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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - moving this post for Alexandra on tick ?
Alexandra, PA I'm new to the thread and relatively uneducated about IMHA. Our dog is recovering from IMHA (which we think was caused by vaccinations, not ticks, as we have until now lived in a tick-free area and Althea has never had a tick). She's still on prednisone but is being tapered off; we hope to discontinue the pred in two weeks or so. We have moved to PA and now are concerned about fleas and ticks. Can I do anything to treat Althea for ticks? We are used to hiking, camping, etc., and are now concerned that Althea won't be able to come on our excursions. One vet (in Colorado) said that it would be okay to give her Advantix. The new vet (in PA) said no. Any ideas/suggestions/insight? Thanks!! |
| Laurie CA |
| Alexandra, I started a thread so people can see it. I am so sorry to hear about Althea and sounds she is recoving? If you look at the post a few down and read the Freakin tick one has some info on it. I am in the same boat we have ticks bad here, luckily its only seasonal. I use preventic collars. I would be worried about advantix, I think I remember people here thinking it triggered AIHA but not sure so hopefully soomeone else can chime in. Have you seens Joannes webiste on AIHA, if nothere it is a wealth of info http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/ Laurie |
| Laurie CA |
| Hi Alexandra, I'm glad your Althea is doing better, we'd love more information about her and her life with IMHA. Regarding what may have triggered Althea's IMHA, if you did live in Colorado, there are most definitely ticks there, and they do carry many tick borne diseases (people develop Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, the western equivalent to Lyme I believe, just in case your vet was not aware of that there). We moved to Utah from Colorado...my boy Tiggs was diagnosed long after we had left Colorado. I know when I was living there, myself and many friends returned from trips out to recreate, covered in ticks, luckily most of which never imbedded...yuck! But, back to the question about preventatives, many here have used natural remedies for prevention, and hopefully they will all chime in and give you some great ideas. Hoping Althea is well on the road to recovery! melissa and tiggs |
| melissa slc |
| I am concerned about heartworm and ticks when we go on a trip from Vancouver Island to Reno Nevada, in 2 weeks. My vet checked the heartworm incidences and advised not to give Kahlu anything that they usually sell. So I called a holistic vet who recommended essential oils. A few drops of lavender and citrus oil in water and spray the dog. I was exited to have found something, but then I went back to the thread; Freaking ticks. Patrice posted a link about prevention and there it says essential oils are basically a chemical too and should not be used. So.....I am not really any further. Best wishes, Brigitte & Kahlu |
| Brigitte BC Canada |
| I too use a collar on Charlie for both fleas and ticks. I was nervous about it but started him out a few hours a day wearing it. He seems to be doing fine but I watch him very close and he doesn't wear it while I'm gone. Good luck and glad your doggie is recovering well! |
| carol Vancouver wa |
| Hi Alexandra, I live in PA as well. My dog has been on the Preventic collar since his diagnosis in December, and has suffered no ill effects from it. He was discharged from from Vet Hospital of University of Penn with instructions to use the collar, and not the topicals (e.g. Frontline). Preventic doesn't work for fleas, but (as far as I know) fleas don't cause relapse of AIHA. We haven't had a flea problem yet. BTW, you do have to worry about heartworm in this region because of all the mosquitos. I wish Althea continued recovery! Best, -Leslie |
| Leslie |
| Preventic collars are very effective against ticks. There are several cautions that are on the packaging that should be paid attention to. These collars should not be used on cats. These collars should not be mouthed by dogs. If you have multiple dogs in the house that might mouth a collar on another dog, you should not use them in your home. Neither should you put them on your dog if you have a cat that sleeps with your dog. The product in the collar can weep in water. This product is toxic to fish etc. so don't allow your dog to lie in a stream or enter a lake and drink. They might ingest the ingredient and it will kill fish. Here is the information about the nerve agent used in Preventic Collars: "Amitraz belongs to a group of drugs called formamidines and is an ingredient in Preventic Collars. Formamidines kill ticks by inhibiting their nerves. Amitraz is a lipophilic drug, meaning it distributes well over the entire skin, even in large dogs." Liphophilic means that it is attracted to lipids, or simply: fats, thus will spread through the body oils. This is how it contacts the ticks. This is a similar action to Frontline. This collar must be on the dog for a period of time. It would not be very effective if only put on for short periods of time, say for a walk, and then removed. Some folks on the tick list like this collar because it is closer to the head where ticks seem to migrate more often. No one has cracked how to prevent ticks from attaching between the toes. my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
This thread was discussed between 18/06/2009 and 22/06/2009
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