Summer and parasites

[Teresa]

Well, Spring has finally arrived to Portugal, with a good touch of Summer already!

Every year, about this time, I need to start worrying about thicks and fleas but ,most of all about mosquitos that could give my girls leishmania or dirofilaria. I know that in other mediterranian countries everybody must have the same concerns (don't know if this is as common elsewhere), so my question is how do you protect your dogs?

 

Thanks to you all,

 

Teresa

[Teresa]

Thanks Cornelia,
I am currently using Scalibor as well, and it works very well, but is exactly what you say... it's not natural, and it's ugly (at least in my brown girls, for white dogs its perfect) I would never change to less eficiency, but i wouldn't mind increasing it :)

Teresa

[Susan Stone]

Yep, they are back! Dogs and cats get treated but what about myself??? Just took the first one of the year off myself. I have tried all the 'natural' methods of herbs, teatree oil, lavender, garlic powder etc etc and the only thing that really keeps ticks (partly) under control are the spot-on products and Scalibor. Neither natural nor pretty, but it is the only answer if you want to avoid tick transmitted disease.

I once heard that some of the local dogs in the south actually build up a immunity against Leimaniasis? Is that true?

[eva ciechonska]

From what I have been told many local Spanish dogs don't build up an immunity against Leimaniasis, I believe they get it and live with it for a while but they do seccumb in the end. This information is from a friend living in Spain where many local dogs are just not given protection. I walk with an English Setter and his owner who swears that a clove of fresh garlic every day keeps the ticks away. Garlic loses it's potency when it is made into pills, powder or oil capsules......it has to be the real deal. This is also a very good remedy against roundworm, don't know about tapeworm though, maybe someone knows more.

[Teresa]

Eva is right. I have never heard of immunity to Leishmaniasis. In Brazil there is a vaccine, but it is not eficient to the kind of Leishmanias we have in Europe. If detected soon, leishmaniasis can be treated and the dogs can live for a long time with quality of life, but eventually they all sucumb to the leishmanianis.
There are also people that combine scalibor and a spot on, but ths must be made very carefully! I actually know a dog that has leishmaniasis because her owner used a sopt on along with the scalibor and they anuled each other, so a dog that was suposed to be ultra protected was actually unprotected...

[Susan Stone]

Thanks, that is interesting!

[eva ciechonska]

My vet told me that sandflies are dormant in the winter so if the worse comes to the worse the scalibor collar can be left off for a while but I understand it takes about 2 weeks to build up resistance to Leishmaniasis once the scalibor is put back on again so it is best to err on the side of caution. I presume the scalibor is the only effective protection against this parasite.
We are lucky in the UK to be free of this but we do get ticks and they can pass on Lyme disease so we have to be careful.

[eva ciechonska]

Thanks for that Cornelia.........little bastards!!!!!! Just something else to worry about........me staying at home!!!!

[Robert Krajnc]

I use Advantix. And is good. No thicks anymore. Before at least 5 per walk.

[Laura Kolbach]

i've been using Kiltix for many years now, all year around as we them summer-winter-spring-autumn...

[Jo Ottinger]

I use galic suppliment from Springtime. Have used it for my horse for years. Does take some dogs a while to get use to the smell but if you start with a small amount and work up to full dose it does work. My last irish had a reaction to advantage so I do not use it.