Tick removal devices

The problem of tick bites is relevant every year, and sometimes even the most effective means cannot protect your pet from parasites.

When bitten by ticks, most dog breeders remove the insects themselves, using ordinary tweezers with a narrow tip or improvised means. However, today many devices have been invented for removing ticks, of various shapes and price categories. All devices are made in such a way as to quickly and safely remove the parasite without the risk of its rupture.

Tick Twister (France)

The most popular device for removing ticks is the Tick-Twister or tick twister, which looks like a miniature nail puller. Tik-Twister is made of plastic, in the upper part of the handle there is a hole for attaching to keys. The principle of use is simple, you need to grab the insect with a hook, placing it in the narrowest part of the slot, then with light and fast rotating movements, slightly pulling up, unscrew the parasite. The tool does not put pressure on the tick's body, so the risk of the insect rupturing is minimal. The set includes two hooks of different sizes, for small and large ticks. The cost of Tick Twister is 120-260 rubles. Available in pet supply stores and in catalogs of Russian online stores.

What to do with a tick

Do not throw it away after removing it. Place the parasite in a jar with wet cotton wool and close the lid tightly. You can store the tick in the refrigerator, but no more than 1-2 days, otherwise the bloodsucker will simply die.

Take the bloodsucker to any clinic where they do a tick test. You can view the nearest laboratories and seroprophylaxis points on the Encephalit.ru website. The analysis is paid, but in public clinics it is usually cheaper than in private ones.

This way you will know whether the tick is infected or not. The result will be known in 1–4 days; ask the laboratory directly for the exact time. If the parasite is contagious, you can quickly begin treatment.

Olga Polyakova

Physician-therapist, senior medical consultant of the Teledoctor-24 service.

The tick must be sent for analysis within two days. The parasite must be alive. Only in this case can the infection be detected.

If it is not possible to check, burn the parasite. And carefully monitor the condition of the bitten person so as not to miss the symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis or borreliosis.

Tick Key (USA)

This device is a lightweight and durable plate made of anodized aluminum. Surprisingly, the authors of the idea spent 5 years developing and improving a simple-looking plate. The plate is available in 7 color options namely green, orange, red, blue, purple, black and grey. The device has a small hole for attaching to a keychain and a large, teardrop-shaped hole for capturing an insect. Tick-Kay is placed so that the tick gets into the narrowest part of the teardrop-shaped hole, then just pull the plate up and easily remove the blood-sucking parasite. A device for removing Tik-Kay ticks will cost 250-480 rubles.

Ticked Off (USA)

The device in the form of a plastic spoon with a slot in the middle is easy to use, has a compact shape, and the presence of a hole in the upper part of the handle allows you to hook Ticked Off to a bunch of keys. The spoon is available in white, orange, pink. The principle of use is that you need to hook the insect with a spoon, bringing it into the narrowest part of the slot, then pulling the spoon up to pull out the tick. The cost of a patented device for removing ticks varies between 250-550 rubles. The Tiked-off spoon is available through foreign online stores. By the way, you can make a similar device from an ordinary plastic spoon, but its effectiveness is questionable, since the edges of the slot are sharp, which increases the likelihood of the insect being dismembered.

What to do if the head remains in the body

If, when removing a tick with tweezers, thread or a syringe, you tore the body of the parasite and left its head with a proboscis under the skin, it must be removed. If this is not done, suppuration will begin, and it will also be a source of pathogenic microorganisms that cause dangerous diseases. Before removing, treat the bite site with a disinfectant; Medilis-asept is suitable for this purpose. The skin antiseptic "Medilis-ASEPT" is officially registered as a means of medical disinfection by Rospotrebnadzor and is a professional product, not a cosmetic product. Certificate of registration RU.77.99.88.002.E.008854.09.15 dated 09/07/2015. Also wipe the needle with this product, or even better, ignite it over a fire. You need to carefully pick up the head with a needle and pull it out like a splinter.

If, after removing the tick, the bite site remains red, inflamed and bothersome, consult a doctor.

Pro-Tick (USA)

The Pro-Tick is a compact tick remover that fits in your wallet or on your key ring. Pro-Tik is made of hardened steel, which means it is durable. For convenience, there is a small magnifying glass. The device provides quick and safe removal of insects by capturing the insect in the slot and pulling the insect out of the skin. The cost of Pro-Tick is 240-300 rubles.

Basic requirements for such a device

When choosing a tick remover, you need to pay attention to several factors:

the device should be comfortable to use with one hand;
the device must be durable and preferably monolithic, without parts that can break off or come off;
retention of the tick after capture should occur without additional effort;
the instrument must be adapted to capture parasites of any size.

In addition, it is much more convenient if the extractor is small so that it can be carried in a wallet, or it has a mount to hang on a keychain or on a pet’s collar.

Tick Nipper (USA)

This tick remover, similar in appearance to pliers, is suitable for removing ticks of any size. The durable plastic tool fits comfortably in your hand, and its compact size allows you to carry the device with you without any inconvenience. The Tick Nipper has a magnifying glass for more precise capture of insects. The cup-shaped grip does not cut the tick and allows you to safely hold the insect after it is removed. By the way, a tick remover is great for removing seeds clinging to clothes. The cost of Tick Nipper varies between 240-480 rubles.

