Excerpt from How to Use Pet Flea, Tick Products Safely

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com

Pet owners who are still leery of using flea and tick control products can take several steps to reduce the adverse reactions often linked to them, the doctors said.

Those steps include:

• Read and follow the product’s directions carefully. Misapplication of a product can cause skin irritation or redness, vomiting, diarrhea, trembling, and seizures;

• Know the exact size and weight of your pet and use the correct dose amount. Don’t guess. “And do not try to split the products,” Dr. Hovda said. “We’ve seen people who have three dogs and have tried to put 1/3 of the product on each dogs. But it’s very difficult with spot-on treatments to get any accuracy when doing that. You have to get the specific product -- and the right dose -- for each specific animal;”

• Never use a product for a dog on a cat. Always use a product on the animal in which it was intended;

• Check the products’ ingredients. Some animals can’t tolerate certain chemicals. “Permethrins and cats don’t mix,” Dr. Hovda said;

• Separate pets from each other after using the products. “Every now and then we see problems with cats licking products off dogs,” Dr. Kingston said. “Sometime dogs lick products off each other, too;”

• Keep children away from pets that have been treated with the products. Children who touch a pet after they’ve been treated can get the chemicals on their hands – and then put their hands in their mouths;

• Talk to your veterinarian before using the products on small breed dogs or weak, aged, young, sick, and pregnant or nursing pets. “Don’t rely on the advice of a 16-year-old who is working at a pet food store,” Dr. Hovda said. “The person directing what chemicals to put on your pet should be your vet;”

• Don’t over-treat your pets. “When some people see fleas and ticks, they scrub their pets with flea and tick shampoo, bomb their homes (with flea products), and use topical flea and tick products,” Dr. Hovda said. “That’s overwhelming to pets;”

• Monitor pets for signs of adverse reactions. “If you’re using a product for the first time, you should watch your pets closely for the first 24 hours,” Dr. Kingston said. “If you see any unusual symptoms, contact your vet;”

• Consider other types of flea and tick products. “There are a wide variety of different types of products out there,” Dr. Kingston said. “And they each have different characteristics. If a pet owner has doubts, it’s always important to touch base with their vet and discuss what they are trying to accomplish and what product will meet those needs;”