Dealing with Ticks while preggo

[TonyaW]

I am pregnant and we have a tick problem on our dog and in our home. I was wondering if any of you had to deal with this and what you did. I am not going to use something like Preventic or Frontline, because I have a toddler who will touch the dog and don't want this crap getting all over the house, on me and on my toddler. I am hoping someone might know what to do because it is causing me some stress.

[Nicole915]

oops, double post. sorry!

[Nicole915]

I had a client a few years ago who used a parasite powder froom Buck Mountain Botanicals, with mixed results. Their dog still got ticks, but it was a short hair breed, so the tick was easily detected. I've also had clients use Young Living Oils, but those actually seemed to attract the fleas and ticks... they do smell good! If you go with either of these, I think you'll want to commit to a once nightly inspection of the pup, especially in the areas ticks love including abdomen and leg creases.

Its unfortunate, but Frontline is really the best route if you live in a tick area. Maybe put the Frontline on (I use disposable gloves when administering it) during the toddler's nap and then take the dog for a long walk outside? It dries quicker than you might think, it always seems to surprise me when I look down and its dry.

(I'm not your vet and this isn't medical advice)

[goldingoddess]

We used frontline on our dogs when I was pregnant and now that we have a toddler. We don't use it every month, but we treat it when we notice ticks/bugs. For us it is only a problem for 3 months in the summer.

My DH applies it and then the dogs are quarantined away from me/toddler for 3 days after. I wish there was a better way, but for us it was more important to be protected against diseases that ticks carry than to be completely chemical free.

Good luck!

[SquishyKitty]

Remember, it's only the tiny ticks that carry lyme disease. We have the giant deer ticks where we live, so we just do a collar and a nightly tick check during the bad months.

Also, frequent brushing (always after a walk) keeps the ticks down too.