Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / June 2007

We got the first dose on Wednesday and I ended up treating him again last
night.  He didn't have any noticeable problems so hopefully that will stay
true.

that's what I thought too.  I was told by both a vet and groomer that you
need to wait 3 days after frontline to bathe the dog or else it will wash
off.  Maui's only had one day to "sink in" and then I had to bathe him.

The ER vet around here closes at noon on Sunday and the real vet doesn't
open until Monday morning so its hard to get vet help between those hours.

what do you use now?  or don't you use anything?

I will watch for this because I found another living tick today (though it
might have come from me, since I am everywhere the dogs are too).

sounds good, that's what I ended up doing. He got a dose around 5pm
yesterday and so far he's good and doesn't have any weird behaviors.

HOWEDY shadow walker you pathetic miserable
stinkin lyin animal murderin punk thug coward
active accute chronic life long incurable
mental case,

YOU'RE PATHETIC:

"The public must recognize that any decision
to use a pesticide, or to otherwise be exposed
to pesticides, is a decision made in ignorance,"
says Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General of the New
York Environmental Protection Bureau. "We
do not know the identity of the chemicals to
which we are "Spot-on" flea-killers are effective,
but the long-term effects of their constant use is
unknown. In effect, our dogs are test subjects
that will determine their safety.

CONSUMER ALERT BELOW YOUR IDIOCY:

On May 22, 12:16 pm, "Shadow Walker" <shadowenwal...@hotmail.com>
wrote:

CONSUMER ALERT

18 | FEBRUARY 2002 Copyright? 2002, Belvoir Publications, Inc. TO
SUBSCRIBE, CALL (800) 829-9165

BY KATHLEEN DUDLEY

Are "Spot-On" Flea Killers Safe?

T

Absolutely not, says our author, despite what the commercials say.

empting as it may be to simplistically

consider fleas as horrible insects, the

bane of dogs everywhere, poisoning

your dog in a vain attempt to wipe

fleas out of existence doesn't really

make sense. Even though more than half a

billion dollars annually are spent on products

that kill fleas in that vain pursuit.

Of course fleas can make dogs (and

everyone else in the household) perfectly

miserable. But it's not as if using toxic fleakilling

chemicals is the only way to control

fleas. When we attempt to get rid of our

dogs' fleas by utilizing chemicals that are

toxic to the brain and nervous system, that

may disrupt hormone (endocrine) systems,

and that cause cancer, it's sort of like burning

the house down to get rid of ants - effective,

sure, but what are you left with?

In the next issue of WDJ, we will

describe effective, nontoxic methods of flea

control. No dogs (or any other members of

the household) will get sick from these

methods, and no dogs (or any other members

of the household) will die from them. In

contrast, dogs do get sick and die from the

toxic chemicals we will describe in this

article.

New products not safer

All pesticides pose some degree of health

risk to humans and animals. Despite advertising

claims to the contrary, both over-thecounter

and veterinarian-prescribed fleakilling

topical treatments are pesticides that

enter our dogs' internal organs (livers, kidneys),

move into their intestinal tracts, and

are eventually eliminated in their feces and

urine. Not only that, but the humans and

other household animals who closely interact

with dogs who have been treated with

these chemicals can be affected by the toxins.

What happens to the health of all exposed

individuals during this systemic absorption

and filtration process varies from

animal to animal, but the laboratory and field

trial results clearly indicate toxicity on the

chronic and acute levels.

Until recently, foggers, flea collars,

exposed. We cannot make informed individual

decisions on the acceptability of those

exposures, a basic element in the maintenance

and protection of our own health."

Spitzer adds, "The requirements for marketing

a new product fall considerably short of

providing safety for our animal and human

families."

Active and inert ingredients

To fully understand the risks associated with

any of these products, it is important to understand

the various components in a flea

product, or any chemical product that you

may buy, for that matter.

