Increased Scrutiny of Flea and Tick Control Products for Pets

Advisory: Increased Scrutiny of Flea and Tick Control Products for Pets
Taking care of fleas and ticks on your pet
Due to a recent sharp increase in the number of incidents being reported from the use of spot-on pesticide products for flea and tick control for pets, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is intensifying its evaluation of whether further restrictions on the use of these products are necessary to better protect pets.

Incidents with flea and tick products can involve the use of spot-on treatments, sprays, collars and shampoos. However, the majority of the potential incidents reported to EPA are related to flea and tick treatments with EPA-registered spot-on products. Spot-on products are generally sold in tubes or vials and are applied to one or more localized areas on the body of the pet, such as in between the shoulders or in a stripe along the back. EPA-registered spot-on, topically applied flea and tick products have an EPA Registration Number on the label (look for EPA Reg. No. XXX-XX).

Incident report summary
Adverse reactions reported from the spot-on products range from mild effects such as skin irritation to more serious effects such as seizures and in some cases death. Over 44,000 potential incidents associated with registered spot-on products were reported to EPA in 2008. Pesticide registrants are required by law to submit information to EPA on adverse effects resulting from the use of any registered pesticide. The seven products in the table below represent about 80% of that total.

In reviewing the list of seven products, please note the following:

• This information is subject to revision as new information becomes available;
• This information does not account for the market share of these products;
• This information does not reflect the severity of incidents;
• This information does not reflect potential misuse of the products; and
• If incidents are not reported by pet owners or registrants, this may affect the potential accuracy of this list.

In addition, a cause and effect relationship between these products and any individual adverse reaction or incident has not been confirmed. EPA is carefully evaluating all available data, including incident data, to help identify and if necessary, take prompt regulatory action to address risks. By collecting, compiling, and reviewing the incident data, EPA is able to make better decisions to reduce risks and target other regulatory activities.

EPA Registration Number Product Names
80490-2 Promeris Spot On for Dogs & Promeris for Dogs
65331-5 Frontline Plus for Dogs
65331-4 Frontline Plus for Cats
2724-504 RF2004(CCSO) Zodiac Spot On Flea & Tick Control for Cats (5 lbs and over) & Zodiac Spot On Flea & Tick Control for Cats & Kittens (under 5 lbs)
2724-497 RF9908 Spot On Zodiac Groomers’ Spot On Pack, Zodiac Spot On Flea & Tick Control for Small Dogs 16–30 lbs, Zodiac Spot On Flea & Tick Control for Medium Dogs 31-60 lbs, Zodiac Spot On Flea & Tick Control for Large Dogs Over 60 lbs, Zodiac Spot On Flea & Tick Control for Puppies, Toys & Miniatures under 15 lbs
2517-85 Sergeant’s Cyphenothrin Squeeze-on for Dogs, Sergeant’s Silver Flea and Tick Squeeze-on for Dogs, Sentry XFC Flea and Tick Squeeze-on for Dogs, Sentry XFC Squeeze-on for Dogs, Sergeant’s Silver Squeeze-on for Dogs
2517-80 Sergeant’s Cyphenothrin + IGR Squeeze-on for Dogs, Sergeant’s Gold Squeeze-on for Dogs, Sergeant’s Gold Flea and Tick Squeeze-on for Dogs, Sentrypro XFC Flea and Tick Squeeze-on for Dogs, Sentrypro XFC Squeeze-on for Dogs, Sentrypro XFC Flea and Tick Squeeze-on for Dogs Extreme Flea Control

Regulatory agencies are taking action
Health Canada has identified similar concerns about the use of spot-on flea and tick products. Health Canada and EPA will be meeting with product manufacturers shortly to address this issue, including whether further restrictions are necessary to protect the health of pets.