When the weather is nice and the days are long, I'm more able to find time for long walks with the dogs. We love our walks along a stretch of the local river parkway, but we always seem to bring home a nasty bonus: ticks.

I hate ticks. The morning after a recent walk, I felt something move along my neck, just above the hairline. Ugh! A tick!

After I disposed of the tick on me, I checked the dogs for ticks again, threw my clothes and bed linens in the washer and myself in the shower. It felt good, even though I know ticks can survive a cycle in the washing machine. After a thorough check, we were still tick-free ... but only until our next walk.

But ticks are more than a disgusting nuisance -- they present a serious health risk for people and pets. Tick-borne diseases can be difficult to diagnose and treat, and harder still to live with. That's why when it comes to ticks and pets, prevention and quick removal are the best strategies by far.

Tick prevention in pets means topical treatments, typically spot-ons available by prescription from your veterinarian (or from retailers with a prescription from your veterinarian). Talk to your pet's health-care provider about which product suits your animal best. In some areas, ticks may respond better to one product than another. In areas with heavy tick infestations, additional protection may entail the use of a tick collar; again, talk to your vet.

Whenever you've had your dog out in an area with ticks -- and that could even be a green city park -- you need to go over your dog carefully to hand-pick any pests that hopped a ride anyway. Don't wait for the preventives to kill them. Feel for tiny lumps and part the fur to get a good look at the skin.

When you've located a tick, don't use methods you may have heard of such as applying alcohol, petroleum jelly or the tip of a hot match to remove them. They don't work. Instead, choose a direct method: Either use a tool to pull them off or protect your fingers with a thin glove.

For tools, a curved-tip jeweler's forceps ($25 to $50) is probably the best, and well worth searching out and keeping on hand if you live in an area with lots of ticks, especially small ticks. Various tools with slots that fit under the parasite -- such as the Ticked Off spoon ($5.50 from retailers) -- also work well.

Start your tick hunt with a little bowl of isopropyl alcohol at hand. No matter if you're using a tool or your gloved fingers, get hold of the tick as close to where the mouth is attached to your pet and apply steady, even pressure to remove the pest -- no twisting required. Once out, flick the tick into the alcohol to kill it and then dispose of the dead ticks at once.

Use a mild disinfectant on the de-ticked areas, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water when you're done clearing all the pests from your pet. Keep an eye on where the ticks had been embedded for any sign of infection, and contact your veterinarian if you have any concerns.

You can find out more information about ticks and other pet parasites on the Web site of the nonprofit Companion Animal Parasite Council, www.petsandparasites.org.

Q&A

Think before putting your pet on a plane

Q: Do you think it's still safe to ship a pet by air? -- S.P., via e-mail

A: I have put pets on airlines for trips across the country and halfway around the world, and have never had a bad experience. That said, I'm not really keen on the idea of putting one of my pets on a plane right now, with the airline industry in such a mess. After all, the fact that the overwhelming number of pets arrive safely isn't of much comfort if your pet has a problem.

The pet owners who probably will still be happy with air travel are those with pets small enough to fit in a carry-on pet bag. If the carry-on option isn't available, your pet will have to fly in the baggage compartment, which means his safety is in someone else's hands.

If you decide to fly with your pet, here are some things to do to help minimize the risk:

Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books. E-mail them at petconnection@gmail.com or visit www.petconnection.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/spadafori