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Forum DIET & CARE ticks

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    • lostinfrance
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        We have just moved with our 4 rabbits to the centre of France.  All are allowed to free range, under supervision, in the garden.  We have just discovered ticks on Willoughly!  The French vets can offer no deterrent or treatment so I’ve gotten on to my old vet – who is wonderful! – and he has suggested using a small dose of something called Advantix, made by Bayer for dogs.  Ticks were never a problem for us in England. Does anyone have any experience or guidence for dealing with them.  One of our rabbits is a dwarf lionhead, one a Rex-type, one a lop and Willoughby is a lovely grey.  He is the only one we’ve found ticks on so far, but I assume if he has them, they all will.  I am distraught.  Can anyone help?


      • Sarita
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          NO ADVANTIX – do not use this.

          Can you get Revolution?


        • Roberta
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            I second Sarita NO ADVANTIX it will Willoughby.
            Revolution is best and will deal with the ticks.
            Advantage also have a combo product that is safe for bunnies.
            If you get onto Ebay you can buy it online.
            There is aso a UK product specifically for rabbits, piggies and ferrets but I will need to look about to find it again.


          • Deleted User
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              Have you removed the ticks and made sure that no part of them was left inside/under the skin? I’m very surprised local vets aren’t of any help. Just because one picked them up doesn’t mean the others Will have them, but it does mean they are in the grass and in the vegetation so you may want to reconsider them being allowed free range in the garden. Different ticks can carry different illnesses. Some are basically just pests and if removed correctly essentially harmless. Often a vet will ask you to keep the tick (dropped in a pill bottle of alcohol works well) so that they can check the type. I don’t know anything about what kind you’ll find in France. Revolution is great, but won’t deal with anything the little one who has already been bitten might have. Any other “local” vets you can consult? Even if they can’t help specifically with the rabbit you do want the type of tick identified and they Really should be able to do that. (So should local doctors for people for that matter.)

              Hope all is well (it probably will be), and do please get the Revolution ASAP.


            • Roberta
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                This is an online store in the UK. The advantage and Xeno are ivermectin and safe for rabbits. with the advantage you need to be sure of the weight for dosage so I would err on the side of caution and go for the small rabbit/cat combo. Revolution puppy and kitten pink is the best but if you cant get it these others are ok.


              • Elrohwen
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                  Just want to add that Revolution probably won’t do anything for ticks. It is safe for rabbits, which is why I use it on my dog, but I can tell you first hand that it doesn’t do a thing for ticks (I have a separate flea collar on the dog for ticks). They claim to repel one species of tick or something, but on just Revolution we pulled 20 ticks off of my dog in one day.

                  Personally, I won’t allow my rabbits outdoors are all due to our horrible tick problem. The risk is just so high of them pick one up, and unlike my dog they aren’t willing to lay quietly for a 20min inspection all over their bodies.


                • Eucalyptus
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                    Even though it’s been stated and echoed already – NO ADVANTIX. There was a recent, horrifying thread about a bunny that was treated with Advantix. You do NOT want to go down that road.

                    I have no real experience with ticks. I just know that when removing, you want to make sure that you either have suffocated or done something that causes the head to come up or out completely, or pulling it out can cause the head to rip off inside leading to infection. If you can find a rabbit savy vet (and one that does not recommend advantix!), you should get it checked out, whether you completely remove it yourself or not.


                  • Bam
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                      There are hutch sprays with permethrine that you could treat the outdoors run with. There are also several products with permethrine and while it is true it can cause horrible adverse reactions in both dogs and rabbits and horses, most animals do not react badly. If there are many ticks and tick-borne diseases where you live I’d chance it. I’ve used permethrine (ex-spot) on my bun againts mites because it was givven to me by a show-rabbit-breeder (they always use this substance for common mites) and I didn’t know any better back then when Bam was new with me, but he was fine and the mites went away. I use ex-spot continously on my dog in spring and summer because it’s the only product that keeps the ticks off of her.

                      Sorry, writing this in a bit of hurry but will return later.


                    • Bam
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                        There are hutch sprays with permethrine that you could treat the outdoors run with. There are also several products with permethrine and while it is true it can cause horrible adverse reactions in both dogs and rabbits and horses, most animals do not react badly. If there are many ticks and tick-borne diseases where you live I’d chance it. I’ve used permethrine (ex-spot) on my bun againts mites because it was givven to me by a show-rabbit-breeder (they always use this substance for common mites) and I didn’t know any better back then when Bam was new with me, but he was fine and the mites went away. I use ex-spot continously on my dog in spring and summer because it’s the only product that keeps the ticks off of her.

                        Sorry, writing this in a bit of hurry but will return later.


