Fleas, ticks + tropics = Nightmare
On the island of Puerto Rico
I’ve noticed that some of the low coastal areas are more heavily infected than
the rural area where I live. Sad to say I never saw a tick on the dogs here
before we came back from a visit to the coast.
Stormy, Blondie and the
various other street dogs, which have been thru here, from time to time had fungal
infections for which we bathed and powdered, but never saw a tick.
The first time I brought the
dogs to the coast, they came back loaded. In my whole professional career in
Illinois I never saw so many ticks on a dog; and I’m freaky phobic about
insects.
Bathing them with a flea and
tick shampoo killed some and weaken the rest of the ticks so I could pluck
without hurting the dogs as much. Their shin crawled as I pulled one after
another. Mine crawled too cause I can’t stand those buggers.
Let me not forget that I
applied Frontline shortly after the bath. Ticks seemed to be everywhere, still on
the dogs, in the house and on the porch.
My dogs are my only
companions. I take them as many places as I can; they also come in my house.
I cleaned the house inside
and out with a flea and tick insecticide from Pet Smart and the Frontline
kicked in, so I didn’t see ticks for about a month at which time we re-apply.
Recently we took a road trip
to the coast. Robert Redford, my biggest came home with ears full of ticks.
Blondie and Chi-Ping had some and Lucky has none. Frontline was applied to all
dogs two weeks before their trip.
Bathing the dogs with flea
shampoo, re-applying Frontline, and chemical disinfection of premises will
restore balance here, but why didn’t the Frontline work? Were some ticks
resistant to the chemicals contained?
Should I be rotating what I
use, so ticks don’t develop immunity?
A completely different chemical family would
be best to rotate with, so what’s best?
Any contra indications that
these products be used in conjunction with the other?
What would be the best
rotation schedule, and why?
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