Tick Removal Tool - Notched Tick Spoon with Keyring Hole

This tick removal tool is a small, flat spoon with a notch cut into the edge of the bowl and a hole at the end of the handle so it can hang on a keyring or kit zip. The notch slides under an attached tick, close to the skin, so the tick can be levered out rather than squeezed with fingers. It is small and light enough to keep in a hiking, camping or pet first aid kit. Before you use any tick removal tool on a person in Australia, though, read the allergy advice below, because the recommended first step here is to freeze the tick, not lift it.

Features

• Notched spoon edge slides under an attached tick
• Designed to lift a tick without gripping it in fingers
• Hole in the handle for a keyring or kit zip
• Small and light for hiking, camping and pet kits
• Simple manual tool, no batteries or chemicals

Specifications

• Type: notched tick spoon, manual
• Features: notched bowl edge, keyring hole
• Material: plastic (as pictured)
• Brand: unbranded
• Supplier code: TICKED
• Contents: one tool; dimensions and keyring not specified by the supplier

Australian advice: freeze the tick first on people

The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) advises against forcibly removing ticks from people, because disturbing a tick can make it inject more allergen-containing saliva. Its advice is to kill the tick in place with a product that rapidly freezes it, such as an ether-containing spray, and let it drop off. If freezing is not possible, leave the tick in place and get urgent medical help. Don’t scratch the tick or the bite. ASCIA also warns that it is unsafe to push fine tweezers between the skin and the tick. For people, consider TICKTOX tick spray, which is sold to snap-freeze ticks; check its label against that advice. Anyone with a known tick allergy should have ticks removed in an emergency department unless their specialist has advised otherwise.

Where a tick removal tool fits

Because of that advice, use a mechanical tool on a person only if a doctor has told you to. For pets, ask your vet for their preferred removal method, and if a dog in a paralysis tick area shows wobbly back legs, a changed bark, gagging, vomiting or breathing difficulty, take it to a vet immediately. Keep the tick in a sealed container so it can be identified. Another twist-style option is the red plastic tick twister.

Signs that need urgent help

Call 000 for anyone who develops signs of anaphylaxis after a tick bite, such as difficulty breathing, swelling of the tongue or throat, a hoarse voice, dizziness or collapse, or in young children, becoming pale and floppy. Give an adrenaline injector if one is prescribed. ASCIA notes that tick bites are also linked to mammalian meat allergy, so mention any recent tick bite if you react to red meat.

Tick Removal Tool FAQs