# Tick prevention: Advantix vs Bravecto?



## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Even with all the talk in here, in many threads, I don't think we've ever come up with a sure-fire tick repellent or killer. Fleas we've got covered with several excellent products... Heartworm is covered too. But nothing for ticks... yet.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Zooey had a bad allergic reaction to Advantix and Maizie just recently had a reaction (not as bad) to Comfortis. Maizie is now wearing a Seresto collar, which is labeled for fleas and ticks. I'm sorry, I don't know anything about Bravecto.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

We have used Advantix II effectively and with no adverse reactions since Lily and Peeves were puppies. I have never found a tick on Lily and the only ones I ever found on Peeves were dead within just a few hours after they had the chance to get on him.

Countryboy I don't know why you think there are no good tick controllers. There are, its just a matter of whether one wants to use them or if your dog has had adverse reactions to them.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

I've always been happy with Frontline, but Blue plays with Jazz by grabbing her by the nape of her neck, which means we have to keep them separated for a few days after the Frontline is applied, so last summer I switched to Bravecto, gave two doses, and took a break for several months. Just started it again, after I found a tick in the house. So far, I've found two or three others crawling, but none attached. At this point, I'm satisfied.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

lily cd re said:


> Countryboy I don't know why you think there are no good tick controllers.


Mostly, I think that those of you who claim you have found one are kidding yourselves.


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## kmart (Apr 28, 2015)

The thing that has worked best for me and several other dog owners in my area is cedar oil spray and an immediate bath and blow dry after being out in tick country to pick off the stragglers. That's really the best I've got at the moment.


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## Deblakeside (Oct 2, 2015)

After picking 10 or 11 deer ticks off Billy in less than 2 weeks, I called my vet. He's on Revolution, but that only takes care of dog ticks. (and fleas and heartworm) She gave us Bravecto, and when I run out of Revolution, she will switch him to Sentinel for the heartworm. For myself, I insist on 15 minutes in the hot tub after hiking or gardening- boil the little suckers off of me! I pulled one off me two days ago! Yuk! I HATE ticks, especially deer ticks ( yes, I've had Lyme...)


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## Beaches (Jan 25, 2014)

I am using nexguard for ticks. Worked well last year.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Countryboy said:


> Mostly, I think that those of you who claim you have found one are kidding yourselves.


Your opinion, not my experience.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Am I correct that nothing repels ticks - the meds just kill them after the attach, with the goal being early enough so that they are dead before they can transmit disease?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Am I correct that nothing repels ticks - the meds just kill them after the attach, with the goal being early enough so that they are dead before they can transmit disease?



For prescription tick controllers I believe you are correct, but I would think that some of the "natural" sprays really are repellers. As I said earlier the only ticks I've ever found on one of my dogs had bitten but were dead within about 12 hours after they were likely picked up. I found live embedded ticks on myself at the same time. I am a well known tick magnet though! Sometimes I wish there were Advantix for people. Or maybe I should get a seresto collar and put some beads on it and pretend it is jewelry.


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## poofs (Jan 6, 2016)

Thread hijack with conspiracy theories!

Have any of you guys read about Plum Island and lyme disease?
Plum Island is a federal agency that researches animal diseases. They've also done some bio-warfare research, too.

It's located in NY and most of the lyme disease cases in America are from that area. I live in Louisiana, we have lots of ticks, but an insignificant amount of lyme disease.

Crazy, huh?


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

lily cd re said:


> For prescription tick controllers I believe you are correct, but I would think that some of the "natural" sprays really are repellers. As I said earlier the only ticks I've ever found on one of my dogs had bitten but were dead within about 12 hours after they were likely picked up. I found live embedded ticks on myself at the same time. I am a well known tick magnet though! Sometimes I wish there were Advantix for people. Or maybe I should get a seresto collar and put some beads on it and pretend it is jewelry.



Lol beaded Serresto collar!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

poofs said:


> Thread hijack with conspiracy theories!
> 
> Have any of you guys read about Plum Island and lyme disease?
> Plum Island is a federal agency that researches animal diseases. They've also done some bio-warfare research, too.
> ...


Get real please. 

