I hope that my results will help provide you with some ideas on how to get rid of ticks.  I know how much trouble I’ve had over the last couple of years trying to treat ticks on dogs, and I’ve done this little “experiment” to try and make things easier for everyone else out there since I haven’t been able to find any legitimate tests like this one online.

Lucy, my biggest Golden Retriever got a Preventic collar.  These collars are supposed to keep the ticks off for three months, and so far so good.  Lucy had a few ticks before I put the collar on her, so I left them on because I wanted to see how long it would take for the dog ticks to die and fall off.  It took about 48 hours (which was a little longer than I was hoping), but they were all gone after that.  So far, I haven’t noticed any more ticks on Lucy, and I would have to say that the Preventic collar is working as promised.  I don’t know if it’s going to work for three months like it says, but this Preventic collar is has been working great so far.

Click here to discover where I found Prevenic collars at the best prices.

Lauren, my middle-sized Golden Retriever was treated with Frontline Plus.  I had used Frontline Plus in the past, and had pretty similar results with it this time.  As far as the flea portion, it seemed to work real well, but I was more concerned with ticks on dogs.  It did kill the few ticks on her within 24 hours, which was quicker than the Preventic collar with Lucy, but I have seen a couple of ticks that I’ve had to pick off since then.  It isn’t near as bad as without the Frontline Plus, so I think it is working as well.  I would recommend Frontline Plus for someone who is looking to get rid of both fleas and ticks on dogs since I did a pretty good job with both.

Click here to discover where I found Frontline Plus cheaper than at my vet!

Lastly, BoBo (my crazy energetic Golden Retriever) received Advantix topical flea and tick treatment.  I had similar results with it as I did the Frontline Plus on Lauren.  I have only had to pick one tick off of BoBo in the last two weeks (which is a lot better than 3 or 4 a day like I was before), but I have seen a few fleas.  I know this test was just for ticks (which the Advantix did awesome for), but I felt like I should mention about the fleas in case anyone is looking for something to treat both fleas and ticks on dogs.  I was very happy with the tick prevention that Advantix provided.  I mentioned in my last post, but I really want to point out again what my vet said.  The Advantix is just for dogs only – it can be very harmful to cats so you should never ever put it on cats or even use it on dogs in the same house as cats.

Click here to find the best deals on Advantix.

I hope my results from this experiment help you out a little bit, and thank you again for stopping by to check out my blog.  I have been getting great e-mails over the past few weeks, so thanks to everyone and keep the nice letters coming.

The first thing that I’m going to use is called a Preventic collar. Lucy is going to be the lucky dog for this one. Supposedly Preventic collars are supposed to prevent dog ticks for 3 months without having to mess with or change the collar at all. They don’t treat fleas like the other two products do, but that’s okay because I’m mostly concerned with the ticks. My vet said that these Preventic collars come in two different sizes – one for dogs under 60 pounds, and one for dogs over 60 pounds. All of my Golden Retrievers are over 60 pounds (especially Lucy!). It seems really easy to put on – you just put it on their neck like a normal collar and then take scissors and cut off any excess.

Next, on Lauren, I’m going to try Frontline Plus. I have used Frontline Plus in the past with some success, but for the sake of this experiment, I’m going to give it another shot. I’ll be using the 44 – 88 pound size of the Frontline Plus for Lauren (she isn’t near as big as Lucy is). In case you’re not familiar with Frontline Plus, it is a topical liquid that you put right on the dogs skin on the back of the neck. Not only is it suppose to treat ticks on dogs, but it is also supposed to take care of fleas as well.

Lastly, on BoBo, I’m going to try the Advantix. I have never used this product before, so we’ll see how it goes. Just like Frontline Plus, it is a topical treatment that you apply to the back of your dog’s neck. It is also supposed to treat both fleas and dog ticks. BoBo will be using the size for dogs over 55 pounds. One thing that my vet mentioned to me was that you shouldn’t use Advantix if you have kitty cats in your household, as even just being in the same house with a dog that has it on them can be really dangerous and even fatal. He explained that it reacts different with dogs and cats, and even though it’s perfectly safe for dogs, it is really bad for cats. Luckily, I don’t have any cats at home, so I’m going to give this a shot.

Thanks again for checking out this blog entry, and be sure to check back because I’m going to make sure that I update my progress and make a post about how well each of these three products are working.

The first and most common problem that ticks cause is that they can create an infection where they bite your dog. Since they attach into your pet’s skin, ticks can transmit bacteria into the skin when they bite. This will lead to swelling where the tick is, and eventually even a big infected abscess. Not only is this slightly, it is also very painful and dangerous for the dog. You have to be really careful how you treat ticks on dogs – if you attempt to pull the tick off of your dog’s skin and leave its head in (the part that it attaches with), then your pet can still get an infection. Make sure all of the tick is removed if you’re pulling the tick off yourself.

The second and more dangerous problem with ticks is that they can spread disease. The most prevalent and hazardous is Lyme disease. Lyme disease is caused by a specific type of bacteria that is normally only carried by ticks. It can be deadly if not treated, but can usually easily be cured with antibiotics. People are often able to get treatment as soon as they start feeling ill or notice some of the symptoms, but it isn’t always apparent with dogs. Often times, when dogs start to show symptoms, it can be too late. That’s what it is really important to me to keep ticks off of my ticks.

I’m not trying to scare anyone, but I just feel that it’s so important to make sure that people know that ticks on dogs are a serious problem. I hope this was of some help to you, and I’m going to try to make another post tomorrow about ways to get rid of ticks. Thanks for reading, and please check back tomorrow!