Are You Aware Of How Dangerous Flea/Tick Products Are?
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
July 26, 2010 8:16pm CST
I guess since I've had indoor cats all my life, I've never had to worry about my cats getting fleas or ticks. Although there was one cat, Tommy, that my mother took in from a friend that had a really heavy infestation of fleas. I still didn't use any product for fleas/ticks, but instead gave Tommy bath after bath after bath (poor thing...the cleanest cat in the world) and used a flea comb to catch the critters.
I think what amazes me though, is how people will resort to using ANY kind of flea/tick product...especially on cats...Don't people realize that since these are products to kill fleas/ticks, they are virtually applying an insecticide/pesticide toxin on their pet, and where in the case of cats will lick off?
There have been more and more cases of pets being severely affected by these toxic pet products....from severe neurological problems, seizures, and even death..the culprit is the chemical known as the Pyrethrins group..this is the same exact ingredient in insect sprays like Raid. The pet products in question are shampoos like Bio Spot flea/tick Shampoo,Hartz Flea and tick products (all of them, including collars)and Sargent's.
Even many vets discourage the use of these pet products. The real kicker is that our wonderful, glorious EPA (note sarcasm) has approved of the ingredients in the products, and the companies themselves claim that when used as directed, their products are safe. Well folks, the people using these products DID use them according to instruction, yet their cat or dog still died.
For instance one woman in the video link I have here said only minutes after using a flea/tick shampoo for her two cats, both developed violent seizures. Her one cat was saved by a vet, but the other died. She was filled with so much remorse since here she was thinking she was helping her cat, but instead in effect killed the cat due to the shampoo product. Then when the owner of the dog "Duffy" died the vet told the owner that the cause of death was due to the chemicals in the flea/tick product. But then Hartz wrote a letter stating that the death of Duffy was due to other health problems and not from their products--in other words they are denying the harmful effects of their products.
Here's the video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_uqBjvy7YI&feature=related
According to the video, hundreds and hundreds of pets now have permanent neurological damage due to these products and thousands have died...and it's ONLY NOW that the EPA is making an investigation...ONLY NOW? How many more pets have to be affected or die?
Another powerful website to view people's complaints for Hartz products, INCLUDING about Hartz Milk Replacement for cats is this site:
http://www.hartzvictims.org/
Do you use any flea/tick products? Have your pets been affected? If you love your pet, I wouldn't touch these products with a 100-foot pole. Is it people are too lazy just to give their pet a bath and use something like Ivory soap and use a flea comb?
3 people like this
9 responses
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
27 Jul 10
I have 3 small dogs and live in a high flea infestation area. None of my dogs have ever had fleas and I NEVER use anti flea/tick products. I have always added a small amount of garlic powder to their meals. I know onions are deadly for pets but my vet agrees that cooking their food with some garlic powder will not harm them. Seemingly ingesting the garlic powder causes them to exude something on their skin and the fleas will not come near them. I have done this with my dogs, all breeds large and small, for many years and have never had any problems
2 people like this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
27 Jul 10
I resent the implication that I am too lazy to bathe my dogs. In fact bathing your pets too often takes all the natural oils out of their skin and causes them to be susceptible to all kinds of skin diseases and itching.
2 people like this
@wonttakelong (3555)
• United States
27 Jul 10
No its NOT that we are too lazy to bathe our pets!!
I do bathe my two dogs but here's the thing
they live OUTSIDE!!!
a bathe cannot protect them for long when the live outdoors where the ticks and fleas are
yeah I use flea and tick collars and guess what- my dogs are just FINE!!!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
30 Jul 10
I'm glad to hear that your dogs are fine...do you use Frontline. I hear that's a tad better than the other companies I mentioned
@AmbiePam (121147)
• United States
27 Jul 10
So far, the flea/tick medication I use for Sherlock has not been recalled, and there has been no bad reports like these mentioned. I did do some research before purchasing it. I would prefer natural ways, but they don't seem to work as well. However, I have found during the winter months, natural ways to keep away fleas and ticks work fine. But during the spring and summer I use the once a month stuff that works better than anything else. But I love Sherlock. And I always want to know what I'm giving him.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
27 Jul 10
It's funny when my Tommy had all those fleas I never thought about getting any kind of product...just gave him bath after bath, and thankfully his infestation didn't spread to the other cats at the time. I've heard some natural products aren't safe to use...like lavender or tea tree oil
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (121147)
• United States
27 Jul 10
I read that too! And I read somewhere on mylot, someone mentioned using lavendar. Sherlock has dry skin, so a lot of baths for him would not be good. Especially during summer, he itches a lot. I give him a vitamin that helps, but I have to keep a real watch on that. I don't want him to be miserable. I know as a human how uncomfortable it is to have dry skin, so I don't want him to feel that either.
