Ticks are pretty common in Singapore and i’ve always been worried about them. In fact, the more i hear of tick fever cases and the more i think about ticks, the more paranoid i get about them. Even though my dogs are on frontline, frontline only kills the tick after it has bitten the dog which essentially does not help prevent tick borne diseases. Also, even though the tick dies, it can still remain attached to the dog and will still have to be removed. Removal is tricky because if not done properly, the head can remain inside the dog! Yucks! I believe that its always better to be safe than sorry and decided to ask around about what kind of tool would be best for tick removal. While asking around, an american groomer recommended the tick twister to me. I was convinced after watching the video and immediately ordered a box!
Here’s the advert!
Tick Twister® is THE most efficient set of tick removal tools for removing ticks from any location on people and animals such as dogs, cats and horses:
- without leaving the mouth-parts of the tick implanted in the skin
- without compressing the abdomen of the tick, minimizing the transfer of infectious agents (Lyme disease, Babesiosis, etc.)
- without ether or other products
- in a few seconds, without pain
Whats so special about using the Tick Twister?
- The tick’s body is not compressed while detaching it from the skin.
Squeezing or crushing the body of the tick may force infective body fluids through the mouthparts and into the wound site. - The tick is rotated instead of pulled.
When ticks bite, they insert their long, central mouth-part (called the hypostome) into the skin. The hypostome is covered with sharp, backward-facing barbs (similar to a harpoon) which help keep the tick firmly attached while feeding. The twisting motion of the Tick Twister® removes the tick while keeping the tick’s mouth-parts intact. Pulling on a tick with ordinary tweezers can leave the mouth-parts embedded in the skin.
Tick Twister®/ O’TOM® was invented and designed by a French veterinarian in the 1990’s in two sizes, one for removing very small and small ticks and one for removing medium and large ticks. They are made of injected plastic (polyoxymethylene=POM). This polymer plastic was chosen because it is recyclable, can be incinerated without pollution (no chlorine fumes during combustion) and for its solidity and resistance to ether and most solvents. Tick Twister® can be disinfected with regular disinfectants (alcohol is one example) or they can be sterilized in an autoclave at 284 degrees F (140 degrees C).
Tick Twister® is unbreakable, hard-wearing and indefinitely reusable.
Caution: Although tick removal with Tick Twister® minimizes risks, it doesn’t guarantee that you (or your pet) haven’t been contaminated by tick-borne micro organisms: this contamination may have occurred before the removal.
For sale at SG$13.50 per set of 2 ticktwisters (one for large ticks, one for small ticks)
Please email us at thehiddenburrow@yahoo.com.sg or visit http://thepetemporium.com.sg/catalog/ to place your order 
