Ticks and Revolution

Tuesday · 08-28-2010, 02:21 PM

After taking a walk around the lake (about 1 hour long) my whole family was covered in ticks! Well, Gwenny is on Revolution which is suppose to keep ticks away. She had quite a few on her but they all seemed to be dead and only clinging to her fur. Is this normal for a dog on Revolution?
I'm still going to play it safe and treat her as if the Revolution didn't work and continue to check her and watch for any rashes or Lyme Disease. What dog symptoms do I have to look out for if there were something that went wrong (missed tick, embedded tick head left in skin, lyme disease or other tick borne illness...)?

It's so crazy that we got so many ticks, neither of us went into the woods. We just stayed on the cut grassy path.

Mikey T · 08-28-2010, 06:42 PM

The tick must remain alive and suck for 48 hours to transfer tick borne disease. It is not unusal for any of the flea and tick treatments to find ticks on the dog. Also keep in bind while most of them work 2 months on fleas they are pushing it at 4 weeks on ticks.

Tuesday · 08-28-2010, 07:19 PM

Thanks, Mikey! I'll keep looking on her. She just got her monthly treatment three weeks ago. Do you know if Ticks have been known to stay in furniture until they find a host. I'm wondering if maybe they continue to go on my daughter after first being on Gwenny.

Terry · 08-29-2010, 09:51 AM

When Moe was young we heard of the then fairly new Revolution for dogs. Because it prevented fleas, ticks, mites and internal parasites, we thought it was a good product to use. Almost a year later Moe and Tally both ended up testing positive for lyme disease. We switched back to Frontline.

My vet explained that Revolution is not a good product for tick prevention. She told me it doesn't PREVENT tick bites. It will eventually kill the tick while it is biting but it is a slow process. Because Revolution is ingested it works from the inside out, killing fleas, ticks, and mites after they bite and preventing internal parasites altogether. While Revolution does KILL ticks it does so slowly, not preventing the bite which is what transmits the disease. Revolution turned out not to be good for ticks at all and the makers of Revolution later recommended also using a topical treatment for ticks, like Frontine or Advantage. All this happened in 2000-2001. I don't know if anything about Revolution has changed over the years but if it's the same as before, I wouldn't used it, at least not without extra protection for ticks.

I was more than a little "ticked" off at my vet for not explaining this to me before we switched to Revolution. I had even asked them about the product first. Perhaps it's limitations weren't known yet, since Revolution use in dogs was so new...

Tuesday · 08-29-2010, 10:19 AM

Terry, I would be very mad about that also. The Revolution that we use is Topical, must have been changed since then. My vet said that it is the best kind to use. Although, what you said about it maybe killing the ticks after they bite sounds like a possibility of what may have happened. I will be keeping a close eye on her. Thanks!

murraysmom · 08-29-2010, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuesday

Terry, I would be very mad about that also. The Revolution that we use is Topical, must have been changed since then. My vet said that it is the best kind to use. Although, what you said about it maybe killing the ticks after they bite sounds like a possibility of what may have happened. I will be keeping a close eye on her. Thanks!

She probaly won't show any symptoms if she's contracted Lyme- you'll have to have the vet test her. Same with you- many people who have been exposed to Lyme don't develop a telltale rash.

Murray and I both contracted Lyme a few years ago- In December!!! So if you live in an area where Lyme is a problem you should probably keep your dogs on Frontline, or whatever you're using, until there's snow on the ground.

Mikey T · 08-29-2010, 02:25 PM

Quote:

She told me it doesn't PREVENT tick bites. It will eventually kill the tick while it is biting but it is a slow process

For transmission it takes 48 hours of biting by the tick if it is killed in that time no transmission .

Quote:

Almost a year later Moe and Tally both ended up testing positive for lyme disease

This is not uncommon with any tick prevention medicine, the test for lyme is not a test for the disease but rather simply exposure to the orgainism that cause the disease. Actual disease transmission occurs in ~10% of dog expossed.

However all studies on Revolution are for 5 day after infestation not 48 hours and only against the Dog tick and not the ticks that carry lyme disease.

FWIW it atleast on controled study Frontline was far superior to canine advantix in control of ticks.

