Are Flea and Tick Killers Dangerous?

More than a billion dollars are spent in the US every year on flea and tick products. The summertime is especially difficult when dealing with fleas and ticks, and many of us buy these products because we feel we are doing the right thing. On this very blog, I have mentioned Advantix flea and tick killer for dogs, and to say how effective it has been in killing ticks. I have recently come to realize that many of these products have the potential to pose a serious health danger. Could it be that these flea and tick killers are slowly poisoning our dogs?

In my case, the first moment of doubt in the safety of Advantix came to me when I discovered that the Advantix liquid had eaten through an entire plastic container overnight. What happened is that I bought the type that is for dogs over 55 lbs, applied 25%, and decided to save the rest of the contents, to apply at a later time. I placed the Advantix in a sealed plastic container, but by the morning found that the bottom of the container had been eaten through. What could it be doing in a dog's body? How can this product be so toxic as to immediately kill fleas and ticks, and still be safe?

I decided to do some research, and found that I am not the only one with these doubts about flea and tick killers. In fact, I even found some information on several forums stating that Frontline causes cancer, but not anything official. I would rather not focus too much on that because it is more hearsay, and not necessarily reliable information. What I would suggest, is that with a mild flea and tick problem, search for natural alternatives. If you continue using Frontline or Advantix, consider only applying it during the worst months every year. Try to reduce the amounts of chemical pesticides you and your pet are exposed to. I am not trying to single out any particular product, but any chemical pesticide you place on a dog, has the potential to cause health issues.

I wanted to share some interesting information, put out by the National Defense Research council. This is an excerpt, but if you have time, read the entire article.

Many and perhaps most Americans believe that commercially available pesticides, such as those found in pet products, are tightly regulated by the government. In fact, they are not. Not until the passage of a 1996 law focused on pesticides in food did the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) begin examining the risks from pesticides in pet products in earnest. To this day, the EPA allows the manufacture and sale of pet products containing hazardous insecticides with little or no demonstration that a child’s exposure to these ingredients would be safe. Just because these products are on store shelves does not mean they have been tested or can be presumed safe.

Of course, as bad as these products may be for pet owners and caregivers, they often are worse for the pets themselves. Based on the very limited data available, it appears that hundreds and probably thousands of pets have been injured or killed through exposure to pet products containing pesticides. As with small children, pets cannot report when they’re being poisoned at low doses.

Healthier alternatives to these pesticides are readily available. Easy physical measures like frequent bathing and combing of pets can make the use of pesticides unnecessary. Pet products containing non-pesticide growth regulators also can stop fleas from reproducing successfully. In addition, newer insecticides, sprayed or spotted onto pets, have been developed that are effective against fleas and ticks without being toxic to the human nervous system. The safety and effectiveness of these alternatives makes the continued use of older, more toxic pet products tragically unnecessary.
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I will try to list some natural flea and tick remedies you can make at home, as soon as I can, thanks for visiting CoCo the Blogging Dog!