Dont usually use chemicals on my dogs but so far this year I have found 6 ticks in a month on one if them
Cant be absoloutly sure I havnt missed anymore  and cant easily find them on my longcoats chix or gsd as their coast are so thick.
What do others use please ? Thought about the scalibor collar but worried it could effect fur as it is in one area only I know it can with cats

Just to add I have cats and most of the tick treatments say no close contact with cats as the product contains pymethrin

I found a tick last year on T-Bone- behind her ear I thought it was a skin tag at 1st as I am kinda playing with it- then
asked hubby to take a look & grabbed a flash light so we could see better. Then I seen all them lil legs and got hugely grossed out.
Hubby pulled it off and we bought this stuff http://www.tickoff.ca/ did not have any ticks after that & so far so good this year :^)
Its all natural :*)

I did put Moose on Heart Guard this yr but gonna look for a more natural way to keep mosquito's off for next year so not having her eat poison.

It is a common problem at this time of year but if you want to avoid chemicals you still have a few options.

* It may well be one or two fields/footpaths where your dogs are picking them up so it is worth avoiding those places if you can.
* Add garlic to your dog's diet - either fresh or in the form of tablets.
* Spray your dog with garlic juice before every walk - you can get this from Dorwest Herbs and agricultural suppliers (v useful stuff for all sorts of minor scuffs and scratches too :) )  Pay particular attention to areas that ticks like such as neck and chest
* Brush your dog vigorously after every walk - ticks crawl onto the host and take a short time to attach to a blood supply so they can be easily knocked off if caught early enough.  Also if you hose your dog down after walking it helps to remove wandering ticks

If you do find ticks then make sure you remove them properly and spray the area with some antiseptic or garlic juice.  If you have a long haired, or light coloured, dog then mark the 'tick point' before removal (use a felt tip pen) otherwise you'll never find the place again!   I don't use chemicals either and this type of regime works pretty well to keep incidences down to a bare minimum.  Hope it helps

thanks dogsababe I was thinking garlic will follow your regime and see how we go. It just seems to be Brooke that they like gosh I hope I am not missing themon the others. Never had a problem before must be a good year and we walk in the usual places that we have for years.. All three are raw fed so its nothing to do with different diets

6 ticks in a month isn't bad, is it?!! Certainly wouldn't be uncommon where I live. I've a friend in the Highlands, now she does have a tick problem ... 6 in a walk would be a good day :-O

I don't use spot ons, I have used CSJ Billy No Mates. I doubt it would cope with the Highland ticks, for certainly for my area (which isn't tick free by any means) it seems to do a good job. The likes of Frontline still allow the tick to attach, but after a few days it's not very healthy. Billy No Mates has a similar effect.

Hehe, I had a little giggle at trialist post!!lol  I'm the same.  6 a walk would be good!  We get ticks all the time.  I don't like using chemicals on my lot so I just yank them off and keep an eye on the bite for a week or so.  I tried the garlic but didn't seem to make any difference.  I most certainly wouldn't use any sorts of collars as I've seen far too many dogs with allergic reactions to those.

sorry guys I havnt had six 6 in 25 years let alone in a month  lol which is why I am getting bothered :)
. Maybe its subjective then. Will also have alook at csj I had forgotten they did somethin. I dont mnd getting them off in fact its quite satisfying like popping spots ! no I dont pop them Its just worry me I moght miss oone or two or they may get infection. Dont fancy putting chemicals on my dogs once a month with advantix infact if you use everything that is suggested as ferquently as suggested the poor dogs system must be compromised in some way

Living on Exmoor, walking either on the moor or through sheep fields, ticks are a nuisance a large part of the year. I used to Frontline until it became obvious I was putting a chemical on my dogs which was having very little effect. My old Goldie boy had an allergic reaction to Advantix, so I gave that up too. I find brushing through their coats immediately after a walk stops most of them and the odd ones that do attach I just remove with my tick remover. So far we have not had any problems, however, I am always concerned about the possibility of Lymes disease because of our large deer population, but on balance I suspect my dogs may be more likely to suffer allergies from the use of chemicals than contracting Lymes. Like so many decisions in life- one can't be sure!

