# Interesting (and different) advice for tick prevention in ME vs. MA/RI



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I'm in the Northeast in Lyme disease territory with plenty of ticks in the area. I asked my vet about this - he prefers NexGuard and said that there is no need to do both NexGuard AND Seresto collar. 

He said that some people don't want their dog ingesting medication - for those people he prescribes a Seresto collar. Some of his clients with children don't want them playing with a dog wearing a collar with chemicals.

I was told not to use Frontline as it wasn't effective for my area.

I wonder if it's a regional choice based on the parasites in area?


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

What a pretty (tick infested) forest! More bragging rights for Texas - a Lone Star Tick Do you plan on getting the Lyme prevention vaccine for Ari too?


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

Just wanted to say Ari is soo darned cute.... But then you already know that!:angel:

VQ


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## ApricotsRock (Jan 10, 2014)

Interesting. My sis in law recently got a puppy and called and asked what I used on Rookie. And asked me about the collar - which I don't use. Nor has my vet pushed it on us. 

The advantix I use was not one of the options her vet gave her.

She is in MA, I am in NH.


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## mimi4neeyah (May 22, 2015)

Hi, I am in Connecticut close to the Rhode Island border and both dogs use Seresto collars and Sentinel Spectrium . I have found deer ticks on both, (dead) and of course dog ticks also, dead too. Both dogs have had tick disease and were treated , they came to me with it as they are both rescues. They also get the Lime vaccine every year . It's a personal choice but for me I want them protected. 


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## mimi4neeyah (May 22, 2015)

mimi4neeyah said:


> Hi, I am in Connecticut close to the Rhode Island border and both dogs use Seresto collars and Sentinel Spectrium . I have found deer ticks on both, (dead) and of course dog ticks also, dead too. Both dogs have had tick disease and were treated , they came to me with it as they are both rescues. They also get the Lime vaccine every year . It's a personal choice but for me I want them protected.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk






















Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

I called around to 3 vets today, 2 in RI and 1 in MA, to ask about this. They all recommended the oral preventatives (Bravecto or NexGard) as the best single option for fleas and ticks. When I asked whether a collar in addition to that would be necessary/a good idea, they concluded that it wouldn't hurt to combine Seresto/other collars and Bravecto/NexGard since they have very different mechanisms of action and shouldn't interact negatively and could help to 100% protect against ticks.



Skylar said:


> I'm in the Northeast in Lyme disease territory with plenty of ticks in the area. I asked my vet about this - he prefers NexGuard and said that there is no need to do both NexGuard AND Seresto collar.
> 
> He said that some people don't want their dog ingesting medication - for those people he prescribes a Seresto collar. Some of his clients with children don't want them playing with a dog wearing a collar with chemicals.
> 
> ...


I think that it's partly a regional choice based on the specific ticks around us, combined with the fact that we are in a pretty affluent town on the Cape right now where people can afford to spend $30 a month or so on flea/tick preventative.



Mfmst said:


> What a pretty (tick infested) forest! More bragging rights for Texas - a Lone Star Tick Do you plan on getting the Lyme prevention vaccine for Ari too?


I don't plan on immediately running out to get Ari the Lyme vacc. Lyme was pretty bad in Maine where we were, and I found NexGard to work very well against deer ticks up there. Since the ticks have to bite for several hours before transmitting Lyme, I think Ari is fine if I always give her NexGard on time. So far, this still appears to be true in MA, but there are more ticks overall because of the weather.

Also, Ari just got her rabies, distemper and bordatella boosters before we moved, so she is definitely not getting any more vaccines for a while to let her immune system rest (also my pocketbook...).



ApricotsRock said:


> Interesting. My sis in law recently got a puppy and called and asked what I used on Rookie. And asked me about the collar - which I don't use. Nor has my vet pushed it on us.
> 
> The advantix I use was not one of the options her vet gave her.
> 
> She is in MA, I am in NH.


The vets definitely did not push the collars when I called, but they unanimously agreed that a collar + oral meds would be the gold standard for an outdoor, off-road dog in this region.



mimi4neeyah said:


> Hi, I am in Connecticut close to the Rhode Island border and both dogs use Seresto collars and Sentinel Spectrium . I have found deer ticks on both, (dead) and of course dog ticks also, dead too. Both dogs have had tick disease and were treated , they came to me with it as they are both rescues. They also get the Lime vaccine every year . It's a personal choice but for me I want them protected.


That was the other combination one of the vets in RI mentioned! I wasn't taking notes so I couldn't remember the specific other drug (Sentinel Spectrum). I think only Seresto treats ticks—Sentinel doesn't, so this is a slightly different approach that doesn't double up on tick prevention.

