PetsMeds
Content
- Taking Your Dog's Temperature
- Feeding Your Adult Dog
- Essential Grooming Supplies
- Flea Products
- FrontLinePlus
- Enervite Vitamin Supplement
- FleaControl
- Bathing Your Puppy
- Bag Balm
- Bil-Jac Dog Food
- Denosyl For Dogs
- Pet Bathing 101
- Ear Cleaning
- Worms
- Why dental care?
- Bufo Toads
- Flea and Tick Products
- Lyme Disease
- Glucosamine, Chondroitin & Joint Care.
- Eye Care
- Crate Training
- Car Safety
- Preventing Car Sickness
Flea and Tick Products
Fleas and ticks can be very harmful to you and your pets. Protecting your pet from fleas and ticks is an important part of caring for your pet responsibly. There are a lot of products available at the supermarkets and pet supply stores, it is critical to read their labels, and consult with your veterinarian, before using them on your pet. These products may contain ingredients that could harm pets and children.The Chemicals
The ingredients to be wary of are organophosphate insecticides (Ops) and carbamates, both of which are found in various flea and tick products. A product contains an OP if the ingredient list contains chlorphyrifos, dichlorvos, phosmet, naled, tetrachlorvinphos, diazinon, or malathion. If the ingredient list includes carbaryl or propoxur, the product contains a carbamate. According to the NRDC, the potential dangers posed by these products are greatest for children and pets. There is reason to be concerned about long-term, cumulative exposures as well as combined exposures from the use of other products containing Ops and carbamates.
The Products
The NRDC's report lists flea-and tick-control products marketed under the following major brand names that have been found to contain Ops: Alco, Americare, Beaphar, Double Duty, Ford's Freedom Five, Happy Jack, Hartz, Hopkins, Kill-Ko, Protection, Rabon, Riverdale, Sergeant's, Unicorn, Vet-Kem, Victory, and Zema. To protect their pets and children, consumers should consult with a veterinarian before purchasing over-the-counter (OTC) products.
The Effects
According to the NRDC, there are studies that show Ops and carbamates can harm the nervous system. Children can be especially vulnerable because their nervous systems are still developing. For pets, the data is limited, but according through exposure to pet products containing Ops. Cats are particularly vulnerable, since they often lack enzymes of metabolizing or detoxifying Ops and can ingest OPS by licking their fur.
EPA
Each year, millions of Americans purchase over the counter flea and tick products believing that they couldn't be sold unless they were proven safe. But the Environmental Protecting Agency (EPA) did not being to review pet products for safety until 1996. There is a substantial backlog of products waiting to be tested; so many pet products containing potentially harmful pesticides still make their way onto store shelves.
Last year, after reaching an agreement with manufacturers, the EPa announced that the Op chlorpyrifos-also know as Dursban- would be on the fast track for phase-out. A second Op, diazinon, is also on the way out.
Reducing the risks
The HSUS recommends the following precautions be taken to reduce the risks to pets and humans during the flea season:Use alternatives to pesticides to control fleas and ticks:
- Comb your pet regularly with a flea comb, vacuum frequently and dispose of the bags after use, mow areas of the lawn where your dog spends time, wash pet bedding weekly, and wash your pet with a pesticide-free pet shampoo. In addition, to protect cats from fleas and ticks, as well as a host of other outdoor hazards, cats should be kept indoors at all times.
- Always consult a vet before buying or using any flea or tick control product on your pet.
- Never use flea and tick products designed for dogs on your cat, or vice versa.
- Remember never to apply pesticides to very young, elderly, pregnant, or sick animals unless directed to do so by a vet.
- Always read the ingredients, instructions, and warnings on the package thoroughly.
- Avoid OP-based products by looking for any of these active ingredients: chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, phosmet, naled, tetrachlorvinphos, Diazinon and malathion. Avoid products with carbamates by looking for the chemical names carbaryl and propoxur on the label.
- Consider using a product with insect-growth regulators (IGRs), which are not pesticides. These will prevent the next generation of fleas but will not kill insects already on your pet. Common and effective IGR products include those made with lufenuron (found in Program and Sentinel and available by prescription), methoprene (in Precor), and pyriproxfen (in Nylar and EcoKyl).
- You might want to consider several relatively new topical products, available though vet, that are insecticides designed to have fewer toxic effects on the nervous systems of mammals: imidacloprid (found in Advantage), fipronil (in Frontline or Top Spot), and selamectin (in Revolution).
If you suspect your pet may have suffered negative effects as a result of a flea product containing Ops or carbamates, consult with your veterinarian immediately. If you think a child has ingested a pesticide, call your local poison control center. Remember to do everything we can for our pets and the health of our pets.