Well now I live on Long Island about 80 miles west of Plum Island, am an immunologist and considered applying to do research at Plum Island when I finished graduate school. I have known several people who had long and important careers there. Their research is on infectious diseases of animals and is incredibly important to agricultural animal health.

Lyme disease most certainly is a re-emerging disease that was probably abundantly common during the 17th and 18th centuries in the northeast and not something conjured up by mad scientists at a research facility that has better things to do with its personnel and resources. Long Islanders are not all deformed freaks of nature who are subjects of bad science being done at Plum Island. Journals of European settlers clearly describe illnesses that must have been Lyme disease with links to tick bites, bulls eye rashes, fevers, heart problems, and joint and muscle pains. Here is a link to a summary related to a research paper that looked at the thousands year long history of borreliosis in North America. YaleNews | Lyme Bacterium, Once Nearly Eradicated In U.S., Rebounded With Forests


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## Deblakeside (Oct 2, 2015)

I spent my childhood in Lyme, Connecticut. I could sit on the beach and see Plum Island on the horizon. I've heard the theories that Lyme disease accidentally escaped Plum Island and got to Lyme, CT. Its a fascinating theory. Also read a book about Plum Island, by DeMille I think. Fiction is definitely more fascinating than fact. 

Lily is on to the non-fiction version of the history of Lyme disease. Meanwhile, I'm doing daily tick checks of dogs and people. I itch just thinking about it!


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I have had very good success using Frontline plus for ticks.


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## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

I feel so lucky not having a problem with ticks here in the city, and well remember getting them off my Heeler cross when we lived back East. That was before Lyme disease became as known as it is today.

Reading how they are prevalent in so many areas makes me want to contact the good folks at findyourspot.com to ask them to add more granular pet-related content to the questionnaire. How lovely it would be to feel confident walking in a forest with one's dog and not having to constantly worry about Lyme--for both human and dog...


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

It's logical to me that something that would kill fleas upon biting would do the same with other small insects(?). So is that what happens with your Frontline, CM? Do you know? Does it kill ticks when they bite the dog? 

If so, it's certainly plausible that any flea treatment would be good against ticks too. 'Cept I've never seen that studied... followed up on... only anecdotal stuff and manufacturer claims. 



Streetcar said:


> How lovely it would be to feel confident walking in a forest with one's dog and not having to constantly worry about Lyme--for both human and dog...


I totally agree. Isn't that our goal? I'm looking hard for us to get there.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

I've used AdvantixII on Callie for 4 years. It works well. When we first got her we tried Frontline, but she had a bad reaction to it. When we got Molly last year, I put Advantix on her and SHE reacted to that. So now Molly is on Frontline and Callie on Advantix. The products each use a different ingredient, so you might want to see how Teddy reacts to one of the other.
I've heard good things about Seresto, but I'm not comfortable with it yet. (Memories of flea collars) The idea of a chemical giving off "whatever" around my dogs face and rubbing it around the furniture, etc doesn't appeal to me. Also my girls play around a lot and I'm afraid one or the other could get a mouthful of chemical by grabbing around the other's head and neck.
Not that I like the idea of a topical, but with the long hair, it is absorbed and the hair on top doesn't have chemical on it.
Maybe I'm wrong about it, but that's what I'm thinking so far, topical plus spraying essential oils on legs, belly and ends of ears each time they go out to play.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

Streetcar you are so right. I have lovely woods around my house - we don't dare take walks back there. Even a short outing around the neighborhood or park, the girls go up on the table for a quick brushdown and inspection and same goes for the human! These ticks are awful. Its time the CDC recognized that they are becoming a health hazard, and not just for dogs. Even with prevention we get one occasionally (usually haven't a clue where - maybe it fell out of a tree) and then have to go on a course of antibiotics.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

SusanG said:


> Streetcar you are so right. I have lovely woods around my house - we don't dare take walks back there. Even a short outing around the neighborhood or park, the girls go up on the table for a quick brushdown and inspection and same goes for the human! These ticks are awful. *Its time the CDC recognized that they are becoming a health hazard, and not just for dogs*. Even with prevention we get one occasionally (usually haven't a clue where - maybe it fell out of a tree) and then have to go on a course of antibiotics.



