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Spot on flea & tick products have become so popular, they rake in an estimated $8 billion a year in sales. Since the weather has been mild this winter, fleas will start early and this is an opportune time to to bring up the safety hazards of using the popular spot on flea & tick products. You would think with so much money at risk, we would not be seeing a piling on of lawsuit upon lawsuit. I just checked Amazon in pet supplies and a discount pet meds site to get a closer look at the print on the box because it’s been 5 years of talk about labeling – no warning yet of severe side effects, simply the same cautionary note to keep away from children.
Unlike dangerous human medication described in commercials where the narrator warns “side effects include heart attack, lymphoma, liver failure, stroke or death”, spot on flea & tick products most often do not mention “side effects” in their marketing or advertising. Because there is nothing on packaging or ad materials to alert pet owners that seizures, ulcerated skin lesions, paralysis and death may result from using the product, they may not be able to connect the dots if their dog or cat is acting strangely. Consequently, pet owners may not act fast enough to get to the emergency room in time. Imagine!
In the last four and half years we’ve seen flea collars named a threat to human health (one of the two main carcinogenic neurotoxins was later removed from the collar ingredients), the Hartz Ultraguard Pro spot on flea & tick meds, embarrassingly already approved by the EPA, was found to be toxic along with Sergeant’s and Bio-Spot products. That took one year to determine. Dogs and cats were getting ill and dying in 2007 – 08 when they saw a 53% rise in reported incidents . The total uptick then was 44,263.
Since 2008, 75,000 complaints have been reported to the EPA. No changes to labeling, marketing or advertising have been made to spot on flea & tick products. The number of reported incidents generally does not reflect the scope of the problem, which is often much larger.
I’m tossing in my annual suggestion to try one of the many natural products available. I have used many different brands on my dogs for the last 15 years, even made my own. I have lived in the country and in the city and have not had a flea or tick in my houses or on my dogs in that time. We’re looking at a bumper crop of fleas this Spring – you might want to pick up extra.
Do you do other things around the house to prevent fleas from taking charge? If you care to share, I’d be happy to hear…
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
I think being extra vigilant helps. We only use the spot on products on the feral cats – they can be huge carriers of fleas and it seems to be the only way to protect them. We don't use the full dose however and have never had an issue. It's also easier for us to put on them while they are eating – a few drops sprinkled on them barely gets noticed.
Sam
Hi Sam – I remember some kittens had arrived at Lake Shore and they were just covered in fleas so I hear what you are saying. Thanks for stopping by =)
I've always wondered what those products do to my pets. They don't like having it put on, even though they get it at the same time as the heart worm pill they love. I have no doubt that it feels odd to them in some way.
What natural products do you recommend?
Hi Amy – I don't have any particular recommendation brand wise to make, but I can tell you I look at the label – if you can read all the ingredients and understand what they are you're on the right track. I look for lemons, lemon grass, and botanicals. Right now I'm using something called "Dirty&Hairy" that I picked up at Petco, though I like to gravitate to the certified organic type of product.
You can Google some information on products and if you have a holistic type pet store, go there and ask about effective non-toxic flea and ticks products. You'll get information about what sells best, maybe what they use on their own pets, and be able to make a choice that is comfortable for you and healthy for the whole family.
I know some people live in areas that are infested and feel they have no other choice, and that's okay. Making an informed choice is important. Thanks for stopping by =)
Thanks for the info. I definitely fall into the infested category. I live in the woods. Fleas and ticks are a big problem. We don’t have a holistic pet store but I will check our local health food store and see what they recommend.
Good luck with sourcing something suitable for your situation – come back and let us know what works for you living in the woods. Thanks for sharing!
I use human grade Diatomaceous Earth and things like Ark Naturals Flea Flicker Tick Kicker for my pooch and have not had any fleas or ticks for years.
Thanks Carol for the recommendations – I do like to rotate products and am happy to add Ark Naturals to the list!
Our Buster seems to be a tick magnet – and we discovered shortly after we found him that the topical flea & tick meds made him sick. I've used Vet's Best Flea and Tick Repellant and it seems to work well. Thanks for the info!
Thanks for that Amy – poor Buster!! With all your travels to beaches, National Parks, and hiking trails it must be comforting to have something you know will work for both your dogs =)
Excellent article. Hopefully it makes people think twice before they decide how to fight off fleas and ticks. best wishes, karen
Thanks Karen!
When it comes to flea control, prevention is key. Open the windows and provide fresh air and vacuum on a daily basis. We found that integrated flea control products work best. Those products not only kill adult flees on the dog but also the eggs and larvae that drop on the floor.
However, when it’s too late you might want to consider using a flea control spray as well.
Thanks for stopping by =)
Great post. It's absolutely crazy that side effect and warnings aren't published on the medicine itself! Though I do tend to use more natural remedies than chemical ones, sometimes that just isn't enough when it seems like everyone on my street has animals, so my cats seem to pick fleas up like crazy. Luckily we've not had a tick incident. Yet…
Thanks Rich for sharing – hope you can keep being lucky!
Definite, prevention is key.
I have heard food grade diatomaceous earth is a good preventative to spread around the grounds outside and even for certain uses inside. There are several great articles about it for flea proliferation prevention on the www!
Yes diatomaceous earth works from all reports and it's a lucky thing we can choose *not* to fill our homes and all the clothing rugs and furniture in it full of pesticides.
Hi Mary! I'm found this blog on EA. This has been something that I've been concerned about for some time and I've been looking into natural treatments for our dogs. Thanks for sharing this great information.
Kimberly
Thanks for stopping by Kimberly, glad you happened on something you've been concerned about =) It is a bit of struggle sometimes sorting out what's best for our best friends!
We use natural bug repellents here at our house and we make sure each dog gets a good comb out every day to keep bugs at bay. We also use a lot of natural bug containment in our yard to try to keep them far far away. So far, so good! Never had a problem, even though our neighbors have one every year~
Thanks for mentioning that bug containment idea for yards – it's such a relief for people to know there are other ways to keep your pets safe from fleas =)
I've been looking for a good solution to this problem but haven't found a good one. We still use flea treatment every couple months or so, but try to keep the dog well dusted with diatomaceous earth along with all her bedding and general sleeping spots.
I don't know where you live or the extent of flea problems there, but diatomaceous earth has been given praise by many. I have it on hand just in case and I use a spray-on called Dirty Harry's (or a name close to that). It's tough to trust natural remedies when you live in infested areas or wooded spaces – fleas are a real pain to get rid of and who loves vacuuming three times a day and bathing your dogs and cats every couple of days. Thanks for adding your regimen here, Bethany!