I have had my boys (Ben and Bernie) for five years and never had a problom with ticks, but Bernie had a brown bubble come up in his ear and it was a tick.  It cost only a fiver to have it removed at the vets and he seemed okay with no after affects.

How do you doggie people prevent ticks ie. Frontline garlic etc, and is it easy to remove them from your dog or yourself?  Lance Tucker

Luckily, we seem to live in a tick free area, but Bailey does often come  home from the Lakes with a couple of little visitors attached!  Personally, I don't like using chemical repellents like Frontline on Bailey, but I know it works well.  As for removing them yourself, get a little  plastic tick remover from your vet.  Really easy to use once you get the hang of it.  Angie Espin

I'm with Angie - I will not use chemical "repellents" like Frontline.  They do not actually stop the tick taking hold, just kill it once it is on the dog and when I did use this stuff on Ollie he was never well - nothing specific but hehas been much healthier all round since I stopped.  My tick regime is to groom him and touch him a lot - when you are running your hands over a dog to stroke him or generally play then you will instantly find the lumps that should not be there.
Removal is exceptionally easy and does not need to cost a fiver at the vet.  Get one of these: The O'Tom Tick Hook.  It should be available at most vets for a couple of quid (or online).  BTW they are not as huge as they look in that photo - only a couple of inches long.  They are a brilliant and idiot proof way of removing the whole tick - if I can consistently succeed in removing every bit of tick without hurting Ollie at all then they must be easy!  Then a quick dab of germolene and we've never had any further problems.
PS: Works on people too but we have never had to use them on ourselves!  Hope this helps.  Jayne Hill

We get multiple ticks on our two dogs from about April until the end of October.  At least we would, but once I start removing at least five plus a day from them, we start Advantix treatments which lasts six to eight weeks, which we buy from the vet and administer ourselves.  We always have the next course in ready to apply once we start removing ticks from them again.  They have never caused any problems.
I remove them with my fingernails, and then put a dab of Savlon antiseptic cream on the area, unless it is on the eyelid or close to the eyes.  You must ensure that the whole body and legs are removed in one go, sometime a tick remover (rather like small crossed scissors and cheaply obtained from the vet) is useful.  Dispose of the tick once you have examined it (ie kill it).
We have never had them ourselves, though Roger did once remove some from the legs of someone staying at Rose cottage.  Ann Hiley

My father's dog had a tick, which we just let drop off of its own accord.  I'm not entirely sure that's the recommended course of action, but it seems to have worked in this instance.  David Alexander

As well as dogs, ticks can also attach themselves to humans.  Take particular care when out walking as one of the diseases that ticks can carry, Lyme Disease, is quite harmful to humans.  There is a FAQ section on the Lyme Disease Action website with more information.

The above is not intended as a substitute for veterinary advice.  If you are in any doubt as to whether your dog has a tick, or how to deal with it then you should seek proper veterinary advice from a qualified person.

Should you suspect you've been bitten by a tick and show any of the symptons of Lyme Disease, you should seek urgent medical advice. 

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