Safety of Liquid Flea and Tick Prevention Products Questioned

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| Print | By Jo Singer | June 29, 2009 11:43 AM

So you wanted to know more about those nasty little parasitic insects, the "Ctenocephalides felis" and the "Ctenocephalides canis" and how to effectively protect your beloved animals from being attacked by them?

Fear not, your search is over. For such a tiny wingless pest, their Latin names trump their teeny size, but not the havoc they can wreak with furry household pets. They are indeed the biggest bane in a pet's existence since they carry disease and other parasites. The mature flea's exclusive dinner menu is the blood of mammals and birds. And speaking about strength in numbers, there are around 2,000 species and subspecies of fleas with which to contend.

Pet owners can have a serious problem of flea infestations on their hands. Very often difficult to control, and requiring professional exterminators to aid in the fight, pet owners seek safe and efficient means to protect their pets from the scourge of flea bites and to keep their environment free of the nagging pests.

I received an email last week advertising a sale on flea prevention products. I had just run out of our favorite product, Advantage, so I eagerly ordered some, especially since our vet is no longer carrying it. I told my husband that I had purchased some which would be shipped immediately. I was rather shocked by his response. He had just finished an article in "The New York Times" about flea control products and their possible dangers. I hastened to read the article myself.

It seems that the Environmental Protection Agency, (E.P.A.) is launching a safety review of flea and tick products for pets. While liquid flea and tick treatments for dogs and cats have been available for over ten years, but due to an increase of complaints of adverse reactions to the products, the E.P.A is keeping a watchful eye on and investigating the safety of these liquid flea prevention medications. They are also warning pet owners that flea prevention treatments may result in serious and possibly fatal side effects.

Topical applications, such as the on-the-spot products have not resulted in any recalls and in May, the E.P.A reported no reason to avoid them now. However they are researching into the large number of anecdotal reports about cats and dogs treated with these products which resulted in hair loss, tremors and skin irritations, according to Dale Kemery, spokesperson for the E.P.A. These reports however have not been backed up by any veterinarians yet.

The E.P.A is evaluating all the data concerning pesticides, warnings provided on labels, and the reported adverse reactions, including pre-market safety statistics which are given in support of the flea prevention products. Their report on liquid flea and tick products is expected to be released in October, 2009. It will be available on the agency's website, according to Mr. Kemery.

Kemery suggests that in the meantime consumers carefully read the product labels and follow them faithfully. He warns users not to apply liquid flea and tick protection designed for dogs on cats and of course, the reverse. He adds that if users notice any negative side effects to immediately take the pet to a veterinarian.

Interestingly, most of the on-the-spot products were intended only for canines, but there are presently over 25 feline-labeled products available.

Please be careful about the products that you routinely use for your pets. Read and follow instructions carefully and monitor your pets after applications to be sure they are not exhibiting any dangerous side-effects. While an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure for our pets, careful use of these products is essential.

RELATED TOPICS: Blogs (252) , Fleas (2) , Safety (12)

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Ruth June 29, 2009 2:06 PM

I don't like any flea products for my dogs. I don't trust any of them. Fortunately, I haven't had a major problem with fleas here, but when I do see a flea appear, my dogs get bathed in dawn dishwashing liquid and then I dilute some dawn and water in a spray bottle and spray them and everything else. My carpets, furniture, dog beds, ect. get sprayed with dawn and water. Even the yard gets sprayed with it. It does the job with no ill effects on the animals. That's all I'll ever use on my dogs.

lj June 29, 2009 2:20 PM

Sprinkle Borax 20 Mule Team around your house, concentrating on pet bedding, carpets, and trouble spot areas. Leave it for a couple hours and vaccuum! I've not even seen a flea in my home after doing this. And I learned about this remedy 2 years ago. My home is flea free still today.

Skylark June 29, 2009 5:03 PM

Please be aware that if you see ANY adverse reaction from your pet after the application of any flea and/or tick product, whether it's a dog or cat, immediately bathe the pet in a detergent based shampoo to remove this product.

Then you should get the pet to the vet in case it begins to have seizures. The vet can give the pet valium to try to stop the seizures and will usually give the pet subcutaneous fluids to dilute the effect of the product causing the seizures.

Vicki June 29, 2009 5:16 PM

I will be glad when they make the findings made available to the public. I have heard some good things about Dawn dishwashing liquid as a method of helping with flea population, so I am going to use it as a preventative.

Albert July 13, 2009 1:07 PM

Thanks for this post!

IQ Testen July 14, 2009 8:49 AM

Great post!

Julius Ernext July 28, 2009 5:01 PM

Great idea, but will this work over the long run?

3 Rescue Dogs August 4, 2009 1:04 PM

I put Advantage on 2 of the dogs - 1 had a seizure and the other still has diarrhea, vomiting and very lethargic. 3rd dog the vet had given me frontline plus - same effects - vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargic as well. I don't know whether it is from the meds, but since it appears to happen once a month odds are pretty good that it is from the flea and tick meds.

Flea Hater September 22, 2009 12:32 PM

I had a dog and two cats, and after a cat came home w a caught gopher and fleas on his face I rushed to walmart and got some flea preventative to help until I could get the vet the next day. One of my cats was very close to my dog and used to sleep together but when we got up the next day that cat went into seizures and the other cat was trembling and very weak. I rushed them both to the vet immediately but I lost both my cats to that junk. It turns out- and catch this, it isn't listed anywhere on any box or instructions- that the dog flea treatment actually KILLS CATS. The cat preventative actually kills cats as well, though not as quickly as the dog flea preventative. It was a horrible way to find that out - I try to put the word out there as often as I can.

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