Protecting your dog or cat from fleas and ticks is an important part of responsible pet care.

Although there are many brands of over-the-counter flea and tick products available at supermarkets and pet supply stores, it is critical to read their labels and consult with your veterinarian before using them on your companion. These products may contain ingredients that could harm pets and children.

Recent Studies

The Center For Public Integrity released information on its website for its Perils of the New Pesticides study in 2008. At least 1,600 pet deaths related to spot on treatments with pyrethroids were reported to the EPA over the last five years, according to an analysis of EPA pesticide incident exposure data by the center. Over-the-counter flea and tick products could also pose a threat to human health, according to some experts.

The center reported that pyrethroid spot-ons also account “for more than half of ‘major’ pesticide pet reactions reported to EPA over the last five years—that is, those incidents involving serious medical reactions such as brain damage, heart attacks, and violent seizures. In contrast, non-pyrethroid spot on treatments accounted for only about 6 percent of all major incidents.”

The Center For Public Integrity’s study said pyrethroid-based flea and tick treatments are approved for sale by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and they are readily available at grocery stores, specialty pet retailers, and hardware stores, “but they are also linked to thousands of reported pet poisonings, and they have stirred the ire of pet owners, the concern of veterinarians, and the attention of regulatory agencies.”

In 2000, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a report called Poisons on Pets: Health Hazards from Flea and Tick Products. The report also demonstrated a link between chemicals commonly used in flea and tick products and serious health problems.

The Chemicals

Besides pyrethroid-based products, ingredients to be wary of are organophosphate insecticides (OPs) and carbamates, both of which are found in various flea and tick products. A product contains an OP if the ingredient list contains chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, phosmet, naled, tetrachlorvinphos, diazinon, or malathion. If the ingredient list includes carbaryl or propoxur, the product contains a carbamate. According to the NRDC, the potential dangers posed by these products are greatest for children and pets. There is reason to be concerned about long-term, cumulative exposures as well as combined exposures from the use of other products containing OPs and carbamates. The Center For Public Integrity’s study said permethrin is classified under the most toxic category by NRDC because the EPA says it is “likely to be carcinogenic to humans” if ingested orally.

The Products

The NRDC’s report lists flea- and tick-control products marketed under the following major brand names that have been found to contain OPs: Alco, Americare, Beaphar, Double Duty, Ford’s Freedom Five, Happy Jack, Hartz, Hopkins, Kill-Ko, Protection, Rabon, Riverdale, Sergeant’s, Unicorn, Vet-Kem, Victory, and Zema. To protect their pets and children, consumers should consult with a veterinarian before purchasing any over-the-counter (OTC) products.

The Effects

According to the NRDC, there are studies that show OPs and carbamates can harm the nervous system. Children can be especially vulnerable because their nervous systems are still developing. For pets, the data is limited, but according to NRDC, many companion animals appear to have been injured or killed through exposure to pet products containing OPs. Cats are particularly vulnerable, since they often lack enzymes for metabolizing or detoxifying OPs and can ingest OPs by licking their fur.

What about the EPA?

Each year, millions of Americans purchase over-the-counter flea and tick products believing that they couldn’t be sold unless they were proven safe. But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not begin to review pet products for safety until 1996. There is a substantial backlog of products waiting to be tested, so many pet products containing potentially harmful pesticides still make their way onto store shelves.

Reducing the Risks

The HSUS recommends the following precautions be taken to reduce the risks to pets and humans during the flea season:

• Use alternatives to pesticides to control fleas and ticks: Comb your pet regularly with a flea comb, vacuum frequently and dispose of the bags immediately after use, mow areas of the lawn where your dog spends time, wash pet bedding weekly, and wash your pet with a pesticide-free pet shampoo. In addition, to protect cats from fleas and ticks, as well as a host of other outdoor hazards, cats should be kept indoors at all times.
  
  
• Always consult a veterinarian before buying or using any flea or tick control product on your pet.
  
  
• Never use flea and tick products designed for dogs on your cat, or vice versa.
  
  
• Remember never to apply pesticides to very young, elderly, pregnant, or sick animals unless directed to do so by a veterinarian.
  
  

• Always read the ingredients, instructions, and warnings on the package thoroughly.

  
  
• Avoid OP-based products by looking for any of these active ingredients: chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, phosmet, naled, tetrachlorvinphos, diazinon and malathion. Avoid products with carbamates by looking for the chemical names carbaryl and propoxur on the label.
  
  
• Consider using a product with insect-growth regulators (IGRs), which are not pesticides. These will prevent the next generation of fleas but will not kill insects already on your pet. Common and effective IGR products include those made with lufenuron (found in Program® and Sentinel® and available by prescription), methoprene (in Precor®), and pyriproxyfen (in Nylar® and EcoKyl®).
  
