Tick Problem! Please Help!

*Amy*

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#1
Here's the story...

I have been looking through Carlie's fur daily for ticks because she had a few on her when we adopted her, but I guess I've been missing them lately. A few days ago, I decided to put Advantix on her because it had been about a month since any preventative had been on her and I wanted to make sure she wouldn't get any more. I gave her a bath and then put it on her. The next day, I get home from school and take her out of her crate. There were about 30 tiny ticks on her bedding. :yikes: Does that mean there were eggs somewhere and they hatched considering the ticks are so small? I put her bedding in the wash on the hottest setting to kill them all and I had an exterminator come in yesterday and spray down the whole apartment. While he was spraying, my boyfriend took Carlie to Petsmart and they gave her a bath and supposedly picked off every tick they could find. I then put another dose of Advantix on her since they had washed it off, but we keep finding a few on her bedding after she sleeps on it. It's horrible. I don't know how to get rid of them completely especially because I can't see them on her! I seriously do not know where they are all coming from. I'm hoping they are all just dieing when they come off of her considering the whole apartment was sprayed, but I don't know. They're obviously coming off of her because she has the medicine on, but shouldn't they die after they come off?

My apartment management supposedly gets the grounds and outside of the buildings sprayed for ticks, but I'm worried she'll just keep picking them up somewhere outside if they're not treating it well enough. My mom heard of this product, Sevin Dust, that this lady was using to get rid of ticks both outside and inside. Has anyone heard of it?

Thanks!!
 

mjb

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#2
We had a similar problem. Spanky came home with them after boarding. Well, we found about 6 or 7 on him the day AFTER he came home from boarding. I guess he could have gotten into a nest in a bush around our house the very day he came home. Anyway.......

We picked all lthose off of him. The next day, we found about 8 on him. Picked those off. Same thing the next day. We took him to the vet for a bath and for them to go over him very well, and they also put him on some medicine (maybe for tick-borne diseases?). While he was there, we had an exterminator spray our house and yard. They told us one treatment would probably do it, but that the eggs could hatch in about 2 weeks, and we would know if we had any more problems then.

We use Frontline on Spanky. Two weeks later, we started seeing a few on Spanky, one at the time, though...not the 8 and 10 like before. We had the exterminator back out. Two weeks later, we found one on him several days in a row, and back with the exterminator.

The exterminator doesn't charge for subsequent visits because his treatment was guaranteed, but it's very frustrating. It seems to be over now. Spanky had to go back to the vet for another reason last week, and the vet found one on him. We were all worried that it was starting yet again. I haven't seen one before or since, though, so I think he might have picked it up in the bushes at the vet that he went through to pee.

The vet's concern was that the tick was alive but Spanky had been treated with Frontline about a week and a half before. It hadn't gotten very attached yet, though.

The vet had a similar situation at her house, and she said it took awhile to clear up for her, too.

So, I have been there, and that's how it went for us. It is no fun. The cats didn't get any ticks (nor the humans) in all this, though.
 

*Amy*

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#3
It's no fun at all. That's for sure. I'm glad you were successful in eventually getting rid of them, though! My exterminator is going to be coming back at least once to re-spray. I hope I can eventually get rid of all of them. Were the ones you found on Spanky big or tiny like the ones I keep finding?
 

mjb

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I never saw this until today, so I'm sure that you've probably gotten things under control.

The first time we found them on him, there were quite a few big ones. Afterwards, we kept finding small ones on him. (The big ones are easier to find than those little ones, though)!!

We're in the clear now, though!!!!
 

*Amy*

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I never saw this until today, so I'm sure that you've probably gotten things under control.

The first time we found them on him, there were quite a few big ones. Afterwards, we kept finding small ones on him. (The big ones are easier to find than those little ones, though)!!

We're in the clear now, though!!!!
That's how it was with me, too. Except it was a couple weeks after we saw the big ones that we started seeing the small ones. The little ones are impossible to find!!

It seems we are in the clear now as well. I hope it stays that way!
 

mjb

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Yes, about 3 weeks after our third treatment, I was afraid we still weren't clear. We had not seen any on Spanky and were feeling good. Spanky had to go in to the vet, and he found one of the little ones on him!!! I was so upset. My husband wanted to call the exterminator again, but we were having the carpet taken up that very week to have wood floors put down, and I told him maybe that would help too. It seems like they would be able to hide more in carpet.

Well, we haven't had anymore problems. I think what happened is that Spanky walked through the bushes at the vet's office, and he might have picked that one up there. It was alive, and it was not attached. That's what I'm thinking anyway.

I think we're done with them!
 

noludoru

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#7
Amy, I had a tick problem with Middie that makes yours look fun, lol....... try about 60 that we actually removed from him, and god knows how many died and dropped off or how many the groomer removed--I did NOT ask. Most of them bloated.

Make sure you air the place out if it's been fumigated/sprayed/whatever, don't let Carlie touch the areas where pesticides have been placed if you can help it. Pull out your vacuum and thoroughly get EVERYWHERE she has been, especially carpets, wash ALL your bedding/etc. Check for ticks on the carpets constantly, if you have patterned rugs, just take them up for the time being--it makes things easier. Vacuum the floors daily if possible, throw away the bags from your first thorough vacuuming immediately (just in case).

I know in Florida there are pest problems due to the heat and humidity, so please keep her away from ANY tall grasses/bushes/etc. Only let her walk on short grass or groundcover, or sidewalk for the time being to prevent any more ticks from latching on--it's entirely possible she's picking them up from somewhere you're going daily.

You might try natural remedies, such as essential oils, later on (after you've done LOTS of research--I believe FoxyWench does this, maybe you could ask her for some resources) to keep the ticks away, because bug populations quickly build up resistance against pesticides.
 

*Amy*

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#8
I do feel lucky that the ticks we found were not huge and engorged. They were little babies, but for a few days we were finding about 20 ticks on her bedding every morning.

You have good suggestions, but I live in an apartment and some of them are hard to do. All the carpet was sprayed with pesticides and that's the whole apartment except for my tiny kitchen so I can't keep her off the places that have been sprayed. I also can't walk her in short grass all the time because they only mow the lawn here once a week. It gets pretty long. I did air the place out very well, I do vacuum daily, and I wash her bedding frequently. I haven't seen any anywhere in almost a week now. I've kept my couch covered in a white sheet so I could see if there were any and I haven't seen one.

They supposedly spray the grounds here for ticks so I'm hoping she's not going to pick any more up outside. I think she might've had them when we adopted her a little less than 2 months ago and they laid eggs somewhere.

I was going to look into the natural remedies. That's a good idea. Thank you for your input and ideas! :)
 

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