Anyone use K9 Advantix on their dog?

[Vinny]

Advantix to the rest of the world. And I don't have any cats.

I live in an area with a lot of ticks (don't see fleas though) and I'm trying to protect my dog (and my family) from these nasties. I have used Frontline on her and it does kill ticks but we sometimes find ticks crawling around in the house. According to the info available, this stuff will repel ticks (Frontline doesn't say this).

I spray the back yard with pestisides but really don't like to do this too often.

I bought a 4 pack on line and am going to try it this week but before I do I was wondering other people's perspective on it.

Does it work for you?

Is it oily ? Frontline is not.

Any reactions that your dog had?

Anything else I should know?

Thanks!

[Bonibelle]

Vinny, I have tried both products and went back to Frontline. No real reason, just that I didn't see a big difference and I know Frontline is effective. As far as repelling ticks..I don't think either of these products, because they work through the skin, are real effective in repelling ticks. I use Frontline once a month because my dog has already contracted Lyme disease, in spite of being vaccinated.  
Ticks hang on the ends of grass and wait to hitch a ride on fur or skin...the best thing to do in your yard is to keep the grass short and
eliminate wild critters that carry the ticks, like mice.
A couple of years ago, I bulldozed my entire woods to eliminate the brush and I thought, to keep the deer back deeper into the woods.
You live in an area of concern for Lyme disease, believe me, you dont want it and you don't want your kids to get it.  
If you are finding ticks in the house, check the family every night. The nymphs of the deer tick that carry the Lyme bacteria are so very small...like the period at the end of this sentence...so you really have to be careful.
http://www.lymepa.org/html/protecting_yourself.html
this website may help  

[Vinny]

Vinny, I have tried both products and went back to Frontline. No real reason, just that I didn't see a big difference and I know Frontline is effective. As far as repelling ticks..I don't think either of these products, because they work through the skin, are real effective in repelling ticks. I use Frontline once a month because my dog has already contracted Lyme disease, in spite of being vaccinated.  
Ticks hang on the ends of grass and wait to hitch a ride on fur or skin...the best thing to do in your yard is to keep the grass short and
eliminate wild critters that carry the ticks, like mice.
A couple of years ago, I bulldozed my entire woods to eliminate the brush and I thought, to keep the deer back deeper into the woods.
You live in an area of concern for Lyme disease, believe me, you dont want it and you don't want your kids to get it.  
If you are finding ticks in the house, check the family every night. The nymphs of the deer tick that carry the Lyme bacteria are so very small...like the period at the end of this sentence...so you really have to be careful.
http://www.lymepa.org/html/protecting_yourself.html
this website may help  

Thanks Bonibelle!!

I try to keep the grass short but when it rains or can't get to it, it does get long. I don't cut the grass too short as my Italian heritage forces me to have a nice lawn ... I haven't succeeded yet though.

Behind my house is a school and they don't keep their grass cut short. My backyard has a lot of perimeter plants from the previous owners and little by little we are getting rid of them. I moved into my house 6 years ago and I kind of like goofing off (I'm sure you can tell by how much time I spend here!! ) but have done some big projects in the house and last year was the deck and tub project.

Luckily I don't have deer in my backyard (I have assumed that you need deer for deer ticks but I will check out the site you gave) and the ticks I find are the big brown ticks. The dog likes to go into the bushes and I think that's where she gets them from. My spraying usually helps but this year was too wet for it to be too effective - I think it washed away. I use the hose end sprayer stuff from HD and it is convienient but I worry about skin absorbtion with the dog and kids.

We have stressed to the kids to be careful , we keep short hair on them and do "tick checks" whenever they go into the woods around the house.

I looked at what people on-line have said about the Advantix product and it seems like it works as well as Frontline. I wondered about the repeling myself but that's their claim and I'm willing to pay a little extra if it really does work.

Of course I could wash my kids down with tick shampoo for the dog ...  

Thanks again!

[wmccall]

My daughter says there the same, but the K9 advantage claims to be effective against mosquitos, where Frontline does.

[Vinny]

Thanks Bill!

I forgot your daughter was into vet. medicine.

I have the 4 pack and am going to use them ... of course being fall and going into winter I won't know if it repels mosquitos.

