pitbullera

Maxx has his own story about ticks. Sometime ago, he was plagued by these skin-boring, blood-sucking parasites and my heart just broke. I’m lucky to have R around and he was able to make sure Maxx got rid of em and that they never came back. Luckily, Maxx the pitbull never encountered these pesky bloodsuckers again. Our strat worked! And in celebration, I’m sharing three techniques I highly recommend in treating dog ticks:

1. Shave the fur off

Most tick treatment articles recommend that dogs with medium to heavy coats must be trimmed. Maxx has really short hair and still we shaved it off to make sure the optimal amount of skin medication and tick preventive topicals get to his skin. This is a very practical tip since the medication can be very pricey.

It is essential to know that the shave stage isn’t a glorious one. Your clipper (the shaving tool) and hands will get very bloody if you don’t pick out the ticks clinging to his skin. Ergo, groom your dog by painstakingly taking out the ticks (try hard to take out all of the parasites) prior to the big cut.

ME: Off with his hair!

While it was tough doing his hair, I’m lucky I had Wahl’s Pet Pro Deluxe Grooming Kit to make the job easier. It wasn’t a clean and handsome cut though; Maxx looked both horrible and hilarious after the dreadful canine ordeal.

2. Choose a good tick and flea soap

The first soap we used (we consumed two bars in total, I think) was Lori Amitraz. I cant recall why we stopped using it (our supplier ran out of it? Idk. Can’t remember.), but it was a pretty good soap.

We opted to use Bayopet afterwards as it is one of the popularly efficient anti-flea soaps in the market. It is also important to make sure the dog is cleaned very well during bathing (done after the big shave) to remove dirt and whatever else is on his skin that’ll block a more potent liquid treatment that will be applied hereafter.

We love the pun and we couldn’t agree more.

3. Know that Dermadex is the treatment highlight

Dermadex, generic name: Amitraz, is indispensable in addressing the multitude of ticks and fleas. It is a highly potent solution that can cure skin problems but can equally kill your dog if misused. Be sure to read the package insert that comes with it.

Since R is a vet, he was able to make sure Dermadex was on our side. The dosage for treating sarcoptic mange and fleas is 5cc of the solution to 1 liter of water.

Treatment Highlight: Dermadex; P600 (year 2011)

5 Dermadex Essentials:

The entire mix is gradually poured and massaged onto Maxx’s shaved body AFTER bathing (towel dry your dog before Dermadex)
Our Dermadex technique to avoid wastage: we pour the mixture on a huge basin (where Maxx can stand in) and bathe him in the mixture
Dermadex isn’t rinsed off; some serious spanking did happen whenever Maxx licked it off his bod; remember, this medication is pretty much poison so supervise your dog the entire hour after the treatment
Dermadex treatment is done every 2 weeks
We make another 5cc dermadex : 1 liter of water mixture and use it to clean the house, on those areas he often stays. Since Maxx is a house dog, we clean the entire first floor of our home and also the garage. For bigger spaces to clean, you may do 10cc : 2 liters.

That about covers everything we did to keep Maxx tick-and-flea-free. It takes a whole lot of dedication to ensure our dogs are not being fed on by parasites and it’s the least we can do in exchange for their excited tail waggings, adorable sloppy licks, playful nibblings and unending love and loyalty.