Engorged tick on dog: Is it safe to wait 3 hours for vet removal?

Question

Found an engorged tick on my dog’s paw following trip to Northern California, called my regular vet and they said to bring her on to have a tech remove it and discuss medications in 3 hours. Is it okay to leave it embedded for that long or is it urgent enough that I should try to remove it with tweezers right this minute? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 3 years and 2 months old | 30 lbs

Linda G, MS, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello. I am so sorry for your worries with Ellie. It might be best to let the technician remove the tick, because they will have a special little device that will get underneath the tick & remove it safely. If you try to remove a tick like this on your own, you might accidentally squeeze the contents of the tick into the skin causing a possible infection, or not completely remove all of the mouth parts. If your vet has already mentioned antibiotics, 3 more hours will not make any worse. I hope this helps, all the best to Ellie & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Engorged tick on dog: Is it safe to wait 3 hours for vet removal?

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