A recent Facebook thread in a local group reminded me that there is still quite a bit of confusion and mis-information out there about tick control options for dogs. There are obviously many ads out there for different brands of preventives. But, even at the basic level of “type”, many people still aren’t sure what is the best option for their dog and its lifestyle. So, here is an update on current thoughts within the veterinary profession.
Up until about 5 years ago, topical drops were what most vets were recommending. The first ones became available in the mid 90’s and were an amazing option compared to the sprays and powders we were stuck-with prior. Just a few drops of liquid on the back of the neck and no fleas or ticks would survive on our pets for up to a month. The problem was, regardless of the product, these drops always started to lose effectiveness after 5 years or so. The reason is that these were still basically direct pesticides. They just happened to be safe on pets at low doses. Eventually, the chemical in these topicals would be used in industrial and household pesticides. So, ticks eventually started to build up a tolerance to the chemical after chronic, low-dose exposure in the environment. Eventually, the miniscule amount on the dog was not effective. There aren’t too many topicals that are considered effective at killing ticks nowadays by vets.
The second option is collars. Old-school collars from 20-plus years ago were pretty effective. However, depending on the material and the product within the plastic, the effectiveness and duration varied significantly. There was also an issue with safety as the old designs did not release when hung up, leading to strangulations. More recently, there are newer, safer designs and materials used that can have these collars lasting up to 6-8 months. They tend to be very expensive but, when used properly, I can’t really complain about their effectiveness. That said, most times, they are placed too loose to correctly distribute the product. Also, they should be removed before swimming which rarely occurs. So, these can be the least reliable of the products.
An issue with both topicals and collars is repellency. This seems counter-intuitive as you would think you would want a product that repels insects. The problem is that, unlike mosquitoes, ticks move pretty slow. So, when a dog picks some up in the yard, they will have to crawl down to the skin before they realize the dog is not tasty. By the time they then crawl off the dog, they could be back in the house where they seek the next best thing: us and our kids.
Most vets have changed to recommending oral chews to prevent ticks. There are many products now in this category. These medications are safe and have less side effects than all the other options. The bugs do need to bite to die, but they usually die before they can pass any major disease (although the ones labeled to work for several months seem to kill much slower…). In addition, as these are not direct pesticides, they will never be released for non-veterinary use and should not lose effectiveness like the topicals. An added bonus is that these medications also kill mange and other parasites besides fleas and ticks.
Regardless of the product, remember to use year round. Ticks only hibernate when it is below 31 degrees outside. If there’s no snow on the ground, the ticks are biting.