Fighting fleas with natural products

DEAR OLD TRAINER: We applied a liquid flea and tick product to Crash, our 3-year-old Boxer, and the next day he was scratching and rolling on the carpet and the grass all day. We bathed him twice to get the product off and took him swimming and he finally calmed down. Clearly the flea liquid caused it so we haven’t used it again. Are flea products you apply to the skin of a dog safe?

DEAR DIX: No. Every product contains one or more carcinogenic chemicals so lethal they cause cancer in humans and are regulated by the EPA, not the FDA.

I used the products when they first came out, but three years ago one of my dogs developed dark red sores the day after I applied one of the liquids. I did my own research and was shocked by what I found.

Every liquid flea product contains at least one toxic chemical – imidacloprid, fipronil, permethrin, methoprene, pyriproxyfen, carbaryl or propoxur. All are listed as carcinogens by the EPA. The chemicals are absorbed into the bloodstream, brain, organs, and fur of your dog.

All the products contain warnings that if the liquid touches your skin you must wash with soap for long periods to make sure the product is removed. They tell you to call the Poison Control Center if the liquid touches a child.

If merely touching it is that dangerous, what is it doing to your dog when it is on the skin and in the blood for months? And what happens to you and your children when you pet the dog every day?

No one at the companies that make the products could answer that question. Neither could the vets who sell the products. No one knows if they are safe or not. The products are relatively new and no research exists on their long-term effects.

What we do know is that many dogs suffer more from the flea medications than from the fleas and that skin cancer has increased dramatically since the products were introduced.

That’s why I advise the common-sense approach. Look at the ingredients and check the EPA site to see if they are carcinogenic. If they are, don’t put your dog and yourself at risk.

But fleas and ticks may cause serious illness if untreated, so how do we protect our dogs? I choose to fight the pests with products that contain no toxins.

I found one flea product, Comfortis, that is effective, but contains no toxic chemicals. It is given orally and appears to have no side effects (I buy any product I use and accept no free samples). The ingredient that kills fleas is spinosad, rated a natural product by the EPA. It may not be perfect, but at least it contains no toxic chemicals.

In addition I clip my dog’s fur short in the summer and check every day for fleas and ticks. I put hydrocortisone cream on any skin irritation I see. I also hose them down at least twice a week in summer with cool water. They enjoy it and contact with water kills most fleas.

It takes more time, but my dogs are safer and so am I.

This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Fighting fleas with natural products."