Antiparasitic drops for dogs vs. Tarantulas

Eva

Arachnosquire
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Jan 14, 2017
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71
My vet had no clue about this and the lady who sold me the drops hadn't either. Furthermore, google turned out to be rather unhelpful as well, so here I am.

The problem concerns the fact that I have all my Ts in my bedroom, where my dog happens to exist as well. Since the season for ticks has just begun, I was pressed to obtain some form of antiparasitic drug for the dog. What I bought in the end is called EXSPOT 715 mg spot-on, the drug is Permethrinum.

The questions I was hoping to get answered are:

a) Is it dangerous to apply the drug, even though there is no physical contact between the dog and the Ts? (they are high up in their cages)

b) If the answer is yes, do you have any alternative suggestions, excluding moving the animals, f.e.: what kind of drug would be better? Any personal experience would be very welcome.

Thank you all in advance!
 

CJW

Arachnopeon
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Mar 3, 2017
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Don't quote me on this but don't those drugs get absorbed into the animals blood-stream so it'll only affect things that try to drink the dog's blood?
 

Walker253

Arachnobaron
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Jun 12, 2016
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554
It gets absorbed into the bloodstream. Even a flea and tick collar really only affects the immediate area of the dog. If you have fleas in your house and one dog has a flea collar on and an another doesn't, the dog without the flea collar will still get bitten.
 

Charlie69

Arachnosquire
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Oct 1, 2016
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85
Tics belong to the spider family. Exspot absorbs in the dogs body fat. The dog is not supposed to swim outdoors with that stuff on. It's not airborne but I would not take that risk.
 

D Sherlod

Arachnoknight
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Dec 30, 2016
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218
Just make sure to wash well after petting the dog.... especially before handling feeders.
ie. Chemical from dog to hands to feeders to your T's
 

Eva

Arachnosquire
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Jan 14, 2017
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71
Wow, thanks for so many answers! :)
So you all reckon it's safe, except for Charlie?
And do any of you have experience doing this with no issues? All you said makes sense, it's not like the dog has a walk in the park and suddenly every invertebrate in the park drops dead, but I would rather not risk it either.
I might just wait for a bit and see if I get some more thoughts in this thread:angelic:
 

boina

Lady of the mites
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Mar 25, 2015
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Permethrin is actually probably the most dangerous spot on for your tarantulas, because as an effective akarizide it will very likely affect spiders, too. While most of it gets absorbed by the dog there is a moderate outgassing, especially during the first days. Because of this known outgassing Permethrin is also used as an insect/tick repellent. Your spiders may not like being in the same room with the dog very much. Outgassing means also that at least some of the stuff will be in the air. I think there is a certain risk associated with using it, especially if the dog and the tarantulas stay in the same room for a prolonged time. I'm not saying all your Ts will die, but there is a risk larger than zero that a tarantula may be affected just by being in the same room as the dog for a prolonged time.
A safer way may be the use of pills - have you heard of Fluralaner (sold as 'Bravecto')? Since it gets ingested by the dog (it's a pill) outgassing is not possible at all and it's perfectly safe for your T's - I know, because I use it for my cats who live in the same room as my tarantulas, and have used it for years. Main disadvantage: It's not cheap. Second disadvantage: While it will kill ticks it's not a repellent (because no outgassing).
Another spot on medication is Fipronil (sold as 'Frontline'). I shows less outgassing than Permethrin and therefore is not an insect/tick repellent.
There's plenty more around, but those are the ones that came to mind.
 

klawfran3

Arachnolord
Old Timer
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Feb 6, 2013
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645
Tics belong to the spider family. Exspot absorbs in the dogs body fat. The dog is not supposed to swim outdoors with that stuff on. It's not airborne but I would not take that risk.
Class. Ticks are in order Acari and spiders are in order Araneae.

Ingested medications are usually better around inverts because your pets won't be covered in residue that gets everywhere. It's also more sanitary since your pet isn't rubbing chemicals all over the house. I can personally attest to the fact that ingested drugs still work very well. My dog has been on them for years now with no ectoparasite issues, and before we changed to pills when we applied drops she ended up with a few flea problems.
 

Tim Benzedrine

Prankster Possum
Old Timer
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Apr 4, 2004
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1,496
When my dog outgasses I don't like to be in the same room! :D

Just make sure to wash well after petting the dog.... especially before handling feeders.
ie. Chemical from dog to hands to feeders to your T's
Good advice. Also a bit difficult though, considering how often a person casually pets their dog (or cat) in the span of a day. Perhaps a little note near the feeders and/or spiders reminding one to wash their hands might be in order if products are being used on their warm-blooded pets.
 

Eva

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jan 14, 2017
Messages
71
I was allowed to temporarily move my eight legged pets to a different room (since they can deal with the estrangement much easier than the four legged one), so that I won't be guilty of murder, even if the chances are small. I will definitely be looking into some pills in the future though, to spare myself the worry and the hassle. I have searched for Bravecto and I think I can get it here. It sure isn't cheap, but at least it lasts for quite a long time compared to the spot-on. And thanks again to all who gave their advice, esp. boina!
 
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