Heads up folks... be careful of what you use. These products can be dangerous for your pets! For that matter they can be dangerous for you and your children as well.

The following article is from the EPA's website.

Remember your furry friends depend on you being well informed, and using good judgement.

Increased Scrutiny of Flea and Tick Control Products for Pets

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is intensifying its evaluation of spot-on pesticide products for flea and tick control due to recent increases in the number of reported adverse reactions in pets treated with these products. Adverse reactions reported range from mild effects such as skin irritation to more serious effects such as seizures and, in some cases, death of the pet.

Flea and tick products can be appropriate treatments for protecting your pets and your family’s health because fleas and ticks can transmit disease. While many people use the products with no harm to their pets, EPA recommends that pet owners take precautions when using these products. People should carefully follow label directions and monitor their pets for any signs of an adverse reaction after application, particularly when using these products for the first time. Also, before use of these products on weak, aged, medicated, sick, pregnant or nursing pets, or on pets that have previously shown signs of sensitivity to pesticide products, EPA recommends that a veterinarian be consulted. Additional safety tips are available for taking care of fleas and ticks on your pet.

Pets may experience adverse reactions from flea and tick control products, including spot-on treatments, sprays, collars and shampoos. However, the majority of reports 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.

List of Registered Products

EPA has provided a listing of EPA-registered spot-on flea and tick products (10 pp, 63k, About PDF). Since the chart previously located on this page reflected only a portion of the numerous pet spot-on products available, EPA felt that pet owners and consumers might be led to believe that only those products listed were the focus of concern. In fact, EPA is intensifying its evaluation of all spot-on products and is providing a more comprehensive list of these products.

EPA is not initiating a product recall of these products nor is the Agency suggesting that the products not be used. EPA recognizes the importance of the products in effective flea and tick control. EPA’s objective at this stage is simply to advise consumers and pet owners to exercise caution when using the products and to monitor pet behavior following their use, as some animals have experienced adverse reactions following treatment.

Regulatory Agencies are Taking Action

EPA is evaluating all available data and information, including:

reports of adverse reactions,
product market share,
clarity of product use directions and label warnings,
product ingredients, and
pre-market safety data submitted to the Agency in support of registration of these products

This assessment may result in EPA action to require changes in the registration status of certain spot-on products. EPA will be working collaboratively with Health Canada to address this issue, as Canadian regulatory officials have identified similar concerns about the use of spot-on flea and tick products. EPA will be updating this page periodically to provide the public with the most current information on this issue.

Health Canada has identified similar concerns about the use of spot-on flea and tick products. EPA and Health Canada met with product manufacturers to begin discussions about this issue. Read about the May 5, 2009 EPA spot-on meeting with registrants (20 pp, 2.9 MB, About PDF).

For more information

For more information, please visit EPA's Pesticides Q&A database.

Increased Scrutiny of Flea and Tick Control Products for Pets | Pesticides | US EPA

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Life is a journey, the trip is much more pleasurable with furry friends!

Mary E. Robbins
Happy Healthy Hairballs: Otherwise known as Pomeranians
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream in Wyoming
Independent Team Beachbody Coach: Fighting Obesity one Person at a Time

I was visiting with a friend of mine yesterday and she told me that one of her furry friends had died. This particular dog was her friend, companion, and protector. They were very close and she will miss him for a very long time.

For many of us our pets are family members. It is difficult when they die and leave us behind. Since our life spans are usually much longer than theirs (longer than most pets-there are birds in the various parrot families that live longer than we do, turtles as well) they usually pass on before we do. As difficult as it is for us as adults it can be even more so for children.

As often happens when something is on my mind, an email with related info popped into view. The following article Children and Pet Loss by Allen and Linda Anderson came zipping into my email inbox in my Beliefnet Daily Inspiration email.

Saying Goodbye to Your Angel Animals: Finding Comfort after Losing Your Pet a wonderful book by Allen and Linda Anderson.

Children and Pet Loss
By Allen and Linda Anderson

Pets are family members. Children relate to animals as their friends, protectors, and playmates. When the family pet dies, it is often the child’s first exposure to death and can cause him or her to feel confused and upset.

From our research on children and pet loss, as well as our experiences with our own children, we have compiled a list of the major considerations for helping youngsters deal with their grief.

Avoid Euphemisms
When telling children what happened, avoid euphemisms such as, “We had to put Buffy to sleep,” “Buffy got sick and died,” “God took Buffy to heaven,” or “Buffy has gone away.” All of these ways of describing death can be confusing to children and can cause them to fear going to sleep or getting sick, to fear or feel angry toward God, or to believe the pet will come back someday.