Like other chemical products, all flea

products are made up of "active" and "inert"

ingredients; strangely, the actual definitions

of those phrases are very different from what

they seem to connote. In the case of fleakilling

chemicals, the "active" ingredient

does, in fact, target and kill fleas - but some

of the "inert" ingredients are poisons, too.

While the word "inert" suggests benign

activity and even connotes safety in the

minds of many consumers, legally, it simply

means added substances that are not the

registered "active" ingredient. This is

important because most people assume that

only the "active" ingredient in a chemical

CONSUMER ALERT

powders, sprays, shampoos, and dips

containing organophosphates (chlorpyrifos,

malathion, diazinon), pyrethrins, synthetic

pyrethroids, and carbamates, were the

cutting-edge solutions to our flea problems.

They were effective, but unfortunately, they

also caused disease and sometimes death.

Given enough time, most pesticides

eventually cause enough human and animal

injuries that they are identified as hazards

and are removed from the market.

While the newest flea products - socalled

"spot-on" liquids that are applied

monthly to a dog's skin - are being marketed

aggressively by the manufacturers and

veterinarians and represented as safe

alternatives to their predecessors, the fact

is, they are simply newer. All the "active"

ingredients in these spot-on preparations -

imidacloprid, fipronil, permethrin,

methoprene, and pyriproxyfen - have been

linked to serious health effects in laboratory

animals (see chart, page 20).
TO SUBSCRIBE: www.whole-dog-journal.com Copyright? 2002, Belvoir
Publications, Inc. THE WHOLE DOG JOURNAL | 19

product is of concern. Many people feel

comforted by the idea that a product contains

only a minuscule amount of an "active"

ingredient and up to 99.9 percent "inert"

ingredients - a typical formula in many

pesticide products. Actually, this makeup

should frighten consumers.

Why? Because the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA, the government

agency that oversees the pesticide industry)

requires a higher (if not high enough) standard

of scrutiny for "active" ingredients;

these must undergo a battery of tests to determine

their toxicological profiles, be registered

with the EPA, and be listed on the

product inserts and packaging. In contrast,

"inert" ingredients need not be listed on the

product inserts and packaging and are subject

to much less testing than the "active"

ingredients; "inerts" are generally tested in

short-term studies for acute toxicity only.

The word "inert" implies chemicals that

are somehow inactive. In actuality, many

"inert" ingredients used in pesticides are

as toxic, or more toxic, than the registered

"active" ingredients. For example, naphthalene,

one of the "inerts" in an imidacloprid

product, showed clear evidence of cancer

activity through inhalation (nasal cancers),

as well as anemia, liver damage, cataracts,

and skin allergies. An unidentified "inert"

ingredient in the flea product Advantage was

implicated in the death of kittens who received

doses within laboratory tolerances.

Why don't pesticide manufacturers have

to disclose all the ingredients in their products?

This kettle began brewing in 1949,

when the U.S. Congress passed the Federal

Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act

(FIFRA), allowing manufacturers confidentiality

on issues they claimed would otherwise

make them vulnerable to market competition.

"Inert" ingredients, in other words,

became protected by industry as "trade secrets."

While protecting industry, this act

supersedes the public's right to know to what

we are being exposed and the health hazards

resulting from these exposures. And

without full disclosure, we are unable to

make educated decisions as to which chemicals

we want to avoid.

Laboratory studies

Obviously, products undergo testing in order

to qualify for EPA registration, and presumably,

most of the overt dangers a product

can exert are ameliorated before the

product can be marketed. Scientists use

healthy, adult, genetically identical mammals

to test pesticides, and then extrapolate

health information regarding the safety of

the product to domestic animals and human

beings. In the case of flea products, the laboratory

tests are performed on live mice, rats,

cats, and dogs.

