Tick Key

[RockinIt]

Has anyone else seen these?

Tick Key - Duluth Trading Company

I picked two up at bass pro the other day for Joker and I. It seemed like a good idea, and going by the reviews on duluth I'd say it probably was. Just wondering if anyone here had used one and what they thought.

[kiya]

I have the "tick off" spoon I don't think I could survive Long Island without it.
TICKED OFF the world’s simplest tick remover

[Sasha's Dad]

A couple of years ago I had a HUGE problem with ticks. It was just one of those seasons/years where they were really bad. I had several occasions to be out some dense woods and that just added to the issue.

Anyway, I found the Pro Tick Remedy Tool


It seemed to work well both for Muttley as well as for me. I finally had to go to further extremes for myself, by treating my BDU's with Permethrin. I also had to treat the dog compartment of the vehicle and all bedding with a 30% solution of permethrin. Then after EVERY trip into the woods she got a bath with tick & flea shampoo and an extensive, inch by inch, exam. My then wife did the inch by inch and was able to spot the tiny little seed ticks that I just could not see. The Pro Tick tool comes with tiny magnifying glass, but it is all plastic and not that great, and besides, with my eyes, I need one about a foot in diameter anyway.....

So, all that to say that a multifaceted attack against ticks may be your best defense.

The tool itself, seems to work just fine. I would refer you to this article titled "Evaluation of Three Commercial Tick Removal Tools" done by Richard L. Stewart Jr, Willy Burgdorfer and Glen R. Needham Acarology Laboratory The Ohio State University. You can read that here: tick removal guidelines

They do a comparison of 3 different tools, not the one that you have, but 3 most common types.

[K9-CRAZY]

What steps, if any, do you take when you find a tick on your dog?

Do you save the tick for testing? Take the dog to the vet or get any bloodwork done at your next scheduled visit? Or do you just pull it off and continue on with life?

Would it depend on what type of tick you find on your dog?

Tracy

[Sasha's Dad]

I truly had never given thought to having the tick tested, or blood work done. Maybe because it was very rare that a tick got hold of her for any length of time that year. The other seasons were never bad and she did not have any that we found on her. Of course, she is kept in the house, or with me in my office, and when we do go to areas that one would expect to have a large exposure, such as the woods, then she is inspected.

I do have a wallet card of the different tick types/breeds and I would certainly consider further actions if one of very high risk was found.