Our question this week was:

I'd like to read about alternatives to giving my golden retriever Advantix and other related tick and flea drops. She seems to be really affected by these drops. sleeping, quiet, it makes me uneasy. What else can I do? I live in a high tick area.

Adele Milanowycz


Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. Sorry to hear you believe your dog does not respond well to K9 Advantix®. I have personally not seen a problem with it. I don't know of any home remedy that is reliable and has been proven to work.

The safest and most effective products that I have seen are prescription products that include topical spot-on products and certain tick collars.

Topical spot-on products are generally applied on the skin between your pet's shoulders once a month. Some are effective against other parasites as well (i.e. fleas, internal parasites). Systemic topical products include Frontline® and Frontline Plus® (fipronil with or without methoprene, an insect growth regulator), Revolution® (selamectin), and Kiltix® (permethrin).

An effective tick collar for dogs is the Preventic® and Preventic Plus® (amitraz with or with out pyriproxifen, an insect growth regulator).

An article that might be helpful to you is How to Remove and Prevent Ticks.

Best of luck!


Dr. Jon




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