As the weather warms deer ticks and fleas begin to flourish. Removing ticks from your dog is important for a few reasons. One of the most important reason is Lyme disease from deer ticks. Of course, the fact that a tick is a parasite on your dog is not good either.

The best way to keep ticks from attaching to your dog is to prevent ticks in the first place. So, now that ticks are here, what can you do? Here are a few tips to control ticks:

• Check your dog for ticks daily.  Rub your hands all over your dog and feel for any ticks.
• Brush your dog after walking in the woods.
• Keep your grass mowed so reduce the number of ticks in your yard.

Obviously, the tips to control ticks only help reduce the chance of finding a tick on your dog. They do not protect your dog from ticks. In some areas, where Lyme disease is prevalent, a tick prevention product is almost mandatory. There are several products to prevent ticks. Topical products like Frontline, Revolution, Advantix, and bioSpot are  applied monthly to prevent ticks. Another option is a tick collar, such as the Preventic collar. With all tick prevention products it is very important that you follow the directions.

Our favorite topical treatment is Advantix because it also helps protect against mosquitoes.

How do you prevent ticks? Are there any special home remedies that work for you?

If you were too slow and found a tick already attached, there are several ways to remove the tick. I’ll cover that in an upcoming article.