They have known this for years, take it very seriously for people and for other animals and have extensive resources about human and zoonotic infections as well as tick avoidance on their website. Here is a link to the CDC's index of materials on its site regarding ticks. Ticks | CDC

Since the CDC is a federal agency its budget is funded largely by our income tax dollars (tax day here in US today) all of its publications and resources are available for free to the public. If you have particular topic interests they have many different newsletters that you can e-subscribe to. Some of them are highly technical, but many of them are directed towards general public audiences. I always tell my students that if they have questions about things the CDC might have answers for that their resources are much more likely to yield meaningful answers than simply "googling" for it.


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

> I have had very good success using Frontline plus for ticks.


I think you are a dying breed of Frontline lovers CM.   They actually came out with a new "version" of FL called Frontline Tritak that starts killing in 5 minutes. We just started carrying it. 
I personally am not a fan on the FL just because of the time it takes to actually kill the ticks. I used to use FL on Draco. He got groomed about 3 days after a hike once and the groomer found 5 ticks on him, still attached, dead. They were about half engorged at that point, but he had big welts and infections around where they were still hanging on. 
I don't remember how or why I didn't find them sooner, but I don't like how long the ticks are attached before they actually die. I have had several clients swear that they are Religious about putting the FL on, and their dogs will show up positive for Lyme and other tick diseases.

I really am a huge Bravecto fan! It kills very quick for fleas and ticks! I have had so many clients tell me that they don't find nearly the amount of ticks on their dogs like they did last year on the FL.


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## Deblakeside (Oct 2, 2015)

Bigpoodleperson, I hope you are right about the Bravecto! I started Billy on it Friday. A dozen ticks Ive pulled off him in the past few weeks. And two off of me! I've checked him every evening since Friday, and so far, no ticks, dead or alive.:adore:

And, btw, did they rename deer ticks black-legged ticks? It made it very confusing reading through info about various treatments.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

I've never heard of Bravecto. I'll have to look it up and see if its right for mine. 
I know what you are saying about the ticks having to actually attach to die. That's why I spray with essential oils before they go out, hoping it will repel them so they don't hang on and attach. I am so uncomfortable putting chemicals in or on my babies. I hate not having a choice but to use something, get them the shots, and then pray I did the right thing.


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## poofs (Jan 6, 2016)

I just thought of something. Maybe the government should entertain the idea of lifting the ban on a highly controversial and demonized chemical... DDT

That stuff definitely kills ticks.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

poofs said:


> I just thought of something. Maybe the government should entertain the idea of lifting the ban on a highly controversial and demonized chemical... DDT
> 
> That stuff definitely kills ticks.


I know you are being facetious, but...

Somehow this discussion keeps coming onto things that I am currently teaching on, which is why I have so much to say.

It is a probable human carcinogen among other things. Sadly it has a long half life and persists in many environmental sources even today, decades after it was banned for use in 1972. One of the consequences of its heavy use when allowed was resistance in many of the arthropods we were trying to kill with it.

https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/ddt-brief-history-and-status


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Bigpoodleperson, I agree with Deblakeside--I hope you're right about Bravecto being very effective. We just came back from a walk. The dogs waded wet grass and played in the creek, so I had to wash their legs and feet. I found two ticks crawling on Blue and one on me. Didn't see any on Jazz, but her black coat makes that difficult without using a comb. I gave Bravecto to both dogs last week, haven't found any ticks attached during the daily comb-out on either one since then, but clearly it's going to be a really bad year for the nasty little devils. I need to talk to my vet about the Lyme vaccine.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

bigpoodleperson said:


> I think you are a dying breed of Frontline lovers CM.   They actually came out with a new "version" of FL called Frontline Tritak that starts killing in 5 minutes. We just started carrying it.
> I personally am not a fan on the FL just because of the time it takes to actually kill the ticks. I used to use FL on Draco. He got groomed about 3 days after a hike once and the groomer found 5 ticks on him, still attached, dead. They were about half engorged at that point, but he had big welts and infections around where they were still hanging on.
> I don't remember how or why I didn't find them sooner, but I don't like how long the ticks are attached before they actually die. I have had several clients swear that they are Religious about putting the FL on, and their dogs will show up positive for Lyme and other tick diseases.
> 
> I really am a huge Bravecto fan! It kills very quick for fleas and ticks! I have had so many clients tell me that they don't find nearly the amount of ticks on their dogs like they did last year on the FL.


