May 14, 2009 11:08 am US/Eastern
Pet Care Danger
Reporting
Chris May
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
Spring means fleas and tick season. And as the season begins, CBS 3 has learned that the safety of products meant to keep your pets pest-free are now the focus of a federal government investigation after a staggering number of reported adverse reactions.
10-year-old Lincoln, a golden retriever, lived a life of dedication and love and was an amazing dog. That's how his owner Cindy Tanghetti describes him.
Cindy had seen the dog through years of cancer treatments. But that's not what took Lincoln's life in February.
Cindy says it was a spot-on flea and tick treatment that her veterinarian said was okay to use on Lincoln.
"He ultimately lost his bodily functions," said Cindy.
When she called her veterinarian, he told her that the drug would work its way out of Lincoln's system within 48 hours. But the dog only became sicker.
"The breathing was bad, the shaking, the lethargy, I felt like I was losing him," said Cindy.
Lincoln had to euthanized. Cindy's story isn't the only one.
Last year 44,000 complaints were filed with the federal government concerning flea and tick products made by a number of manufacturers.
The reports include cats and dogs suffering adverse reactions ranging from skin irritation and burns to seizures and even death.
The Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates products containing pesticides, is intensifying its evaluation of spot-on treatments which are topically applied, usually between the pet's shoulder blades.
After Jan Jaffe used a flea and tick product, she noticed eight-year-old Choey, a dachshund, became lethargic and stopped eating.
"He was just clearly in distress," said Jan.
Jan felt certain the dog was suffering an adverse reaction to the flea and tick treatment she had recently used.
"No doubt in my mind," said Jan. "He required four blood transfusions and three years of immunosuppressant therapy."
Days after Rudy's owner applied a spot-on treatment, the little dog wound up needing emergency care.
"He started to vomit, he wasn't keeping his food down," said Judy Whalen. "As I petted him, there were big gobs of hair coming out."
Dr. Kevin Shanley treated Rudy.
The doctor, who is a specialist at Veterinary Referral Center in Malvern, suspects the flea and tick product caused the problem.
"He had some G-I issues that he's recovering from but still not quite over," said Dr. Shanley. "And then he broke with this really nasty crusty skin disease."
The EPA is not telling people to stop using the products, but says to follow label instructions and monitor their animals for any side effects.
"The key is ask your vet, know your pet well as far as any prior history of medication that they've had a reaction to, know what other diseases they have," advises Dr. Shanley.
As for Lincoln's story.
"He'd walk me to the door every morning when I'd go to work, he'd be waiting for me when I got off," said Cindy. "It's a big loss."
The pet owners we interviewed say they used the products correctly.
The EPA is meeting with product manufacturers to discuss the increase in adverse reactions.
You can find the complete list of the flea and tick products being evaluated by the EPA on the links we've provided along with links to report problems to the EPA as well as information on dealing with fleas and ticks.
RELATED LINKS:
What You Should Know About Flea & Tick Products
Veterinary Referral Center
Taking Care Of Fleas And Ticks On Your Pet
EPA Registered Spot-On Pesticide Products Being Evaluated
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/flea-tick-control.html
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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