Abstract: Animal implantates may be removed by a knife that permits the insertion and removal of blades without the manipulation of fasteners. Such a knife may be inexpensively manufactured by molding two relatively simple pieces that can be fitted together to hold a scalpel blade and to permit its incision to be guided and limited in depth. One piece of such a knife forms a handle having a first portion adapted to be gripped by hand and a blade-carrying second portion forming two ribs with a central slot. The second piece is a blade carrier having a first side surface adapted to engage an opening in a blade to hold the blade in fixed position on the blade carrier. The blade carrier has an upper bearing surface adapted to engage a rib of the first handle portion and a surface projecting upwardly centrally of the bearing surface and being adapted to engage the ribs of the first portion.