We intend to travel north  to Broken Hill, Bourke, Cunnamulla, Barcaldine, Mt Isa, Lawn Hill, Burketown, Normanton, Cook and then south following the coast in the middle of the year.  We also intend to take our small dog, well puppy, Pippa as we couldn't live without her for the time we are away.  Our major concern is Ticks.  We'll use Frontline Plus on her fortnightly.  I'm sure others have travelled with their dog and have faced these issues.  We're travelling with a dirt road van.

What other precautions should we take and what else should we look out for?  Pippa is an Australian Silky Terrier.

Di

Make sure to check between her toes, under her collar, in any wrinkle, inside her ears even.

Hi,  We live in C.Q'ld & travel through the north with our silky. Have found that having her clipped before leaving makes it easy to find ticks & other parasites. Added bonus is that she does not pick up as many burrs etc. Keep your eyes open for areas where baits have been laid also.    Bill

My vet was not so keen to have her clipped. He seemed to think her thick coat may have been good insulation against the heat. ?? (Long coat chihuahua) She has been in C QLD bush camping for the last two winters and once over Christmas in Brisbane. She coped well. Got filthy dirty bu no burrs.

Just goes to show all sorts of things to consider.  our previous dog had been in Queensland during summers and late autumn and we had no problems with ticks or anything else.  My sister lives on the Sunshine Coast as do good friends and we also have good friends in Rockhampton, on a farm.  She had a wonderful time there being a farm dog.

 

Di

Hi Di, I know what you mean by the hunter instinct with silkies. We live in a rural area with no close neighbours so plenty of wildlife to chase whenever we go for a walk. The count so far is the rabbit hole, a hollow log (24 hrs), 3 overnighters & about 6@ 7hrs before finding her way home. Ruby is a great little dog but now I have to be away a lot for hospital visits my son has taken her. She has settled into town life well. Adores my daughter in law & the 2 granddaughters, shows no sign of roaming, sleeps outside, only barks when someone comes too close. Different to when she was  here.  When things settle down a silky is high on the list for a replacement.    Bill

I have lived on the Atherton Tablelands for a good chunk of time, with small dogs and cats. I tried many things to keep the ticks off. Nothing is foolproof, unfortunately, but the Tableland Veterinary Service has a good article on how to do what you can:

http://www.tablelandvet.com.au/FormsInfo/Articles/tabid/22194/Default.aspx?ArticleID=285

The only little doggie I had who got a tick was a Foxie-Chihuahua cross named Trixie. She got very sick but we rushed her the Vet and she survived. I only lost her in the past twelve months, when she was 14 years old. I had a Maltese who was my wonderful companion for 14 years there too. He never did get a tick but he was mainly an inside dog, where Trixie wanted to be outside.

Watch out for the small wild animals (possums etc) who often host ticks. Bats do too, though the ticks can kill them. Bandicoots are particularly attractive to ticks for some reason.

I have a little Silkese now who is very dear to us. I use Advocat on him in SEQ. If i go north with him, I will be checking him all over every day, in all the nooks and crannies :) Ticks can even attach themselves inside a dog's lips...

http://www.tablelandvet.com.au/FormsInfo/Articles/tabid/22194/Default.aspx?ArticleID=285

 

I lived for 12 years in FNQ with rainforest national park on all boundaries of our property. I noticed that in areas like that there were no feral cats or rabbits as the paralysis ticks killed em pretty quickly. I found that no matter what sprays and other potions you use, the dog can still pick up a paralysis tick for long enough to get sick, so, the first thing is, as already suggested, a daily inspection bearing in mind that a tick which has not yet fed much can be very tiny and hidden in all sorts of skin folds etc. Second, the first symptom of paralysis tick poisoning is a pounding headache (I can tell you that the same effect happens to humans if they get one). So if you know your dog well, you will know if he or she seems to be having an off day. Don't ignore it. By the time the back end of the dog starts collapsing it may be too late, and the treatment if it is tick is usually only about $150 (that's what credit cards were invented for). The other thing to watch out for is leptospirosis. My blue dog got that, and because I took her straight to a vet when she seemed "down in the mouth" and he began the treatment for lepto before the pathology confirmed the diagnosis, she was one of the rare cases he managed to save. Lepto is a disease that is carried by rats and is very common in banana plantations, can be fatal in humans too as it attacks the liver. Having said all that, in the 12 years there I never lost a dog to these things as my dogs have always lived with me and any change in behaviour is immediately noticed.
I love the tropics and I love my dogs, the two can go together so have a great time.

-- Edited by The dog lady on Sunday 7th of April 2013 11:50:56 PM

Hi Marianna,

Thanks for the advice. We intend to ensure that Pippa has a short coat (she still does as she is still a puppy). We also intend to check her very regularly. In fact she'll probably get tired of being checked. We also have a soft playpen that we will take and it has a floor as well as mesh sides which we hope will also help. We also intend to take ground matting for her to be on: again we hope that will help.

I was going to use Frontline Plus, but due to advice from here I have had a close look at Advantix and I think that I will look at buying a good supply of that and start her on it before we leave and use it fortnightly. I also thought I would buy Frontline Spray and use that too.

I'll have a list of vets for areas where we travel but as some will be remote we will have to be extra vigilant.

Our other Silky went as far north as Rockhampton where she spent two weeks being a farm dog on the farm of friends. She had a wonderful time running with the big dogs, swimming in the creek and just having a wonderful time. We used Frontline Plus on her fortnightly and she did not get one tick. This time we will be further north and that's the concern for our new dog.

Thanks again,
Di

Thanks Kathy.  It's good to hear success stories and to know of dog friendly beaches as our girl loves the beach.  The flies and mosquitoes being repelled is also a major consideration regarding what to use.  You've helped confirm Advantix.

 

Cheers,

Di

Thanks Ron and Shirley. Our girl has had nothing yet due to her age. As she will be spayed at the end of this month we will start her once she is past that time. I'll also keep in mind the possibility of such a reaction.

Cheers,
Di

BruDi wrote:

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Hi Colin 'n' Susan,

Thanks so much for that link. I've given it a quick once over but will print it off and take it with us. I'll also read it with greater deliberation tomorrow. I'll also make sure we have all of the recommended sprays, items, whatever. She's a pretty special little dog for us and we want her to be safe. We don't want to leave her at home for 3 months, especially as she is so young and also especially as we want her with us and we're sure she'll also be much happier that way.

Is a Silkese a cross between a Silky and a Maltese?

Just thought. I think I'll print off all the answers here too.

Di

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 Sorry Di I just now saw your question! Yes, a Silkese is a cross between a Silky and a Maltese :) Our dog is almost three now and weighs just under 5kgs. We love him to bits. And so far, he has not had a tick.

Glad you got my msg, Di. So sorry to hear about the loss of your previous Silky. Glad you have Pippa now though. I so agree about dogs making our lives feel quite different in a good way.

Thanks for your nice feedback about our little guy's picture :)