These toxicological (poison) studies are

performed to establish the LD 50 - the oral

dose at which the product would kill 50 percent

of a test population - and to determine

the acute and chronic effects. Throughout

and following the test, subjects are killed in

order to study the specific system damage

(lungs, kidney, etc.). Acute disease tests,

such as nervous system and skin reactions,

can be performed over a relatively short time

period. Most studies are conducted for 3-,

13-, or 52-week intervals, and use exaggerated

dosages to compensate for the short

testing periods.

"Because of the short period under which

the studies are conducted, the health effects

resulting from the higher doses of the chemicals

are relevant," says Dr. Virginia Dobozy

of the EPA's Pesticide Division. These effects

can include head-nodding; facial

twitching; exaggerated blinking; gag responses;

weight increase of the spleen, thymus,

and adrenal glands; and/or atrophy of

the thymus.

Long-term studies, needed to understand

the chronic effects of the pesticides, are few

by comparison. Chronic disease such as cancer,

immune suppression, developmental or

reproductive damage, and DNA damage can

take months or years to manifest.

However, the cumulative effect -

potential damage from continued use of one

specific pesticide product or multiple

products over a dog's lifetime - is unknown.

Also unknown is the potential for synergistic

effects - combined impacts of chemical

exposures from their home and outdoor

environments. Neither the cumulative nor

the synergistic effects of chemicals in

products are required to be tested by the EPA

before a product is made commercially

available. So, our dogs may be more

vulnerable to unknown chemical-related

dangers than the happy commercials would

have you believe.

Critics of the pesticide industry claim

that the EPA registers pesticides not on

safety, but on a cost-benefit basis, balancing

health and environmental concerns

against the economic gain to the manufacturer

and the end user of the product. But

even if the pesticide manufacturers and the

EPA are not overly concerned about our

safety, we as consumers and guardians

should be very concerned.

Too good to be true

Today, spot-on flea preparations are considered

by many as the Rolls Royce of flea

products, and sell swiftly in veterinary clinics

and pet stores. Each of the makers of

these products claim that they are safe - safer

than ever - and that only the targeted insects

will be affected by the products' neu-

Advantage

Bayer Corporation, Shawness Mission, KS

(800) 255-6826 or nofleas.com

Active ingred: 9.1% imidacloprid

Inert ingred: 90.9% (not disclosed)

(MSDS indicate inerts include some solvents)

Adams Spot-on Flea & Tick Control

Farnam Pet Products, Phoenix, AZ

(602) 285-1660 or farnam.com

Active ingred: 45.0% permethrin

Inert ingred: 55.0% (not disclosed)

BioSpot Flea & Tick Control

Farnam Pet Products, Phoenix, AZ

(602) 285-1660 or farnam.com

Active ingred: 45.0% permethrin

5.0% pyriproxyfen

Inert ingred: 50.0% (not disclosed)

Defend EXspot Treatment

Schering-Plough Animal Health, Union, NJ

(800) 842-3532 or www.sgp.com/main.html

Active ingred: 65.0% permethrin

Inert ingred: 35.0% (not disclosed)

Spot-On Pesticides and Their Ingredients

Frontline Top Spot

Merial Limited, Iselin, NJ

(800) 660-1842 or frontline.com

Active ingred: 9.7% fipronil

Inert ingred: 90.3% (not disclosed)

(MSDS indicates inerts include ethanol

7.7%, polyvinlpyrrolidone 6.9%,

butylhydroxytoluene 0.3%,

butlyhydroxanisole 0.3%, and carbitol

[diethylene glycol monoethyl ether])

(Note: Frontline Plus is essentially the same

as Frontline Top Spot, but with the addition

of 8.8% methoprene, an IGR.)

Zodiac FleaTrol Spot On

Wellmark International, Schaumburg, IL

(800) 950-4783 or zodiacpet.com

Active ingred: 45.0% permethrin

3.0% methoprene (IGR)

Inert ingred: 52.0% (not disclosed)

20 | FEBRUARY 2002 Copyright? 2002, Belvoir Publications, Inc. TO
SUBSCRIBE, CALL (800) 829-9165

rotoxic impacts. The products are frequently

advertised as safe for small children and

adults as well as puppies (over eight weeks)

and geriatric dogs. Do they sound too good

to be true? Well, perhaps they are.