  
• You might want to consider several topical products (available through veterinarians) that are insecticides designed to have fewer toxic effects on the nervous systems of mammals: imidacloprid (found in Advantage®), fipronil (in Frontline® or Top Spot®), and selamectin (in Revolution™).

The HSUS would also like to keep track of these cases.* Please send your contact information, the product name, a brief description of the health problem, and a brief summary of your veterinarian’s findings to The HSUS at the following address:

The Humane Society of the United States
Companion Animals Department: Flea Products
2100 L St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20037

Updated Dec. 19, 2008.

*The HSUS will not be able to respond to you personally but will keep this information on file.

Their cat slipped out of their East Bethel, Minn. home and was on the run for two years. The family gave up hope of ever seeing Bob again. Then, just a short time ago, they were reunited by an Internet phenomenon.

“We got him after we got back from our honeymoon,” said Bob’s owner Shane Meide.

So Bob the cat held a special place in the newlywed’s hearts.

“We love everything about his personality. We love the size, we love big, fat cats,” said Nicole Meide.

So they were heart-broken when Bob escaped and ran away months later.

“We searched for days and days, we even put up fliers. We asked everyone in the neighborhood,” said Nicole.

They never found their 20-pound main coon cat and eventually moved away from their East Bethel home.

“We were sad. We missed him so much,” said Nicole.

Then, two years after he disappeared, someone found Bob and brought him into the Coon Rapids Humane Society.

The big cat was scanned for a microchip identification.

“His microchip information was unfortunately out of date,” said Amber Wallin with the Coon Rapids Animal Humane Society.

She searched online for phone numbers with no luck.

Because the Meides cared enough to report Bob missing, and because he was in such good shape and so affectionate, Wallin knew she had to do everything she could to reunite them.

“So I took a leap and checked Facebook,” said Wallin.

She found Shane and Nicole’s Facebook page they had set up just days earlier.

“All of a sudden, out of the blue, we get an e-mail saying, ‘Hey, we found your cat,’” said Shane.

Soon, the Meide family was reunited with their Bob… cat.

“It brought tears of joy, it really did,” said Nicole. “My stomach just jumped because I thought it was fabulous.”

And the Meides are so grateful to Wallin.

“She did go above and beyond. If she wouldn’t have thought to look on Facebook,” said Shance.

And now, the profile picture on the Meide’s Facebook page is appropriately, Bob.

The Humane Society says it’s easy for pet owners to change contact information on their pet by simply calling the company the chip is registered with.

Myth 1: Never give pets ‘people food’
When it comes to pizza, Kung Pao chicken and onion rings, it’s true; you shouldn’t be sharing high-fat, spicy or potentially toxic foods with your pet. But cantaloupe, crunchy raw or lightly steamed vegetables, and meat with fat and gristle trimmed off are favorites of many animals and shouldn’t be off limits. For instance, baby carrots, apples and popcorn are excellent low-calorie treats for dogs. And as long as you’re using high-quality ingredients and a good recipe that meets a pet’s nutritional needs, “people food” is perfectly healthy as a regular meal for your dog or cat.

“The biggest concern with feeding (pets) ‘people food’ is that most people feed too much and create an unbalanced or incomplete diet,” says veterinary nutritionist Sally Perea, who is a co-owner of Davis Veterinary Medical Consulting in Davis, Calif., and senior nutritionist for Natura Pet Products. “As a rule, treats or human foods fed to a pet on a commercial diet should be limited to no more than 10 percent of their daily calories.”

Of course, there are some foods you should never feed your pets. Find a list here.

But feeding a dog or cat from the table? That’s definitely a no-no, experts agree. It takes only one time to create an obnoxious beggar.

Myth 2: Your cat hates your baby
The rumor that Dr. Brazelton helped repopularize goes like this: Families with infants should get rid of their cats because the animals will harm the baby by sucking its breath or lying on it and smothering it.

But experts say this tale probably began because cats, attracted to soft, warm bedding, probably curled up near babies who died from other causes. Because they were found near the babies, the cats got the blame for the death.

“I tell my clients that millions of women for thousands of years have had healthy babies and lived with cats,” says feline veterinary specialist Elaine Wexler-Mitchell of Orange, Calif. “I think the only danger of a cat around a baby is that cats like to snuggle next to warm things in small areas, and a cat will not know if this position is dangerous for the baby.”

She advises keeping cats out of the room where the baby sleeps. If the cat is used to spending time in that room, start restricting its access at least a month before delivery, and don’t allow it to nap in the bassinet.

