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The news media announced a
vague concern over topical flea and tick products over
the past few weeks due to an EPA investigation of
"all" topical products for pets.
This investigation,
according to the EPA, is due to some 44,000 complaints
over the past year that the EPA has received from
consumers.
Today, I'll share what
some industry spokespeople and their affiliated
veterinarians have to say about this flea and tick
product review.
For starters, let me say
that there have been no product recalls, so that's why
there have been no products pulled from the shelves of
pet shops, retailers or veterinary hospitals.
Another point of
clarification is that the EPA is making no
differentiation (at least at this time), as to whether
the products they are concerned about are through
over-the-counter (retail) channels or are considered
veterinary-sold products.
That means that Hartz,
Sargents, and other brand names with their permethrin-based
products are being considered, but so are the veterinary
brand products made by Merial (Frontline Plus), Pfizer
(Revolution), and Bayer (Avantage/K-9 Advantix).
All these have different
active ingredients, so differentiating one mode of
action from another in the veterinary brand products is
a challenge within the challenge.
It has also been brought
out by those in the industry that complaints may be
defined as many reported issues on the spectrum.
When product recalls have
been issued due to drug complaints in our profession,
there have been serious complaints, such as liver or
kidney disease, convulsions or even death.
Very little of these
types of complaints, I understand, are what the EPA is
hearing on these products (as long as the products are
used for the proper species).
The complaints that seem
to be registering are the relatively minor issues such
as skin irritation at the application site, itching and
product ineffectiveness. Perhaps these complaints are
frequent more so than others on a given product, but a
broad-brush approach to all the products having a
sudden, severe spike in side-effects seems very
unlikely.
As a veterinarian, please
understand that I am not a player in the game to keep
topical flea products flowing in the marketplace. I have
seen them do a lot of good on a lot of pets, but I've
seen the occasional problem.
I also must acknowledge
the fact that veterinary sales of these products is a
minority of what is in the current marketplace because
of such staggering retail, 1-800 and online pharmacy
sales of these products.
Since we are in June on
the Gulf Coast, you can bet your life that I will
continue to carry these products for pets, because they
have their place in the war against fleas and to better
protect the skin of pets.
However, if action is
taken by the EPA on these products, rest assured that we
as veterinarians have alternatives.
The oral product Capstar
by Novartis has a quick-kill effect on fleas, and can be
used as frequently as needed with no ill-effects.
Novartis also provides
the combination product Sentinel, which as a monthly
pill prevents both heartworms and the internal parasites
of hookworms and roundworms.
Lilly now has the monthly
flea pill Comfortis (sorry, it's not for ticks) which
also has its place in the market as a non-topical. So
fear not, we have answers regardless of what happens
with regard to the EPA investigation.
For now, ask your
veterinarian what path you should take when it comes to
flea and tick products for your pet. We're all after the
same thing: the most comfortable season possible for
your pet.
———
Dr. Chris Duke is a
veterinarian at Bienville Animal Medical Center in Ocean
Springs. Questions for this column are encouraged. Write
to South Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association,
20005 Pineville Road, Long Beach MS 39560 and include a
self-addressed stamped envelope.
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