9539 Liberty Road, Frederick, MD 21701
Phone: 301-898-4009 ~ Fax: 240-668-3664
clientcenter@frederickcatvet.com
Gentle, complete veterinary care for the felines in your family
Link map for Frederick Cat Vet for directions, hours, bio of the veterinarian and staff, veterinary services offered and a tour of the veterinary practice Hear ye, Hear ye! Read all about it!!! All spot-ons are NOT created equal!

Those who recall the old days of flea treatment are thankful for the simplicity of spot-on products. Topical flea treatments emerged in the late 1990's and ushered out the era of toxic shampoos, dips and sprays with the attendant kitty cat bathtub wrangling.

The safety and efficacy of the new spot-on treatments helped reduce the incidence of flea allergic dermatitis, flea anemia (low red cell count), tapeworm infections and cat scratch fever.

However, simplicity can lead to complacency. In the spring of 2009 the EPA noticed an increase in adverse reports involving spot-on pesticide products. Some of their findings were:

1. Misuse or accidental exposure of dog-specific products was an important problem
2. Cats can be harmed by dog products because they are more sensitive to certain pesticides
3. Label warnings against use of dog products on other animals, especially cats, are not working well
enough.

Pyrethrins and pyrethroid insecticides are of particular concern. Pyrethrins are derived from Chrysanthemum. A natural product from a pretty flower must be safe, right? Wrong! It is this class of insecticide, found in many over the counter and veterinary flea and tick products, that is responsible for many adverse reactions. Cats are unable to breakdown the chemical to detoxify it. Dogs can metabolize these compounds. Also, not being as fastidious a class of groomers as felines, dogs ingest far less

As a rule of thumb, NEVER use a flea product labeled for dogs and when you read the ingredients for the cat products avoid any product that contains ingredients ending in - rethrin. Although many products have harnessed the simplicity of the "spot-on" application method, they are NOT equally safe. Read all of the labels carefully, take note of the name of the product. Make sure your veterinarian would feel comfortable using that product on their own cats.