The spot-on flea products fall into four

general categories of insecticides. All have

neurotoxic effects. The first three -

imidacloprid (a chloro-nicotinyl insecticide),

fipronil (a phenylprazole insecticide),

and permethrin (a synthetic broad spectrum

pyrethroid insecticide) - all work by disrupting

the nervous system of insects, killing by

contact or ingestion. The fourth type contains

insect growth regulators (IGR), which

don't kill, but interrupt the flea's life cycle.

Imidacloprid is the first of its class of

insecticides, and is relatively new on the

block; it was introduced in 1994. Laboratory

testing on mice, dogs, and rats, indicates

that this insecticide can be neurotoxic

to laboratory animals, causing incoordination,

labored breathing, thyroid lesions, reduced

birth weights, and increased frequency

of birth defects.

Fipronil was introduced in the United

States in 1996. It is a neurotoxin and suspected

human carcinogen. Fipronil can

cause liver toxicity, thyroid lesions (cancer),

damage to the kidneys, increased cholesterol

levels, alterations in thyroid hormones, incoordination,

labored breathing, increased

miscarriages, and smaller offspring.

Fipronil

Imidacloprid

Methoprene

Permethrin

Pyriproxyfen

Ethanol

Butylhydroxanisole

Butyldydroxytoluene

Carbitol

Polyvinlpyrrolidone

Active

Active

Active

Active

Active

Inert

Inert

Inert

Inert

Inert

Carcinogen

Organ damage

Neurotoxin

(nervous system

damage)

Teratogen

(reproductive damage)

Skin problems

Carcinogen

Organ damage

Neurotoxin

Teratogen

Organ damage

Neurotoxin

Carcinogen

Organ damage

Neurotoxin

Teratogen

Autoimmune

Teratogen

Teratogen

Carcinogen

Carcinogen

Neurotoxin

Organ damage

Carcinogen

Thyroid cancer (possible human carcinogen)

Increased organ weights, altered thyroid hormones

Loss of appetite, underactivity, convulsions, whining, barking, crying

(vocalization), body twitches/tremors, overactivity, salivation,
stiffened limbs,

unsteady gait, incoordination, labored breathing

Reduced fertility, decreased litter size and body weights in litters,
fetus mortality

Severe moist inflammation, ulcerations, skin sloughing, chemical burn,
itching,

hair loss at and beyond the application site

Yet to be determined; evidence of thyroid lesions in dogs

Liver, kidney, thyroid, heart, lungs, spleen, adrenal, brain, gonads;
liver toxicity,

increased organ weights, thyroid lesions, increased cholesterol levels
in dogs

Incoordination and labored breathing, muscle weakness including
muscles

necessary for breathing

Increased miscarriages and smaller offspring

Liver enlargement

Headaches, eye and throat irritation, difficulty breathing, confusion,
dizziness

and nausea in humans

Liver and lung tumors (possible human carcinogen)

Kidney enlargement, changes in lung

Tremors, incoordination, elevated body temperature, increased
aggressive

behavior, learning disruption

Fertility is affected

Bone marrow changes in laboratory animals

Reduced weight gain, toxicity to pups

Adverse effects on fetus

Animal carcinogen (possible human carcinogen)

Animal carcinogen (possible human carcinogen)

Headache, depression, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal and lumbar
pain

Pathological lesions in brain, lungs, liver menni; possibility of
pulmonary edema,

intravascular hemolysis and bone marrow depression

Not evaluated by EPA for carcinogenic

INGREDIENT TYPE AFFECTED SYSTEM LABORATORY ANIMAL HEALTH EFFECTS

Adverse Effects of Ingredients Found in Spot-On Products

Sources of the above information include reports from the
Environmental Protection Agency; Occupational Safety & Health
Administration, US Dept. of Labor; Extoxnet:

Extension Toxicology Network; Journal of Pesticide Reform, Material
Safety Data Sheets, Pesticide Action Network North America, and more.

