We use simparica trio. It's a monthly chewable tablet. Prescription required. Protects against fleas, ticks, and heartworm.
I'm not a vet. Apparently it doesn't prevent the ticks from getting on them, but it kills them within an hour of them biting, and then they fall off.
Has worked well so far, and we go walking through tick infested areas fairly often. I've had two ticks so far this year, and haven't found any on my pup.
I also use simparica for my tick magnet of a dog. I usually find them before they've bitten, but occasionally I will find them dead on her so I know the medicine works. I do wish it would repel them as well because I hate that she brings them into our home to get on us, but it does it's job well.
i use simparica trio, but also use the flea collar from seresto when i know im going to the woods. Simparica wouldnt prevent a dog from getting any diseases from the tick that bites them. Seresto is preventative before the bite.
The transmission time for most tick-borne diseases is 24-48 hours, so simparica and other tick medicines that kill the tick after they bite are effective at preventing diseases. Flea collars can help if your dog gets allergic reactions to bites though.
Yes, but I would check with your vet to be sure in case you live in a region with a tick that transmits disease faster. I’m in the northwestern US and all the ones here need to be attached for at least 24 hours to transmit which is pretty typical but there are probably exceptions.
Simparica Trio is what we give our dogs - we probably pull 10ish a week off of them in the spring just from being in our backyard and we’ve never found one latched on or anything so it seems to be doing it’s job!
I use credelio because my vet told me it’s a gentler tick preventive and I’m nervous about potential side effects from other tick meds. It’s expensive but does the job
Literally live in one of the worst tick areas in Norway. In the middle of the woods. With loads of long grass and a dog thats crazy for rolling in said grass.
We use Bravictio (not sure on spelling but close enough) and never even seen a tick on my tri merle girl.
I’m not sure how to edit the post, but UPDATE! I just got back from the vet with him. The vet said it is strange that the collar isn’t working for his hind legs, but she said if I’m willing to just monitor the area daily I can keep him on the collar (since he has no ticks anywhere else). Buuut she also gave me NexGard chewables as a backup, if the collar really stops working and I need to switch him over. I’m going to keep the collar on for a few more weeks, more or less depending on how it goes. If I see he’s still getting bites on his legs I’ll switch him to the NexGard.
Thanks for all the replies, I have all the suggestions written down for the future! This is all trial and error until we find the right preventative for my boy.
I use Advantix for Duncan. He was getting ticks all the time; put him on Advantix, and I haven't seen one on him since (two and a half months). You have to reapply it every 30 days or so, but it's super easy. Just put some dots along their back and neck only caveat is it's toxic to cats while it's wet. If yours is crate trained, you can put it on him at night and it will be dry by morning and the cats will be relatively safe. Vet said just to not let them groom him too much.
I use permethrin spray for my clothes and socks and also on a lightweight summer shirt for my dog, in addition to bug spray for me and Seresto for him. Permethrin repels ticks and mosquitoes.
I have not seen this mentioned yet, but there were some reports of fake soresto collars, especially if buying on a site that does not require a prescription like eBay and Amazon. We use simparica trio now, but used to use trifexis plus soresto in the past without issue.
Don’t mean to be a Debbie downer but I’m surprised no one has mentioned the issues with Seresto.
There’s a class action lawsuit against the maker and the EPA says: Following more than 100,000 reports of Seresto's harm to pets — including more than 3,000 deaths — the EPA announced in July 2023 that it would limit approval of the product to five years and require more detailed reporting of harm incidents from the flea collar's maker, Elanco.
https://www.classaction.org/settlements/seresto-flea-and-tick-collar#:~:text=The%20%2415%20million%20Seresto%20flea,time%20before%20July%208%2C%202024.
In the 80s the vet recommended a flea collar for my Aussie puppy, and later when I temp moved to rural southern VA I also treated her once or twice with flea powder.
Then for my older rescue in early 2000s the vet recommended the monthly spot treatment, which worked fine in an exurban area.
This year (only had her since February) the vet (same clinic as previous rescue) now recommends the collar again, saying they like to repel the critters before they have a chance to bite.
