Brown Dog Tick Bites and Treatment

How Serious Are Brown Dog Tick Bites?

For people, usually not very. Brown dog ticks are built around dogs and seldom feed on humans unless a home is heavily infested and the ticks are hungry. When one does bite, the usual result is a small, itchy bump. Ticks as a group can carry serious illnesses, though, so treat any tick bite with care. If you feel sick in the weeks afterward, call your doctor and mention the bite.

Bites on People and on Dogs

Brown dog ticks strongly prefer dogs, but in a heavily infested home, hungry ticks can bite people too. A tick bite is usually painless, so most people find the tick itself, a small reddish-brown body fixed to the skin, before they notice any bite. After removal, a small red bump that itches for a few days is normal.

Removing a tick safely

• Grasp it with fine-tipped tweezers as close to the skin as you can.
• Pull straight up with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk.
• Clean the bite and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
• Skip nail polish, petroleum jelly or a hot match. These only delay getting the tick out.

Disease risk, stated plainly: Brown dog ticks are not considered carriers of Lyme disease, which is spread by blacklegged ticks. In parts of the southwestern United States and Mexico, brown dog ticks have spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever to people. Florida cases of that disease are uncommon and are more often tied to other tick species. See a doctor if a fever, headache, muscle aches or a rash show up in the weeks after a tick bite.

For dogs: These ticks can pass ehrlichiosis and babesiosis to dogs. Call your vet if your dog seems tired, stops eating, feels feverish, or has nosebleeds or unusual bruising. The tick control page covers the other ticks found in Florida.