What flea treatment is not safe for dogs?
Eve Brekke
2025-08-18 13:18:54
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: 21
The use of toxic flea treatments for pets should be tightly restricted. Cats and dogs are widely treated with topical treatments that include insecticides to prevent fleas. Vets often recommend regular flea treatments as a preventive measure, even when dogs and cats do not have the pest. But scientists now recommend animals should not be treated for fleas unless they have them. Imidacloprid and fipronil, for example, are powerful insecticides: one monthly flea treatment for a large dog contains enough imidacloprid to kill 25 million bees. In the UK, fipronil is an ingredient in 66 different veterinary products, and imidacloprid is in a further 21. These chemicals have been banned for agricultural use since 2018, yet Environment Agency data found fipronil residue in 98% of river and lake samples, and traces of imidacloprid in 66% of all samples. The government recently committed to banning the use of three more neonicotinoids – clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam – from agricultural use.
Angelita Bauch
2025-08-08 13:17:20
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: 16
If the product is labeled for cats, do not give it to your dog—or vice versa. Dogs can also become exposed at toxic quantities through the ingestion or absorption of household insect sprays, foggers, and granules. Substances that are toxic to fleas and ticks can also be harmful to pets when consumed or applied in large quantities. 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. Additionally, don’t give expired medications or cut larger sizes into smaller pieces or give multiple smaller doses. Dogs often become poisoned unintentionally either through the misuse of flea and tick prevention or through the accidental ingestion or absorption of insecticides. 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. 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.
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