Rocky Mountain Wood Tick

• The body is brown, with silvery-gray markings on the shield behind the head.
• It looks very much like the American dog tick.
• Females swell and turn gray when fed.
• It is most common in brush and grassy slopes.

Rocky Mountain wood ticks can spread Colorado tick fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and tularemia. A feeding female can also cause tick paralysis, which usually improves after the tick is removed.

• Treat boots, pants, socks, and gear with 0.5% permethrin, or buy pre-treated clothing. Do not put permethrin on skin.
• Use an EPA-registered repellent on exposed skin, such as DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, and follow the label.
• Walk in the center of trails, and avoid brushing against tall grass and leaf litter when you can.
• Do a full tick check after being outdoors: under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, in and around the hair, between the legs, and around the waist.
• Shower within two hours of coming indoors, and tumble dry clothes on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks. Check pets and gear too.

1. Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as you can.
2. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Do not twist or jerk, which can leave mouthparts in the skin. If some stay behind, remove them with the tweezers if you can, and otherwise leave them alone and let the skin heal.
3. Clean the bite and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
4. Do not crush the tick. Dispose of it by putting it in alcohol, sealing it in a bag or container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.
5. Do not use folk remedies such as nail polish, petroleum jelly, or a hot match to make the tick let go.

• See a doctor if you get a fever, chills, a rash (including a spreading or bull's-eye rash), a severe headache, or muscle and joint aches in the days to weeks after a tick bite.
• Tell the doctor you were bitten by a tick, where you were, and about when it happened.
• Get care if you cannot remove the tick, or if the bite looks infected.
• See a doctor right away if you feel weakness or trouble walking while a tick is attached or soon after.

Call 911 for trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, a racing heart, dizziness, or fainting.

• American Dog Tick: very similar, found mostly east of the Rockies.

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• Hiking With Your Dog: What to Know Before You Go