Fipronil=frontline fipronil & s-Methoprene=Frontline plus Imidacloprid/permthrin=Canine Advantix imidacloprid=advantage
Comparative Efficacy of a Combination of Fipronil/(S)-Methoprene, a Combination of Imidacloprid/Permethrin, and Imidacloprid Against Fleas and Ticks When Administered Topically to Dogs

Quote:

Overall, in this study the combination of fipronil/(S)-methoprene provided consistent and high levels of efficacy against fleas and ticks throughout the entire month, significantly superior to that of either imidacloprid/permethrin or imidacloprid alone

...

Figure 2. Percent reduction in tick counts compared to control for dogs treated on Day 0 with fipronil/(S)-methoprene, imidacloprid/ permethrin or imidacloprid.

...This study further demonstrated that fipronil/(S)-methoprene provided higher levels of efficacy against Rhipicephalus sanguineus (the brown dog tick) at weeks 3 and 4 after treatment compared to the imidacloprid/permethrin combination. Since all of these products are labeled for once-monthly administration, maintenance of activity throughout the entire treatment interval is critical. The imidacloprid/permethrin combination did not provide satisfactory efficacy against ticks

Terry · 08-29-2010, 02:27 PM

Our vet recommends tick prevention year round. In southern New England our winters aren't always cold enough to stop ticks. We sometimes get warm spells near sixty degrees, and rarely have season-long snowcover. All our dogs get lyme-vacinations in addition to using Frontline. Heartworm prevention we stop after the first hard freeze (anywhere from November to January) and pick up again in March/April, depending on the weather and temps.

Mikey T · 08-29-2010, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Heartworm prevention we stop after the first hard freeze (anywhere from November to January) and pick up again in March/April, depending on the weather and temps.

If you live in an urban area this can be a problem as there is a realitive new mesquito varriety that can surrvive and reproduce in tiny bodies of water. This allows for possible infection even in the winter time hence a new protocol by the AHS

2010 guidelines

Quote:

AHS recommends year-round administration of chemoprophylactic drugs to prevent heartworm disease, increase compliance and control pathogenic and/or zoonotic parasites.

..Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito), which was introduced into the southeastern United States in 1987, has now spread north approaching Canada and has extended past the Rocky Mountains to the west coast. This urban-dwelling mosquito is able to reproduce in small containers such as flower pots. In the northern half of the United States, urban sprawl has led to the formation of “heat islands”, as buildings and parking lots retain heat during the day and subsequently radiate it during the night. This can potentially create microenvironments that support development of heartworm larvae in mosquito vectors during colder months, thus lengthening the transmission season.

As these vectors expand their territory the number of unprotected animals infected will continue to increase. A pivotal prerequisite for heartworm transmission is a climate that provides adequate temperature and humidity to support a viable mosquito population, and sustains sufficient heat to allow maturation of ingested microfilariae to infective, third-stage larvae (L3) within this intermediate host. It has been shown under laboratory conditions in three mosquito species that maturation of larvae within mosquitoes ceases at temperatures below 57ºF (14ºC) and similar activity is expected in other mosquitoes capable of transmitting heartworms. Heartworm transmission does decrease in winter months but micro-environments commonly present in urban areas virtually ensure that the risk of heartworm transmission never reaches zero. Some species of mosquitoes overwinter as adults. While heartworm larval development in mosquitoes may cease in cool temperatures, development quickly resumes with subsequent warming.
The length of the heartworm transmission season in the temperate latitudes is critically dependent on the accumulation of sufficient heat to incubate larvae to the infective stage in the mosquito. The peak months for heartworm transmission in the Northern Hemisphere are usually July and August. Models predict that heartworm transmission in the continental USA is limited to six months or less above the 37th parallel, i.e., Virginia-North Carolina State line. Furthermore, predictive risk maps have been produced coupling these basic models with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based on a thermal regimen and information about mosquito vectors. While these model-based predictions are academically appealing, they do not yet consider several potentially important factors, such as the influence of microclimate and the unique biological habits and adaptations of the numerous mosquito vectors on larval development. Once a reservoir of microfilaremic domestic and wild canids is established beyond the reach of veterinary care, the ubiquitous presence of one or more species of vector competent mosquitoes makes transmission possible and eradication becomes improbable.

Terry · 08-29-2010, 04:13 PM

Mike, you have access to all sorts of info, so I have a question for you. I read once that winters with a season-long snowcover help preserve ticks, resulting in a lot more ticks around in the Spring. Seasons with little snow but bitter cold kill off ticks resulting in less ticks when the spring comes. Is this factual, in whole or in part, or is it completly false?

Also, just a little thing I've noticed: Even though we use Frontline, sometimes ticks "hitch a ride" on the dogs when they come in the house.

