7 tick remedies for dogs in large comparison

After a long winter season, you are eagerly wishing for summer?

Temperatures rise, lovely scents beguile you, the drive increases, because ultimately it is a beautiful season.

But the high temperatures hold some pitfalls for your dog.

Plants are taking their place again and many are toxic to your faithful companion. Likewise, you must be careful that your charge does not come into contact with the freshly sprayed pesticides.

Insects are another risk. These also wake up from their winter torpor as temperatures rise. Wasps and various types of spiders are not the only problem.

3 facts about tick repellent you should know

Our dogs can suffer considerable health problems from ticks. Although many dog owners are aware of this, they do not seem to take the danger seriously.

It is only when there is actual contact between the dog and the tick that owners start to think seriously. Unfortunately, by then it may be too late for your pet.

The danger lurks everywhere on warm days. Meanwhile, ticks are not only found in forests, but are also settling more and more often in the city. City parks or simple undergrowth in the city center then also harbor these dangers.

Many people think that ticks infected with pathogens are rather the exception. Unfortunately, this does not correspond to reality. Because a dangerous contact occurs more often than one thinks.

About one third of the settled insects carry the dangerous Lyme disease pathogen.

It should be noted that most ticks occur in the months of April to September. The greater the risk that your pet comes into contact with an infected tick.

According to the Robert Koch Institute, the risk areas for ticks are in the lower part of Germany. However, you should also think about tick repellents for your dog if you live in federal states such as North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony or Schleswig-Holstein.

Remember

Diseases caused by ticks can be life-threatening.

Lyme disease is not the only disease that can be transmitted by a tick bite. There are other bacteria and pathogens that can severely affect your dog's health. Finding the right tick repellent for your dog is therefore recommended in any case.

In addition to Lyme disease, there are also pathogens that cause the rare viral disease TBE. Anaplasmosis and babesiosis are other diseases that can be dangerous for your pet.

Nerve inflammations, chronic diseases, joint inflammations, kidney failure, epileptic seizures, inflammatory eye diseases (up to retinal detachment), heart damage and unfortunately also a fatal course are not the exception with an infection.

You can vaccinate your dog against infection with Lyme disease. However, this vaccination only protects against certain strains of borrelia. Despite vaccination, your furry friend can still contract Lyme disease. A vaccination against anaplasmosis, babesiosis or TBE is currently not on the market.

As many manufacturers discover this gap in the market for tick protection and the demand for suitable products remains constantly high, there are many misconceptions regarding this topic.

That's why you could easily make a wrong decision. To prevent this from happening to you, we will thoroughly inform you about it in this article.

There are numerous products that promise to be effective against ticks. Stiftung Warentest could not confirm this in one of its comparisons.

As an owner, it's easy to lose track of what you're buying when it comes to tick remedies. The abundance of products ensures that you eventually lose track.

Therefore, below you will find a list of the best tick remedies for dogs, which we explain in detail.

• Chewable tablets
• Spot-ons
• Dog collars against ticks
• Amber Chains
• Valuable oils
• Natural home remedies
• Special snacks

Chewable tablet

The chewable tablet as a tick remedy for dogs is the latest development on the market. Compared to spot-ons or tick collars, this type of protection tries to limit risks and side effects.

This effect remains for four weeks after taking the tablet. There are preparations that promise even a 3-month protection. However, this protection does not apply to all diseases or every type of tick.

The chewable tablets are usually very attractive to your pet as you give them disguised as a treat. Because you do not apply this tick repellent to the animal from the outside, there is no residue on the coat.

Your pet can continue to benefit from the cool water, as there is no risk of the product being washed off by the water. The product often also contains protection against fleas.

The effect against the ticks only occurs after the tick has bitten into your pet. By sucking the blood, it absorbs the active ingredient and dies.

This significantly reduces the risk of tick-borne diseases. However, in individual cases, a disease may still be transmitted before the tick dies.

Spot-ons

In contrast to internal application - as with the chewable tablets - you usually apply the spot-ons to the skin by parting the coat. As the tick repellent has side effects for your four-legged friend when licked off, the neck is the best place for spot-ons.

