another danger of topical flea treatments .

[bruinsBoxers]

Dog stuck in crate highlights rare risk of spot-on flea treatment

A veterinarian presented with a peculiar case of a poodle stuck in its crate last week traced the problem to the pet’s spot-on flea treatment.

Residue from the product Advantage, which was applied between the poodle’s shoulders, somehow came in contact with the plastic base of the animal’s
crate, dissolving the plastic and causing it to adhere to the dog’s belly.

When the dog wouldn’t come out of its crate the next morning, its concerned owner brought the dog, crate and all, to Dr. Tej Dhaliwal of North Town
Veterinary Hospital in Ontario , Canada . Following two hours of sleuthing, Dhaliwal concluded that benzyl alcohol, an inactive ingredient in
Advantage, was to blame.

Bayer Animal Health, maker of Advantage, acknowledged that the flea treatment was the likely culprit and offered to pay the owner’s veterinary bill,
compensate him for loss of salary and replace the crate, Dhaliwal said.

Bob Walker, a spokesman for Bayer in the United States , confirmed that Advantage contains benzyl alcohol, which reacts with certain plastics. He
said he consulted with colleagues in veterinary services and was told, “We know it can happen, but we’ve never seen it.”

Walker said a lead veterinarian in the department thought that most of the veterinary community was aware of the potential for the product to react
with plastic. Walker said that he personally had not heard of such a thing before. He added, “My counsel would be, if you’re not aware, you need to
be aware.”

The incident certainly surprised Dhaliwal, a practitioner for 13 years, who posted his experience in an online discussion board of the Veterinary
Information Network (VIN). Some veterinarians said they were familiar with the potential for the product to damage plastic, but many were astonished by
the news.

Dhaliwal said the owner of the dog, a 15-year-old poodle mix, had applied Advantage to the dog before bedtime. He speculated that the dog rolled over
in the crate before the liquid pesticide dried. Presumably, residue of the product made contact with the plastic floor of the crate, causing the plastic to dissolve and “glue” the dog in place overnight.

Dhaliwal noted that the dog had been unable to eat, drink or relieve itself for 15 hours by the time he managed to free it with a tool normally used
to scrape excess plaster from drywall.

The white dog had a patch of dark gray plastic about 6 inches by 4 inches stuck to its fur. Following the advice of representatives at Bayer,
Dhaliwal said, he removed the remaining plastic using the contents of another two tubes of Advantage. Once freed, the dog was fine.

From the start, the dog’s owner suspected that the Advantage was to blame, Dhaliwal said. The veterinarian figured some chemical was involved but wasn’t sure what. At first, he applied regular alcohol to the plastic base, to no effect. Then he tried a tube of Advantage. The plastic liquified almost
instantly, and his gloved hand stuck to the plastic.

Photographs snapped with his iPhone show a puddle of liquid across the bottom of the crate. Dhaliwal said one tube containing .5 cc of product
covered half the crate base; he speculated that the plastic, as it dissolved, perpetuated the chemical reaction.

According to a Material Data Safety Sheet for benzyl alcohol posted at http://www.sciencelab.com/ , the compound “can extract and dissolve polystyrene plastic and may attack other plastics.”

The chemical is in wide use, found in hundreds of cosmetic formulations including baby toiletries, mascaras, hair dyes and skin care products,
according to the article “Benzyl Alcohol Allergy: Importance of Patch Testing Personal Products,” published Feb. 15, 2006, in the journal Dermatitis.

Its function in topical preparations is as a preservative, solvent, anesthetic and/or to decrease viscosity, the article states.

Walker at Bayer said the company veterinarian he consulted speculated that benzyl alcohol is found in a variety of spot-on flea treatments besides
Advantage. However, it’s not possible to determine which products contain the compound by reading their labels, as manufacturers are not required to
list inactive ingredients.

Dale Kemery, a spokesman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which regulates pesticides including spot-on pet parasiticides, said the
agency is considering a new rule to require that manufacturers disclose pesticides’ inert ingredients.

“This increased transparency will assist consumers and users of pesticides in making informed decisions and will better protect public health and the
environment,” Kemery said by e-mail. “The Agency anticipates publishing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register within the
next few months.”

Kemery also encouraged anyone aware of adverse reactions with an EPA-registered product to report the matter to the manufacturer and directly to EPA.

“Manufacturers of pesticide products are required to report to EPA information they receive about potential adverse effects of their products, but
reporting to the EPA directly is beneficial because the data we receive from the manufacturers is aggregated by severity category, and the report of an
individual incident that we receive directly may provide more details initially that could lead to a follow-up by EPA with the manufacturer,” Kemery
said.

