I heard about an interesting product, today. It is called Shoo-Tag, and is supposed to repel certain insects, like mosquitoes, fleas, and chiggers, from animals and humans. It was developed by some scientists and its technology is based on electromagnetic fields. On an internet search today, I was able to find only two unbiased personal opinions about how well it worked. One person thought it was useless and the other one thought it was great. Has anyone else used it? If so, my human and I would like to hear your opinion.
[Note: Comments are now closed for this post. 9/19/12]
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
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29 comments:
It is a scam. A plastic card with a magentic stripe? Might as well use a credit card.
What we are looking for is actual reviews, not personal opinions on whether it should or should not work. We would like to hear from people who have tried it.
Have you had any luck finding unbaised reviews? I just saw this product today and I'm trying to find good reviews too. Have you bought this product and tried it yet?
I have not found anything other than the two mentioned above. I have not tried it myself. However, if I get new information, I will post it here. I remember when ultrasonic flea repellents were in vogue and they were virtually useless.
Well I have tried equine, canine, feline and human and can give unbiased testimony first hand. Please view my blog to read a full accounting of events at: http://in2books.blogspot.com/ You can also view the videos I continue to send in to YouTube at www.youtube.com/santafesandy . Hope this helps and I for sure recommend trying the product as I see it is NOT a scam. De-magnetizing of the encoding is possible so depending on how the product was stored and handled before you buy it is paramount to its efficacy.Don't hesitate to take advantage of the 30 day money back or product replacement need be.I've also posted my results on the Maineriders forum & zootoo.com
Thank you very much for your comment. I did go to your blog and it sounds as if it has worked very well for you. That's encouraging.
I confess that I did not read all the way to the bottom of your report before I posted the above comment. I gather that it worked great for the horses but was debatable for the cats, dogs, and you, although there might have been extenuating circumstances. I hope you will let us know how the rest of the summer goes. I will keep checking your blog, too. Thanks.
I did talk to a woman at a dog show this weekend. She was looking into becoming a local distributor and was trying it out first on herself and her own dogs. She said that the mosquito tag for people seems to be extremely effective--at least for her. She forgot it one night when she was working outside at dusk, and she got lots of bites. The next night--same time, same location, same weather--she had it on and did not get bitten. She said that the mosquitoes hovered but did not land.
You should know that personal 'reviews' of a product like this are by necessity highly subjective and do not in any way constitute proof of effectiveness.
As all scientific researchers know, anecdotal evidence is unreliable and misleading, and it is viewed with extreme suspicion by any serious researcher. The ShooTag peddlers have nothing but anecdotal evidence to back up their claims - the 'science' they offer on their website is meaningless confused waffle, most of which they don't even understand. It certainly has nothing to do with their plastic card with its magnetic strip.
As I've said to them, I say to you - if the ShooTags are the effective miracle the makers claim, why haven't they been snapped up by the millions by medical workers in malaria infested countries?
ShooTag is a scam. They don't work, and there's no scientific reason to think they should work.
Anaglyph is certainly correct in saying that anecdotal evidence is unreliable and misleading. That is why scientific investigators always compare a test drug with a placebo, when determining efficacy. The "placebo effect" can seem very real. On the other hand, just pronouncing that the ShooTag is a scam, just because it does not "make sense" that it should work, is just as misleading. I personally agree that the "science" that is supposedly behind the ShooTag is highly suspect. Nevertheless, I would still like to hear from people who have tried it, personally. In fact, I am going to start removing posts that attack its premise, simply because we have heard from two individuals who think it is a scam and we don't need to hear from a third (whether it is a scam or not).
I did talk to one other dog owner, who lives on Cape Cod (Massachusetts). He tried ShooTag for ticks and said that he still had to apply Frontline.
Hey, if you've got money to throw away, more power to you.
Barbara, have you tried them, or is this just an opinion on the theory? I am just as skeptical as the next person, but I am trying to get reports of PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
Hi Lucy,
I think the best way to test ShooTag is to try it yourself an see. Call me (Allen) at The Healing Barn at 419-836-8367 between 9am - 3:30pm and I will send you one so you can personally test and report back to everyone. I know, before everybody gets all excited, I can't supply a real and placebo so this may not be as scientific as you may like, but Lucy will get the answer to her original question. I look forward to hearing from you.
Well, that sounds like a very reasonable plan. Thanks for suggesting it, Allen. What time zone are you in? I would like to take you up on the offer.
Hi Lucy,
Did Allen send you the shootag? Did it work? I am in Australia and we are just going into spring and summer (flea weather!) and I'd really like to hear your opinion. Thanks.
Yes...This is latest product for me.So how much cost of the Shoo-Tag.
I am in Sydney Australia and I picked up the Shootag a few weeks ago. I put the flea tag on both my cats and in 3 days all the fleas were off the cats. There are a lot of fleas around Sydney at the moment so once in a while you may see one or two fleas... but they do not stay on for long. In my opinion they do work. I tried Revolution and Advantage and they did not work and I had to take one cat to the vet after a reaction to Advantage. So far Shootag is working great so you guys need to try it before sayinbg it is a scam.
