TICKS!! EW!!

As I was talking to the family of one of my students after lessons yesterday, I was rubbing Flash's chest and noticed a couple of bumps.  I was worried that his little warty things from a couple of months ago were back, but NO they were TICKS!!  At least I know what they are this time haha.  So I spent a while and pulled a TON of them from his chest and I feel like I barely even made a dent.  Most weren't moving, but there were a couple wandering around in there with legs a goin!  Ugh, it makes me cringe and shiver just thinking about it.  Today I pulled out a lot more, but there's no way I'm possibly going to find all of them, especially because I checked other parts of his body more thoroughly and there were a few more scattered ones and there were some that were TINY - the only reason I found them were because they were next to a bigger one!  So now I've got to go get some Ivermectin wormer (I guess it'd probably be a good thing to go ahead and worm him anyway), which should kill anything sucking on him.  I'm still unclear about how it works though - am I sure that all the ones on him are still alive because most weren't moving?  Do they fall out when they die?  Are they hibernating - if so, will the Ivermectin work?  Then I've got to do something about all the ones NOT sucking blood - I guess there is a powdery stuff I can pat on him that will kill the rest...  Lame!!  Oh well :S