Jessica, as long as the ticks haven't burrowed in, it's all good. Be disciplined about applying tick medication once a month. And the moment you see one of those suckers, throw it right into a candle--burning them is the only way to kill them. It's high season right now, so I check my coonhound (she gets a rub down, a brushing, a look in her ears) for ticks after every nature walk/trail run.

Those flea medicines you can get from your vet also kill and repel ticks (I use Frontline on my dog... mostly because the fleas are crazy in Houston).

My disposal of ticks may be considered "cruel". I snip off their legs with nail clippers, then toss them in the trash to starve. But hey, they're ticks.

If you do go the route of the flea+tick meds... be very careful that Monty doesn't go near your cat for at least 12-24h after you apply it. Some of that stuff can kill cats. For that matter I've heard of very small toy dogs (ie barely passing the 7lb min on most of those meds) having toxicity issues with them... I would be doubtful of the accuracy of the stories though.

Back to the cat issue, I'm thinking specifically of one of the active ingredients of Advantix, but anything with permethrin in it should not go anywhere near cats. Esp. bc we know that your cat and dog are buds. ;)

The worst, disease-y ticks are the tiniest ones, so be extra vigilant for those. If one does burrow in, the ONLY way you should remove it is with tweezers (get a friend to help hold him down). Dig in to get the head, then quickly pull and dispose of the tick. Then check the area for a few weeks after for redness or swelling - if it appears, go to the vet.

DO NOT use vaseline or such things to "suffocate" the ticks - it just makes them throw up in the skin, which increases the rate of potential infection and disease. And don't try to burn it off - could hurt Monty and has the same vomit issue. These tips work for people too!

Thanks everyone - this is really helpful. Off to the vet I go...

I had some smart tick tips, but they've all been said...tweezers, repellent, etc...
I'm just glad someone else has had the pleasure of bathing another partially-white dog after a romp in the mud! My Amstaff terrier LOVES mud. All over her. :-)

Jessica, what kind of a dog is Monty? (I actually asked this last night on a much older Monty post, but thought you might not see it.)

He's adorable! :)

Thanks! He's a miniature australian shepherd...

you can also get special tick pullers... we have them back in NH.

My dogs both get Frontline. And, while my hubby seems to pick up ticks everytime he walks outside during the summer, not a one on the pooches (they've never had fleas, either). Love the Frontline.

Small-nosed tweezers work best for tick removal (from dogs, humans, and other beasties). They look like the needle-nosed plier equivalent of tweezers (don't actually use the pliers). I worked in a lab that did tick research for several years and that's what we used. Grasp the tick by the head/mouthparts and pull perpendicular to the skin. A good way to dispose of them is to wrap them up in a piece of masking tape, and then throw that in the trash.

Our cats had ticks last summer. Part 2 of the recommendation (after meds and removal) should be careful vaccumming of everything in the house where the ticks could hide out, such as furniture, rugs, throw pillows and mattresses. Apparently, ticks can hibernate (for lack of a better word) on these surfaces for weeks (perhaps months), and then return after interim treatments. With two rounds of meds and a thorough house cleaning, we were able to eliminate them completely. Good luck.

If you're looking for natural, green remedies you should try eucalyptus. Check it out: http://healing.about.com/od/dogs/a/canineticks.htm

and crazily enough pennyroyal (which has also been said to cause abortions).