Another thing to add, i have a feeling that FrontLine SpotON doesnt kill the miniscule baby ones.

::Ticks::

Seems like everyone got ticks on their doggies.

Yes yes.. i know sengkang/punggol is infamous for their ticks since people here loudly proclaim their existence. It's prolly due to the higher number of dogs here. There prolly are more dogs in sengkang/punggol combined than any other estate. Everywhere I go, I see owners walking their doggies.

Anyway I know my dogs got their ticks after the WCDR... so dammit, the ticks took a ride from the west to the east! The tick situation in my house is under control. I dont find baby ticks anymore. Neither do i find female ones. Its all the male ones and i think its from the soil tht my mom uses for her plants. I dunno where she got the packets of soil from but I highly suspect they have weird things inside.

Anyways, for prevention and cure. Here's my advice.

1. Neem Shampoo (put 4 drops of Neem OIL to boost the effectiveness)- Soak your dog in warm water to open open up their pores. Lather the shampoo on them, especially in between their paws, necks and armpits. Leave them for 15-20 mins then rinse off. The Neem shampoo will kill off the baby ones stuck in between their paws, necks, or ears. For the adult ones, some will prolly die off, if not u can prolly see them and can pluck them off easily. U can use a tweezer to pluck them off. You can try dabbing an alcohol solution on them first to STUNT them, so u can pluck them off easily! DO NOT ATTEMPT to pop them with yr bare hands as this might release bacteria or worse, their eggs scattering them everywhere. Just dip them in dettol or boiling hot water.

WHat the neem shampoo does is tht it penetrates the shell of the tick, killing it.

2. Neem Powder - I use this to scatter around my bed (since i am quite paranoid about them sleeping with me) before i put on my bedsheets. I also scatter the powder along my floor cos my parquet floor sometimes have small cracks in between them. You can scatter the power along the walls too. For long coated breeds, you can powder yr dog, rubbing the powder in.

3. Neem Spray - I use this to spray on my dog and myself before bringing them out. Works magic! Even repels flies, mosquitoes and whtever..

It takes a while to clear all the ticks at home cos u wouldnt know if a vicious female lay her colony of eggs somewhere. You need to CONSISTENTLY do all the prevention. Eggs hatch every 2 weeks.

It's been quite a while now but I have yet to see any baby ticks around. *cross fingers*

Ticks in SIngapore have yet to be researched upon. Basically there are 2 kinds.

the first kind lay eggs on yr dogs and the eggs hatch and feast on yr dogs.
the second kind suck the blood of yr dog , then drop off to lay her eggs elsewhere.

Which is more vicious, u decide.

Ticks work like this. They can stay dormant for up to 2 years or more. They only need 2 breaths of air a day. Once a tick smells carbon dioxide, it stands up on 4 legs and raises 2 in the air. When your dog or you walk pass, they will use their 2 legs to GRAB HOLD of u or yr dog.

That;'s wht i gathered from orangeman.

If u all want the Neem products U know where to get them. Frontline can only work a couple of times. You wouldnt want the ticks to not die fron it and get immune to it.

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE (duh~)

AND HOR, virogone doesnt even work! Don't even bother. Yvonne was asking the supplier of VIrogone:

Yvonne: (reading the ingredient list) Eh.. u say virogone repels ticks . What's the active ingredient inside tht does tht? I dont see any ingredient inside tht does tht. It doesn't even contain insecticide ley?!!!!
Supplier: errr... i go back and check and let u know. I also not very sure.

She never came back, the supplier i mean. Now i just pour all my virogone into my goodaire and use it for the smell. hehe.

I think we need to understand ticks to eliminate them. And i think i'll leave tht to orange man.