Ticks taking over in 2025

[Grumpycat]

We're on a cross country RV trip with our dog and hike most days. We wear permethrin treated clothes and our dog is on expensive tick medication that kills them if they bite her. My wife and I have each found ticks on ourselves hours after returning to the RV and changing out of our treated clothes. What we think is happening is the ticks get in the dog's coat then when we get done hiking they'll hop off of her onto the RV couch/bed or we'll pick them up when petting her. We tried wiping the dog with a permethrin happened rag but it seemed to make her sick.

Try Downy fabric softener. Other brands may work, but I have observed fewer ticks and chiggers when wearing clothes washed with Downey and have seen others spraying clothes and bare skin with a mix of 8 water to 1 Downey. Your dog might tolerate this better.

I don't like fabric softener in my front loading washer because I found it feeds mildew. Mildew grew all over my soap/bleach/fabric softener tray.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I only wish I had as good luck with Downy. We use it with essentially every load of clotches washed. And it hasn't appeared to slow our ticks down one iota. Only thing I've found is permethrin, and that sure doesn't smell like Downy :-(

 

[Blue Mule]

Big thread on this topic already.

2025: Year of the Tick

46 years living and playing in the rural parts of Kentucky and I have NEVER seen ticks as bad as they are right now. It's only May and I've gotten two dozen off of me, wife, cats, dogs. Literally can't even walk outside into the yard without finding a tick crawling up my leg. They are more...

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