                      • Roberta
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                          Pretty sure Revolution kills most tick as well, I know the Advantage does. I like Revolution as it also does a wide variety of worms and also kills fly larvae. Found about the fly larvae when my elderly cat was beseiged by blow flies in the back garden. Poor Twinkers had them all over her face but they never progressed past the little tiny grain stage. I washed them off immediately of course but noticed none of the ones that fell off outside, when I first grabbed her and bought her in, grew at all. The vet confirmed this on Friday and when I did some research it also confirms it is a good preventative against fly strike.


                        • Bam
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                            Are your buns vaccinated? I suppose they are since you’ve been living in GB. Ticks transfer both myxo and RVD.

                            I don’t know about Revolution, would it prevent the ticks from biting or will it just kill them once they have bit? We’ve lots of ticks here. I hate them, needless to say.


                          • Deleted User
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                              Bam truthfully , I’m not positive what it is the Revolution does and doesn’t do. Elrohwen definitely has a point, I know my German Shepherd (Alsatian) is on Revolution throughout the season but did pick up a tick last year. It was the first time I’d seen one and I was Not happy! It did bite, and it needed to be removed (biting did not kill it), and that is a delicate business that needs to be done very carefully. We were doubly lucky, it came out clean head and all (he didn’t even lose any fur which is common, at least with dogs) and it was a harmless type of tick. (Lime disease is the big threat here, don’t know if that is an issue in Europe, it has to do with deer so I always presumed it is there too.) Anyway, it did leave me a little at a loss as to precisely in what way the Revolution covers them, … perhaps it is something like the flees? Creatures like flees will bite but they are unable to reproduce after biting so you avoid an infestation. (And this one treats for heart worm too.)

                              I don’t suppose that clarified anything but least you know you’ve got company in confusion.


                            • Bam
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                                Lyme disease is a big threat here as well. There is also TBE, tick-borne encefalitis, which a dog wouldn’t survive, and anaplasmosis. These diseases are a growing problem among people as well as pets. We have lots and lots of deer.

                                I don’t know if bunnies get lyme disease. Perhaps it’s just under-diagnosed.


                              • Deleted User
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                                  Yes, its a big problem for people here too, and still something a lot of people (including doctors and vets) aren’t well informed about. However, thanks to your last note reminding me, I was just speaking to a friend about the what does the Revolution do question and he confirmed what I believed, it prevents the ticks from laying eggs, and would eventually kill most of them. (I presume you don’t really want to leave them there until it does, but nice to know.) Apparently there was quite a piece on ticks in the paper in our town this week, because people under estimate them.

                                  But keeping the tick for the vet or doctor is very important. We’re actually waiting to hear back on one that bit my friend two weeks ago, … makes me a little anxious. So it’s an all round sensitive important topic for me. Ticks aren’t the only reason but I wouldn’t let my rabbits in the grass, … I’m sorry that they won’t get to sniff and graze, but I think keeping them safe and healthy matters so much more!


                                • Bam
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                                    Thanks for the info on Revolution! I don’t believe it’s efficient to use it to control ticks, new ticks are constantly introduced into gardens and other areas by birds and other animals. Birds have lots of ticks. A jack-rabbit hare can carry more than a 1000 ticks on its body according to a study from the south of Sweden. And ticks suck blood from two resp three hosts (male and female ticks respectively) during their life, so they can come into your garden with a bird, drop to the ground and then attack you or your pet for the next step in their life-cycle.

                                    I use permethrine. It has a repellant effect that makes the ticks reluctant to even get on the animal. That way your pet won’t bring home ticks that can bite other family members. It’s terribly toxic though but having had a dog that got neuro-borreliosis and never recovered, I worry more about the ticks.


                                  • BunBun
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                                      does anybody know how a house rabbit can get ticks if he has never been outside the apartment?
                                      sorry to post this here, but i need help and i live in a country where vets have no experience with rabbits!


                                    • jerseygirl
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                                        Posted By BunBun on 7/25/2016 4:41 AM

                                        does anybody know how a house rabbit can get ticks if he has never been outside the apartment?
                                        sorry to post this here, but i need help and i live in a country where vets have no experience with rabbits!

                                        Ticks can hitch a ride on another pet, come in on clothing or shoes and according to medirabbit, even blow in with the wind!

                                        Have you been able to remove any ticks? Are you able to get hold or Revolution (also known as Stronghold) where you live?  This is a topical treatment that is safe for rabbits. 

                                        Just a note: this is an old thread. We normally lock old topics that have been bumped up as it can get confusing having old topics in with new ones. I’ll leave this open for now to give you a chance to respond. Or you can go ahead and start a new thread.

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                                    Forum DIET & CARE ticks