Flea Control Flea product for cats causes potential harm 05/22/2002 By Jeremy Desel
Spring is the time of year when fleas and ticks start to pester our pets and pet owners look for ways to protect them. One of the most popular products on the market is now under scrutiny. Some say it's potentially dangerous and even deadly.
Brian Hiatt likes to think he looks out for his animals and takes good care of them. His cats, Kiser and Stryker, are two important members of the Hiatt family. "They're very special, they are a part of our lives," he said. That's why he decided two weeks ago to get them set up for spring with an anti-flea treatment. But not long after he applied the product Hiatt says Stryker started acting strange. "It looked like the cat was almost drunk. If it tried to walk, it was really unstable, and then it would just drop and fall on his side, and all throughout his muscles through his side and his back would just sit there and convulse," he continued. Then Kiser began to exhibit the same symptoms. Hiatt says he was worried for his cats' lives. He rushed both Stryker and Keiser to Dr. Cindy McCauley's emergency clinic in Sugar Land.
The Hiatts like to think they take good care of their cats. In the animal hospital, they received anti-seizure drugs and were cleaned with dishwashing soap. But even hours later, there were effects such as muscle tremors. The product that was applied to both the cats was Hartz Advanced Care Plus. Tens of millions of them sold nationwide. Active ingredients - phenothrin and methoprin - are pesticides. Dr. McCauly's report shows the Hiatt cats had a reaction to the flea medication - acute phenothrin toxicity.
Vets say what happened to Keiser and Stryker is not an isolated incident. Dr. Angela Rose saw enough cats come through her Arkansas office that she started to videotape them. This is what she calls a "typical" case. July of last year, Punkin's owner says she applied Hartz Advanced Care Plus and hours later, according to the vet's report, the cat experienced extreme muscle tremors and grand mal seizures. Dr. Rose says the cat suffered a toxic reaction to a topical synthetic pyrethrin. "If you look at all of the flea and tick products, there is always that very small possibility that they may have an adverse event associated with them," said Dr. Albert Ahn, chief scientific officer for Hartz Mountain Corporation in New Jersey, the world's largest manufacturer of pet products and the maker of Advanced Care Plus. "We have done a whole battery of tests and each time we do, we get the same result. That these are safe products. That these are effective products," he said. But here is what the Environmental Protection Agency says about some of that testing: "Unacceptable" "Unacceptable" "Unacceptable" The Hartz flea drops contain pesticides. That's not the only finding of the EPA's staff review of the Advanced Care Plus product line for cats in 2001. It is recommended that product be re-evaluated for its safety in cats, because a margin of safety has not been established in the studies. Reports to the EPA include 35 cat deaths and 64 life-threatening episodes that may be associated with the product. In addition the company reported thousands of minor incidents. The EPA stresses in many cases it did not have sufficient information for the cause of death. The vast majority of the complaints registered with the EPA about the Advanced Care product actually came from the Hartz Mountain company itself - calls that came in to its customer service center that were then forwarded to the feds. Dr. Bill Plaff thinks he may know why some cats get sick. For much of his 25-year career at Texas A&M, Plaff studied the family of pesticides used in the Hartz product. He says it's the mixture of methropin and phenothrin that is causing trouble. He compares the reaction to the kind patients would have when taking two different medications together. "Anytime we as humans take a combination of medicines. Often when you take a combination, one drug interferes with the metabolism of the other, so the combination is much more toxic than you would expect it to be alone," he said. Dr. Plaff says the mixture of phenothrin and menothrin increases the toxicity by 10 times.
Dr. Ahn from Hartz says he's never heard of anything like that. "The data that we have supports that this is a safe and effective product," he said. After watching his cats suffer, discussion is not enough for Brian Hiatt. "I'd have to believe they understand what is going on with their product and what the chances are," he said. While the product label meets federal regulations, Hiatt and his vet say pet owners should be warned about these incidents. "No mention anywhere that this product could cause reactions to the central nervous system or potentially kill your pet," said Dr. Cindy McCauley. "There's no indication of anything that severe even in a small percentage of cases." - submitted by Regan Golob (Remember that these pests are "Nature's Garbage Collectors" and are much more likely to bother toxic and unhealthy animals. A little garlic added to food, Showdown for Dogs and Purrrformance or Liquid Purrrformance for Cats, a preservative free diet, and a little Dynamite Shampoo occasionally are usually all that is needed to keep your pets flea-free. 20 Mule Team Borax sprinkled in carpets and then vacuumed out helps with any flea infestation that may find your house, and washing pet bedding with a few drops of Tea Tree Oil in the washer will keep everyone happy. Also remember that the pour on cattle products are the same stuff, organophosphates, and even the feed thru fly blocks. Do not use!!!)
New Flea Control Works Like Dynamite!
By Dr. Regan Golob, DC
Flea control is very important to the health and well being of your dog or cat. Flea bites cause discomfort and irritation, and they are responsible for a skin condition known as flea allergy dermatitis. In addition, fleas often bring other scavenger friends like tapeworm. Fleas can quickly infest your home, and will even bite toxic humans.
So, what I have found is get your pet healthy and the fleas don't like it. The Super Premium Dynamite® Diet for Dogs definitely has eliminated our problems. If that doesn't do it for you increase your Showdown. Also, check labels for any preservatives for anything you feed your pets. If your pet is drinking chlorinated water please use DynaPro(tm) daily.
For the home and sleeping areas use Borax 20 Mule Team laundry detergent. Sprinkle on carpets and pet's sleeping area then vacuum up a few hours later. Also, another source for skin allergies is cedar beds, if the pet has a small bite or scratch the cedar oil is very irritating, as horse owners know with cedar shavings on horses legs.
For the humans that get bit try using the Miracle Clay(tm) twice a week, decrease your sugar and breads, increase your root vegetables -- remember, fleas are scavengers, they only go after the weak.
Disclaimer: Product statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and statements are not intended to diagnose, treat. cure, mitigate or prevent any disease nor for the intention of affecting structure or function of any body. They are solely intended for education or as a dietary supplement for nutritional support. They are not intended as a substitute for medical or veterinary care. See your physician or your animals' veterinarian before starting this or any other nutrition program or using any nutrition products. Not responsible for self treatment.