Herndon, Virginia (March 11, 2010) –Pet owners are very aware of the many diseases that ticks can transmit to pets and are also in tune with the danger that can come from the improper removal of ticks from pets. Wag’N Pet Safety Gear has added The Tick Key® to the selection of pet health and safety products they distribute because of the tool’s unique ability to effectively and non-evasively remove ticks from pets.

“Pet parents have tried everything when it comes to the removal of ticks from our four-footed friends,” said Ines de Pablo, Chief Wag’N Officer and a credentialed pet safety and preparedness expert. “The Tick Key® offers a safe alternative for both the pet and pet parent to remove the tick that is 99.9% effective. Wag’N is excited to offer The Tick Key® to our customers throughout the United States and Canada on a wholesale and retail basis.”

Highlighted by ABC’s “Good Morning America” as one of the best pet products of 2009, The Tick Key® was invented by James Binkoski of Watertown, Connecticut, as a better way to remove “the whole body” of a tick using natural leverage. The Tick Key® is endorsed by the American Canine Association and, while manufactured in the U.S., its popularity has spread overseas in Australia, the Netherlands and Spain.

The tool is small and lightweight, with a special hole that slips over the tick. By sliding The Tick Key® along the skin, the whole tick is easily removed, head and all.  Because it easily attaches to a key ring, pet’s collar, belt loop, or backpack, The Tick Key® is a must for all pets and people who spend time outdoors.

De Pablo warns that ticks should never be removed with your fingers as many diseases deemed harmful to pets are also harmful to humans. Squeezing, crushing or squashing a tick while it is still attached to the animal can force spirochete—a specific bacteria known to cause Lyme Disease—and other infective pathogens into the parasite’s host, transmitting toxins into the host’s body. Contrary to popular belief, smothering a tick by applying substances such as petroleum jelly, fingernail polish, repellants or even a lighted match, is completely ineffective, almost always causing the tick to vomit the contents of its stomach back into the host.

The Tick Key® is an integral part of pet care for active pet parents and will be included with every Wag’N Mayday Well-Fed™ Pet First Aid kit.

For more information about Wag’N Pet Safety Gear, visit www.wagn4u.com.
To find out how to help your community, visit www.wagn4u.com/O2FurLife.

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