EPA seeks to improve safety after increase in harm to dogs, cats
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35914331...th-pet_health/

WASHINGTON - Products intended to treat cats and dogs for fleas and
ticks kill hundreds of pets each year and injure tens of thousands, the
Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday as it outlined plans to
make the products safer.

The EPA said it will develop stricter testing and evaluation
requirements for flea and tick treatments that are applied to a pet’s
skin. The agency also will begin reviewing labels to determine which
ones need to say more clearly how to use the products.

The EPA’s effort follows increasing complaints from pet owners that the
“spot-on” products have triggered reactions in dogs and cats, ranging
from skin irritation to neurological problems to deaths. Cats and small
dogs appear particularly vulnerable, the EPA said, especially when given
products intended for larger animals.

Steve Owens, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Prevention,
Pesticides and Toxic Substances, said new restrictions will be placed on
flea and tick products, with additional changes for specific products
likely — including possible changes in some product formulas.

“These are poisons,” Owens said. “These are products designed to kill
fleas and ticks — and they do their jobs.”

The EPA is committed to better protecting the health and safety of pets
and families, Owens said, but added that pet owners “need to carefully
read and follow all labeling before exposing your pet to a pesticide.”

The agency announced last April it was increasing scrutiny of topical
flea and tick products because of the growing number of bad reactions
reported.

The EPA said it received 44,263 reports of harmful reactions associated
with topical flea and tick products in 2008, up from 28,895 in 2007.
Reactions ranged from skin irritations to vomiting to seizures to, in
about 600 cases, death of an animal.

An EPA spokesman said he did not have a breakdown of how many deaths
were dogs and how many cats.

Dog and cat owners say their pets have suffered burns and welts on their
skin; started to drool excessively; begun to shake uncontrollably; lost
control of their legs or experienced other neurological problems after
using the flea and tick treatments.

A 2009 study by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals reported that the majority of illnesses linked to proper use of
topical flea and tick products were mild. Cats were more susceptible
than dogs to illnesses and deaths from misuse of the products, the
report said.

“The important take-home message is that although adverse reactions can
occur with all flea and tick products, most effects are relatively mild
and include skin irritation and stomach upset,” said Dr. Steven Hansen,
ASPCA veterinary toxicologist and senior vice president for animal
health services.

Pet owners should keep using the products as directed when faced with a
flea infestation, Hansen said.

Georgia-based Merial Ltd., which makes the popular Frontline tick and
flea treatment, defended its product and disputed the EPA data.

“The number of adverse events reported for Frontline has remained
consistently low since the product’s introduction in 1996,” the company
said in a statement e-mailed to reporters. The vast majority of
reactions are minor, the statement said.

In a 29-page report, the EPA said the majority of problems for dogs
occurred in smaller dogs, weighing 10 to 20 pounds. Some incidents
occurred when products intended for larger dogs were given to smaller
animals, the report said. Chihuahuas, Shih Tzus, miniature poodles,
Pomeranians and dachshunds were among breeds where problems occurred the
most, the EPA said.

Similarly, many problems for cats occurred when they were given
treatments intended for dogs. The EPA is likely to require companies to
revamp labels to clarify that products intended for dogs should never be
used on cats, Owens said.