Mites our dog brought home from the woods - Ask Extension
My partner and I went hiking through the woods near his childhood home this past weekend and we brought the dog. It wasn't til we came home that we no...
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Mites our dog brought home from the woods #596013
Asked September 11, 2019, 2:29 AM EDT
My partner and I went hiking through the woods near his childhood home this past weekend and we brought the dog. It wasn't til we came home that we noticed she had brought something back with her. They come off easily enough if I scratch her, but there are hundreds if not thousands of these attached, mostly the same size but every once in a while there's a big one. Attached is a picture of both sizes. I did apply flea and tick medicine to her today as a start, but I was wondering if anyone has any information on this type of insect and how best to treat it?
County Kentucky
Expert Response
These are young ticks, some look like the youngest stage. You may have gotten into a spot where an egg mass had hatched. There can be dozens if not hundreds of tiny ticks in these situations. To avoid this in the future, we have a factsheet on the UK Entomology website on reducing incidents with ticks when enjoying nature.