“Most cats stay away from babies, especially when the baby first comes home,” Wexler-Mitchell says. “They are scared of the crying and the changes in the home environment.”

She recommends letting interaction between cat and baby occur naturally, under supervision. Never leave babies unattended in the presence of cats or dogs, and give pets plenty of attention away from the baby so they don’t feel abandoned.

Myth 3: Dogs and cats eat grass when they’re sick
Nope, they’re just connoisseurs of the green stuff, says Marty Becker, DVM, author with Gina Spadafori of “The Ultimate Dog Lover” and “The Ultimate Cat Lover.”

“They love the taste and texture of grass,” he says. “The newer shoots with a little water on them from the sprinklers or rain is even better.”

He adds, however, that sometimes dogs will consume large amounts of grass, which then propels food through the intestinal system, either back up or out the other end, so that may be the source of the belief.

Myth 4: Bad breath is normal
A healthy pet has fresh breath. Just as in people, bad breath is a sign of a serious health problem.

“Periodontal disease is the number one most commonly diagnosed problem in veterinary medicine,” Dr. Becker says. “By having good oral health, pets can live up to 15 percent longer, which is an average of two years.”

Brush your pet’s teeth regularly, making sure to use a toothpaste that’s intended for your dog or cat. Daily is best, but even weekly is better than nothing.

Myth 5: Tail-wagging means a dog is friendly
Don’t count on it. Tail wags have lots of different meanings, some friendly and some not.

“You have to look at the body posture of the animal and everything else it’s doing,” says veterinary behaviorist Melissa Bain, chief of the clinical animal behavior service at the University of California at Davis. “How is the tail wagging? Stiffly, tucked and wagging, nice and flowing, is the whole body wagging? That all has to be taken into consideration.”

Some signals to consider:

• Relaxed, comfortable dogs generally have a gently wagging tail held horizontally or slightly lowered.
• Confident dogs carry their tails up.
• Dogs with their tails down may be stalking prey, feeling cautious or indicating friendliness and respect to the one they’re greeting.
• Together with a lowered head, direct stare, closed mouth, ears held back and eyes wide open, a lowered tail is a clear warning to back off.
• A tucked tail indicates anxiety, avoidance or caution.

Myth 6: Rub a dog’s nose in its ‘business’ to housetrain it
That only makes your dog afraid of you. Instead of learning to potty outdoors, it will find hidden places to go in the house and avoid relieving itself in front of you, even outdoors.

“Punishment is often overly harsh and used incorrectly,” Dr. Bain says. “The best way to train any animal is to reward the appropriate behavior.”

To successfully housetrain a dog, always take it out on leash so that when it potties outside, you will be right there to reward it with a treat, praise, a favorite toy or playtime afterward.

Myth 7: Cats always land on their feet
That’s almost true, Dr. Becker says.

“When you see fast-motion studies of cats, they rotate their heads and find the ground and twist their body into position,” he says. “The one thing they do that is remarkable is that right before they reach terminal velocity, they spread out like a flying squirrel and relax right before impact so they don’t hit rigidly, they hit with flexibility.”

But not all of them land on their feet. Every once in a while, a kitty klutz comes along.

“You’ll see a pile of kittens out there playing and climbing up something and falling or jumping off. Several of them land on their feet and then one of them klunks down on its head,” Dr. Becker says.

Kids, don’t test this at home.

Freedom Dogs, a San Diego-based nonprofit, caters to that need with a program, which trains service dogs to help Marines coming home from Afghanistan and Iraq to overcome persisting medical and physical limitations.

The program offers a unique way in which more and more service dogs are now being utilized.

Sgt. Ian Welch is one of the first Marines to work with a Freedom Dog. Following his tours of duty in Iraq, the 25- year-old is still reeling from a traumatic brain injury, as well as severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

Welch was injured during his tour of in Iraq in 2003; he was later re-deployed with his unit, the 3rd Battalion 4th Marines Kilo Company, again in 2004, and then, one more time, in 2005.

He survived the wartime ordeals, but witnessed many of his friends die beside him. Despite his recurrent service, Welch does not consider himself a hero.

“Heroes,” he said, “don’t come home.”

Though he does not hold himself in such high esteem, Welch says he has unfortunately seen many heroes come and go.

“I lost 12 Marines in three years; some lose 12 Marines in one day. I count myself lucky,” he said.

Though now safe and settled in San Diego, Welch brought the traumas of war home with him. He says he struggles to live with PTSD every day. His brain injury, compounded with the effects of PTSD, make him forget little things along the way, and then become confused as to why he cannot remember they way he once did.

