Ticks activate whenever the temperature is above 45. All dogs and outdoor cats should be on tick and flea preventive regardless of where they are exercised. The ticks can be found in grass, bushes and woods. Besides the multitude of wild animals that frequent your neighborhood, birds can also bring in ticks. The topical treatment is more effective than collars. Read the directions on the container as many of the products are not safe for cats. Households with dogs and cats should only use products approved for both dogs and cats since the cats can be exposed to the “dog” product. Call us if you are not sure which product to use. Remember if you are finding ticks on your dog dead or alive you are also at risk of tick exposure walking your dog. In that case you should also be using a tick preventive. When we yearly test your dog for heartworm disease, we will also screen for the tick diseases: Lyme, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia.