Unfortunately one of our retrievers has come down with the acute stage and will be on many types of medication for at least the next month. Our Vet says that everywhere in Thailand has been suffering an epidemic of ticks and tick fever for the past year and it's predicted to continue. There is no vaccine, only things like Frontline for the pet, and yard spraying on a regular basis.
It comes on very quickly. One evening he was his normal self and a walking eating machine....the next morning he didn't even look at food, couldn't stand and was running a very high fever. A scary part of it is that they bleed internally when they bump into something or play too roughly. Never externally, but you can see the swelling under the skin where the blood is settling and gelling. A lot of TLC is needed along with a very calm and quiet sanctuary for them while they're in the acute stage. I really hope things work and he doesn't get to the chronic stage as we may lose him if that happens.
As mentioned above, get your yard sprayed by a professional....grass, shrubs, hedges, tree trunks, everything. Forget being green for awhile as pesticide is the only way you're going to get rid of them. Plenty of it every few months. You can also get the human version if a tick bites you or your kids directly.
As a side note, there were signs from nature here that I simply didn't recognize. For the past year we have been inundated with white egrets. Beautiful birds and everyone was pleased they were here. They were in people's yards and all over the golf course daily. Usually we only saw them near some cattle being grazed on a section of land near the golf course.......because they eat ticks directly off the cattle. The vet confirmed that the reason they're here in such quantities is because ticks are everywhere and the birds are feasting!
So, be warned if you have dogs and a yard where they run.
Pete 
EDIT: Concerning yard spraying. The normal concoction they use for ants and termites is not strong enough to kill these ticks. Tell the pest company you want spray for ticks as they need to put an additive into the mix.
EDIT #2: Forgot to mention to be sure to bathe and brush your dogs regularly. Use a professional flea and tick shampoo. Spend time to look for ticks on them everyday. If you're seeing a lot it's good to take them in for a blood test. It costs about 700 Baht, results in a few minutes, and then you're sure if they're infected or not. A problem is, they could be negative today and infected the next time out in the yard. That's where Frontline or similar comes into the scheme of things.
It's not an ideal solution for everyone, but if you can, just get a few chickens, even if they are the small bantam variety. You don't have to get regular Thai chickens since they all do the same job when it comes to things that dare move on their turf. Guinea fowl are apparently even better for eradicating ticks, and they are also far less destructive than chickens.
In fact, there's no other sign of life either. 
Pete 
