Dr. John Freie and his friend, Conrad, like to go for walks in the park.

If Conrad gets off the path and rolls in the grass, he’s probably safe from ticks, because Freie’s wife, Melody, regularly applies medicine to keep him protected.

Conrad is a 7-year-old Labrador retriever. Like most family pets, he’s the focus of admiration and affection. The Freies have other ways to ward off ticks.

“We treat the yard and north lot next to it with a chemical,” Freie said. “We used a little spreader that applies it in the form of small pellets.”

Freie said it’s difficult to deal with any ticks Conrad might get, because Labrador retrievers are water dogs with a double layer of fur. That, and the fact that Conrad is completely opposed to any treatments.

“You have to sneak up on him,” Freie said. “If he thinks you’ve got something medical planned, he’ll try to get away.”

It’s a good thing the Freies take the necessary steps, because ticks can carry disease that will kill a dog. Cases of a potentially fatal disease transmitted by ticks to dogs may be on the rise, according to recent data.

The Tick-Borne Disease Alert Network (TDAN) has been tracking the progress of canine ehrlichiosis and other tick-borne diseases. Recent data from veterinary clinics in the greater Tulsa area show 32 cases of canine ehrlichiosis through April 2007.

Canine ehrlichiosis is often fatal to dogs and is commonly transmitted by the brown dog tick and lone star tick. Some ticks can transit multiple diseases with one bite, including Lyme disease and canine anaplasmosis. Co-infections also can occur when more than one tick bites the family dog or his owners, according to TDAN.

Veterinarian Dr. Janet Blake with the Animal Care Clinic on Chandler Road said pet owners can do several things to stop tick-borne diseases.

“Controlling the ticks is the biggie,” she said. “I would recommend either Frontline or Advantix.”

Ticks are unusually bad this year, Blake said, but they can be controlled on the animal or in its environment. Flea and tick dips can be useful, and some repellent collars are effective.

“I also recommend spraying and treating the environment, although that can be a problem for people living in rural areas where their dogs roam,” she said.

There are many myths about removing ticks, Blake said, and most of them can create more problems.

“If you try to pull that tick off, it will leave the head embedded in the dog’s skin,” she said. “If you try to grab the tick and squeeze on it, you will inject whatever is inside it into the dog. Canine ehrlichiosis is spread through the tick’s saliva. The tick has to be dead first, then there are little devices that slide up under the tick and pull up on it.”