Since its introduction in 1993, the Pro-Tick Remedy has been a favorite of professionals and outdoor enthusiasts. In addition to its simplicity of use, it has many advantages over any other device on the market and has proven itself during extensive testing at Ohio State University.
In initial tests the Pro-Tick successfully removed more than 50 American Dog Ticks and and was cited in the research as having removed all test ticks intact and without damage. It's also worth noting that the ticks removed by Pro-Tick had the most cement attached. Cement is a latex like adhesive that the tick uses to secure itself at the feeding site. If left in, the cement can be a point of irritation until the cement is absorbed by the body. A hard lump can be felt where a tick was removed but the cement did not come out intact. Cement that does remain should not be cause for alarm since there are no reports of health issues with this substance, just discomfort. This test included the Pro-Tick, two other tick removal tools and a tweezers. The Pro-Tick was the resounding winner.
A second study was conducted and the test was expanded to include a different species of tick. The noteworthy addition of the Lone Star tick is important in that this aggressive tick has a longer mouthpart, is a deeper feeder and is more difficult to remove. All tick removers tested showed very good performance with removal of the adult ticks and performed significantly better than did the tweezers. The most dramatic results were not with the adult ticks but with the nymphs. These tiny immature ticks are real culprits when it comes to disease transmission. They're small, quite hard to see and as a result feed for an extended time without discovery.
When a nymph is discovered it must be removed immediately. The Pro-Tick succeeded in removal of 72% of the nymph ticks it was tested on. Now . . . 72% is not 100% but then again it's not the 4% success delivered by the tweezers. The Pro-Tick performed better than any other tool tested at removal of nymph ticks. The overall conclusion was that tweezers should never be used for the removal of ticks.
The improved model now has a 5X magnifier, excellent instructions and information on protecting yourself from tick bite and, in the opinion of many experts, the best multi-species tick ID card available anywhere.
Weight: 0.48 oz
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Comes with good tick information
Has a full color life size tick chart to help identify the species of tick. The magnifier is small and not easy to use. I haven't used the metal tick extractor tool yet, so i can't comment. The tool and magnifier look just like the picture. The packaging that they come in is colorful and has good information about how to use the tool. Remember it only takes several hours of attachment to get some of the nasty tick borne diseases, so periodic checking in tick environments is a must.