Monthly Archives: January 2011

If you have had a pet who has had a reaction to flea and tick products, particularly those containing permethrin, pyrethroids or pyrethrin, please email me before and after pictures. I realize it is very hard to get some issues on a still photo, such as tremors, salivation, seizures, agitation and the like. If you have video, that would work too. You must be willing  also to speak on camera about your experience. YOU ARE THE CHANGE. Here is a memorial tribute I did for some of the sufferers. To skip all the words at the front, go to about 2 minutes into the video.

Elanco, a sub-division of Eli Lilly, has announced a new flea product for cats called Assurity. I've already covered Evolve11 by Sergeant's and discussed whether "new" means "safer" for pets and their people, especially toddlers. Let's take a look at Assurity. To understand where Assurity came from, we have take a little look at history. First, spinosad (the first spinosyn product) is an ingredient in the dog flea product that comes in pill form called Comfortis. One of the boons of Comfortis is that it comes in pill form so it does not allow the active ingredient residues in your home or for toddlers to come into contact with it. GreenPaws, which a site run by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), lists some common ingredients and rates them on toxicology, especially harm to humans. They give Comfortis one out of three paws for toxicity, which is a pretty good rating compared to other products. In 1982, a vacationing scientist took soil samples from an abandoned rum distillery on a Caribbean Island. He found a naturally occurring soil baterium called Saccharopolyspora spinosa.  Apparently it is quite rare and has not been found elsewhere. In 1988, it was fermented for use as a biological pest control product similar to an insecticide. Spinosad works by over-exciting the insect's nervous system, but it must be ingested. That means fleas, ticks, mosquitoes or whatever pest it is targeting, needs to bite and take in the spinosad. The claim is that since it must be taken in orally by the insects that it poses little risk to humans. It also means that with Comfortis, your dog has spinosad in their blood stream for quite a while. Because it is "natural" it is approved for use on organic crops as a pesticide much like pyrethrin is. It makes sense, then, that there may be issues with topical use of spinosad and humans, especially toddlers. A new approval has just been given to the lice treatment, Natroba. (By the way, apparently slathering the head with vaseline and putting saran wrap tightly over the skull also kills lice.)

It is especially important to avoid treating patients 6 months and younger with spinosad, since it contains benzyl alcohol, which may cause serious adverse reactions -- including death -- in those patients, the FDA cautioned in a statement.

Benzyl alcohol is a wicked ingredient despite also being considered "organic". It is a solvent for inks, paints, lacquers and epoxy resins. You can even use it as a photo developer. It is also included in many flea and tick spot on products. It poses a hidden danger, as one owner learned when his dog was treated with Advantage and his dog ended up stuck to the bottom of his crate due to benzyl alcohol in the product. Bayer, another member of Big Pharma (and also a manufacturer of agricultural pesticides) makes Advantage. Bayer also discovered an marketed propoxur, now the focus of an NRDC petition to the EPA, to attempt to remove this harmful ingredient, a known neurotoxin and carcinogen, from flea & tick collars. Assurity for Cats is a topical product and contains spinetoram, similar to spinosad, but partially synthetic. It's the first companion animal flea treatment to include this ingredient and, for marketing reasons, will only be sold through a vet. It  contains very high amounts of benzyl alcohol. Here is the patent info.

Such optional ingredients can be, for instance: benzyl alcohol, from 30-65%, and more normally 45-60%, by weight

Benzyl alcohol is one of those chemicals that cats have a very difficult time eliminating and so it becomes toxic to them very rapidly.

... benzoates have caused many fatal toxicities in cats...

Despite having a meeting with the EPA regarding spinetoram, most of my questions went unanswered. There is simply little public information available for spinetoram used as a pet product. However, it was confirmed that companion animal safety studies were performed on cats and using the entire formulary (which is rare in EPA procedures - usually only separate active ingredients are tested). However, those studies do not seem to been released publically yet. James TerBush, of BiospotVictims.org, has put in a Freedom of Information Request for cat specific studies, including home environment studies with toxicity to toddlers. Thanks to James & dedicated people like him, there is more information available than ever before about these products. Dow Chemical has received awards from Green Chemistry Award and the EPA for finding "safer alternatives" with spinosad and spinetoram, primarily for crop use, but using it on cats as a topical seems reckless for the cats and especially the people living with their companion animals.

"The speed with which we received our first registration is creating a lot of excitement in the marketplace over this new generation of pest control," says Don Kelley, global product manager, insecticides, for Dow AgroSciences

Speed is usually not the best measure of safety. Safety studies take at least 2 years to complete for each use type. When a pesticide is given conditional registration, they often are given the okay to market untested or not thoroughly tested products before submitting such tests. The conditional portion is supposed to be "okay, you can do this, but within the next two years we need you to submit the studies and back up your word that this is safe". Sadly, once a chemical is on the market, it becomes difficult to remove it. To my layman's eyes, it looks like studies for spinosad were used for spinetoram since they are similar in chemical structure. I have found references to this with the World Health Organization, Health Canada and the EPA. Since I don't work for the government it's difficult to know for sure what this means to the pet owner. The EPA has not given much information on spinetoram to the public yet, so without all the information it is difficult, if not impossible, to make an educated assessment of the product. New pesticides are supposed to be posted on Regulations.gov and be open for comment. The docket for spinetoram that I found does not seem to address use on animals and is dated. It only has 8 entries. However, the old "trade secret" trick might be why these studies are lacking in the docket.