This is the most honest-looking discussion I have seen on this product, and am now very curious to know if you ever received the shoo-tag to test and how it worked.
I would like to see scientific evidence as well, but Shoo Tag has worked 100% for my Tibbie. We are in tick-infested woods every day. If she wears the tag - no ticks. If I forget the tag, she has ticks. This is the second year I have used these. The original pair lasted throughout the entire season, although I had a second set ready.
I use the flea tag as well, but I have never seen fleas on her, with or without the tag.
I am getting ticks now, and am considering trying the human version!
This is strictly anecdotal and I would not guarantee the results for anyone else's dog, although they are working for friends' dogs.
Thanks, Joan. That's great to know, especially since last year was such a bad year on Cape Cod, MA.
You can see a real test and review of the Shoo Tag, including video, at
http://thedish.sitstay.com
In our controlled testing, the Shoo Tag did not work against ticks.
In our view, Shoo Tag is a dangerous product. Ticks left on dogs can cause disease and people relying on this product may be subjecting their dog to undue risk. If you choose to use the Shoo Tag, please check your dogs for ticks every day!
Very interesting discussion. I would certainly be dubious about a product that seems to help only SOME animals and is completely ineffective for others.
To draw from my own veterinary experience and training and from professional sites I have consulted, I will now make this assessment and recommendations:
1) The most effective form of either flea or tick control is MULTI-faceted. Do not count on any single method, no matter how effective it is.
2) For some animals, in some environments, the Shoo Tag may be effective against fleas and/or ticks (and/or mosquitoes). However, there are enough failures that it would be foolish and dangerous to count on the Shoo Tag as the only means of flea or tick control, unless you (the owner) are extremely vigilant and diligent in your daily examination for fleas and ticks.
We have started using the shoo-tag in our barn a week ago. We are in Arizona and we get quite a bit of flies during the summer. We have a strong fly control going on at the barn and we thought the shoo-tags would be an extra preventer and stop us from using bottles and bottles of fly spray on our horses (which cannot be that good for them or us!). So far we are still a bit skeptical... We were told to give it another week and see if it would improve. I do see flies land on my horse after week one of use, but they do not seem to stay very long. Maybe the product is working...Or maybe we are just seeing things. I would say that I am still skeptical of the success of this product, but I am willing to give it another week and see what happens. After all we have a 30 day money back guarantee, why not try. There are currently 9 horses in our barn with the shoo-tags. If we notice a great response I will share with everyone here.
Thank you. I hope you will share your impressions--even if it is not a great response.
I live in central MA (think farm/fields) and have used shootags now for 2 months. In the two months- have pulled one tick off my male, and one off my female. Other two dogs have been tick free. For me, it is making a difference - whether I believe in vodoo or not - it's working and I can't deny that fact.
Just to say, I have tried Shootag and it definitely works. I gave it the real test...here in NW Indiana...working in a tank top and jeans at 5:30 in the evening next to my pond, just around dusk. You must wear it (Shootag)for the time allotted according to the direction...being as I am, gave it only 1/3 of the time...I could hear the mosquitos coming...up to about 2 or 3 feet from me and stop dead in flight and hover...and leave! One actually tried trhee times and then gave up. I was estatic! I continued until it was too dark to see (pruning trees and bushes)Do I think Shootag works? yes it does!I know, as with all things, follow the directions.
I wouldn't place much credence in anecdotal reports that you can't trace to an actual person or on a site that sells it. They could be shilling for the product.
There are several tests that appear to be unbiased if you search a little and they seem to be mostly negative.
Given the people behind this product and their shady reputations, the description of the product itself and the explanations of how it is supposed to work I would save your money and try something more credible.
I have purchased this product because while my dog is protected by Advantage, these poisonous meds only work if the dog is bitten. She's getting bitten. She must taste great. Anyway my efforts to find a product that I can put on my dog to actually prevent getting bitten are few (short of pure gasoline and the like).
Just some info - my pet store told me they would not accept it back if it didn't work, so I called the 800 # on the package and they told me I have 30 days to return for a full refund. If it doesn't work I will, but since I can, surely it's worth a shot if it works?
As for unbiased opinions, I must say that I use many products that even my own vet pooh-poohs, so I'm used to people's inexperienced criticisms. One of these products we stand by is Diatemaceous Earth. We use it internally as an anti-parasite (it will even deworm your dog), and it kills fleas, spiders and bed bugs. It's true, we are living proof and if you want the science on it please google it. It's healthy for humans as an internal cleanse, too. It is however messy to put on her for driving in the car, dog park, etc, which is why I'm looking at these tags.
I will post on here again to let you know how the tags work on our dog Sparta.
Hi. I live in Australia. There is bush and a creek at the end of my backyard and my 2 year old border collie and I do quite a lot of walking. I was giving him monthly comfortis tablets for fleas (excellent - never had a flea in the year he was on it). Frontline didn't work well for us. I've been using shoo tag for fleas and ticks for 3 months now and no fleas at all. No ticks either - but that doesn't mean anything really because he's never had one yet anyway, whereas I'm pretty sure he WOULD have fleas if it wasn't working. I have just inherited a cat and put her shoo tags on her collar tonight so will see how she goes. Did you end up trying shoo tag?
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