Several local vets say the vast majority of problems are with over the counter products. The side effects range from skin irritations to seizures and even death, but vets say if you follow the instructions the benefits far outweigh the risks
At Rover Come Over Doggy Day Care, all the dogs have to be treated with flea and tick medicine. But according to the U.S. government, there were more than 44,000 severe reactions, including seizures and 1200 deaths reported from the treatment last year. That's up 50 percent from the year before.
Some local vets say these products are safe and important if you use them correctly. The environmental protection agency is now intensifying its evaluation of the products. Jim Jones of EPA pesticides programs says, "This is a market that literally has dozens of products so it is possible that there are just a handful of products that are associated with the increase."
Dog owner, Forrest Desmond, put a "store bought" flea product on his dogs. He says, "Within a half an hour, all 5 of them were sick, agitated, throwing up and coughing."
Dr. Steve Reece says he believes most of the problems are with over the counter products. "Probably greater than 90 percent of the cases we see are in the over-the counter flea products and I believe mostly because people aren't being instructed by their vet on their use and they are mixing them up," says Dr. Reece. He says to always follow the dosage instructions. In other words, don't give small dogs a big dog's dose and don't ever give medicine to the wrong pet, like using dog flea and tick medicine on cats. He has treated a number of these cases. He says, "All of the toxicity is absorbed already by the time the cat gets to you so really all you can do is supportive efforts. There is no way to remove the drug from the animal's system. You can just try to support it with fluids, etc."
Reece says you can buy products sold by vets online but, "From the manufacturer, there is no guarantee of those products if they're purchased online versus if they are purchased at a vet clinic. So that is critical because if there is a reaction and there's a problem with the health of the pet. The manufacturer pays the entire incident as long as the medication came from the vet and not over-the-counter."
Dr. Reece says he gives all of his own pets flea and tick medicine and he recommends it to all of his clients. In fact, he says they don't treat many flea cases anymore because these medicines are so effective.
If your pet does have a bad reaction to the medicine call your vet immediately. For detailed information, visit the EPA website.
