Flea Treatments - All You Need to Know

When biting bugs ‘spring’ into action, we’re advised to apply an insecticide on dogs’ necks to prevent any risk of fleas, yet such topical applications don’t prevent fleas from jumping on your pooch for a quick snack.

Whilst one flea will only bite the once, in some ‘allergenic’ dogs just one bite from a flea can trigger an eruption of flea dermatitis.

This is a nasty allergic reaction that becomes deep rooted if not treated, with a vicious cycle being created between the symptom and the cause.

The irony is that fleas jump on and off your dog, they predominantly live and breed in your garden, in your home furnishings, carpets, in your wardrobes, even in your car – in fact 90% of fleas will be in your environment, not on your dog!

We’re living in a world where monthly ‘subscriptions’ are a business model, and vet practices have optimised such packages, encouraging monthly insecticide treatments as a precautionary solution to fleas.

Yet in many other countries, especially in Scandinavia, vets are prohibited from selling treatments unless the dog actually does have fleas. Then a prescription is prescribed to obtain the insecticide at a pharmacy.

The mantra being to #TestBeforeYouTreat, which scientists at Imperial College London are urging British vets to adopt this approach, at least assess the risk to benefit of monthly application following shocking evidence that insecticides only used on pets are polluting British rivers.

The insecticides used in these flea products flow down household drains when pet owners wash their hands after applying the treatment.

Vet guidelines advise that pet owners should not touch their animals until the application site is dry, but the Sussex-Imperial research, which was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, shows that pollution lasts for the product’s entire duration of action, which is at least one month, potentially even longer

Wastewater from sewage treatment works is a leading source of fipronil and imidacloprid pollution in rivers, with concentrations exceeding safe limits for wildlife.

With drastic implications for wildlife, as the pesticides contained within the flea treatments can harm fish and invertebrates that live in waterways.

Both Fipronil and imidacloprid are widely used in flea treatments, which are typically applied to the back of the pet’s neck once a month, but no longer approved for use in outdoor agriculture. Imidacloprid belongs to a group of pesticides known as neonicotinoids, which affect pollinators. In fact, a teaspoon of Imidacloprid can kill 1.25 million bees!

The paper from Imperial College London shows how domestic pet flea and tick treatments or Parasiticides, are largely overlooked, but are a potentially significant source of contamination polluting our waterways.

Scientists are urging vets to assess the risk to benefit of each individual animal, with certain single house cats potentially never needing a treatment at all!

Offering practical advice like recommending natural product alternatives and teaching owners to test for fleas with a piece of white paper and a flea comb!

In the same way that we might apply a ‘mosquito’ repellent, there’s a raft of natural ‘sprays’, shampoos, containing ‘anti-flea’ essential oils like lavender, rosemary and cedarwood.

As fleas are ‘sugar-junkies’ there’s evidence that dogs fed on a raw balanced and complete diet are bitten much less than those fed on a starch packed kibble alternative.

On a bigger scale these insecticides could be harmful for human health as until recently the impact of pet parasiticides has been considered ‘trivial' in the grand scheme. But if pet owners get these insecticides on their hands, its likely they are all over the home, and as yet the impact of such parasiticides has not been studied on human health!

Anna Webb – as a Canine Nutrition and Behaviour expert, Anna combines her psychology degree, with study at the College of Integrated Veterinary Therapies (CIVT) and over 20 years - experience. Host of the award-nominated A DOG’S LIFE podcast, she lives in London, and is owned by Prudence, a Miniature Bull Terrier and Mr Binks, a re-homed English Toy Terrier. www.annawebb.co.uk