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Pet flea treatments and water pollution

J

Joe Winstanley

Senior Member & Supporter
www.theguardian.com

Pet flea treatments poisoning rivers across England, scientists find

Discovery is ‘extremely concerning’ for water insects, and fish and birds that depend on them
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

This is extremely concerning, particularly when you start doing the sums. Begs the question why a chemical which was banned for agricultural use can still be used for domestic animals?

Just more proof that we are really only just scratching the surface when it comes to understanding the mass cocktail of polluting substances in our surface waters. The emphasis should be on proving that these substances aren't going to cause pollution before they are ever used. This used to known as 'the precautionary principle'. Instead the emphasis is on proving the polluting impacts only after they are in mainstream use. Madness.
 
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Thanks Joe

I received my 6 months supply of cat flea treatment which includes imidacloprid yesterday. I'll think carefully before ordering it next time for my two cats

The article suggests that most of the pollution comes from washing dogs or dogs swimming in rivers but that doesn't mean I wont be looking into a different treatment or looking at ways of avoiding using chemical treatment completely.
 
I suppose and I’m not saying it’s right, the way they legislate these things is on the basis of its it fit for Human consumption and is it safe for the application. You won’t be eating your dog or cat or any of its byproduct (hopefully 😏) and it does no applicable harm to the dog itself, therefore it’s a thumbs up.
 
Another one to add to the ever growing list of pollutants finding their way into our rivers. Shocking! It really is no surprise that so many of our rivers fail the basic water quality tests and without effective government action, there is no real hope of matters getting any better.....


Dave
 
Yes, read it too - and as a cat owner it's deeply concerning. I'll be looking at alternative treatments as well, though I'm not optimistic about finding one. The bites and scars on my daughter's ankle bear testament to the need to treat our cat.
 
Adam Francis said:
I read this article earlier also. What struck me was that nearly 80% of cats & dogs are receiving flea treatment whether they need it or not - that's nearly 17 million?

Just more marketing hype based on fear!
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Good point.

I'm sure it is the same issue as well with metaldehyde laden slug pellets with people using them prophylactically rather than checking that they really need them.
 
Richard Parsons said:
Yes, read it too - and as a cat owner it's deeply concerning. I'll be looking at alternative treatments as well, though I'm not optimistic about finding one. The bites and scars on my daughter's ankle bear testament to the need to treat our cat.
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Seresto flea collars work amazingly well, much better than any chemical treatment or tablets.

They cost about 30 quid and they last longer than the 6 months it says on the tin.

I live next to a cattle field and the amount of fleas is ridiculous, they were nearly killing my cat! These collars sorted it completely, thankfully.
 
Stephen Crowhurst said:
I suppose and I’m not saying it’s right, the way they legislate these things is on the basis of its it fit for Human consumption and is it safe for the application. You won’t be eating your dog or cat or any of its byproduct (hopefully 😏) and it does no applicable harm to the dog itself, therefore it’s a thumbs up.
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Imidacloprid was specifically banned for use in agriculture in 2018 not because of any issues with it getting up the food chain, but purely because of its impact on bees and other pollinators. It's quite remarkable that it's use in other widespread applications does not appear to have been questioned by our so called regulators.

It is as though very little has been learnt from the impact of organochlorines such as DDT and the devastating impact they had on birds of prey in the 60's and 70's.
 
Ash Gould said:
Seresto flea collars work amazingly well, much better than any chemical treatment or tablets.

They cost about 30 quid and they last longer than the 6 months it says on the tin.

I live next to a cattle field and the amount of fleas is ridiculous, they were nearly killing my cat! These collars sorted it completely, thankfully.
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Thanks for the tip, Ash. I'll see if Bear fancies a change. :)
 
Thing is, there’s around 70 million people in this country that are collectively doing more damage to the rivers and surrounding environment.

This article just details one aspect of the damage caused ultimately by over population.
 
Darren Hawen said:
Thing is, there’s around 70 million people in this country that are collectively doing more damage to the rivers and surrounding environment.

This article just details one aspect of the damage caused ultimately by over population.
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I’m not quite sure what your point is Darren?

Over-population, or perhaps more to the point, the very high population density of the UK is undoubtedly one of the biggest issues facing our rivers and wetlands. Pressures on land use, water treatment, abstraction etc. But all these issues are compounded enormously by the consistent and widespread regulatory failure experienced in the UK. And the truth is we simply don’t know the full extent of all the issues regarding pollution. It seems as though that with every passing year we are uncovering the impact of pollutants all which have previously gone undiscovered because our regulators haven’t tested for them.

Look at the issues that have been uncovered within the last 5 years such neonicotinoids, micro-plastics and now
fipronil. What other nasties are out there and not being detected? Anglers often speculate on the reasons for fish population declines and a lot of theories are reductionist. Otters, cormorants, water abstraction, endocrine disrupters, sewage discharge etc etc. The truth is nobody knows as nobody has full sight of the issues, we simply don’t know what we don’t know.
 
Richard Barnatt said:
We use a herbal treatment called Billy no mates, after nearly 3 years, so far, so good.We use the tincture.
www.theneemteam.co.uk

CSJ - 'Billy No Mates!' - Herbal Flea Deterrent

Billy No Mates! is an effective, natural herbal flea, mite & tick supplement with neem for dogs & cats! Give daily with food. Available as powder or tincture.
www.theneemteam.co.uk
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We, well my missus, also uses this on our four dogs - just the odd flea usually picked up on a walk.
 
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