TO SUBSCRIBE: www.whole-dog-journal.com Copyright? 2002, Belvoir
Publications, Inc. THE WHOLE DOG JOURNAL | 21

In a review of the fipronil pet formulations,

Dr. Virginia Dobozy of the EPA's Pesticide

Division states that "this is a persistent

chemical that has the potential for nervous

system and thyroid toxicity after long

term exposure at low dosages."

Permethrin, a synthetic broad spectrum

pyrethroid insecticide, is suspected to be an

endocrine disrupter and a carcinogenic insecticide

(causing lung cancer and liver tumors

in laboratory animals). Some

permethrin products have additional "active"

ingredients in lesser percentages, and

include methoprene, and pyriproxyfen (described

below).

Methoprene and pyriproxyfen are both

insect growth regulators (IGR), which limit

the development of juvenile fleas so they

cannot reproduce. Test results indicate that

methoprene causes enlarged livers and degeneration

of parts of the kidneys.

All of the above active ingredients have

induced responses in laboratory animals that

give cause for alarm. While these new products

are suggested as safer than their predecessors,

they indicate high levels of acute

and chronic poisoning from short-term use.

Method of action

Whether or not it is purposeful, manufacturers

of these spot-on flea products have

managed to convince many veterinarians

and animal guardians that these products are

not absorbed into our dogs' systems. The

companies' literature describes in vague and

contradictory detail how the chemicals don't

go beyond the hair follicles and fat layers of

the dogs' skin.

Take, for example, information published

on Merial's Web site for Frontline

("How Frontline Works"). In one place, it

clearly states that fipronil (Frontline's "active"

ingredient) is absorbed into the skin

("Sebaceous glands provide

a natural reservoir

for Frontline . . ."), but

other statements suggest

that fipronil stays there

and then leaves through

the same entry point without

moving into any other

parts of the dog's body - an illogical conclusion.

When the EPA's Dr. Dobozy reviewed

the results of a fipronil metabolism study,

she reported that "significant amounts of radio-

labeled fipronil were found [not only]

in various organs and fat . . . [but they were

also] excreted in the urine and feces, and

were present in other parts of the body . . .

which demonstrated that the chemical is

absorbed systemically."

Veterinarians and pet owners who pay

close attention can witness evidence that

these products are indeed systemically absorbed.

Dr. Stephen Blake, a San Diego veterinarian,

relates a client's experience: "We

put Advantage on the backs of our dogs and

could smell it on their breath in a matter of

minutes following the application." Blake

stated that this indication of immediate absorption

did not tally with what he had been

led to believe by reading Bayer's literature.

He continues to question its safety for his

clients' animals.

Neurological health effects

Logic tells us that a topical chemical that is

not absorbed into the skin has no chance of

causing neurotoxic effects. Then why do the

Material Data Safety Sheets (MSDSs) for

all the permethrin-containing pesticides recommend

preventing their products from having

prolonged contact with the skin? And

why do they all state that skin sensations,

such as "numbness and tingling," can occur?

Schering-Plough's MSDS makes an additional

statement about its Defend EXspot

Treatment: "can be harmful if absorbed

through the skin and harmful following inhalation,"

causing headaches, dizziness, and

nausea.

Bayer does not reveal more than 90 percent

of the ingredients in Advantage, but its

MSDS does warn us to "use a respirator for

organic vapors" in order to avoid "respiratory

tract irritation and other symptoms such

as headache or dizziness" (symptoms of

nervous system exposure). Bayer's promotional

literature for Advantage, however,

states that "studies prove that using 20-24

times the dosage on dogs and cats does not

cause any internal or external side effects,"

and that ". . . switching to Advantage from

another flea control product poses virtually

no risk to your pet."

