By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
It's a can opener ... it's a key chain. ... No, it's a tick remover,
designed to safely pull out the pests. That's one of the blood-
suckers lying next to the tool.

Pro-Tick is really
an anti-tick tool

Ever run your hand over a dog's back to find that what should be smooth fur feels lumpy?

Closer inspection reveals -- yuck! -- ticks, those multi-legged, blood-sucking parasites.

What you want to do is grab the little suckers and pull them out -- but DON'T, because that could leave the head inside the animal and cause a serious infection.

One of the newest tick removal systems is the Pro-Tick Remedy II tick-lifting tool. Unlike tweezers, the key-sized device can't squeeze or rupture the tick, thus reducing the possibility of inoculating the host with disease agents.

The device's V slot slips under the tick's body and captures the tick by compressing its imbedded mouthparts in the narrowest portion of the slot. The tempered-steel product has a curved handle, making it easier to place under a feeding tick.

The corrosion-resistant nickel-plating increases the surface texture so it's less likely that a marginally engorged tick will rotate within the slot during removal.

This is what you do: Slide the tool under the tick until the tick's contact point is wedged within the slot, then lift to pucker the skin and hold this position until the tick lets go.

The Pro-Tick Remedy II, $3.50, is available at veterinary offices or by calling 1-800-749-8425.

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By Tim Ryan, Star-Bulletin