PET POISON: Small dogs between 10 and 20 pounds are most susceptible to the harmful effects of certain pest prevention products.
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Warning that the powerful poisons can endanger dogs and cats, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will require new instructions and labeling for on-spot flea products.
The products, including the popular Frontline and Advantage brands, are small vials of liquid pesticides that pet owners apply monthly to the backs of dogs or cats to kill fleas and ticks. The EPA began investigating the products after discovering a sharp rise in the number of pets reported to be sick after they were treated.
The yearlong investigation, conducted by a team of veterinarians assembled by the federal agency, concluded that certain pets – small dogs between 10 and 20 pounds – are most susceptible to the problems, which include rashes, vomiting, diarrhea and seizures.
EPA Assistant Administrator Steve Owens said Wednesday that no products are being banned at this point, but “we’re going to be watching the situation very closely.”
New instructions and warnings are expected on product labels within the next several months. If these steps don’t reduce the problems, “we will take more significant action. We will remove products from the market if we have to,” Owens said.
Fleas and ticks can cause discomfort and diseases for many dogs and cats around the country. As a result, the on-spot treatments are commonly recommended by veterinarians.
Many pet owners who use the treatments think they are applying medication to their pet, but they actually are treating them with potent pesticides, including permethrin, which also is used to kill pests on crops and yards.
“These are poisons that we are applying to our pets,” said Owens, who said it is a personal as well as a professional issue for him because he owns two dogs and three cats. “Pet owners should exercise caution.”
Incidents reported by consumers who used the products on their pets rose from 28,895 in 2007 to 44,263 in 2008, an increase of 53 percent in one year.
Most of the problems were minor, such as skin rashes, but about 600 dogs and cats died in the incidents reported in 2008, EPA records show.
Chihuahuas, shih tzus, miniature poodles, Pomeranians and dachshunds had the most reported incidents, according to the EPA report released Wednesday. For products containing cyphenothrin, those breeds accounted for 33 percent of the reported problems. For products containing permethrin, shih tzus, bichon frise, chihuahuas, yorkshire terriers and maltese were involved in more than 25 percent of the incidents. K-9 Advantix for Dogs contains permethrin and some Sergeant's products and Sentry's Pro XFC contain cyphenothrin.
“Small breed dogs were more commonly affected with the number of incidents out of proportion to their popularity,” the EPA report says.
The problem might be the dose. The agency is telling manufacturers to narrow the range of weights identified for their products.
“We will make clear that certain products cannot be used on smaller animals,” Owens said.
In addition, the investigation found that cats were sickened when products intended for dogs were used on them. Permethrin is particularly dangerous for cats and is not used in any on-spot treatments for cats.
EPA officials said they will meet with each manufacturer individually to go over the changes that the agency wants, such as more precise instructions regarding the proper dosage for pets’ various weights. Also, markings should distinguish better between cat products and dog products, and similar brand names will not be allowed for both. New labels also would advise people to keep cats away from treated dogs for a period of time.
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16 Comments
Add CommentThis is not news to any of the tens of thousands if responsible pet owners who have trusted manufacturers (Sergeants to name names) and found their pets health at risk.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe real story is the strong arm methods some of these manufacturers use to discourage reporting of issues with their product(s). Not to mention that you would think these companies would actually care about the suffering their products cause.
"Rash" is a very mild term, when hundreds of pets have suffered open wounds, permanent skin damage and hair loss at the site of application. Do a simple google search for one of the specific products, and you will find sites with untold horror stories of pet owner after pet owner who wished they had not trusted that their local pet store would sell dangerous and harmful products.
It is very misleading to say imply that small dogs are most at risk. Our dog suffered horribly for 3 days after the product application, and our dog is over 70 lbs, hardly a "small" dog.
My recommendation? Stick to the vet approved brands. It may cost a little more, but your pets will thank you.
It's not just a problem with small dogs. My 65 and 45 pound dogs had horrible reactions to Sentry Pro XFC. My 75 pound dog faired a bit better. It took Rugby at least 3 days to finally be normal again. They have NEVER had a reaction to Frontline. Seargents doesn't give a rip about your dog-they just want your money.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI use frontline and have never had a problem.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy 45 lb Wheaten Terrier, Gus, had a severe reaction to Sergeant's Sentry Pro XFC. I applied the product exactly as directed plus I put a tank top on him & tied it to keep him from possibly scratching the area & licking his foot.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWithin a short time Gus started coughing & pacing up & down the hallway. When he sat down, he would jump up within seconds as if something was biting or poking him. I thought maybe the fleas were getting in their last supper so kinda ignored it until I noticed that Gus seemed to be twitching & jerking his head around. Then he would act as if he saw or heard something beside or behind him & jerk to see what it was. It was as if he were hallucinating on LSD or something. I gave him some Benadryl and he was so distressed he wanted me to hold him almost constantly at that point. He was crying & very jerky, as if he were having seizures. I continued to dose him with Benadryl periodically & wiped off the area as much as possible.
After 2 1/2 days of holding him & 2 mostly sleepless nights for both of us, with him twitching & crying & wanting to be right next to me or literally on top of me, he was finally getting back to normal.
I had used Frontline many times before without any side effects. I only tried Sergeant's because I had to get Frontline from the vet & they were closed. I figured the worst that might happen using this other product was that it just would not be effective & would be a waste of money. Instead, it left me feeling as if I poisoned my baby, like so many hundreds of others who have experienced this problem with ALL SIZES OF DOGS!