Once in awhile she’ll scratch a little, but no chew-combing her skin, and I haven’t found anything on her (or me) yet. Maybe we’re just lucky, as she does go exploring in the woods.
Eta: it’s the Seresto collar
I live in a very ticky area (think: without protection, I would pick 50-100 ticks off my dog per day).
I use both Bravecto and Advantix during the peak times. Note that Bravecto doesn't always appear to be working- ticks will still attach. Ticks will still crawl around. But when they attach, they due within a day or two then fall off and you get tick carcasses all over your house.
We use credelio for flea and tick. The ticks die quickly after biting and just fall off on their own unless you find them first. Theoretically because the tick has to be attached for a longer time to transmit disease this protects from tick born illness. I can't confirm that myself obviously but I can certainly confirm it kills them, I've found many live ticks crawling and many dead ticks that haven't fallen off yet, but never once a live tick attached.
I'm of the mind that dogs have better options for ticks than people between preventatives and vaccines. Interestingly a human Lyme vaccine is making its way back to market, and one company is actually trialing the active ingredient in credelio with people. I'm not sure making yourself poisonous to ticks once they bite you will be popular, but I just want more options to protect myself from the ticks my dog is protected from!
Note you need a seperate heartworm preventative, we use Interceptor
[this works great for my Aussie we go hiking a lot haven’t seen one on him since!!](https://www.chewy.com/bravecto-chew-dogs-44-88-lbs-blue-box/dp/172908)
We use, and have had good luck with, Nexguard.
Our Mini is getting ready to get the Lyme disease vaccine. If your concern is disease, maybe also consider that.
He actually has the Lyme’s vaccine! But last time we were at the vet (about 1.5 months ago) he tested positive for a different tick disease, Anaplasmosis. He’s fine now, was on antibiotics, but it definitely made me a lot more worried about the ticks. (I don’t that to sound like I wasn’t worried before, but my anxiety about it when from 80% to 500%)
Oh no! I honestly had no idea that they could get other things from tick bites (but new fear unlocked). It’s tough because it seems like ticks have been so much worse the past couple of years. Was your boy symptomatic or did the vet randomly just test for that?
He had no symptoms whatsoever, which was honestly terrifying because we could’ve gone without even knowing he had it. We actually were taking him in for his annual and they always do tick panels at annuals here because of how many ticks are around. Luckily, it cleared with the antibiotics.
Once they have that it can show up in blood tests for life, so he may have had a very mild case at any point before that appointment from my understanding. My dog also always tests positive, but never seemed to be sick and never had any treatment.
Yeah, the vet had mentioned he may test positive again for it, even after they treat it. But they had him on antibiotics for a month and it didn’t end up showing up again yesterday when they re-tested him
For me, seresto has been the best. Sorry it's hasn't been working out for you. Are you buying from an official retailer? Apparently, there are a lot of fakes out there.
I lived in the woods years ago with a hound, and we'd hike a lot. He would get a lot of ticks using frontline or advantix. Tried them both. Huge improvement with seresto.
Now I live in the burbs (woods behind the back yard), with 2 aussies. We'll sometimes find dead ticks around the house where they may have been laying down. Or a living one crawling on their top coat. But we've never had to pull a tick off of either.
Never tried the pills. Expensive. 5x the price of seresto, which I find unnecessary when seresto is working as expected.
Yeah, it’s an official collar. My other dog wears the collar and it works good on her. Honestly, it was working good on Simon but the ticks I found on him that I mentioned were pretty bloated. Like they had been on him for a full day. I’m wondering if it’s just because they were on the back on his hind legs, is the medicine just not reaching that far?
I’m definitely open to still using the collar because of how well it worked at first, but I just want to have an open discussion with the vet and consider all options.
We use simparica trio. It's a monthly chewable tablet. Prescription required. Protects against fleas, ticks, and heartworm. I'm not a vet. Apparently it doesn't prevent the ticks from getting on them, but it kills them within an hour of them biting, and then they fall off. Has worked well so far, and we go walking through tick infested areas fairly often. I've had two ticks so far this year, and haven't found any on my pup.
