Recently ABC news aired a segment about over the counter flea and tick spot on products. The reviews were not good and sited many health problems from dogs acting nervous to the actual death of dogs. The symptoms vary from dog to dog. For the most part the product makers say it is the way the public applies the product to the dog, either putting the wrong amount on , using a dog product for a cat, or combining two products together, etc. Nothing they mentioned is new to the pet owners who have been complaining for years but are only now getting noticed since our pets are becoming such a big part of our lives.
Pet health care has always been a bit on the expensive side and let's face it , if a vet tells you your dog needs something you say okay and figure out later where the money will come from. Who wants to jeopardize the health of a such a valued family member? How many of us seek second opinions?
My point being that when a company comes along with a seemingly cheaper over the counter product that mimics the expensive product we buy from a vet office, the main stream public will go for it almost without question ,as well ,we begin to question why our Vet may tell us to stay away from such a product, believeing that a monetary loss for the Vet may be a factor. The price and the availability of a product are usually in the fore front of our minds until we have actual proof that harm has come to someone we know or if it is publicized on the news.
Some of you know I have been working part time answering dog questions for a few years now and I can't express enough how many questions are about reactions to an over the counter flea medication, some with not such great endings.
In the event that you know of a friend that has put this type of medication on their dog and they tell you the dog is acting abnormally, tell them to wash the dog with mild dish soap, ( dawn dish washing liquid has always been recommended) and rinse over and over again.
Below you will find the sites regarding the news reports and I would urge that you stick with proven methods of killing fleas and ticks to keep your pooch unharmed. While true there is a rare occasion that a few dogs will actually have an allergic reaction to almost any vet prescribed medication, it happens less frequently then when we use untested and unsafe over the counter products .
ABC news
http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/05/unleashed_flea_and_tick_soluti.html
CBS News
http://cbs3.com/local/Spring.Fleas.Ticks.2.1009282.html
Bio spot testimonial and victims site
http://www.biospotvictims.org/
Pet health care has always been a bit on the expensive side and let's face it , if a vet tells you your dog needs something you say okay and figure out later where the money will come from. Who wants to jeopardize the health of a such a valued family member? How many of us seek second opinions?
My point being that when a company comes along with a seemingly cheaper over the counter product that mimics the expensive product we buy from a vet office, the main stream public will go for it almost without question ,as well ,we begin to question why our Vet may tell us to stay away from such a product, believeing that a monetary loss for the Vet may be a factor. The price and the availability of a product are usually in the fore front of our minds until we have actual proof that harm has come to someone we know or if it is publicized on the news.
Some of you know I have been working part time answering dog questions for a few years now and I can't express enough how many questions are about reactions to an over the counter flea medication, some with not such great endings.
In the event that you know of a friend that has put this type of medication on their dog and they tell you the dog is acting abnormally, tell them to wash the dog with mild dish soap, ( dawn dish washing liquid has always been recommended) and rinse over and over again.
Below you will find the sites regarding the news reports and I would urge that you stick with proven methods of killing fleas and ticks to keep your pooch unharmed. While true there is a rare occasion that a few dogs will actually have an allergic reaction to almost any vet prescribed medication, it happens less frequently then when we use untested and unsafe over the counter products .
ABC news
http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2009/05/unleashed_flea_and_tick_soluti.html
CBS News
http://cbs3.com/local/Spring.Fleas.Ticks.2.1009282.html
Bio spot testimonial and victims site
http://www.biospotvictims.org/
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