Well... I decided to get Ari the Seresto collar. Ideally, it will keep her fully protected even during the last week before her next NexGard dose (even in Maine, I noticed that ticks would be less dead when I found them during the 3rd week, 1 week before the next dose). Since Ari sleeps in my bed, I want ticks to be VERY dead when they fall off her so that they don't get on me!

I'll update the thread if anything major changes, good or bad, regarding this.

Feeling stylish, and fitting in with her new peers:


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## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

Just a question for those of you who live farther north than me, since we are on the subject of ticks. Hans gets Trifexis now, which doesn't kill ticks. I'm in FL, and have only found 2 ticks on him in the 3 years I've had him. We are going camping in KY in late October, and I'm wondering how late in the fall ticks are a problem. He gets the last Trifexis from this pack on Aug 1, and I'm trying to decide if I should get another pack of Trifexis or ask the vet about something different. If we do switch, I'd rather do it now, well in advance of the trip, just in case he has any issues.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Hey Sophi Anne, didn't Ari have a seizure or two in the past? Just an FYI - Nexguard and Bravecto both can cause seizures in predisposed animals (Ari would be considered predisposed, obviously). If it were me, I'd want to use one of the tick preventatives (along with the Seresto collar like you're thinking if that's what's best in your area) that doesn't come with a seizure risk.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

CharismaticMillie said:


> Hey Sophi Anne, didn't Ari have a seizure or two in the past? Just an FYI - Nexguard and Bravecto both can cause seizures in predisposed animals (Ari would be considered predisposed, obviously). If it were me, I'd want to use one of the tick preventatives (along with the Seresto collar like you're thinking if that's what's best in your area) that doesn't come with a seizure risk.


Thanks for remembering Ari's past history, and the warning!

The decision to use NexGard with Ari after that horrible week (where she seemed to have 2 focal seizures) was agonized over for months with Ari's vet and Dr. Dodds, but ultimately I decided to take the risk because the alternatives were not going to be adequate in terms of tick protection. If she ever has another seizure, I will reevaluate.

This is definitely an important thing for people to be aware of when using systemic flea/tick medications with their dogs.

ETA: Last I knew, NexGard/Bravecto were only assumed to have an effect on seizures in predisposed dogs and there was insufficient data to establish causation. Was there a more recent study where a causative link was established, that I missed?


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## Poodlemanic (Jun 27, 2016)

I think you should move to Northern BC! We don't have fleas and we don't have ticks (on our dogs). No one uses anything up here and I find it mildly repugnant to think of cuddling my dogs if they were on something! Come here and we'll go hiking the waterfalls and find new dinosaur footprint fossils!! Just kidding, I know you are happy where you are but we are totally going hiking on our own in an area where new fossils and dinosaur tracks are being discovered all the time  Our poodles go rushing around having a blast as we go. One of my friends recently said they saw 13 grizzlies on their horseback ride, putting me to shame with seeing a bear or two on my hikes


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

sophie anne said:


> Thanks for remembering Ari's past history, and the warning!
> 
> The decision to use NexGard with Ari after that horrible week (where she seemed to have 2 focal seizures) was agonized over for months with Ari's vet and Dr. Dodds, but ultimately I decided to take the risk because the alternatives were not going to be adequate in terms of tick protection. If she ever has another seizure, I will reevaluate.
> 
> ...


It may cause seizures in predisposed animals, but there is no information showing that it is likely to cause a dog without a predisposition to develop seizures. The expression of seizures in predisposed dogs is generally ultimately caused by the perfect storm of environmental triggers. Many dogs may be predisposed to seizures not actually develop them. A product that can lead to seizures in predisposed dogs, like Bravecto or Nexgard, can easily be the straw that broke the camel's back.


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## sophie anne (Feb 17, 2015)

CharismaticMillie said:


> It may cause seizures in predisposed animals, but there is no information showing that it is likely to cause a dog without a predisposition to develop seizures. The expression of seizures in predisposed dogs is generally ultimately caused by the perfect storm of environmental triggers. Many dogs may be predisposed to seizures not actually develop them. A product that can lead to seizures in predisposed dogs, like Bravecto or Nexgard, can easily be the straw that broke the camel's back.


I saw both your original and your edited post. I think I slightly misread your first post, and didn't mean to sound accusatory or anything (if you felt that way—hard sometimes to tell online) and now that I reread it I understand what you meant. I wanted to make sure that I hadn't missed some new info on risks with NexGard, which it looks like I thankfully haven't, because I recommend it to a lot of people!


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