A veterinarian of 44 years has cautioned against using conventional flea treatments, stating that they can be toxic to your pet.
Pet owners naturally want to protect their pets and families from fleas, since the insects can transmit diseases through their bites. Some flea-borne diseases include typhus, rickettsial diseases, cat scratch disease, tapeworms, and the bubonic plague, according to the CDC.
Flea bites can cause severe flea allergies and discomfort for dogs, cats, and humans, Dr. Carol Jean Tillman DVM wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.
However, she said conventional treatments, whether oral, topical, or environmental, can harm pets; and topical and environmental treatments can be toxic to humans.
“Oral and some topical flea preventions cannot be reversed or washed off. They are absorbed into the bloodstream. Most over the counter flea collars and topical sprays are definitely toxic,” she stated.
In her practice, she has seen pets have nausea, decreased appetite, lethargy, incoordination, drooling, liver disease, and abnormal changes to the blood count due to conventional flea treatments.
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Exposure to fipronil, a pesticide used in the conventional flea treatment Frontline, has been reported to cause health effects including sweating, nausea, vomiting, headache, stomach pain, dizziness, weakness, and seizures, according to the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC).
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that fipronil is a neurotoxin and can cause tumors in dogs. It also states that it is a possible human carcinogen.
According to the NPIC, the pesticide imidacloprid, an ingredient in the flea treatment Advantage, has caused skin irritation in pet owners. It has also caused vomiting and excessive drooling in animals after oral exposure. Animals that have ingested imidacloprid may have tremors, fatigue, and trouble walking.
As for drugs in the isoxazoline class, the FDA has alerted pet owners and veterinarians that dogs and cats may have neurologic reactions to these drugs, including muscle tremors, ataxia, and seizures. This class of drugs includes the flea and tick products Bravecto, Credelio, Nexgard, Simparica, and Revolution Plus.
Rather than using conventional flea treatments that are actually pesticides, Tillman recommends natural flea treatments because they are much safer for the health of your pet, for the humans in the household, and for the environment, Tillman said.
For topical flea control for dogs, she recommends Wondercide, which is made with natural essential oils. Its website states that it has no artificial colors or fragrances, and the main active ingredient is cedarwood oil.
Based on third-party testing, Wondercide’s website states that it is proven to kill flea adults, larvae, and eggs when directly applied.
Another topical treatment using cedarwood oil is Cedarcide. Its website states: “At Cedarcide, protecting your family and pets from bugs and harmful chemicals is our top priority. We only use family-safe, pet-safe ingredients in our formulas, which is why our products are considered ‘minimum risk pesticides’ in accordance with the EPA’s guidelines.”
The EPA defines “minimum risk pesticides” as those that “pose little to no risk to human health or the environment.”
Cedarcide and Wondercide also offer pet shampoos that contain cedarwood oil.
Tillman said that bathing young puppies and kittens with Dawn dish detergent can kill and remove fleas. She said to use a flea comb to manually remove fleas from cats.
To treat the environment inside and outside the house, she recommends Fleabusters, a fine powder with the active ingredient orthoboric acid, which kills flea larvae by dehydrating them.
Its website states that it can be applied to carpets and furniture as well as baseboard crevices on hardwood floors. It states that pets and children are safe in the treated area but should not be present during the application.
In addition, Tillman said food-grade diatomaceous earth and beneficial nematodes can be used for treating outdoor areas.
Beyond flea treatments for pets and the environment, pet owners should also be looking at the health of their pets when addressing the problem, she said.
“Fleas are parasites, and attracted to ‘weak’ animals,” she said.
She added that if a dog or cat has undiagnosed cancer, arthritis, IBS, or immunosuppressed conditions from taking conventional drugs, they will attract fleas.
“A healthy animal, that is on a good diet, not over vaccinated, not on conventional drugs, should not get fleas!” she said.
Besides conventional flea treatments, she is also cautious about using conventional drugs for pets. Rather, she recommends using homeopathy, acupuncture, Chinese herbs, Western herbs, essential oils (for dogs), or flower essences.
Tillman obtained her degree from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 1980. In Florida, fleas are a year-round battle because the climate provides the right temperature and humidity for them to thrive.
During her sophomore and junior years of veterinary school, she did an internship at Paradise Pet Hospital in Las Vegas, where she learned that there are no fleas, ticks, or mosquitoes in southern Nevada because the temperature and humidity creates an uninhabitable environment for them.
She said that’s one of the reasons she decided to move to Las Vegas, because no fleas, ticks, or mosquitoes means no flea allergies, no tapeworms, and no heartworm.