They don't bite the dogs but we can be bit if I don't spot them first. I'm always flushing the crawly critters, especially in the first warm days of spring.

A good brushing after a walk helps.

08-28-2010, 02:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
Tuesday Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 160	Ticks and Revolution After taking a walk around the lake (about 1 hour long) my whole family was covered in ticks! Well, Gwenny is on Revolution which is suppose to keep ticks away. She had quite a few on her but they all seemed to be dead and only clinging to her fur. Is this normal for a dog on Revolution? I'm still going to play it safe and treat her as if the Revolution didn't work and continue to check her and watch for any rashes or Lyme Disease. What dog symptoms do I have to look out for if there were something that went wrong (missed tick, embedded tick head left in skin, lyme disease or other tick borne illness...)? It's so crazy that we got so many ticks, neither of us went into the woods. We just stayed on the cut grassy path.

08-29-2010, 09:51 AM	#4 (permalink)
Terry Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Tiverton, RI, USA Posts: 3,525	When Moe was young we heard of the then fairly new Revolution for dogs. Because it prevented fleas, ticks, mites and internal parasites, we thought it was a good product to use. Almost a year later Moe and Tally both ended up testing positive for lyme disease. We switched back to Frontline. My vet explained that Revolution is not a good product for tick prevention. She told me it doesn't PREVENT tick bites. It will eventually kill the tick while it is biting but it is a slow process. Because Revolution is ingested it works from the inside out, killing fleas, ticks, and mites after they bite and preventing internal parasites altogether. While Revolution does KILL ticks it does so slowly, not preventing the bite which is what transmits the disease. Revolution turned out not to be good for ticks at all and the makers of Revolution later recommended also using a topical treatment for ticks, like Frontine or Advantage. All this happened in 2000-2001. I don't know if anything about Revolution has changed over the years but if it's the same as before, I wouldn't used it, at least not without extra protection for ticks. I was more than a little "ticked" off at my vet for not explaining this to me before we switched to Revolution. I had even asked them about the product first. Perhaps it's limitations weren't known yet, since Revolution use in dogs was so new... __________________ Moe and Terry "Don't worry, be happy"

08-29-2010, 02:27 PM	#8 (permalink)
Terry Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Tiverton, RI, USA Posts: 3,525	Our vet recommends tick prevention year round. In southern New England our winters aren't always cold enough to stop ticks. We sometimes get warm spells near sixty degrees, and rarely have season-long snowcover. All our dogs get lyme-vacinations in addition to using Frontline. Heartworm prevention we stop after the first hard freeze (anywhere from November to January) and pick up again in March/April, depending on the weather and temps. __________________ Moe and Terry "Don't worry, be happy"

08-29-2010, 04:13 PM	#10 (permalink)
Terry Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Tiverton, RI, USA Posts: 3,525	Mike, you have access to all sorts of info, so I have a question for you. I read once that winters with a season-long snowcover help preserve ticks, resulting in a lot more ticks around in the Spring. Seasons with little snow but bitter cold kill off ticks resulting in less ticks when the spring comes. Is this factual, in whole or in part, or is it completly false? Also, just a little thing I've noticed: Even though we use Frontline, sometimes ticks "hitch a ride" on the dogs when they come in the house. They don't bite the dogs but we can be bit if I don't spot them first. I'm always flushing the crawly critters, especially in the first warm days of spring. A good brushing after a walk helps. __________________ Moe and Terry "Don't worry, be happy"

08-28-2010, 06:42 PM	#2 (permalink)
Mikey T Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: West Warrwick, RI Posts: 7,240	The tick must remain alive and suck for 48 hours to transfer tick borne disease. It is not unusal for any of the flea and tick treatments to find ticks on the dog. Also keep in bind while most of them work 2 months on fleas they are pushing it at 4 weeks on ticks.

08-28-2010, 07:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
Tuesday Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 160	Thanks, Mikey! I'll keep looking on her. She just got her monthly treatment three weeks ago. Do you know if Ticks have been known to stay in furniture until they find a host. I'm wondering if maybe they continue to go on my daughter after first being on Gwenny.

08-29-2010, 10:19 AM	#5 (permalink)
Tuesday Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 160	Terry, I would be very mad about that also. The Revolution that we use is Topical, must have been changed since then. My vet said that it is the best kind to use. Although, what you said about it maybe killing the ticks after they bite sounds like a possibility of what may have happened. I will be keeping a close eye on her. Thanks!

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