Dr. Graham Hines, a veterinarian from

the United Kingdom, treated a four-year-old

female German Shepherd who had two Advantage

Top Spot treatments. He reported

that "both times she became unusually

clingy, and would not leave her guardian's

side, yet paced up and down all day, very

restlessly. These symptoms persisted for 48

hours before a gradual return to her normal

state." The neurotoxic effects were clear to

Dr. Hines.

Dr. Blake also finds different results than

the Bayer literature. "We are told that the

product affects only insects' nervous systems,

not mammals'. Several of my clients

told me that they accidentally got some

Advantage on their hands and when they

touched their mouths, their lips became immediately

numb for several hours. So much

for not having an effect on the nervous system

of mammals."

Acute symptoms of headache, nausea,

and abdominal and lumbar pain are associ-

Don't just "consult your

veterinarian." We would

suggest NEVER using on

"debilitated, aged, medicated,

pregnant or nursing" dogs.

US EPA "Signal Word"

Learning to Read the Label

Note that cats are at a special risk

of being poisoned by this product,

even if they simply have "close

physical contact" with treated

dogs.

List of "active"

(known) and "inert"

(who knows what?)

ingredients.

This is the product maker.

If your dog displays any problems

following application, report this to

the maker. Pesticide manufacturers

are required by federal law to

forward reports of product injuries

to the EPA.

When researching

a chemical, use

the EPA

Registered

Number.

22 | FEBRUARY 2002 Copyright? 2002, Belvoir Publications, Inc. TO
SUBSCRIBE, CALL (800) 829-9165

Kathleen Dudley is a writer and

photgrapher, and lives in New Mexico.

ated with carbitol, one of the "inert" ingredients

in Frontline. According to the MSDS,

carbitol induced these symptoms in laboratory

settings.

Curiously, these potential side effects are

not published in the literature accompanying

the products, nor do many veterinarians

know the dangers. But there are numerous

anecdotal reports from veterinarians in the

U.S. and the U.K. of dogs who were treated

with spot-on products who have displayed

signs of neurological damage, such as depression,

lethargy, convulsions, underactivity,

tremors, overactivity, stiffened limbs,

and lameness.

Adverse skin effects

Topical skin irritation is listed on all the

MSDSs of the products reviewed in this article;

however, product literature inserts fail

to emphasize the extreme nature of the problems.

They all instruct the users that their

products are for "external use only," and to

"avoid contact with the skin," but only

Merial's product insert appears to suggest

there is some possibility

of adverse skin contact

reactions.

Dr. Dee Blanco, a

holistic veterinarian

practicing in New

Mexico, treated 20

dogs for adverse reactions

to Farnam's flea product. In a letter to

the Farnam regarding a client who had used

one of Farnam's permethrin-based insecticides,

Dr. Blanco stated, "All the dogs (20

out of her 24 dogs treated with BioSpot )

had pruritus (severe itching of the skin) with

bleeding and cracking of the skin, various

degrees of erythema (intense redness of the

skin), many fluid vesicles (blisters), severe

hair loss, and elephantiasis (thickening of

the skin) with chronic itching. Many also

showed severe mental depression, lethargy,

and symptoms concomitant with aggravated

liver toxicity. All symptoms appeared within

two weeks after applications of your

(BioSpot) product, also a consistent timeframe

for liver toxicity after absorption

through the skin. . . To date, most of the dogs

have dramatically improved but a few still

remain symptomatic."

Dr. Blanco also stated that one dog died

of liver cancer within three months of this

BioSpot application, which she says "could

have been exacerbated by the application

of BioSpot." Permethrin is indicated as a

possible carcinogen by the EPA, causing

liver enlargement and cancers in laboratory

mammals.

