On Apr 27, 10:25�pm, "Sharon Too"
wrote:
There was a news article I read recently which told of the dangers of
over the counter flea and tick medicines.

First of all, don't panic. The EPA has issued a statement that also contains
the following:

"Flea and tick products can be appropriate treatments for protecting your
pets and your family's health because fleas and ticks can transmit disease."

EPA link:http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress...3c85257359003f...

The only problems we've seen are with the over the counter products and
these are two-fold:

1. Owner compliance. People are applying the product wrong and pets are
licking it and getting it in their system. �The EPA's press release states
the following: "Pet owners may also want to consult a veterinarian about the
responsible and effective use of flea and tick products." The worst reaction
we are seeing is when people put the dog product on a cat. That's horrible.
This why it is so important to have proper interaction with a veterinarian
with these products.

2. It just doesn't work, especially long term. They don't address all the
life cycles of the flea.

That's not to say that the RX products don't have reported adverse events..
Looking recently in our adverse and sentinel event log, there have been
very, very few in the last 2 years and these were very minor, usually having
to do with initial sensitivity to the odor or liquid. There are major
concerns with people getting the RX products from non-veterinarians. Most of
the manufacturers of these products do *not* sell to non veterinarians and
the DEA and EPA have found that these have been counterfeit, meaning that
they are not what they seem although labeled and packaged as such. Or that
they have been bought overseas, re-labeled and sold here all while stored in
bad climate and temperature conditions. When bought through a veterinarian
(only), the manufacturer guarantees the products.

Vets are supposedly seeing a

large increase in the number of animals with liver and other problems
due to these medicines and chemicals in the pet food.

Chemicals in the pet food?? I'm sure Chard "Harold Hill" will jump on this
bandwagon with her trombones, but this is new to me.

What medicines do you all think are good and safe to use to get rid of
fleas and ticks and also heartworm medicine?

We recommend the Advantage products. We also carry Frontine, Revolution and
Promeris. One product does not address all three (fleas, ticks, heartworm).
Advantage Multi covers fleas, heartworms and some internal parasites, but
not Ticks. You can use Advantix which covers fleas and ticks and supplement
monthly as well with Heartguard or Iverheart Max for heartworm prevention..

*note: Revolution does address fleas, ticks and heartworm, but only one
particular tick*

Thanks for the reply Sharon.