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Flea Collar chemicals can harm pets

Tuesday, September 18, 2012
posted by Jim Murphy

When you put a flea collar on your pet, you probably assume that the chemicals have been tested for safety but this is not always the case. The following is a report that appeared on the Rodale website.

 

According to a report just released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), many name-brand collars on store shelves contain chemicals that can harm pets and their owners, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) isn’t doing anything to stop them. The report honed in on two particular chemicals, tetrachlorvinphos (TCVP) and propoxur, used on national brands of flea collars, including Hartz and Zodiac. TCVP belongs to the class of nerve-damaging chemicals known as organophosphates, most of which are so hazardous that they’ve been banned for residential use or for use on pets. Propoxur belongs to a class of chemicals called carbamates, which also cause nerve damage, and it’s on California’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer. NRDC was particularly concerned with exposure among toddlers and children, who pet animals and then put their hands in their mouths.

 

As an alternative, you can find less toxic fixes to the flea problem. Look for flea treatments that contain insect growth regulators. These usually come in a pill prescribed by your vet. They work by inhibiting the fleas ability to reproduce. In the long run, these are more affective because they disrupt the breeding cycles of fleas. A flea collar will only work if a flea comes in contact with your pet’s fur.

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