I would like someone to confront the CEO of Sergeant's company in a live interview & have him bring his own pet, then allow the poison his company makes to be applied in front of an audience. Except, I would not want a single other poor animal to have to suffer what Gus & so many others have. This stuff needs to be completely removed from the market!
Seriously? Waiting 2 1/2 days with your "baby" showing neurological symptoms? Did you even call your veterinarian or an emergency clinic? I hope you don't have actual children. If you provide them the same level of care you do your dog, you would have them removed from your custody!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJust a month ago my 10lb male toy poodle (white color) had a severe skin reaction from K9 Advantix on his back. Strangely, our girl who is same breed & weight, had no reaction. It was terrible - it looked like a 2nd degree burn over a 4 inch diameter area on his back. He was in terrible discomfort and pain for a few days and we have been treating it similar as a burn. First thing to do was call the hotline where the company told me to wash the remaining dose off his skin with dish-soap, as it is an oil-based chemical that resides on/in the skin. That helped with the discomfort. After that we were on our own. We used sunburn spray (containing .5% licocaine) on the area to help with the pain/itching, as well as put a dog-shirt on him to prevent him from continually itching the scab area which was 1.5 inches diameter. I put a few drops of hexadene flush antiseptic solution on the area every other day.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAdditional note - our girl poodle has black fur, and had no reaction to the K9 Advantix. I have found that the white fur toy poodles have generally more sensitive skin, especially to flea bites, and allergies.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI had an elderly calico cat who died of kidney failure after being "spotted".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis stuff is pure poison to most, and I stress most, dogs. Our two poodles acted like they were "on fire"! We used Dawn dish detergent to wash any not already absorbed off and gave them appropriate doses of Benadryl. It took at least two days for them to stop acting extremely nervous. Sergeants XFC should be removed from Pet Smart immediately as it seems to be very documented on the web that this is poison and harmful to most dogs. I only wished I had read about it sooner myself and spared our dogs the misery. The reason we tried this was Frontline seemed to be no longer effective. I've since read that many users found this to be happening. Some research led me to think that Frontline went through several batch cycles where there was product with poor performance and that it is once again back to being dependable. I have no way of knowing this as we switched to Comfortis which is working excellent and seems to be very safe for our small dogs. Sergeants should remove this product voluntarily, but if they continue to market it at least Pet Smart and other influential retailers should boycott it in the interest of pet health and customer confidence.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou can google "hartz killed my cat" and see stories in the hundreds or thousands of animals that got hurt by this stuff. My cat included. And no I did not use a dog type on a cat as many suggest is the issue. I used the proper type for a healthy average size adult cat and within minutes he could barely walk. When i took him to the ER Vet they knew just what had happened to him and said they see it all the time. This was in 2004 and that horrible product is still on the market. This story comes up every so often, I just hope that maybe finally something will be done.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have used Advantage brand and Revolution Brand and have had no issues with either of those. But the type sold in retails stores Hartz is deadly.
You can google "hartz killed my cat" and see stories in the hundreds or thousands of animals that got hurt by this stuff. My cat included. And no I did not use a dog type on a cat as many suggest is the issue. I used the proper type for a healthy average size adult cat and within minutes he could barely walk. When i took him to the ER Vet they knew just what had happened to him and said they see it all the time. This was in 2004 and that horrible product is still on the market. This story comes up every so often, I just hope that maybe finally something will be done.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have used Advantage brand and Revolution Brand and have had no issues with either of those. But the type sold in retails stores Hartz is deadly.
I also used the Hertz Ultra Guard Pro on my two Cavaliers because we moved to a new state and had not been established with a vet so I used the product purchased from a store and both dogs vomited for 2 days. Thank goodness I had not used the cat drops for my 2 cats.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is good to have the helpful comments from all.
I used Hartz Ultra Guard Pro on my two Cavaliers and both vomited. This was the first time I used over the counter Flea drops because we just moved across country and had not secured a vet. Thank goodness I had not yet given the cat drops to my two cats!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThanks all for the helpful comments.
I was confused by the many flea products at Petsmart. A store associate took me back and talked about all the advantages to Sentry XFC. She told me she has been working there for 6 years and knows the products. I applied this to my 10 pound Chihuahua today and she immediately started acting funny.( panting, couldn't sit still and scratching non-stop) I got online and found over 700 posts about how their dogs were affected by this dangerous product! WHY! WHY! Would this product still be on the market. They posts go back to 2007. Good Lord it's 2010 now! I feel so bad for my dog. Not only did it cause such terrible misery for her, she didn't even have a flea! I was using it as a preventitive!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI Just made it through the first 24 hours of my poor sweet Chihuahua's suffering. She was never able to sit still at all! Now today she is sleeping a lot. I am hopig this is because she is exhausted! She won't eat except when I use an eye dropper to get water, and chicken broth down her. Today she was more than willing to take thin cream of wheat through the dropper.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am sooooooooooo angry at the "long time" employee who helped me select this horrible product!
I don't understand why Petsmart would carry such a product!
Is it worth all the suffering these pets are put through to make "money?"
Tell me why I really DO NOT understand.
I thought my young dog was going to die today from Sentry Pro's flea/tick stuff. I wonder if it'll take years and years of "study" to stop the legal poisoning of our pets by these greedy companies (Sergeants/Sentry Pro). For God's sake, somebody DO something!
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