[nagdu] Fw: For Cats and Dogs

[Ed Meskys]

Subject: For Cats and Dogs


> E.P.A. to Review Safety of Pet Flea and Tick Products.
> NY Times Thursday, 2009-06-18
> By NICHOLAS BAKALAR. Liquid flea and tick treatments for dogs and cats 
> have been
> on the market for more than a decade. But following a recent increase in 
> reports
> of adverse reactions among pets, the Environmental Protection Agency has
> intensified
> its scrutiny of the products, warning pet owners that the treatments may 
> have
> serious,
> even fatal, side effects.
> Spot-on flea and tick treatments are applied topically, usually between 
> the
> animal's
> shoulder blades or along the spine. There have been no recalls of the 
> products,
> and
> the agency said in May that there is no reason to avoid them.
> But the E.P.A. is investigating a large number of anecdotal reports 
> involving
> both
> cats and dogs who received spot-on treatments and suffered problems like 
> skin
> irritations,
> hair loss and tremors, according to agency spokesman Dale Kemery. The 
> initial
> reports
> were not verified by veterinarians.
> The agency now is evaluating all available data on the pesticides, 
> including
> reports
> of adverse reactions, the clarity of the directions and label warnings, 
> and the
> pre-market
> safety data submitted in support of the products.
> The E.P.A.'s report on liquid flea and tick treatments is expected by 
> October
> and
> will be published on the agency's Web site, Mr. Kemery said.
> In the meantime, Mr. Kemery suggested that pet owners read the directions 
> on any
> veterinary medicine they use. Don't use dog products on cats and vice 
> versa,' he
> added. If you detect negative reactions, the vet is the first stop.
> Most of the spot-on products are intended for dogs only, but there are 
> more than
> 25 labeled for cats and at least two for use on both cats and ferrets.
> Cats are particularly sensitive to an insecticide called permethrin, the 
> active
> ingredient
> in some spot-on flea and tick treatments. According to a study published 
> online
> in
> The Veterinary Journal, cats overdosed with permethrin insecticides can 
> suffer
> tremors,
> seizures, excess salivation, vomiting, loss of appetite and death. Steven 
> R.
> Hansen,
> a veterinary toxicologist with the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, 
> said
> there
> have been cases in which a cat has been poisoned by grooming a dog that 
> had been
> treated with a permethrin pesticide, but such events, he said, are 
> 'extremely
> rare.
> Not all pet pesticides contain permethrin. Bob Walker, a spokesman for 
> Bayer,
> which
> manufactures Advantage and Advantix flea and tick products, said that the
> company's
> dog medicines contain permethrin but its cat medicines do not.
> The appearance of counterfeit pesticide products for dogs and cats has 
> further
> complicated
> the picture. On April 28, the E.P.A. warned distributors and retailers to 
> stop
> selling
> counterfeit products with the brand names Advantage and Frontline, and to 
> recall
> those already sold.
> It is unclear why reports of adverse reactions have increased in recent 
> years.
> Natasha
> Joseph, a spokeswoman for Mariel, the manufacturer of Frontline flea and 
> tick
> treatments,
> suggested that the appearance of new products on the market or improved
> reporting
> might help explain the increase.
> We reported to the E.P.A. that events for Frontline have been consistently 
> low,'
> she said. Frontline is not part of the problem. Frontline products for 
> both dogs
> and cats contain a broad-spectrum pesticide called fipronil.
> A list of more than 200 brand names of registered spot-on repellents was 
> updated
> on May 15 and appears on the E.P.A. Web site (PDF). Consumers may call the
> National
> Pesticide Information Center at (800) 858-7378 to report a problem with 
> the
> products.
> The agency has also advised veterinarians to report adverse reactions at 
> the
> center's
> Veterinary Pesticide Adverse Effects reporting portal.
> Ultimately, the E.P.A. analysis may lead to changes in regulations. It 
> could be
> that
> we'll require changes in labeling or formulaic changes,' Mr. Kemery said. 
> And it
> could go as far as canceling a product.
>