TICKS
Ticks are parasitic arthropods that feed on the blood of their hosts. Dogs can pick them up easily from being outside. Living by wooded areas or having lots of brush around your yard can include more bugs and your dog will be more likely to pick up a tick.
PetSmart has a variety of flea and tick items for dogs.
If you are removing a tick from a dog, make sure that you use a reliable tool. There are stores that sell specific tick removers. However, I will explain my remedy for removing ticks off of Solly. Now that we have moved and live surrounded by the woods, Solly gets ticks everyday. I use an old credit card and cut it into a tiny square. Then, I cut a slit in the card making the slit wider at the end. I use the slit of the card to press it against Solly's skin because that's where the head of the tick is. The most important part of getting a tick out is making sure to get the entire head out. I hear a clicking noise when I put the tick off of him. I know that this sound means that I got the head of the tick out of his skin. The longer the tick is on a dog or person, the bigger they get. This is because they are filling their bodies up with the blood they are sucking.
Also, it is important to get your dog checked for Lyme's disease every six months if they get ticks often.
I buy a new tick collar for Solly every three months and check him thoroughly everytime he comes in from outside.
This is how the credit card should look. The more narrow slit allows a better grip around the ticks head.
Solly wears a regular collar and a tick collar.