What flea treatment to avoid for dogs?

Dogs can also become exposed at toxic quantities through the ingestion or absorption of household insect sprays, foggers, and granules. If the product is labeled for cats, do not give it to your dog—or vice versa. Do not use part of a larger-sized dose or multiple smaller doses, as this may result in an overdose and increased chance of poisoning. Prior to medicating your dog, verify the correct drug, dose and size of the product and that the proper time frame in between doses has occurred nor that someone else in the family already gave it. Additionally, don’t give expired medications or cut larger sizes into smaller pieces or give multiple smaller doses. Common brands of pyrethrins/pyrethroids include: Advantix, Vectra 3D, Advantage sprays and home fogger, Seresto collars, Hartz products, Adams products. Isoxazoline-containing preventives include: Bravecto, Simparica, Simparica Trio, NexGard, NexGard Plus, Credelio. To prevent accidental exposure, follow all directions on flea and tick preventives and insecticides very carefully. Ensure that your dog only receives his prescribed medication as flea and tick preventatives are dosed on body weight. Also, make sure that you do not give more than one drug at a time, as that can cause an accidental overdose and can possibly interact with other medications.

Flea treatments contain Fipronil and a neonictinoid called Imidacloprid, two chemicals banned for use by farmers in the EU due to their toxicity to wild pollinators like the bee, but still available for purchase in flea treatments. These are two of the most common components of flea treatments. The wider impacts of these strong chemicals is only now coming to light, meaning we need to rethink how we deal with fleas on our pets.