Linda M. Peterson writes in Surviving the Heartbreak of Choosing Death for Your Pet that a healthy, clear, factual explanation to a child might sound something like this: “When Max died, his body stopped working. He [couldn’t] breathe, eat, hear, see, go to the bathroom, or play with his friends anymore.” She suggests that a child will be encouraged to talk about feelings concerning death and loss.

Involve your children in the animal’s memorial service and rituals or in creating mementos to commemorate your pet’s life. Tell your child what has been done with the animal’s body.

Explain Death Age-Appropriately
Remember that children grieve differently from adults. Their sadness will come and go and may recur over longer periods of time. Children also deal with grief according to their level of maturation. They will be able to understand death only in ways that are appropriate for their age. Explaining death has similarities to teaching children about sex: it’s best to let the children ask questions and to answer them with only as much information as they require at the time.

Use Art and Storytelling
Often children cannot express or articulate what they are feeling with regard to grief, loss, and death. Sit with them while they draw pictures of their animal friend and tell their own stories of what it was like to live with the pet and how they feel now that the pet is gone. Discern if your child feels responsible for the animal’s death.

Children may believe that somehow they caused the death, perhaps by not taking care of or feeding the animal properly. You can gently correct these assumptions. Encourage children to play and act out what they think has happened to the animal and what they believe is going on with the animal physically and spiritually.

Don't Make Death Sound Too Happy
Explain what happens after death according to your own philosophical, cultural, religious, or spiritual beliefs without making the child think that death is such a “happy” event that it is preferable to living.

Grieve with Your Children
Don’t be afraid to grieve in front of your child. When you mourn openly, you let your child know that it’s okay to be sad, to cry, and to miss the family pet.

Get Professional Help, If Necessary
If your child is grieving excessively, withdrawing, or acting out, don’t hesitate to get professional help. A counselor who specializes in children’s grieving can do wonders to help a child sort through his or her thoughts and emotions about a pet’s death. A child therapist can also help the entire family deal with other issues that may be complicating their grief over the loss of a pet.

Don't Rush Into Adoption
Allow the grief process to take its natural course by not rushing into a new adoption. Wait a while before adopting another pet. Let your child have all the time he or she needs for mourning. If or when your child wants a new pet, explain the ways in which this new one may be different from your previous pet.

Perhaps Wallace Sife author of: The Loss of a Pet best sums up the advice for grieving children and their caregivers when he writes, “Reminisce, fondly, with the children about the pet. Use pictures, if possible. Associate positive, good events with the pet’s memory. Emphasize that as long as we remember and love that pet, he or she will always be part of us.”

More Help for Your Child
Need more information? For children, you can hardly do better than Fred Rogers’s book “When a Pet Dies.” In the introduction Rogers writes, “As you and your children look at the photos and read the text, I hope you’ll find it possible to share your real feelings about a pet’s dying. As for what happens after death, I believe that’s best discussed in light of each family’s traditions and beliefs. Those traditions and beliefs are important things to share with your children if and when they ask!"

The Authors: Allen and Linda Anderson, started Angel Animals a network that shares the blessings pets bring us. Dedicated to promoting human-animal companionship, Allen and Linda donate a portion of proceeds from their work to animal rescue organizations and do fundraising activities. They have written a number of books as well.

Allen and Linda Anderson’s Books and Links:

God's Messengers: What Animals Teach Us About the Divine

Angel Cats: Divine Messengers of Comfort

Angel Dogs: Divine Messengers of Love

Rainbows and Bridges: An Animal Companion Memorial Kit

Angel Horses: Divine Messengers of Hope

Rescued: Saving Animals from Disaster

Angel Animals: Divine Messengers of Miracles

Saying Goodbye to Your Angel Animals: Finding Comfort after Losing Your Pet

Angel Dogs with a Mission: Divine Messengers in Service to All Life

As a Pomeranian Breeder I often receive calls from grieving people immediately after their beloved pet has died; or at times just before one is coming to death. While I certainly understand the urge to immediately gather another pet to your heart, I strongly encourage people to give themselves time to mourn the loss of their loved pet.

Understand that no two pets will ever be the same. Just as each and every human is an individual; each and every dog is an individual. Each and every horse, cat, bird, snake, critter in any form, is an individual. As painful as the loss is, give yourself time to mourn.

Please understand that death is a natural part of life. The difficult part of it is being left behind as those we love forage on ahead; as our time to pass from this life is not yet upon us.

Life is a journey, enjoy the trip.

Live life now: appreciate each moment as it occurs.

Mary E. Robbins & the Hairballs
Robbins Run Ranch: Living the Dream With Our Pomeranians
Independent Beach Body Coach
307.788.0202

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Change your body, Change your health, and Change your Life!