Pet Medicine - Medication

Safety Concerns Related to Flea, Tick, and
Mosquito Control Products

Safety should also be a primary concern when choosing and using flea, tick, and mosquito control products. Gather as much information you can pertaining to the options available and always read the information associated with each product before making your purchase decision. Only use items that are safe for your species of pet, as well as their age and medical condition. Check with your vet before using more than one product and/or if your pet is currently taking some other form of medication.

Prior to applying/using your chosen treatment, know the potential negative side effects related to the product and what actions you should take if such conditions arise. You should also keep pets separated until any topically applied product has dried; otherwise, animals could groom one another or have some other form of contact thereby exposing them to potentially hazardous products that are not labeled for them to ingest and/or to be exposed to.

Many flea, tick, and mosquito control products are used in "off-label" manners on animals that the product has yet to be tested on; do your homework prior to doing so or be forewarned that your choice could cause serious harm and/or death to your pet. A few specific "off-label" pet safety notes that we'd like to share with you include:

Birds

Because birds spend a great deal of time preening themselves (this actually reduces the likelihood that they'll have a flea/tick problem) and because they are capable of reaching almost every part of their body, consult with your veterinarian to determine the safest flea/tick product to use.
Regular bathing and herbal products are available and are perhaps the safest options.
Be careful of using aerosol-type flea/tick products around birds, as they are often extremely toxic to such pets.

Ferrets

While safety-related studies have yet to be conducted, the following products have been used with few negative side effects on ferrets: Advantage, Frontline Spray, Frontline Top Spot, and Program.
Specific products deemed unsuitable for ferrets include Bio Spot and Defend.
Products should be made for ferrets or kittens/cats. Dog products are too strong.
Check with your veterinarian for the proper dosage (usually half that recommended for cats).
Never use products that have carbamates (e.g., Sevin, carbaryl), petroleum distillates, and organophoshates (e.g., malathion, dichlorovos) in their ingredients. Also, avoid cedar-oil-based herbal options.
Pyrethrin-based products can be used.
Dips can be toxic and risky for ferrets. Stick with using shampoos.
Never put a flea collar on your ferret.
Powders can be a risky choice because they can irritate the lungs and/or the skin.
Apply topical liquid products only on areas that your ferret cannot reach to lick and ingest.
"Natural" options for ferret flea control include Brewer's yeast, citronella oil, garlic, lavender oil, lemon oil, and pennyroyal oil.

Gerbils/Guinea Pigs/Hamsters

Flea control products used on these animals should be made specifically for them and/or for kittens/cats. Dog products are too strong.
Powders made for such pets should be sprinkled directly on their bedding.
Avoid using sprays directly on these animals; spray your hands first and them rub the product into their fur.
Pyrethrin-containing products are generally safe for these small mammals (but not rabbits - see below).
Change the bedding often to help in reducing the populations of the offending pests.

Rabbits

Avoid using Frontline on your rabbit(s). It has been known to cause death and seizures in such animals.
Advantage has been reported to be safe for use on rabbits. Check with your veterinarian for the proper dosage for your pet.
Never use flea collars, flea dips, or permythrin- or pyrethrin-containing products such as Bio-Spot on rabbits.
Be cautious when using herbal products on your rabbit(s). Many are toxic to them, especially pennyroyal.
As with ferrets, apply topical liquid products only on areas where your rabbit cannot reach to lick and ingest.
A "natural" product known as Worm-Out can be added to your rabbit's food and/or sprinkled on its' fur to aid in reducing both external and internal parasites, including fleas.

Reptiles

Check with your veterinarian before using any medicated flea/tick product on your pet reptiles.

A popular reptile product is De Flea Reptile Relief that is effective against fleas, ticks, mites, and lice. It kills all life stages by destroying the outer skeleton of the pests. Such a product contains no pyrethrins or similar compounds. This product should NOT be used on amphibians including frogs and toads.

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