Are flea control products slowly killing our pets?

Are the flea and tick products we use really safe for our pets?  How would we know?  If you or I ingest something toxic, we can complain about how we feel and maybe go to the doctor or ER if it's serious enough.  Our pets, however, rely on us to read telltale signs of distress that may not be readily apparent, or that may look like other problems.  They can't tell us if something isn't right.

Long term, low level exposure to toxic substances can weaken a pet's immune system and cause it to attack the healthy cells and organs in a pet's body.  This is called autoimmune or immune-mediated disease.  It can have many causes, but flea products, along with other toxic substances we put in and on our pets (like vaccines), are a leading concern.

There's an interesting article about flea products today in the ecologist.com, which describes the gradual nature of the harm that can be done by repeated use of flea and tick control products.

The problem is that ‘spot-on’ products may not harm or kill pets or humans with the initial exposure, or even after several exposures. Exposed in this way it takes longer for the negative effects – often due to and continual assault on a animal’s immune system - to reveal themselves. Vigilance is required because the health issues for flea and tick treatments are the same as with pesticide exposure to those living close to farmland, or those who use pesticides in their homes: small chronic exposures add up.

But because low dose exposures act like slow motion poison, the pesticide industry continues to mislead the public, and the government regulatory agencies, by insisting that there is no scientific proof showing a definite cause and effect link between pesticide exposure and illness in either pets or humans.

Read the full article here. 

For my own pets, I do use flea products, but I use them sparingly.  I treat--once--at the first sign of fleas, using a combination of spot products and a pill (Program) which work together; one kills the adult fleas that are living on my pets, and the other prevents adult and larval fleas in the environment from reproducing.  I've found this to be an extremely effective, double edged approach that eliminates the need for repeated exposure to these toxins.  Once I've treated my pets with these products, it takes about a month for all the adult and larval fleas to die off,  Once they do, we are flea free, and we stay that way for several years.  I don't treat again until the next time fleas appear.

UK: RSPCA calls attention to cat deaths due to antifreeze, seeks public support

Quoting from politics.co.uk:

"The animal welfare charity is calling on the public and all antifreeze manufacturers to ensure that this winter does not have fatal consequences for cats.

Following the tragic case of five cats dying in from antifreeze poisoning on the same day in Norwich on 30 December, the RSPCA is renewing its plea for the public to take extra care when using the product.

Every year, the Society picks up the pieces from too many cases where cats are believed to have been poisoned by antifreeze."

It's not just cats that can die from drinking antifreeze; dogs and wildlife are also killed by the substance, so much so that the state of Utah in the United States has mandated that antifreeze sold in the state contain a bittering agent to make it unattractive to animals.

Read entire politics.co.uk article here.

Petition: Tell Delta Airlines to take responsibility for lost pets

Delta airlines continues to lose pets in airports and elsewhere at an alarming rate, while obfuscating their role in these pet loss disasters.

Please consider signing this petition to tell them to take responsibility for these losses.

Researching advice: Why it's so important

Today being Sunday, I thought it might be appropriate to repost something I originally wrote for another blog back in September of 2010. The message is important enough to bear repeating, as it has to do with making sure the advice you are given by companies that sell pet foods and other products is sound advice.

Sometimes people overstep their capacity to advise, and we need to be cautious when seeking and following any advice, particularly when it comes from the untrained.

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Sunday Pet Peeve

I just visited the Facebook page of a company that makes a premium dog food, of which I am quite fond. However, today I was dismayed to read a discussion there about feeding a variety of their products, which contain different protein sources, as a way to keep dogs interested in the food.

This probably isn't horrible advice in and of itself, but someone then asked about advice they'd been given by their veterinarian for their own dog, who is young but is beginning to show signs of food allergies (reacting to certain types of treats with hives and itching). She said she'd been told to stick with one kind of food and not to vary the dog's diet.

Here's the pet peeve part. The company spokesperson came on and told this person that a varied diet would be healthier for her dog.

I found myself compelled to post and express my dismay that a corporate spokesperson (whom I assume is not a veterinarian) would be giving veterinary advice to a customer, particularly advice that contradicts advice given by an actual vet. I then went on to explain that dogs who show allergic tendencies often end up needing to be fed a novel protein and the more proteins you expose them to while young, the more difficult it will be to find anything they can eat if the condition flares up. This is a common path to IBD in dogs, which is very serious and life-threatening.

Now, I'm not a vet myself, but I know this because I've had to deal with these issues in my own dogs (I have two that are atopic) and I know the horrors of trying to do an elimination diet trial with a dog that has eaten just about everything. Unless you want to be stuck feeding exotic proteins like venison or buffalo for the rest of your dog's life (and even those are not really novel to many diets anymore), you may want to stop and reconsider what you're putting on your sensitive dog's plate every day and what you and your sensitive dog will have to endure if you ever do find yourself on a search for a palatable protein.

The thing that really bugs me here is that the question was asked of a corporation, whose best interest is clearly served by getting you to purchase all their products, and that the corporation was all too happy to trot out the corporate line suggesting nothing could possibly go wrong as long as you feed THEIR products.

This is a company I've respected a great deal, whose products I have used and recommended. I still love their products, but I'm starting to believe that they've gotten a bit drunk with their own success.

Bottom line in this pet peeve of mine: If you have questions about your dog's health, and if you want an educated opinion, it's best to talk to vets, to do research on your own, and learn all you can about the condition in question in order to form your own, educated opinion using unbiased resources. We shouldn't be too trusting of those whose interests are served by providing a certain answer.

Saturday Pet Blog Hop

Please take a look at some of these pet-related blogs.  We participate in the blog hop because networking is important if we're going to help make good things happen here.  I hope you will find some of these blogs interesting and informative enough to follow.

Tennessee: Aflatoxins found in grains used for recalled Kroger's pet food

Tennessean.com recently reported that elevated levels of aflatoxins have been found in the grains that were used to make the Kroger's pet food recalled in December, 2010. According to the site, a spokesman from the Tennesee Department of Agriculture stated, "We took finished samples and grain samples that were stored and used to make pet food. We did find some elevated levels in some grains stored there."

Aflatoxins are naturally occurring substances produced by fungi that live on grains, including corn. The toxins cause disease in the liver and can be extremely deadly.

One more reason to feed quality, grain-free food formulas to our pets, where possible.

More can be read about this story here:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110104/BUSINESS01/101040326/2047/NEWS01

and here:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20101221/BUSINESS01/12210327

New Petition to help CA dogs too sick to be vaccinated

Californians, please sign this petition and help California dogs who are too sick to receive rabies vaccine:

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/california_take_action_to_help_dogs_too_ill_to_receive_the_rabies_vaccine