Alabama is no shy friend to ticks, they are in more places than just the “wooded areas”, they can be found almost anywhere with the way they attach and travel with a host. Ticks can cause a wide variety of problems, such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, and others. Getting in the habit of checking your dog or outside cat in the major problem areas such as the head, behind the ears, neck, armpits, and around the tail is very important. It is very important to have year round prevention as ticks do not discriminate when to exist even if it is cold outside. There are several different prevention options to best suit you and your pets needs. These products can range from topical (putting on the shoulder blades) to a chew. These range from a month’s prevention (Bravecto one month, Nexgard, Nexgard Combo/Plus, Simperica, Credelio), to three months (Bravecto).