Ticks in Arizona: Brown Dog Ticks in Your House and How to Get Rid of Them
Short answer: yes, Arizona has ticks. The one in Phoenix-area homes is the brown dog tick, and unlike most ticks it can live and breed indoors, so treat the dog and the house together.
Are There Ticks in Arizona? Yes, Mostly Brown Dog Ticks
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension names the brown dog tick as the most common tick around Arizona homes. It feeds mainly on dogs but will bite people, and it spends most of its life resting in protected places off the dog. It can complete its whole life cycle indoors or outdoors, which is why Phoenix-area homeowners find ticks on walls, baseboards and dog beds, not just on hikes.
Other Arizona ticks stay out of the Valley: UA Extension lists the Rocky Mountain wood tick in brushy areas of northern Arizona, the western black-legged tick only at higher elevations of the Hualapai Mountains, and soft ticks in rustic cabins and woodpiles.
How to Identify a Brown Dog Tick
- Four stages: egg, six-legged larva, eight-legged nymph and adult. Each active stage needs a blood meal and feeds on a new host (UA Extension).
- On the dog: ticks often feed in groups, so check ears, between the toes, the neck and under the collar.
- In the house: small ticks crawling up walls or curtains, or on and around the dog's bed and resting spots.
- Outside: dog runs, side yards and shaded spots along block walls where the dog lies down.
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Signs of a Brown Dog Tick Infestation in Your Home
- You keep pulling ticks off the dog even after a tick treatment.
- Ticks of different sizes (larvae, nymphs and adults) on walls, curtains or furniture near where the dog sleeps.
- Ticks in the dog bed, crate or kennel, or in cracks along baseboards.
- Ticks on people in the house who haven't been hiking or camping.
Ticks and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Arizona
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension says the brown dog tick can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Arizona and northwest Mexico. Symptoms start 3 to 12 days after an infected bite and can include fever, headache, rash, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and muscle pain. If you have these symptoms after a tick bite, see a doctor right away; it is serious but treatable with antibiotics. Lyme disease is not the concern here: Maricopa County Department of Public Health says the CDC has found no evidence of Lyme disease being acquired in Arizona.
How to Get Rid of Ticks in Your House: 6 Steps
These steps follow University of Arizona Cooperative Extension guidance:
- Treat the dog. Use a spot-on, oral or collar tick product, follow the label for repeat doses, and ask your veterinarian which one fits your dog. Some dog products are toxic to cats.
- Remove ticks you find with fine tweezers close to the skin, pulling straight up. Don't squeeze, burn or smother them.
- Vacuum high and low where the dog and the ticks rest: baseboards, under furniture, curtains, crates. Empty the vacuum outside.
- Wash pet bedding and blankets often.
- Clean up the yard: reduce clutter around and under the house, and remove tall grass, brush and leaf litter where ticks rest.
- Treat the perimeter and hiding places with a product labeled for ticks, spring through fall. UA Extension notes a serious infestation may need a professional service.
Tick Control in Phoenix: What the Service Does and Costs
If the dog is treated and you're still finding ticks, a visit confirms what you have, finds where they're resting, and treats the shaded yard areas, dog runs and kennel areas, then follows up a few weeks later for the ticks that hatch after the first visit. It works best while your vet treats the dog at the same time. A one-time diagnostic visit with treatment is $149. The plan is $50/month with treatment every 60 days and free callbacks. Start a plan the same day and your visit fee covers your first 3 months of the plan. See tick and flea control and pest control cost.
Tick control in Phoenix · Glendale · Chandler Heights · Queen Creek · Mesa · San Tan Valley · all service areas
Learn More From Authoritative Sources
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension — Brown Dog Ticks and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (AZ1935, 2021)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension — Ticks in Arizona (Backyard Gardener Bulletin #77)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension — Great Arizona Tick Check
- Maricopa County Department of Public Health — Lyme Disease
Tick Questions from Arizona Homeowners
Are there ticks in Arizona?
Yes. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension names the brown dog tick as the most common tick around homes in Arizona. It feeds mainly on dogs, can also bite people, and can complete its whole life cycle indoors or outdoors. Other ticks, like the Rocky Mountain wood tick and the western black-legged tick, are limited to brushy or high-elevation areas of northern and northwestern Arizona.
Why do I have ticks in my house in Arizona?
Brown dog ticks drop off a dog after feeding and rest in protected places nearby, then climb back on for the next meal. Because they can finish their life cycle indoors, a few ticks on one dog can turn into ticks in dog beds, along baseboards and on walls. UA Extension advises treating the dog and the home together, because populations rebound quickly.
Can you get Lyme disease from a tick in Arizona?
Maricopa County Department of Public Health says the CDC has found no evidence of Lyme disease being acquired in Arizona. The tick-borne disease to know here is Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which the brown dog tick can carry in Arizona.
What are the symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever?
UA Extension lists fever, headache, rash, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and muscle pain, starting 3 to 12 days after a bite from an infected tick. Anyone with these symptoms after a tick bite should see a doctor right away; the disease is serious but treatable with antibiotics when caught early.
How do I remove a tick?
Grab the tick with fine tweezers close to the skin and pull straight up, gently, without twisting, squeezing, burning or smothering it. Then wash the bite and your hands with soap and water (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension).