Toa Payoh Vets Clinical
Research Making veterinary surgery alive
to a veterinary student studying in Australia
using real case studies and pictures
SALIVATION AFTER
DE-TICKING IN DOGS IN SINGAPORE
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow),
MRCVS
12 February, 2010
Salivation
after de-ticking by the groomer or
the fumigation of a residence by
pest controllers is a most common
complaint distressful to the dog
owner in Singapore. I did some research on de-ticking
insecticides used by the groomers
and members of the public.
Some 20 years ago, Sevin tick
powder was sold for de-ticking. It
was quite cheap. Nowadays, there
are anti-tick and anti-flea spots
on commonly available in pet
shops. However, some dogs still
get lots of ticks.
So the groomer is called in.
What is the most common
insecticide being used by the
groomer? One of them is the Carrington Dog
Wash Concentrate. It is
also available
for sale over the counter in some
pet shops. It contains a
pyrethroid insecticide. Many
dog groomers use it for
de-ticking. It must be used with
care as it is poisonous to people
if not properly used.
It is effective against ticks if
used in correct amounts. One side
effect is salivation after
de-ticking.
To prevent salivation due to
licking after de-ticking, one
groomer tells me that she uses the
appropriate dosage and ensures
that the dog wear an e-collar. She
claims she has no problems with
salivation.
The environment and the grass in
the garden must be rid of ticks
too. Otherwise reinfestation
recurs. Consult your vet if
your dog has a heavy tick
infestation. At Toa Payoh Vets, we
do a clipping as well as a
de-ticking for heavily infested
dogs. Tick bites are also
treated. Phone 6254-3326 for
appointments.
P.S A pyrethroid insecticide
lasts some 2 weeks longer than a
pyrethrin insecticide.
Non-chemical
control is safe for the dog, the
family and the environment but
many time-pressed Singaporeans do
not think this way. They just buy
an insecticide from the pet shop
or the internet, apply it on the
skin between the shoulder blades
of the dog and this method may
keep the dog tick-free for a
month. In time to come, they find
that the insecticide does not
work.
Non-chemical control is as
follows:
1. Dog booties. The dog wears
"shoes" when taken out to dog
parks or outdoors to exercise.
2. On coming home, examine all the
toes carefully for any small ticks
attached to the skin between or
below the toes. This simple method
reduces tick infestation
considerably in houses with
gardens.
3. Groom the dog daily but this is
asking too much.
4. Cut the grass short and trim
the lawn.
5. Keep the dog in one part of the
garden or kennel so that any tick
infestation will be in one area.
6. Clip long coat short if there
are many ticks.
Pest controllers in Singapore do a
roaring trade fogging and spraying
insecticide into every park and
space to kill mosquitoes. All
these insecticide just goes to our
reservoirs and kills us in the years
to come.
As a dog owner, you can play a
small part in not introducing more
insecticide in your home or garden
by using non-chemical methods to
control ticks in your dogs.
Surprisingly, fleas are uncommon
in dogs as we don't use carpeted
floors unlike the culture in
Australia. Fleas are common in
some stray cats in Singapore.
TOA
PAYOH VETS