When Dr. Dobozy reviewed the reports

from fipronil product studies, she found that

Frontline "does not adequately describe the

severe reactions" reported by veterinarians

- sloughing, "chemical burn" conditions,

and extensively affected areas

well beyond the application site.

When these incidents were reported,

Merial recommended

bathing the dogs. That's strange,

because their literature indicates

the product remains effective after bathing.

The MSDS for Bayer's Advantage tell

us that "prolonged contact with the skin can

cause defatting of the skin due to solvent

component in the products," to "avoid skin

contact," "to wear appropriate gloves when

handling the product," and to "wash off any

contamination."

Chronic disease

Based upon toxicological studies, a dog suffering

from liver, kidney, thyroid, adrenal,

spleen, lung, brain or gonadal conditions

could experience heightened states of

chronic diseases, with the potential for development

of cancer, when spot-on flea

preparations are used. Permethrin is linked

to malignant liver and lung tumors and autoimmune

system disease, and at very low

levels suppresses the immune system. Thyroid

lesions have developed in laboratory

studies in dogs during imidacloprid tests.

Further studies are necessary to understand

the possibilities of malignancy. Thyroid cancer

has been linked to fipronil, according to

the EPA. The data from the metabolism and

chronic toxicity studies for fipronil indicate

that " . . . this is a persistent chemical and

has the potential for nervous system and thyroid

toxicity after long-term exposure at low

levels," according to Dr. Dobozy.

In the Journal of Pesticide Reform, author

Caroline Cox cites studies that show

thyroid sensitivity to imidacloprid can result

in thyroid lesions, as well as increased

incidences of miscarriages, mutagenic

(DNA damage) abnormalities, and abnormal

skeletons in animal studies. In addition,

one metabolite (breakdown of the chemical

into new chemical compounds during the

metabolism process in the body) of

imidacloprid appears to be far more toxic

to mammals than the imidacloprid itself.

General risk factors

Of course, not all dogs exhibit immediately

noticeable symptoms when dosed with a

commercial spot-on flea product. Adult animals

and those in the peak of health are less

likely to show immediate signs compared

to animals that are young, old, or suffering

from chronic disease. Animals with a heightened

sensitivity to chemicals or with exposures

from multiple sources such as a flea

collar; other dips, sprays, dust, or flea

bombs; yard pesticides; and

house termite extermination,

are most likely to react. The

cumulative and synergistic

impacts of pesticides can

take a heavy toll on animals.

Dr. Jerry Blondell, of the US EPA Office

of Pesticides, has indicated clearly "not

to use pesticides on the old, the sick, or the

young." While some of the literature for the

spot-on products does discourage this usage,

many dog guardians and veterinarians

overlook or disregard these written precautions.

Although the number of dogs reported

to react to these products may seem small,

this does not suggest the overall impact is

small. First, spot-on products are relatively

new, and many problems are cumulative.

Second, reactivity to chemicals in a

population is similar to other population statistics

and is represented by a bell-shaped

curve. In other words, at one end of the spectrum

are sensitive individuals, and at the

opposite end are resistant individuals; these

groups are relatively small compared to the

vast middle group, who show varying degrees

of susceptibility - but who are all susceptible.

Thus the sensitive group - dogs

who have displayed signs of toxicity - happen

to be the sentinels for the younger,

healthier ones who will eventually be affected;

it's just a matter of time.

Safe alternatives

Integrated pest management (IPM) is a nontoxic

approach used to eradicate any insect

infestation. Simply, it is a way of thinking

about how to preserve the quality of life on

this planet and within the earth's stratosphere

- of understanding not only the damages of

the pesticide to all species and the environment,

but also understanding the consequences

of insect resistance to the constant

parade of new, more sophisticated, and perhaps

more toxic pesticide formulas. The

IPM process was initially designed to safeguard

all species, including the environment,

from the ravages of pesticides.

In the next issue, we will present a

complete indoor and outdoor IPM treatment

program for effective, non-poisonous flea

control.