Pet tick, flea and worm treatments

 Cat and dog owners routinely treat their pets for tick, flea and worm prevention, often throughout the year, but have you stopped to consider where the chemicals in these treatments end up?  Needless to say they end up in the environment, and in us.

There are five common chemicals used in these treatments that end up in the environment that are not certified for agricultural use, yet they have a perpetual licence for use, so no routine way to revoke it.  The table below, extracted from a Pesticide Action Network website details the chemicals and impacts involved.

It makes no sense to ban chemicals from agricultural use but allow them to leach into the environment via our pets. There are over 300 alternative products that do not use these chemicals, so the next time you purchase, or are offered by your vet, a tick, flea or worm treatment, please check the label and look for/request an alternative if it contains one of the chemicals above. 

We can treat our pets safely and protect ourselves and the environment.

Technical notes:

• An ectoparaciticide is an antiparasitic drug (usually a ‘spot-on’ treatment) used to kill parasites that live on the body’s surface (such as ticks and fleas).
• An endectocide is an antiparasitic drug (usually in tablet form) used to kill parasites that live both inside the body (such as worms) and on the body’s surface (such as fleas).
• An endocrine disruptor interferes with hormone systems and can cause birth defects, developmental disorders and reproductive problems such as infertility.