My dad found a tick on the dog 2 weeks ago and put it in a plastic bag. It recently started excreting these dark circles and shrinking in size. I think its laying eggs…

Two weeks ago, my dad pulled a tick off our dog and, for some reason, decided to keep it in a plastic bag. We honestly forgot about it — until yesterday, when I noticed it had started excreting these tiny dark circles and shrinking in size.

At first, I thought maybe it was dying.
Nope. Turns out… it’s laying eggs. 😬

🕷️ The Internet’s Verdict

When I shared this online, people quickly confirmed my worst fear:

“Definitely eggs. Our house got infested when I was a kid. We found those things everywhere. It was a nightmare.”

And another user added:

“It sucks. My Cavalier got covered in ticks once. I missed just ONE, and a week later we were dealing with a full-on infestation. I’m just glad they were brown dog ticks and not deer ticks.”

Apparently, once a female tick feeds enough, it can lay thousands of eggs, even after being removed from the host. Keeping it alive (even sealed up) just gives it time to finish the job.

⚠️ What You Should Do

If you ever find a tick on your pet:

1. Do not keep it alive — crush it or place it in alcohol immediately.

2. Clean the area where it was attached using antiseptic.

3. Check your pet daily for more ticks.

4. Wash bedding and vacuum thoroughly.

Ticks reproduce insanely fast, and one overlooked bug can turn into a full infestation.

💭 Lesson Learned

What started as a “we’ll deal with it later” moment turned into a biology horror story. So yeah — next time, don’t save a tick as a souvenir.