There's only a few months of the year where ticks are a concern for us (fleas never are) and I will not use a product that is absorbed into the bloodstream. Not to mention, according to my reproductive vet, Frontline Plus is one of the safer topical products to use on breeding animals. Neither Frontline Plus nor Frontline Tritak require a tick to bite - only for them to come into contact with the hair. I see no point in using a product that contains an *third* pesticide (cyphenothrin), when I don't want to be using any pesticides at all. Quite frankly, a product lurking on my dog's skin that is capable of killing ticks within 5 minutes is really not something that I have any desire to be using. Frontline Plus has been around for a very long time and has been proven not to cause issues for breeding animals, has a very long track record of being safe to use on pregnant bitches, and it is what I will continue using until it doesn't do the job I need it to do. I know several breeders who say absolutely no Frontline Tritak for pregnant bitches. And Advantix is not safe for pregnant bitches per my reproductive vet.

I will not use Bravecto (or Nexguard - which is not reproductively safe anyway) as they both may trigger seizures in predisposed animals. It's just not something I have an interest in using when Frontline is effective. I've never found an attached tick on my dogs while being treated with Frontline and they've never tested positive for tick born disease.


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

CM, I understand with you having breeding dogs that you have to look at that option also. I wasn't saying that you had to switch to anything. I was just joking since in my area we have so many ticks all the time and more people turning away from the frontline.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

I've picked three ticks off myself today, found one on an inanimate object, and several on Blue. I think the ticks are hitching a ride on the dogs' coats, don't work their way down to the skin, and jump ship once they're in the house. Then they find their way to us, the relatively hairless creatures. I hate those creepy, nasty little crawlies. Maybe I'll take a Bravecto...


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

I have been using Revolution, which is a combo for fleas, ticks and heartworm. Works great for me.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

bigpoodleperson said:


> CM, I understand with you having breeding dogs that you have to look at that option also. I wasn't saying that you had to switch to anything. I was just joking since in my area we have so many ticks all the time and more people turning away from the frontline.


There is a lot more to consider when reproductive safety is important.  In many cases, "new and improved" is exactly what we try to avoid.


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

I forgot to mention that as part of our tick protocol, I spray Draco with a natural tick repelant spray before we go into any tick areas. I started doing that after I found so many ticks on him. It has worked great, and I haven't found a tick on him in years (and trust me we have been out). Between the monthly (or 3 month with Bravecto) preventative and the sprays when we go out hiking or to tick areas we have *knock on wood* been pretty tick free.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

bigpoodleperson said:


> I forgot to mention that as part of our tick protocol, I spray Draco with a natural tick repelant spray before we go into any tick areas.


What spray do you use? It would have to be really, really safe, because I'd have to spray the dogs at least twice a day.


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

There are a couple of formulas posted on facebook. One is 4 oz distilled water and 20 drops lemongrass and 20 drops eucalyptus. The other one I make is 4 oz distilled water and about 6 drops lavendar, rose geranium, cedarwood, lemongrass. I spray it on their legs and belly and the tips of their ears. I don't use a lot, just when I take them for walks or to the dog park. The smell disapates pretty quickly so I don't know how long it lasts.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

SusanG said:


> There are a couple of formulas posted on facebook. One is 4 oz distilled water and 20 drops lemongrass and 20 drops eucalyptus. The other one I make is 4 oz distilled water and about 6 drops lavendar, rose geranium, cedarwood, lemongrass. I spray it on their legs and belly and the tips of their ears. I don't use a lot, just when I take them for walks or to the dog park. The smell disapates pretty quickly so I don't know how long it lasts.


Thanks! I have eucalyptus and lavender oils. I'll pick up the others and see how that works.


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

I bought mine from Espree a long time ago, and I dont see it on their website anymore. It has the lemongrass and other oils in it though and is completely natural and safe. The homemade ones would be comparable though!


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## SusanG (Aug 8, 2009)

Some of the recipes I've seen include citronella. I made that last year - it stinks like bug spray and the smell doesn't go away. Callie hated it. Also, I don't think citronella is safe for dogs if they lick it. I sprayed it on a bandana and put it around her neck but ended up pouring it out.


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