The chemical ingredients keep ticks and other bugs away. For you as a dog owner, it is important that you carefully read the available package insert.

Typical ingredients of a spot-one could be:

• pesticides (for example: organophosphate, permethrin, dimpylate)
• Nerve agents (such as tetrachlorvinphos)
• Biocides (Fipronil and others)

The advantages are the ease of application and the long-lasting effect. In addition to tick and flea protection, some spot-on preparations also have a repellent effect against mosquitoes and other insects.

The disadvantage of using them is, of course, the use of chemicals. Many of them are toxic and can affect your pet's health. In addition, your dog must not go into the water for three to seven days after application. On the one hand, this would wash off the active ingredient, and on the other hand, the spot-on is also toxic for animals that live in water.

Dog collars against ticks

Collars as a tick remedy can be bought in various stores. The collar should work similar to a spot-on. However, the application is omitted, because you can simply attach the tick collar around the neck.

However, many users complain about the effectiveness of this product. It is also dangerous for the owner and other animals in the household, as they can easily come into contact with the product. The tick collars often contain the same chemical active ingredients as the liquid spot-on.

Amber Chains

Amber necklaces made from raw amber are said to electrically charge the dog's fur. Your quadruped does not notice the charge. But the vermin should avoid the fur because of this charge.

As with chemical collars, many users complain about the effectiveness of this tick repellent. There is also a higher risk of injury as the chain breaks easily, which can injure your pet.

Valuable oils

The most popular oils for the control of vermin are Coconut oil, Black cumin oiland tea tree oil.

Important: Black cumin oil and tea tree oil are essential oils and should only be applied to your pet in highly diluted form. Dogs can have an allergic reaction to essential oils. Therefore, the best option is coconut oil.

Cheap coconut oil usually has almost no important nutrients that fight against bugs. That's why you should go for high-quality products.

You can find good coconut oil for just under 10 euros. Since a small amount is enough as an application, the price will be worth it.

But why should coconut oil be so effective as a tick remedy for dogs?

This is mainly due to one ingredient - the vegetable fat. Unlike humans and our fur noses, ticks, for example, do not like the natural fat. Due to the smell, ticks should avoid the dog.

Other advantages for the coconut oil are:

• practical application
• healthy for the dog
• antiviral effect
• Protection also from other parasites
• No toxic substance
• Use also as a feed additive and coat care

The advantages of coconut oil as a tick repellent for dogs outweigh the disadvantages. However, we don't want to hide the disadvantages that coconut oil can have.

As the effectiveness does not last long, we recommend that you reapply the coconut oil every day. However, this can also quickly make the coat greasy. Coconut oil alone is therefore not the ultimate tick repellent.

Natural home remedies

Garlic, cistus, Brewer's yeastand baby powder are other natural tick repellents that are said to have a deterrent effect on the pests.

As garlic is dangerous for your pet in large quantities, we recommend only using special tablets. These tablets are administered together with the food. The garlic tablets contain the optimum dose that does not impair health.

Cistus is a type of rockrose plant. It has long been known that the plant has an anti-inflammatory effect on humans. Researchers have discovered that rockrose also has a repellent effect against ticks. This means that pets and owners can effectively protect themselves against ticks. To use rockrose as a tick repellent for dogs, you administer the active ingredient in the form of a capsule.

Vitamin B, which is hated by ticks, is present in brewer's yeast. Administering it to your pet reduces the risk of a tick bite.

Baby powder also reduces the infestation of ticks. All the home remedies listed here are completely chemical-free and can be bought cheaply on the German market. However, the home remedies do not last for four weeks - like the chewable tablets or spot-ons.

Special snacks

Yes, special snacks can also help. But the snacks should have a few of the above ingredients in them. For example, the linked product below contains coconut oil and black cumin oil, and is grain-free.

With this you can not only reward your protégé, but also protect him from ticks.

So that our faithful companions do not suffer serious consequences from a tick bite, we must choose one of the available alternatives anyway.

The one perfect tick remedy does not exist. Therefore, we have preferred to show the advantages and disadvantages, so that we can facilitate your decision.

I am sure you will make the best choice for your friend.