1 person likes this
@Aurone (4755)
• United States
27 Jul 10
Luckily, my clowder is strictly indoor and we have never had to worry about the flea business. But I do wonder if that is what killed my mother's cat Sam. Their cats had a bad flea infestation due to Raccoons. Raccoons you say, okay here is the story. My mom's cats live outside the main house in a walled in hallway that connects my parents garage to a screen in porch/room. The cats have the run of the hallway and room (they used to be outdoors until someone in our neighborhood killed our other three cats). Raccoons wanted my parent's cats' food so they tore a hole in the screen and came into the porch/hallway and we think brought the fleas with them. Anyways, my mom and sis treated the kitties with flea and tick products and Sam ending up dying, granted she was a bit older but she could have a lived a few more years.
I guess most people just don't know. A vet tells you this is what you do for fleas and you believe that they are right. People should have a more holistic approach to treating their pets, as well as themselves.
2 people like this
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
29 Aug 10
I've used a flea comb every day. Every day there are many, many fleas on my cats. One cat I could probably give a bath to, but I'm not sure ivory soap is all that healthy either since soap can make a human loose red blood cells, it blocks obsorption of iron.The other cat, I'd like to see you give him a bath. I had to have him knocked out by a Dr. when he got himself covered in fuel oil by sleeping underneath a leaking fuel tank in my basement (that I didn't know was leaking until he came up covered with oil). I tried to give him a bath and he tried to kill me. All 4 paws and mouth all at one time and gloves did nothing except get shredded along with clothes and if I hadn't let him go, then my skin would have been next. You've got city cats. We've got country cats and wild rescues. Hartz is the worst, it actually burns cats. Until you've had semi-wild and rescued cats, I don't think you've really tried to wash one of our types of cats before. My Vet recommends Frontline. That is put between their shoulders in the back where they can't get at it or lick and most years that works well and the cats are fine, absolutely fine, but the ticks are bad this year. In the grass, in the sand, all over outdoors, even people that don't have animals have them in their homes from just walking outdoors and the fleas coming in on their shoes. So peoople have to bring their rugs to the cleaners or laundry mat, but that doesn't help with the couch or furniture. Some people have to bomb their entire house.
@lumenmom (1986)
• United States
27 Jul 10
I don't know that it's a case of people being too lazy since it takes about the same amount of effort to give the baths one way or another. I think it is more a matter of brand loyalty and blind trust that if it is marketed for the pet then it must be safe to use. I started getting pets as a young child and learned the name Hartz early. To me that was what you were suppose to use since it was made for pets. Today I currently don't have any pets but if I did I would have a much more different outlook on chemical products for people as well as pets and my approach would be more holistic in nature.
1 person likes this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
27 Jul 10
I remember you saying this last night and I still love the idea that I can use lavender oil and mint to repel fleas and ticks off my puppies..My daughter who is a groomer warned me a few days ago that there have been many dogs coming in with lots of fleas. Yet my puppies don't have one, I check them daily with my hands and weekly when I brush them and apply the oil mixed with water..
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
27 Jul 10
hi pyewacket I just remembered something when I saw the word pyrethrins group that that stuff was listed on the label of a mosquito and bug repellent spray I once used years ago and just used it once as it
made me so ill and I was nervous and twitching and I think now on the verge of a seizure. All I remember is my husband said you must be very allergic to that stuff. dont ever use it again. And I sure did not. on the label at that time it said that stuff is from natural plants, well that does not mean that its safe, the plants that it came from , and i do not remember now the plants name, was also something I was really deathly allergic to. My point which I am gettin g too is if this stuff makes humans sick, and we are so much bigger than cats and dogs, it would kill
smaller animals like cats and even some dogs.
Like you I just washed our cats and dogs thouroughly and combed for fleas and they were free from flea infestations. those products contain that group that a lot of humans are highly allergic too. very toxic then for smaller cats and dogs.
@ANIME123 (2466)
• United States
27 Jul 10
Oh yes actually I do know how dangerous those kind of products can be because they can make a cat or a dog very sick it happened to my dog thank god that my dog is okay now and I'm never going to use those products again I will just use what one mylot user recommeneded me to do to get rid of fleas.
