Dangers of Advantage Flea Treatment

You probably think you're doing the right thing for your pet when you apply a flea treatment, but many over-the-counter pet pesticides contain toxic chemicals that may harm or even kill your pet. If your pooch is prone to infestations, there are safer, alternative ways to keep him pest-free without harm. Here are a few facts on the highly popular Advantage flea treatment.

The Active Ingredient

The active ingredient in Advantage Flea Treatment is imidacloprid, a neurotoxin which has been known to cause very serious adverse health problems, including thyroid, liver, spleen, heart, kidney, lung, brain and adrenal damage in laboratory animals.

Inert Doesn't Mean Safe

Over 90 percent of the ingredients in Advantage are listed as "inert," which does not mean "safe," but that the EPA only minimally regulates them, since they are not the main active treatment ingredient; because most of these ingredients are tested on a one-time, acute basis only, they can potentially be more toxic than the heavily tested "active" ingredient.

Bathing

Giving your pet a flea bath or bathing your pet shortly after applying pesticides can be dangerous if you use hot water because the chemicals are absorbed through the skin's open pores too quickly and may overload your pet's system.

Symptoms of Pesticide Poisoning

Some of the symptoms of pesticide poisoning include lethargy, tremors, vomiting, confusion, seizures and drooling.

Alternative Treatments

The safest way to ensure that your pet does not suffer from the potential adverse effects of topical pesticides is to use an integrated pet management system or a multifaceted, comprehensive approach, which includes providing supplements to your pet, dietary changes, cleaning with herbal shampoos, understanding the life-cycle of fleas and other environmentally friendly means of pest control (see Resources below).

Resources

• More Facts on Pet Pesticide Toxicity
• More on Pest Control for Pets
• Integrated Pest Management Tips