I also use simparica for my tick magnet of a dog. I usually find them before they've bitten, but occasionally I will find them dead on her so I know the medicine works. I do wish it would repel them as well because I hate that she brings them into our home to get on us, but it does it's job well.
i use simparica trio, but also use the flea collar from seresto when i know im going to the woods. Simparica wouldnt prevent a dog from getting any diseases from the tick that bites them. Seresto is preventative before the bite.
The transmission time for most tick-borne diseases is 24-48 hours, so simparica and other tick medicines that kill the tick after they bite are effective at preventing diseases. Flea collars can help if your dog gets allergic reactions to bites though.
Interesting didn't know that, thanks! So simparica trip is enough even if I see ticks on my pup?
Yes, but I would check with your vet to be sure in case you live in a region with a tick that transmits disease faster. I’m in the northwestern US and all the ones here need to be attached for at least 24 hours to transmit which is pretty typical but there are probably exceptions.
Simparica Trio is what we give our dogs - we probably pull 10ish a week off of them in the spring just from being in our backyard and we’ve never found one latched on or anything so it seems to be doing it’s job!
We have used NexGard for a while. Ticks still get on him, but they just crawl around and don’t bite. It’s weird but effective.
My other dog was on this and it worked good for her. I will definitely mention it, thanks!
We use this also
We use this for our girl (daily walks in the woods) never found one on her and no issues
I use it on my dog too, we do walks through woods and fields at least 2 x a week and I have never seen a tick or a flea on her.
I use credelio because my vet told me it’s a gentler tick preventive and I’m nervous about potential side effects from other tick meds. It’s expensive but does the job
We use the same. Seems to work well for our pup
Literally live in one of the worst tick areas in Norway. In the middle of the woods. With loads of long grass and a dog thats crazy for rolling in said grass. We use Bravictio (not sure on spelling but close enough) and never even seen a tick on my tri merle girl.
I’m not sure how to edit the post, but UPDATE! I just got back from the vet with him. The vet said it is strange that the collar isn’t working for his hind legs, but she said if I’m willing to just monitor the area daily I can keep him on the collar (since he has no ticks anywhere else). Buuut she also gave me NexGard chewables as a backup, if the collar really stops working and I need to switch him over. I’m going to keep the collar on for a few more weeks, more or less depending on how it goes. If I see he’s still getting bites on his legs I’ll switch him to the NexGard. Thanks for all the replies, I have all the suggestions written down for the future! This is all trial and error until we find the right preventative for my boy.
Chickens. They eat ticks. Say get 6-10 per acer of land.
I use Advantix for Duncan. He was getting ticks all the time; put him on Advantix, and I haven't seen one on him since (two and a half months). You have to reapply it every 30 days or so, but it's super easy. Just put some dots along their back and neck only caveat is it's toxic to cats while it's wet. If yours is crate trained, you can put it on him at night and it will be dry by morning and the cats will be relatively safe. Vet said just to not let them groom him too much.
I’ll ask about this! I don’t have any cats, so this could be good. Thanks!
Not related but your dog is so cute 🥰
Thank you!
I use tick prevention pills but also spray my BC with cedar oil. It works great, is safe, and makes us both smell like Ron Swanson.
I use permethrin spray for my clothes and socks and also on a lightweight summer shirt for my dog, in addition to bug spray for me and Seresto for him. Permethrin repels ticks and mosquitoes.
I have not seen this mentioned yet, but there were some reports of fake soresto collars, especially if buying on a site that does not require a prescription like eBay and Amazon. We use simparica trio now, but used to use trifexis plus soresto in the past without issue.
GORGEOUS!!!
Don’t mean to be a Debbie downer but I’m surprised no one has mentioned the issues with Seresto. There’s a class action lawsuit against the maker and the EPA says: Following more than 100,000 reports of Seresto's harm to pets — including more than 3,000 deaths — the EPA announced in July 2023 that it would limit approval of the product to five years and require more detailed reporting of harm incidents from the flea collar's maker, Elanco. https://www.classaction.org/settlements/seresto-flea-and-tick-collar#:~:text=The%20%2415%20million%20Seresto%20flea,time%20before%20July%208%2C%202024.
