Comments on: Did you miss Dr. Becker’s best for 2009? You can still see it!

By: Gina Spadafori

Gina Spadafori — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:44:54 +0000

Agreed. We should have been a “tick” more careful and not just went with the manufacturer’s claim. :)

By: The OTHER Pat

The OTHER Pat — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:36:23 +0000

And a follow-up thought: If the Tick Key wants to make some statement about how they think they’ve IMPROVED upon the idea behind Ticked Off, for example, that’s fair game. But I did a search of teh Googles for “Tick Key v.s. Ticked Off” and couldn’t find any commercial sites that discussed and compared their relative merits.

I did find one blog entry from someone who tried them both and preferred the Ticked Off . . . . . . . . . . . .

http://www.thebuildingbrows.co.....tools.html

By: The OTHER Pat

The OTHER Pat — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:31:51 +0000

I understand that. I’d just like to see them be more careful and truthful in their language. Don’t say something is “the only” application of a clever idea when someone else beat you to the punch over ten years ago (and is therefore no longer the fresh young new kid on the block but the idea is every bit as clever and useful as it was over ten years ago).

By: Gina Spadafori

Gina Spadafori — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:47:30 +0000

I’ll tell you what: I go to pet product trade shows pretty often, and there aren’t a lot of wholly new ideas in the world!

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:39:57 +0000

The flying disc/bowl looks an awful lot like a Chewber… http://www.chewber.com/

By: Sherron

Sherron — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:33:34 +0000

Awwww, a calico named Jewel! My calico’s name is Jool (she’s a character on the tv show Farscape) and people often think I don’t know how to spell. :-)

By: The OTHER Pat

The OTHER Pat — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:37:32 +0000

From the linked article:

“The Tick Key’s Tick Removal Key is the only tick removal device that uses natural leverage to remove the entire tick from your furry friend, Becker said.”

There’s a product that’s been on the market for well over ten years called “Ticked Off”. http://www.amazon.com/Ticked-O.....B0002Y1REW

The first time I saw one my reaction was “This is BRILLIANT!” You slide the slot in the spoon between tick and skin and then simply rock the the spoon back creating a “natural leverage” that not only removes the tick - head and all - but keeps it caught in the slot of the spoon until you find an appropriate place to dispose of it.

So while I think the Tick Key is another nice application of a useful idea, I find it somewhat inaccurate to refer to it as the *only* device that utilizes this idea.