Walker said Bayer officials in Canada examined the lot of Advantage used on the dog to check whether it contained an abnormally high concentration of
benzyl alcohol but found nothing unusual.

Dhaliwal complimented Bayer for taking responsibility right away. “Obviously, this is something of ongoing concern," he added.

He said he plans to write a report on the incident and submit it to a professional journal in hopes of spreading the word. “This is something that
everyone needs to know,” he said.

[daisy'smom]

I am so glad I don't use those products!!! Thank you for the info.

[Ron]

that's scary stuff.

[KeeperBoy]

I put one dose one Boo when she was a pup because she had a few fleas. I bought the three dose pack and never used to other two. I can't believe it is even legal to sell that crap, it is so terrible for animals.

[Spyglass Sally]

From the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep cosmetic data base on benzyl alcohol:

Given the incomplete information made available by companies and the government, EWG provides additional information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature. The chart below indicates that research studies have found that exposure to this ingredient -- not the products containing it -- caused the indicated health effect(s) in the studies reviewed by Skin Deep researchers. Actual health risks, if any, will vary based on the level of exposure to the ingredient and individual susceptibility -- information not available in Skin Deep.
This ingredient:
Cancer
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
Violations, restrictions & warnings
Allergies/immunotoxicity
Contamination concerns
Other strong concerns for this ingredient: Occupational hazards
Other moderate concerns for this ingredient: Neurotoxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient: Endocrine disruption, Ecotoxicology

[Ron]

I can't believe this is still sold

[Spyglass Sally]

Originally Posted by Ron (Magtie)

I can't believe this is still sold

From 'Not Just Another Pretty Face' - "The FDA requires cosmetics companies to 'adequately substantiate safety' of products, or else carry a warning label that says the safety of the product has not been determined. But there are no protocols or definitions to demonstrate safety - and not surprisingly, no products carrying the warning label. In 2004 the EWG petitioned the FDA to recall products that violated the recommendations of the industry's safety panel, clarify what it means for companies to 'adequately substantiate safety,' and investigate products containing the most toxic chemical ingredients. The FDA denied the petition on all counts; the agency said it did not have the authority take action."

And the problem isn't limited to cosmetics. Dr. David Graham, Associate Director for Science and Medicine in FDA's Office of Drug Safety testified before a Senate committee that “the FDA, as currently configured, is incapable of protecting America against another Vioxx. We are virtually defenseless.”

Earlier this year a group of scientists from the FDA wrote a letter in which they stated:

"The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the scientific review process for medical devices at the FDA has been corrupted and distorted by current FDA managers, thereby placing the American people at risk"

"Managers have ordered, intimidated and coerced FDA experts to modify scientific evaluations, conclusions and recommendations in violation of the laws, rules and regulations, and to accept clinical and technical data that is not scientifically valid."

"Currently, there is an atmosphere at FDA in which the honest employee fears the dishonest employee, and not the other way around," the scientists wrote.

I don't know about our BoxerHub friends in other parts of the world, but in the U.S. we would all do well to not assume the government is watching out for us.

[KeeperBoy]

Not to sound too snooty but who puts this stuff on their animals month after month? Do they just not know better? Are fleas that big of a deal? I get the worry with ticks, but with short hair dogs it isn't that hard to see a tick. I know fleas are very annoying and dogs can be allergic, but putting such incredibly harsh chemicals on your dog just seems insane. Maybe I'm naive though

[AussieGirl]

Originally Posted by KeeperBoy

I get the worry with ticks, but with short hair dogs it isn't that hard to see a tick.

Actually even on a short hair dog ticks can be hard to find, they have been known to go deep in the ear, crawl into the anus and vagina - can't really see them when they do that.

Our Goldie died after the vet found a second tick embedded in her foot pad - practically unseen by the naked eye. Our Vet tells us that he once lost a dog and found the tick afterwards inside the eyelid. Another was lodged inside the dog's anus and another down the back of the dog's throat.

Also when you have lost a dog in a horendous way from a paralysis tick (we were all natural with her - no preventatives) yeah the prevention option is more desirable, don't get me wrong when someone can give me a PROVEN more natural alternative I will jump at it.

[Spyglass Sally]

The manufacturers of these products would like you to believe that they are proven as safe and effective, and anything else is risky. But I don't think the evidence supports that. Sure, you might get fleas if you don't use it, but you might if you do too - or something much worse than fleas as the chemicals themselves cause disease and death not always directly linked to their use. Weighing the risk/benefit of these toxic chemicals versus natural approaches means evaluating more than the risk of fleas.

Whole Dog Journal has published two very informative articles on the subject which may be helpful for anyone thinking about what to do: Are Spot On Flea Killers Safe and Eliminate Fleas Without Poisons.