As the months dragged on, Welch became very depressed. When his new commanding officer, Capt. Catherine Harrington, first met him through the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Camp Pendelton, a Marine training base in southern California, she said she thought he was “withdrawn and dealing with some of the awful things these guys have to deal with.”

Harrington says that Welch’s six months spent with Freedom Dogs has made a drastic difference in his demeanor and apparent emotional state.

Welch lights up when he plays with Gunner, a black Labrador puppy he’s training to be his full-time service dog. He drives an hour just to take the puppy to veterinary appointments. After a year, if Welch meets certain owner requirements, he’ll get to keep Gunner for good.

In the meantime, Welch works with three other Freedom Dogs on a rotating basis. The dogs’ trainer is Beth Russell, who helped start Freedom Dogs in 2004. Two years later, the Marine Corps launched a pilot program with the service dogs to see how they could help troops combat PTSD.

Russell is amazed at how much her dogs have helped Welch in such a short time.

“Sgt. Welch is so much more confident,” Russell said. “He smiles and he laughs. He didn’t smile when I first met him.”

Harrington agrees: “It’s amazing to see the life back in his face.”

Welch says the Freedom Dogs help counter the effects of his PTSD by offering a simple, cuddly distraction. Anything from a loud noise to seeing a box on the side of the road can trigger his PTSD.

The dogs sense Welch’s anxiety and in return, make their presence known through touch, he says.

“I’m not ducking under the table yelling, ‘grenade,’ but I might be thinking about it and it’s that simple act of the dog putting his head on my boot that grounds me,” he said.

The dogs are also always willing to listen to Welch, who says he tells them secrets and sings songs to them in the car.

The Freedom Dogs have gone through two years of specialized training to be therapy dogs for people with cognitive disorders. The dogs are also trained to help people with physical disabilities.

Welch, for example, has bad knees, so the Freedom Dogs will sometimes pick up his keys for him or grab something off a grocery store shelf, so he doesn’t have to bend down and strain the ligaments.

Since working with the Freedom Dogs, Welch ventures out into public more frequently; instead of avoiding places like the movies and grocery stores, he now takes a Freedom Dog with him. Together they work on overcoming his fear of crowded environments.

But working with the dogs is not all fun and games.

“It’s tough work” Welch said. Still, a little patience with his canine comrades goes a long way in helping him enjoy life again, one day at a time.

Studies done by the San Francisco SPCA found that 2,000,000 animals transported in the cargo hold of commercial airlines per year, about 5,000 are injured.  The APHIS said that almost every major airline has been cited and fined for repeatedly mishandleing animals.

The flights will be serving five US cities: New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles.

The plane is fully-lit, climate-controlled, and have fresh air circulation.  The pets (Pawsengers)will not be left in the heat, or cold,and be offered potty times.

The airlines wants the furry friends owners to not be worried their four-legged animals will be fine.

2. Okay, the dog is allowed in the house, but only in certain rooms.

3. The dog is allowed in all rooms, but has to stay off the furniture.

4. The dog can get on the old furniture only.

5. Fine, the dog is allowed on all the furniture, but is not allowed to sleep with the humans on the bed.

6. Okay, the dog is allowed on the bed, but only by invitation.

7. The dog can sleep on the bed whenever he wants, but not under the covers.

8. The dog can sleep under the covers by invitation only

9. The dog can sleep under the covers every night.

10. Humans must ask permission to sleep under the covers with the dog.

From “My Dog is the World’s Best Dog” by Suzy Becker.

14. Notably absent from home during surprise feline invasion of Poland.

13. When you enter the room, Snowball and the other members of the Tri-Cateral Commission stop talking and begin playing with yarn.

12. Behind the couch you find a forged passport, plane tickets, and nine suicide bombs.

11. What you thought was “heat” is actually a four-legged goose step.

10. Well, “somebody” subscribed to alt.cats.world.domination.

9. Autopsy of the last mouse left on your doormat reveals “tattoo” to be blueprint of the UN Building.

8. Constantly petting that bald man he keeps on his lap.

7. Kitty Chow spilled on the floor spells out “Drop the car keys and leave the door open or the dog gets it in the head.”

6. Then — dead mice in the kitchen. Now — dead third world dictators in the basement.

5. Judging from the kitchen, he seems to be working on some kind of “land mine” technology.

4. Fluffy is now sleeping only 21 hours a day, down from 23.

3. Has recently been acting somewhat… aloof.

2. What your cat lacks in charisma and good looks, he makes up for with his ruthless handling of rival software companies.

and the Number 1 Sign Your Cat is Plotting World Domination…

1. Somehow, you’re now subscribed to “Feline of Fortune” magazine.

Chris White