Meghane,

I just send your message to everyone I know! Thanks.

Any of the flea / tick collars are potentially dangerous. Most are ineffective against fleas.

While *VERY* effective against ticks (and off-label for mange) the Preventic® Tick Collar for dogs contains amitraz which will kill a dog or cat if it should be ingested.

You cannot put an Amitraz-containing collar ON a cat- it will kill them. Ingestion in both dogs and cats is very very bad. Amitraz is also absorbed through the skin, so children should not have contact with a dog wearing an Amitraz collar. People on certain antidepressants are also very susceptible to bad interactions with amitraz if absorbed through the skin.

Pyrethrins are useless against fleas, but do a good job killing cats. Dogs are generally OK, and pyrethrins are not well absorbed if ingested by either species. Of course, having a flea collar in the stomach of a dog or cat isn't good, but at least the animal isn't blocked AND poisoned.

We lost our beloved German Shepherd to Organophosphate poisoning from a Hartz Mountain flea collar years ago. We didn't realize that when the label recommended changing the collar if it got wet, that it was because the pesticide released became stronger rather than weaker. We were so ignorant of the collar danger and it breaks my heart to think that a simple bath might have saved her. Instead the poison was on her fur and skin and continued to poison her even though we removed the collar.

The animals severely injured and killed due to these products number in the thousands over the years. It's awful that this company continues to stay in business.

..... You cannot put an Amitraz-containing collar ON a cat- it will kill them.....

I've only had experience with a kitty swallowing a section of the trimmed Preventic collar rather than having someone actually put it on the kitty.

Well heck. That opens up a whole other tragic topic doesn't it? Pet owner who don't read the label or think that cats are just small dogs rather than a whole different species. If the lable clearly states: DO NOT USE ON CATS there's a valid reason for it!

A few weeks ago there was a kitten who had a topical permethrin flea control for dogs product applied and within 10 minutes the kitten was having muscle fasciculations (severe twitching) and seizures. The product (forget the name right now) clearly stated NOT FOR USE ON CATS! We only had the oral anti-seizure medication recommended by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control on hand and *strongly* recommended the people go to the near-by emergency clinic for the injectable form. For the trip ... among a whole host of other things ... we gave a big slug of diazapam and told them this was a temporary fix until the kitty could get the other injectable.

They took the kitten HOME! :*(

We won't dispense the topical K-9 Advantix product to dog owners who also have cats just because one of the ingredients is permethrin. Should the dog's kitty friend rub up against the newly applied wet product the kitty is in real danger of seizure and death.

Any way ... As Meghane stated ... These products are potentially harmful to the pet owner as well as the pets. The topicals and the collars are toxins in one form or other and hopefully people will not just blindly believe these are entirely harmless to their pets or themselves.

I'm surprised flea collars are still around as well. Years ago there were stories about the Hartz collars killing dogs. I guess Hartz is so huge they can do whatever they want. :(

As for parvo - we've lost several foster puppies to that horrible, preventable disease. It sickens me that people don't vaccinate their dogs and it gets spread so easily.

I'm sorry you lost a patient. I feel bad for the woman who took the stray in and tried to do the right thing. Hopefully her loss will help to educate others.

Sher

I only use the collar in my vacuum cleaner bag to kill any sand fleas that may get into my house. Never on my dogs. Thanks for the info Meghane

Vickey-MN

Mona, I'm sorry about the loss of your dog. I had no idea that those collars released more insecticide when wet. I will make sure to warn people. Thank you.

Meghane, you said in your first post, "I had NO idea that they were organophosphates- I thought they were pyrethrins which are not well absorbed orally." I just want to point out that pyrethrins, pyrethrums, etc. ARE organophosphates. Even though a pesticide may start out as organic, or be organic, which some versions of pyrethrums are, being derived from a type of daisy, doesn't mean they can't be dangerous, as you so kindly point out. Organophosphates are potentially very dangerous.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your patient, and for it's family that was just trying to do the right thing.

Sally

Pyrethrins and organophosphates are different classes of drug. Pyrethrins are NOT organophosphates- it is the structure of the molecule that puts it into one class or the other. Organophosphates are MUCH more toxic to mammals than pyrethrins (which are actually derived from crysanthemums not daisies). Organophosphates are derived from a reaction between alcohols and phosphoric acid. Their method of action is also totally different. Organophosphates inactivate aceytlcholinesterase in ALL species while pyerthrins interfere with insect sodium channels. This is why atropine (acetylcholinesterase inhibitor) is curative for organophosphate poisoning but not for pyrethrin toxicity where you just wash off topical applications and treat symptoms as they occur, but there is no specific antidote.

Okay, I have been told and thought I had read that pyrethrums were organophosphates. I stand corrected.

As for calling the pyrethrum flower a type of daisy, I was using one of its common names, pyrethrum daisy.

Sally