Tick species identification
Brown dog tick
What to look for
Uniform reddish-brown without ornate markings; has a narrow, elongated body and is strongly associated with dogs and kennels.
Known disease associations
- — Rocky Mountain spotted fever in parts of the southwestern United States and Mexico
Finding this species does not mean the tick carried a pathogen or that transmission occurred.
Photos need context
Feeding, life stage, image angle, and damage can change how a tick looks. A useful identification weighs several visible traits together and states uncertainty when the photo does not show enough detail.
Reference: CDC tick information.