Although listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g., Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

This patent, also filed by Eli Lilly, only seems to have been tested on dogs. However, Health Canada, the Canadian version of the EPA in the United States seems to have released more information. Still, it appears to have been tested on almost everything except cats. What concerns me most about the release of the Health Canada information is (my emphasis added):

Several metabolites were isolated, identified and characterized from urine and feces of rats treated with radiolabelled spinetoram. Spinetoram was almost completely metabolized by glutathione conjugation of the XDE-175-J parent compound, as well as glutathione conjugation with N-demethylated, O-deethylated and hydroxylated forms of the XDE-175-J parent compound, in conjunction with glutathione conjugation of the XDE-175-L parent compound, as well as glutathione conjugation with N-demethylated and O-deethylated forms of the XDE-175-L parent compound.

This may seem like a bunch of scientific gobbly-gook, but in relation to cats and their ability to metabolize spinetoram, it is significant. Glutathione is in every cell of a mammal body and is considered to be the most powerful antioxidant known to humankind. When your body becomes diseased, run down, traumatized and as you age, your stores of glutathione also deplete, causing chronic illnesses. In cats, their stores of glutathione are rapidly decreased, which is one reason why cats have more difficulty than most mammals in eliminating most essential oils, many chemicals and pesticides. In fact, glutathione is given to cats suffering from acetaminophen (the ingredient in Tylenol) toxicity as a treatment to help eliminate the acetaminophen from the body. (My emphasis added)

... metabolized with glutathione to nontoxic mercapturic acid (which is eliminated). If the toxic metabolites accumulate as a result of insufficient glucuronide or sulfate metabolism or insufficient glutathione, they are converted to toxic macromolecules that directly cause cellular death. Cats lack glucuronyl transferase and inefficiently form glucuronic acid and sulfate conjugates, leaving more acetaminophen or phenacetin to be metabolized to toxic metabolites. The glutathione stores are rapidly depleted in cats, leaving a large amount of toxic metabolites. Methemoglobinernia occurs.

Due to the extreme sensitivity of the cat to many things easily metabolized by other mammals, toxicity information for any other species does not necessarily mean that the same product or chemical is safe for a cat. This was an issue that we discussed in our August 2010 meeting with directors at the EPA. As with so many "new" products, both synthetic and "natural", designed to fight fleas & ticks, I am more than a little cautious and wary of Assurity and it's long term safety for cats. Also, since it is a spot-on product, households that have children under the age of 6 should be incredibly careful. Toddlers are most susceptible to chemicals that effect their nervous and endocrine system and are at the highest risk of exposure (other than your pet) for topical flea control products. They often crawl on the ground, put things in their mouth they aren't supposed to, pet or cuddle a household pet and then put fingers into their mouths. Please see my list of alternatives. I research diligently and often ask manufacturers for more information. If I get double speak (which happens often, especially with "natural" products) or no answer after several attempts to contact the manufacturers, I do not recommend the use. At the best, it shows the company does not understand their product enough to explain it and at worst it shows they are not willing to go on record with ingredient, health or toxicity information. Pesticides should only be used IF you have an outbreak and WHEN all other methods have failed. MORE RESOURCES: California Department of Pesticide Registration: Public Report Wikipedia Eli Lilly History Assurity 4 Cats Website (please download the label info and read it carefully) This is an interesting site as well, as they have keeping a watch on Bayer for 30 years. Special Thanks go to James TerBush whose tireless researching and willingness to share his knowledge are phenomenal. If you haven't do so yet, check out BioSpotVictims.org and look through the archives. It's well worth it!

This is a letter I sent earlier today to Mr. Bob Sasser, the CEO of Dollar Tree Stores. Our volunteers around the country surveyed Dollar Tree stores in their areas and reported that most sold Bansect flea & tick collars, for both dogs and cats, made by Sergeant's. Bansect collars contain propuxor, a known toxic and carcinogenic pesticide. Feel free to send your own letter to Dollar Tree. I have included links after the body of my email so you can research this on your own. The letter is as follows:

from	Tiny Timmy <t.timmykitty@gmail.com>
to		bobsasser@dollartree.com, GaryPhilbin@dollartree.com, kevinwampler@dollartree.com, RobertRudman@dollartree.com, StephenWhite@dollartree.com

