Tick Control

Ticks are not just a nuisance - they readily spread diseases to our pets.  In this area of the country, we are seeing five different diseases spread by ticks: Lyme Disease, Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Babesiosis.  Checking your pets for the presence of ticks is not an adequate form of tick control.  Many of our pets develop a tick-borne disease and their owners were not even aware of the presence of any ticks.  Many people come down with Lyme Disease and do not even remember having any ticks on them!  So, we must be proactive with tick control.

Many products claim to control ticks.  Many of the products will kill/repel some ticks, but trying to control all ticks is a real challenge.  These are the only products that we recommend.   Please choose carefully!

Products

1. Simparica Trio – This is truly a fantastic product!  It is a once-a-month, chewable tablet for dogs that will protect against Fleas, Ticks, AND Heartworm Disease!  It will last for 30 days.  Where most products start losing their effectiveness towards the end of the third week, this product has almost 100% effectiveness for the full month.  This drug is extremely safe and is less expensive than the other alternatives available.
2. Nexgard – Made by the makers of Heartgard, with the same taste as Heartgard, it is one of the favorite drugs for our clients (probably because it was the first oral, monthly product to hit the market).  It is for dogs only.
3. Vectra 3D - This topical product will last a full month for both Flea and Tick Control.  At present, it is our favorite TOPICAL product for flea and tick control for dogs.
4. Revolution - This product is a small amount of liquid that is applied at the nape of the neck, once a month.  Within two hours, this safe drug has been absorbed into your cat's system and starts killing many fleas. Within 24-36 hours, all of the fleas will be dead. Revolution will then continue to kill any new fleas that jump onto your cat for the next month.  Additionally, if any fleas live long enough to produce eggs, those eggs will never hatch!  Any flea droppings that are produced will also be toxic to any larva in the environment that may be feeding. By killing off three out of the four stages, Revolution very efficiently gets a problem under control (or stops a problem from occurring in the first place).   Additional benefits of Revolution - kills many ticks, effectively prevents Heartworm Disease, kills and prevents ear mites, and will keep most intestinal parasites under control.