If it works as advertized (like anything does ), I shouldn't see any ticks in the house. I only find about 6 ticks a year in the house and about the same on my dog and it happens at different times of the year so a 4 month trial may not accomplish anything.

If I find ticks I'll just go back to Frontline - it did work at killing the ticks on the dog.

[anne]

I recommend Frontline over Advantix, but partially because I am alittle afraid of clients accidentally putting Advantix on cats. I think they are fairly comparable for tick control, but Frontline may be a bit better. HOWEVER neither provide 100% tick control. With fronltine, if a tick bites, it will drop off within about 12 hrs or so....cant remember the specifics.....but it is before most things like Lyme disease can be transmitted from the tick.

You can also add a "PrevenTick" collar in really bad tick areas, or certain times of the year that ticks seem worse.

[Bonibelle]

I used to stop the Frontline in the winter, figuring the ticks were gone..but my poor dog got Lyme in January so I guess they hang out all year round in the east...Anne, do you see many cases of Lyme on the west coast?

[anne]

We see almost no lyme disease- it is a rarity out here, which I know must sound odd! We see other tick bourne diseases, but not much lyme.

Yeah, ticks are hearty little buggers. There are fewer of them in the winter, but where you are, year-round coverage is probably needed. Hope our dog did well with Lyme treatment?

[Bonibelle]

I was lucky Anne, I guess, since I had Lyme, I immediately recognized the symptoms. She woke up one morning and just couldn't walk without pain. I had her to the vet that morning ...her titer was really high. I am angry over the vaccine because it gives people a false sense of security ...especially in areas where Lyme is so prevelant.  I routinely still get her checked and she still has a titer but they can't distingush whether it is residual antibiodies from the original infection, or if she was reinfected. So I just watch her for any symptoms...I actually made them give her a second round of Doxycycline after her initial treatment. Dogs (at least my Dog) reacted almost immediately and within 3 days, she was back to normal. I think chronic Lyme can cause kidney failure in dogs. It is a pretty nasty disease and where I live, so many people and pets have it.  

[Vinny]

Thanks anne!

I was hoping to get the repellent effect but I guess I'll go back to Frontline when my 4 pack is done ... I can't see wasting my money on something that doesn't work (repellent) and I've had great luck with Frontline.

My sister's dog got Lyme and she (the dog) apparently suffers to this day. I don't know how bad the dog had it.

I guess my wife will have to get used to ticks in the house until I get a chance to concrete the entire backyard ... it's an Italian thing!  

[Bonibelle]

When you are ready to pour, let me know...I have a neighbor who needs an underground vacaton  

[anne]

Thanks anne!

I was hoping to get the repellent effect but I guess I'll go back to Frontline when my 4 pack is done ... I can't see wasting my money on something that doesn't work (repellent) and I've had great luck with Frontline.

My sister's dog got Lyme and she (the dog) apparently suffers to this day. I don't know how bad the dog had it.

I guess my wife will have to get used to ticks in the house until I get a chance to concrete the entire backyard ... it's an Italian thing!  

If you need a little something extra for tick control for now, you can add the PrevenTick collar. I believe that one lasts three months. Pest collars seem like a thing of the past, but most clients are pretty happy with this particular one. I recommend it for hunting dogs and the like. Dont let any small kids suck or chew on it, I guess.

[Vinny]

Thanks anne!

I was hoping to get the repellent effect but I guess I'll go back to Frontline when my 4 pack is done ... I can't see wasting my money on something that doesn't work (repellent) and I've had great luck with Frontline.

My sister's dog got Lyme and she (the dog) apparently suffers to this day. I don't know how bad the dog had it.

I guess my wife will have to get used to ticks in the house until I get a chance to concrete the entire backyard ... it's an Italian thing!  

If you need a little something extra for tick control for now, you can add the PrevenTick collar. I believe that one lasts three months. Pest collars seem like a thing of the past, but most clients are pretty happy with this particular one. I recommend it for hunting dogs and the like. Dont let any small kids suck or chew on it, I guess.

At this point I haven't seen a tick on my dog or in my house in a while. I only get about 6 ticks a year in the house and about the same I find either dead or alive on my dog. I will keep the collar in mind.