Flea Treatment Harmful to Pets

Not only do we have to deal with the impact of harm from vaccines and microchip IDs for our loving animal companions, now we know, just as my natural vet has said, the flea products are unhealthy too.

Killing Fleas and Ticks May Be Harming Your Pet
The EPA is investigating reports of skin irritation, seizures and even death from between-the-shoulder flea and tick treatments for dogs and cats.

Flea and tick treatments for pets fall into that murky area in a lot of consumers' minds: We know the chemicals are designed to ward off or kill bugs ... but somehow we don't associate the products with the term "pesticides."

But the Environmental Protection Agency has received an increasing number of reports of pets having adverse reactions to "spot-on pesticide products" -- those between-the-shoulder liquid treatments designed to infuse the pet's skin with pest-fighting toxicity. Now the agency is taking a harder look at the potential toxicity of these products. "Adverse reactions reported range from mild effects such as skin irritation to more serious effects such as seizures and, in some cases, the death of pets," the organization reports.

Previously, the Natural Resources Defense Council reported that people can be exposed to flea and tick pesticides at 1,000 times the recommended safe dosage just from petting a dog or cat that has been treated.

Beyond Pesticides recommends these alternatives to spot-on treatments:

* Vacuum daily during flea season with a strong vacuum cleaner, changing the bag often
* Groom pets with a flea comb daily, using soapy water to dunk and clean the comb between strokes
* Bathe pets frequently with soap and water
* Restrict pets to a single bed and wash bedding frequently to kill larvae
* Consult Beyond Pesticides' Least-Toxic Control of Fleas and Least-Toxic Control of Ticks

The NRDC has similar recommendations:

* Frequent use of a flea comb
* Regular bathing of pets
* Regular vacuuming and washing of pet bedding
* Administering of chemical flea and tick controls by pill, only when absolutely necessary (find the least-toxic products at NRDC's www.greenpaws.org)

Find this article by Dan Shapley at: http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/pets-pesticides-47062203