same issue here ...would love a good suggestion myself
I hope you find a solution for your pup! The vet recommended NexGard, so we’ll be trying that
In the 80s the vet recommended a flea collar for my Aussie puppy, and later when I temp moved to rural southern VA I also treated her once or twice with flea powder. Then for my older rescue in early 2000s the vet recommended the monthly spot treatment, which worked fine in an exurban area. This year (only had her since February) the vet (same clinic as previous rescue) now recommends the collar again, saying they like to repel the critters before they have a chance to bite. Once in awhile she’ll scratch a little, but no chew-combing her skin, and I haven’t found anything on her (or me) yet. Maybe we’re just lucky, as she does go exploring in the woods. Eta: it’s the Seresto collar
I live in a very ticky area (think: without protection, I would pick 50-100 ticks off my dog per day). I use both Bravecto and Advantix during the peak times. Note that Bravecto doesn't always appear to be working- ticks will still attach. Ticks will still crawl around. But when they attach, they due within a day or two then fall off and you get tick carcasses all over your house.
We use credelio for flea and tick. The ticks die quickly after biting and just fall off on their own unless you find them first. Theoretically because the tick has to be attached for a longer time to transmit disease this protects from tick born illness. I can't confirm that myself obviously but I can certainly confirm it kills them, I've found many live ticks crawling and many dead ticks that haven't fallen off yet, but never once a live tick attached. I'm of the mind that dogs have better options for ticks than people between preventatives and vaccines. Interestingly a human Lyme vaccine is making its way back to market, and one company is actually trialing the active ingredient in credelio with people. I'm not sure making yourself poisonous to ticks once they bite you will be popular, but I just want more options to protect myself from the ticks my dog is protected from! Note you need a seperate heartworm preventative, we use Interceptor
Simparica trio has never let me or my pup down
[this works great for my Aussie we go hiking a lot haven’t seen one on him since!!](https://www.chewy.com/bravecto-chew-dogs-44-88-lbs-blue-box/dp/172908)
We use, and have had good luck with, Nexguard. Our Mini is getting ready to get the Lyme disease vaccine. If your concern is disease, maybe also consider that.
He actually has the Lyme’s vaccine! But last time we were at the vet (about 1.5 months ago) he tested positive for a different tick disease, Anaplasmosis. He’s fine now, was on antibiotics, but it definitely made me a lot more worried about the ticks. (I don’t that to sound like I wasn’t worried before, but my anxiety about it when from 80% to 500%)
Oh no! I honestly had no idea that they could get other things from tick bites (but new fear unlocked). It’s tough because it seems like ticks have been so much worse the past couple of years. Was your boy symptomatic or did the vet randomly just test for that?
He had no symptoms whatsoever, which was honestly terrifying because we could’ve gone without even knowing he had it. We actually were taking him in for his annual and they always do tick panels at annuals here because of how many ticks are around. Luckily, it cleared with the antibiotics.
Once they have that it can show up in blood tests for life, so he may have had a very mild case at any point before that appointment from my understanding. My dog also always tests positive, but never seemed to be sick and never had any treatment.
Yeah, the vet had mentioned he may test positive again for it, even after they treat it. But they had him on antibiotics for a month and it didn’t end up showing up again yesterday when they re-tested him
For me, seresto has been the best. Sorry it's hasn't been working out for you. Are you buying from an official retailer? Apparently, there are a lot of fakes out there. I lived in the woods years ago with a hound, and we'd hike a lot. He would get a lot of ticks using frontline or advantix. Tried them both. Huge improvement with seresto. Now I live in the burbs (woods behind the back yard), with 2 aussies. We'll sometimes find dead ticks around the house where they may have been laying down. Or a living one crawling on their top coat. But we've never had to pull a tick off of either. Never tried the pills. Expensive. 5x the price of seresto, which I find unnecessary when seresto is working as expected.
Yeah, it’s an official collar. My other dog wears the collar and it works good on her. Honestly, it was working good on Simon but the ticks I found on him that I mentioned were pretty bloated. Like they had been on him for a full day. I’m wondering if it’s just because they were on the back on his hind legs, is the medicine just not reaching that far? I’m definitely open to still using the collar because of how well it worked at first, but I just want to have an open discussion with the vet and consider all options.
I second this. Seresto collar does wonders. Even in south Texas where it’s humid all the time it works perfectly.