How to treat a wound

Since after removing the tick there remains a slight damage to the skin, it is better to treat it. Various solutions can be used for this purpose:

Chlorhexidine.
Alcohol.
Vodka.
Hydrogen peroxide.
Iodine.
Any alcohol-containing compositions (lotions, eau de toilette).
Antiseptic (for example Medilis-asept).

It is recommended to carefully rinse the damaged area with liquids. Under no circumstances should you rub the compounds into the wound, as this can lead to contaminated saliva getting deep into the tissue.

Trix Tick Lasso (Sweden)

Trix Tick Lasso is an 11.5 cm long plastic device that looks like a pen. There is a loop inside the case that is extended by pressing a button at the top of the device. Having hooked a tick with a loop, you need to release the button, thereby fixing the insect, and then unscrew it and destroy it. Trix-Tick-Lasso is easy to use and convenient for pulling out ticks in hard-to-reach places. The cost of the lasso is 300-430 rubles.

What not to do

Igor Spirin talks about this.

Igor Spirin

General practitioner, deputy chief physician of the Intermed multidisciplinary clinic.

Many folk remedies are actually ineffective and even dangerous. It is forbidden:

Handle the parasite with your bare hands when removing it from a person or animal. You need to wear gloves or at least a plastic bag.
Pour oil, gasoline, glue, Vaseline, alcohol, toothpaste, or nail polish onto the tick to suffocate it. While you wait for the parasite to start suffocating and crawl out, a lot of time will pass. And due to lack of air, he can drool into the wound. This will increase Tick bites: What are ticks and how can they be removed? risk of infection.
Set fire to the tick. This method is just as useless as the previous one. The parasite will not come out, you will simply set it on fire and burn yourself.
Press on the tick when it is on the skin. This way you will only squeeze the saliva out of it and it will go into the blood.

Tick Remover

The following device is a cross between forceps and tweezers. The grips are enclosed in a plastic case 9 cm long. Like the Trix Tick Lasso, this device has a button that allows you to spread the grips. Having brought the grips to the narrow part of the tick, the button is released, the grips are fixed and then with a couple of rotational movements, pulling the device up, the insect is pulled out. The cost of the device is 120-420 rubles.

Groom Professional Tick Remover

Rarely found on sale, mainly in catalogs of foreign online stores. The device is a flat plastic handle with a built-in static wire loop made of stainless steel. The insect is caught in a loop, placed in the narrowest part of it, and is slowly removed from the skin. The cost of the device for removing ticks is 180 rubles. However, when ordering from an online store, delivery may be included in the price, in which case the price may be much higher.

Semi-automatic tools

If it is necessary to carry out large volumes of work, automatic devices for removing the insulating coating are used. The semi-automatic wire stripper does not require rotation around each element. The built-in mechanism removes the braid from several wires at once. You need to select a hole of the desired diameter, place the conductor and press the handle.

Stripping pliers

They are a clamp with a built-in blade. They separate it and place the cable in the grooves, close it, press the button, the insulation is removed. Wire strippers carefully remove the outer covering and pre-treat coaxial cables for installation into the F-connector. The mechanism removes the sheath in a random area, cleans single-core, stranded, and flat elements.

Automatic wire stripping pliers

An automatic pliers or stripper simplifies the work of stripping the wire. The stripper is equipped with one socket; its size is adjusted to the diameter of the laid cable automatically. The range of used diameters is from 0.2 to 6 mm. This is a multifunctional tool; its use allows you to remove insulation, crimp lugs, cut wires, and twist individual wires into one bundle.

Wire strippers

Semi-automatic wire strippers, unlike manual models, are equipped with a mechanism that operates by pressing a button. There is a type of pliers that removes the braid from a twisted pair cable.

Anti-mite tongs (Russia)

Lightweight pliers with flat grips are made of metal wire. To remove the insect, you need to press the tongs with two fingers, thereby moving the grips apart, then bring the tongs to the tick and release the grips, holding the insect between them. Next, slowly rotating and slightly pulling the forceps upwards, you need to unscrew the blood-sucking parasite. The device is compact and simple, but it looks unreliable and ineffective compared to other tick removal devices. The price of anti-mite tongs with delivery throughout Russia is 500-1000 rubles, depending on the region.

Types of extractors for removing parasites

Removing ticks using special devices does not require special skills.
The extractors are designed in such a way that anyone can use them. They all work on a similar principle. The attached parasite is lifted so that the applied force falls on the point of articulation of the body with the head. With a rotational movement, the insect's mouthparts are displaced, which leads to a weakening of the grip. Pulling out the blood-sucking pest with your fingers leads to the formation of a dense thickening at the site of the bite. Often this causes infection by secreting an additional portion of saliva. Part of the body may remain under the skin.

There is no exact classification of devices for removing pests.

Conventionally, devices for this purpose can be divided into:

Flat extractors. These are tools with a metal loop and holder.

Tweezers are a design. They grab the insect's body with forceps.

Loop extractor. The working element is a miniature lasso. Made from thin wire or fishing line.

There are other options for extractors. It is difficult to classify them into one of the categories. They have an original shape and an unusual design.