Dog Community

Ticks choose me over my dog...

Posted : 4/25/2007 7:55:34 PM

Oh my goodness. Somebody has to help me.

I've had a minor tick phobia since my mom told me what they were as a kid. Now I'm finding them attached to my scalp.

I've had my dog off his flea/tick meds (the kind you drop onto the skin on his neck) for the winter but was planning to restart when it got warm. It's just barely getting warm but it looks like the ticks are early.

Once I get him back on his meds, can I expect the ticks that feed on me to go away? I've only found one so far, but last year we had them all through the house. We had to get it fumigated!

It's one of those things that will probably cause me to lose sleep. I was in bed when I found the tick, which means I'm not even safe in the comfort of my own bed. We're washing the sheets and bathing my dog next.

Actually, I have another question: Can I use my dog's shampoo? It says that it's for dogs only, but is that just an arbitrary precaution?

Amina

jennie_c_d

Posted : 4/25/2007 8:30:54 PM

You *can* use flea shampoo on your hair, but I wouldn't reccomend it.

Waist-length, loose hair. Flea COVERED (dripping blood, crawling skin, make you want to vomit), freshly rescued dog.... It was not pretty.

Flea shampoo is damaging to hair, I'd have to say. I won't use it on my dogs, and I probably won't put it in my hair, again (I keep it bound, now, while I'm working).

Amina

Posted : 4/25/2007 8:34:07 PM

Thanks. That's good to know.

But will the ticks on me go away after my dog goes back on his meds? Or do ticks stay around as long as there's fresh blood (even if it's human)?

jennie_c_d

Posted : 4/25/2007 9:17:49 PM

My dogs do not get flea and tick "prevention". I don't use anything like that, on them.

I do occasionally get a tick, when I'm romping through heavy grasses and woods with them. I suspect that if I ate as well as they do, I wouldn't.

MSM does help, with repelling ticks.

timsdat

Posted : 4/25/2007 10:04:28 PM

The active ingredent in Adams Flea and Tick shampoo (Permethrin) is the same active ingredent used in Lice shampoos for people. It seems to me if you used Lice shampoo it would kill ticks.

I'm talking about for her hair not the dogs.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 4/25/2007 10:45:21 PM

It seems to me if you used Lice shampoo it would kill ticks.

It costs more, and generally isn't sitting around in grooming shops or (in this case) peoples' bathrooms[

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Meralee Crowl

Posted : 4/25/2007 11:30:15 PM

When I first moved to my house, it was winter so I didn't use the flea and tick stuff on the dogs and then I dound a few ticks on me. I immediately had the house sprayed for bugs and I put flea and tick meds on the dogs. I've never had a problem since and I keep them on meds year round (which also helps me to remember to do the meds)