The safest may take more patience while discovering what works best for each dog/person/location.
http://www.ShooTags.com make tags for people, dogs and cats that work in milder situations.
Noni – http://www.real-noni.com – orally as a treat. Several veterinarians started taking it and giving it to their dogs and cats after an herbal conference in Kauai (where it is
raised) and reported dramatic reductions in ticks.
Many essential oil sprays – VEtriScience has VetriRepel that you can get through my website, http://www.Myhealthyanimals.com; http://www.cedarcide is good to spray the perimiter
of your property and use topically; wondercide.com (similar); and others; Neem & lemon grass are best per Dr. Winston;
Other internal products: by Earth Animal;
dog wise has a great tick puller. Mostly I do not mind if there are one or two ticks to pull.
finally, if a pet is healthy, they will be MUCH less likely to acquire an active tick borne disease, so that is still the main goal.
Thanks Krista, I will get her to the vet’s.