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Brown Dog Tick

Nick Names: Dog tick

Common Names: Brown Dog tick

Formal Names: Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Description: Male and female are difficult to distinguish.  Attachment to people is uncommon.  Can be confused with Deer Tick (Black Legged tick) during later engorgement due to shield design.  Mouthpart is much shorter than Deer tick mouthparts.

Diseases: None known.

The Brown Dog tick can live within a house and has been known to cause significant infestations,  If you notice these ticks within your home a professional extermenator should be consulted.

Repellents: Permethrin clothing treatment kills ticks and deet-based skin repellent helps repel them.

Left to Right: female, male

Left to Right: unengorged female, 1/4 engorged, 1/2 engorged and fully engorged compare to deer tick sequence below.  Note dark circular shield on both; mouthparts are shorter. 

Deer tick engorgement sequence.

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