supermutts
K9 Senior
Sep 18, 2007, 5:50 AM
Post #11 of 92
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this post i took from the local vet forum.. by member gus gus. u can go there to check out the entire thread.
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I've had that problem with my dogs before and it is very unpleasant because I was finding ticks all over the place - even on my clothes and I was getting bitten. I would like to share with you how I overcame the problem without the use of strong chemicals. This technique requires some diligence on your part.
If you go to a pharmacy like Guardian, you can buy eucalyptus oil which people use for steam inhalation. This is NOT essential oil which is a lot more expensive but just as effective for this purpose. The brand is Green Parrot or something like that but there may be more than one brand. Get a spray bottle, pour in some eucalyptus oil and top up with water - try a dilution of one part eucalyptus oil to five parts water. Spray the eucalyptus solution around your dog's sleeping area. Wash your dog's bedding (with detergent but without fabric softener) and while it is hanging out to dry, spray it well with the eucalyptus solution and let it dry thoroughly. Spray your floor with it as well as in the air - it smells good so it's not unpleasant. Ticks and other crawling insects don't like the eucalyptus oil and the solution will keep them away. Meanwhile, you can also use the eucalytus oil in a diffuser as an air freshener.
Meantime, you have to detick your dog regularly. Feeding your dog a small amount of garlic - a quarter teaspoon of chopped garlic cooked with vegetables and mixed into your dog's food every two or three days will also help to keep ticks at bay.
The tick infestation that my dogs had was so bad that I found ticks under the edging of my mattress. My dogs sleep in my bedroom with me, incidentally. I sprayed my mattress with the eucalyptus solution in the morning and let it dry out over the day. That night, I sprinkled the pure eucalytus oil on some tissues and put it under my bed sheets between the mattress and the bed sheets.
This technique can reduce ticks significantly in less than a week if you are diligent about deticking your dog manually everyday. Tick eggs can hatch in a day once laid - depending on the ambient temperature and it has been VERY HOT so they are hatching faster - and you have to kill the adults and young adults faster than they can lay eggs. You can break the lifecycle and overcome the tick problem as long as you are consistent in the deticking regime.
I can't stand the smell of Frontline and it's even worse when it's on my dogs and the smell is on my bedsheets. The eucalyptus solution smells better and isn't a chemical cocktail like Frontline. Please understand, I AM NOT BASHING FRONTLINE. I'm sure it's a good product - I just can't stand the smell which gave me constant headaches.
The tick infestation incident happened in 2004. Since then, my dogs haven't had any tick problems and they walk in grass everyday. The last time I found a tick on my dogs was months ago on one of the dogs. There were three ticks on one dog. I killed the ticks and haven't seen any again since. I don't need to spray the eucalytus solution anymore either - haven't had to use it in over two years. In fact, I had forgotten about the tick infestation problem I had had, until I read your post. I don't use any tick shampoos on my dogs either.
Years ago, my mother used to feed our dogs ox lungs - on someone's recommendation as a tick preventative - but the smell that permeated through the house as it was being boiled was just replusive. My mother cooked a batch for the dogs every few days for ten years! It did work and reduce ticks significantly but not as effectively as the eucalytus spray. The dogs enjoyed it immensely though - perhaps you can try combining the ox lungs with the vegetables and garlic for an internal treatment and the eucalyptus solution as an external treatment.
I hope this helps. Your poor puppy - ticks are a horrible itchy problem AND detrimental to health.
No Buying! No Selling! No Breeding!
Don't Lost your dogs!!
Please make sure they are safe at home!
(This post was edited by supermutts on Sep 18, 2007, 6:16 AM)
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really can pengsan mann.... if I find a tick on Rascal, I sure know come from Gizmo liao! 
no wonder now oni i see some dropping off ler. earlier like no effect at all. 
but for milo still hafta use once a mth until he all clear 1st. 
got it at caring pharmacy, sri hartamas shopping center during lunch. parrot brand, rm8.50 for a 56ml botol. those bloodsuckers at home watch out tonite. muahahahahahaa... 
Re: [J-J] Frontline Spray
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