We get quite a few depending on the walks. Some walks carry a higher risk. I deal with them as they arrive, just get hold and twist them off. I do have a tick remover but after removing so many now I have perfected the pinch and twist (Helps having fingernails) I find if you take the ticks by surprise they come of easily. We miss the odd one as I have very heavy coated dogs but they  fall off anyway and I have found many lying bloated on the floor. They make a very satisfying pop when folded in-between a few sheets of kitchen roll and squashed.....I too follow the risk assessment route and feel that I am not keen on pouring chemicals into my dogs via skin or mouth, I am prepared to take the risk and monitor throughout the tick season.
Likewise I never treat for fleas on a regular basis but would deal with them if a problem occurred. The only thing I do routinely is worming.
Aileen

Sounds like me, I love twisting them off and popping them betwen paper. I am in the ' 6 a walk is good' category so I get plenty popping. Did use chemical though last week as they are getting a bit out of hand so I'll get withdrawl symptoms until they start to reappear!!

I don't do preventative treatment for fleas either. Since we lost our last cat some 15 years ago we have remained flea free- says she touching wood! I bet now I have said that I'll find some! When we had several cats, flea prevention was a very regular thing as the cats certainly picked them up and then the dogs would suffer too.  My Goldens all seemed to get Flea allergy if so much as one flea bit them. I like cats but I am not a 'cat lover' so decided not to have any more. I am convinced being catless is why we don't get fleas now.

slightly off topic - but I don't worm regularly either.  I use Wormcount.com - fabulous service & covers lungworm too.  You just order a kit online, pop a bit of poo in the post & in about 3 days you have the results.  Then you can worm if your dog has worms, or not if it doesn't.   As an aside mine haven't needed worming - I had thought raw fed dogs might need worming more often - but apparently the reverse is true.

> I tried the garlic but didn't seem to make any difference.

The efficacy of garlic in the diet seems to depend on whether your dog is one who expresses the odour/taste through their skin.  Like people, this is only true for some individuals...  However, spraying with garlic juice seems to do a pretty good job on most dogs (and ticks), as long as you can stand the whiff :)

It probably goes without saying but do check yourselves for ticks too - particularly if you go out with bare legs or loose clothing - I've had one on the back on my knee and my daughter had one behind her ear!

> I use Wormcount.com - fabulous service & covers lungworm too.

Thank you, have just had a look & will I'll try them.

They totally gross me out for some reason and found one on my boys ear earlier, now I'm scouring the pair of them and totally forgot me!!!
Would I know one was attached to me without looking for it, as in would I feel it?

Never like FF had to deal with ticks before as its not an area really known for them where I live, and I think the whole of the south east generally is known not to have a tick problem?

You could try misting the undercarriage of the dog with Calendula Oil... it contains natural pyrethrins, but as this is toxic to cats, care would be needed. Pyrethrins and pyrethrums are a repellent to insects including ticks.

http://www.bada-uk.org/
Borreliosis and Associated Diseases Awareness UK

has some good anti tick advice and stocks tick repellents for dogs...
http://www.bada-uk.org/products/pet_products.php

you could be right sj maybe its a bad year and odd its just Brooke. Then again it would be miss naughty knickers !
/thanks everyone will read through and plan my campaign !

Im worried now that ive missed them. Ive never seen a tick on my dogs in 15 years.

I guess if you missed them it hasnt mattered you just keep looking like we always do for anything a miss with the dogs

I just found the first tick in about 4 years on my spaniel, right in the corner of her eye. I thought at first it was 'sleepy' in her eye and tried to wipe it away, but then realised it was the dreaded tick. It was a difficult position but managed it whole with the tick hook, legs wriggling like mad. Pesky horrible thing. Do you ever wonder why some creatures are on this planet, I mean what good does a tick do to man or animal kind. Does it do any good so that we think, well life would be missing something without ticks in the world ??? I somehow doubt it.

>I mean what good does a tick do to man or animal kind

What purpose do ticks serve?

Many thanks for that Admin, very interesting.....