Can You Get Ticks from Pets?

Can you get ticks from pets? Yes—and many people are exposed to ticks inside their own homes without realizing it.

Dogs and cats can carry ticks indoors, where they may crawl onto furniture, bedding, or directly onto household members. This can increase the risk of tick bites—even if you have not recently been outdoors yourself.

For a broader overview of tick exposure and symptoms, see the Lyme disease symptoms guide.

Do Pets Increase the Risk of Tick Exposure?

Research suggests they do.

In a study by Jones and colleagues, households with pets had significantly higher rates of tick encounters—even when tick prevention products were used.

20% found ticks on their pets
31.4% reported ticks crawling on household members
19.2% found ticks attached to a household member

Pet-owning households had a 1.83 times greater risk of finding ticks crawling on people and a 1.49 times greater risk of tick attachment.

When ticks were found on pets, the risk increased further:

2.69 times greater risk of ticks crawling on people
2.5 times greater risk of tick attachment

Even with tick control products, exposure still occurred.

How Pets Bring Ticks into the Home

Pets can act as carriers, transporting ticks from outdoor environments into indoor living spaces.

Once inside, ticks may detach and crawl onto people, furniture, bedding, or carpets—sometimes going unnoticed for hours or days.

Several factors increase exposure risk:

Pets pick up ticks outdoors and carry them inside
Owners and pets share tick habitats during walks, hiking, or outdoor play
Close household contact increases the likelihood of tick transfer

For more on what to do after exposure, see what to do after a tick bite.

Why Exposure Still Happens Despite Tick Prevention

Many households use veterinary tick-control products, but these measures do not eliminate risk entirely.

Ticks may attach before dying, detach after entering the home, or avoid detection during grooming.

In the study, researchers noted that tick prevention on pets did not fully prevent human tick exposure.

Certain environmental features may also increase exposure risk, including:

Gardens and compost piles
Log piles and stone walls
Bird feeders
Outdoor play areas

Common Questions

Can you get Lyme disease from a pet?

Pets do not transmit Lyme disease directly to people. However, dogs and cats can carry infected ticks indoors, where those ticks may detach and bite household members. The risk is from the tick, not the pet itself.

Can indoor pets bring ticks into the house?

Yes. Pets that briefly go outdoors may still carry ticks indoors, even when they spend most of their time inside.

Can you get Lyme disease from your dog or cat directly?

Dogs and cats do not directly transmit Lyme disease to people, but they can carry infected ticks into the home.

Do tick prevention products completely stop exposure?

No. Tick prevention products reduce risk substantially but may not prevent all tick encounters.

Clinical Perspective and Takeaway

Yes, you can get ticks from pets. Dogs and cats may carry ticks into homes and increase the risk of tick exposure even when household members have limited outdoor contact.

Regular tick checks for pets and household members, along with appropriate veterinary prevention strategies, remain important in Lyme-endemic areas.

References

Jones EH, Hinckley AF, Hook SA, et al. Pet ownership increases human risk of encountering ticks. Zoonoses Public Health. 2017.

Dr. Daniel Cameron, MD, MPH
Lyme disease clinician with over 30 years of experience and past president of ILADS.

Symptoms • Testing • Coinfections • Recovery • Pediatric • Prevention

Social Converations with Dr. Daniel Cameron

Can you get ticks from pets?