A tick can stay on a dog for several days, typically between two and seven days, before it is fully engorged and lets go on its own. How long a tick stays on a dog depends on which stage the tick is in and how far it has progressed in its blood meal. A newly attached tick is small and flat and can be hard to spot, while a tick that has been attached for several days swells up and becomes far more visible as it feeds on blood. The point is simple: the sooner you find and remove the tick, the better. You shouldn't wait for it to fall off by itself.
From bite to fully engorged tick, day by day
When a tick crawls onto your dog, it spends the first few hours finding a suitable spot and biting on. Most ticks settle where the skin is thin and the coat is sparse, for example around the ears, eyes, neck, armpits and groin. Once the tick has bitten on, it anchors its mouthparts in the skin and slowly begins to feed. During the first couple of days not much is visible, and the tick remains small and dark. After this it gradually begins to fill with blood, and its body swells into a greyish or light grey ball that can be several times larger than the original tick. Once the tick is fully sated, it releases on its own and falls off, but this can take up to a week, and during that period the tick stays attached the whole time.
Does a tick fall off the dog on its own?
Yes, a fully engorged tick falls off on its own once it has completed its blood meal. But that is no reason to leave it. A tick that is allowed to stay where it is for days increases the risk of it transmitting diseases to the dog, and besides, you rarely start to notice the tick until it has been attached for a while. That's why the best strategy is to remove it as soon as you discover it, rather than waiting for nature to do the work. Check your dog thoroughly after every trip in the woods, tall grass and brush, and run your fingers through the coat all the way down to the skin, so that you also catch the small, flat ticks that have not yet fed themselves large.
Why time matters once a tick has bitten on
The reason there is so much talk about hours and days is that the risk of disease transmission generally rises the longer a tick is allowed to stay attached. A tick that is removed quickly rarely gets very far in its feeding process. That's why the daily tick check during tick season, which runs from early spring to late autumn, is one of the simplest and most effective routines you can give your dog. If you find that your dog becomes lethargic, loses its appetite or seems unwell after a tick bite, that belongs with the vet and not in an article. Always contact your vet if you are concerned about your dog's health.
How to remove a tick without leaving the mouthparts behind
The safe way to remove a tick is with a tick remover or a tick hook, which you can get from the vet or at the pet shop. Get the tool all the way down against the skin, as close to the tick's bite site as possible, and pull steadily and straight out without twisting forcefully or crushing the tick. The goal is to get the whole tick out, including the mouthparts, and to avoid squeezing its stomach contents into the dog. Don't use oil, alcohol or other liquids to make the tick let go, as this can cause it to react and increase the risk rather than reduce it. After removal you can clean the area with a little water. If the mouthparts stay stuck, or the skin becomes red and swollen, have a chat with your vet.
A strong everyday life begins with good meals
Ticks are part of life with a dog that loves to explore forest floors, coastal meadows and tall grass, and the best protection is a combination of prevention, daily checks and a dog in good general well-being. The actual prevention against ticks belongs with the vet, but the foundation for a dog that is robust and fit for an active outdoor life lies in everyday meals. At ESSENTIAL FOODS all dog meals are prepared from human-grade ingredients and fresh produce, composed with the dog's daily well-being in mind. If your dog likes to go on long walks in nature and has a high activity level, you can find relevant meals in our working & sporting, where the focus is on dogs that use their bodies a lot. If your dog lives a more moderate everyday life, our LIVING collection holds a range of chef-prepared meals to choose from according to taste and nutritional profile.
If you are unsure about what suits your particular dog's life stage and needs, ESSENTIAL FOODS' nutrition advisors are ready on phone, chat and email and will gladly help you further with questions about feeding, food and nutrition. And if your dog is at the other end of life, where the walks become shorter but the joy of nature is the same, you will find meals created for the senior dog's everyday life and the golden years in our senior collection. A good tick check after the walk and a meal that supports the dog's well-being go beautifully hand in hand.