If you’ve discovered a tick on your dog, it should be removed immediately to avoid a skin reaction and to reduce the likelihood of developing a tick-borne infectious disease. Diseases can be transmitted to your dog in as quickly as a few hours. Yes—just like any skin wound, tick bites can become infected. Tick bites aren’t typically itchy, so if you find your pup scratching at an old tick bite wound, it is a sign that an infection may have developed. Other signs include worsening or continued redness and/or oozing around the wound. Ticks will typically fall off once they have taken a full blood meal. This typically happens in three to six days, but ticks can sometimes latch onto your pet for up to two weeks. To prevent tick bites in tick-infested areas, take the following precautions: Put all pets in your household on a tick preventative. Thoroughly check pets for ticks after spending time in tick-infested areas. Remember to check your dog everywhere, including between the toes and inside the ears. If one tick is found, check for more.