Dear Mr. Sasser, I wanted to touch base with you regarding your sales of Bansect flea & tick collars in your Dollar Tree Stores across the nation. As you might be aware, the EPA last year released information regarding Spot On pet products used to treat for fleas and ticks on companion animals due to an alarming increase of adverse reactions reported. In 2007 over 27,000 adverse reactions were reported to the EPA. In 2008, that number increased by 53% to over 44,000. The best estimates currently for 2009 from the EPA show over 39,000 incidences reported to the EPA. Most of these incidences are reported by the manufacturers to the EPA, as required by law. Often these reports are incomplete and so were not included in the 2009 release of the EPA's investigation statistics. Also, the EPA was unable to include a ratio of adverse reactions vs. product sold because manufacturers (or registrants, as they are known to the EPA) concluded that releasing sales numbers would be equal to releasing a trade secret. Not included in this evaluation by the EPA were other pet products designed to treat for fleas and ticks such as powders, collars, shampoos, foggers and sprays. Attention is now turning to these products, primarily due to the efforts of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). They were incredibly concerned about the use of flea collars on companion animals, particularly those containing propuxor and tetrachlorvinphos in their active ingredients. These are both considered neurotoxins to mammals and known to be carcinogentic. These collars and their active ingredient chemicals pose risk of damaging the brain and nervous system of humans, especially toddlers, as well as the pets that they are used on. You can read the NRDC press release from April 23, 2009 http://www.nrdc.org/media/2009/090423a.asp Here is an excerpt: ...tested the fur of dogs and cats wearing flea collars to measure the invisible pesticide residues left on the pets from these collars. This analysis, which was the first study of propoxur residues on pet’s fur, found that propoxur levels are so high in some products that they pose a cancer risk in children that is up to 1,000 times higher than the EPA’s acceptable levels, and up to 500 times higher for adults. The study also showed that after three days, 100 percent of the pets wearing collars containing propoxur and 50 percent of the pets wearing collars with TCVP posed a significant neurological risk to toddlers. Testing also revealed that unsafe levels of pesticide residue remain on a dog’s or cat’s fur two weeks after a collar is put on an animal. Families with multiple pets that wear flea collars have even greater exposure risks. The NRDC submitted a petition to the EPA demanding the removal of flea collars containing propoxur due to their severe health risks for pets, but especially the risks to toddlers and adult humans. Since winning a lawsuit agianst 18 retailers for carrying these products without a label warning of their carcinogenic properties, the NRDC has stepped up their efforts to remove flea collars containing propoxur from the market due to the potential for extreme harm. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/mrotkinellman/epa_continues_to_lag_in_protec.html The Bansect flea collars that you sell in your Dollar Tree stores across the nation contain propoxur as an active ingredient. They are not only a danger to pets, but also to the human families, especially children, who live with the pets wearing these collars. It has recently come to my attention that Sergeant's, the makers of Bansect flea and tick products, have stated that they do not make any flea and tick products for cats containing a different pesticide - permethrin. Permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid and is highly toxic to cats. I wish to let you know that this statement is completely untrue by Sergeants. For example, Sergeant's Gold flea & tick spray for cats contains permethrin, as does, according to the Sergeant's website, a product called Skip Flea Shampoo. Please see the attached screen shot and info from Drugs.com for these references. I have also included the Drugs.com references for the Bansect collars for both cats and dogs, showing they contain propoxur, the chemical specifically mentioned by the NRDC in their study. I don't want you to walk away with this feeling Sergeant's is the only company who makes these products or that I am picking on Sergeant's specifically. Most manufacturers continue to sell and market products they know to be harmful instead of looking for safer alternatives already on the market. Pesticides in use for many years often have fallen through the EPA cracks when it comes to review as the system is bogged down with far too much work and far too much ability to postpone or avoid reviews and complete, relevant scientific studies. Most people are not aware that studies submitted by registrants to the EPA for chemicals and pesticides do not need to be peer reviewed. According the the NRDC regarding the findings of the carcinogenic properties of propuxor, including the EPA's own studies, the products still remain on the market. Mr. Sasser, I admire what you have built with your company and respect that you are in business to make money. However, I ask that you re-assess whether or not Dollar Tree will continue to carry harmful pet products that kill and injure tens of thousands of cats and dogs each year and put their human owners, especially children, at risk. I believe that fleas need to be controlled, but perhaps it would be a better business model to carry alternatives such as diatomaceous earth (which you could re-package into smaller one-use packages) or flea traps that are non-toxic. I would be more than happy to share ideas with you if you would like to discuss this further. I feel that the education of pet owners is now at a critical level, and any company that markets alternatives could use this as a marketing advantage to their brand. Thank you for your time. Yours, Claudia Tietze LINKS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH:

• Dollar Tree Mission Statement "Do the right thing for the right reason" here
• NRDC Switchboard: EPA Continues to Lag in Protecting Kids & Pets from Toxic Flea Collars by Miriam Rotkin-Ellman found here
• The NRDC Petition to the EPA for the removal of flea collars containing propuxor here
• NRDC Simple Steps: Chemical Culprits: Flea Control Chemicals here
• NRDC Document Library here

Sometimes when a new product comes out, it's touted to be much safer, then years down the line, we find it really isn't safe at all. Or worse, we find that the latest greatest product is actually the same old bad one in different clothing. Recently several new products have come out, but today I want to cover Sergeant's "new" product for dogs. Sergeant's Pet Care released Sergeant's Evolve Line of Flea and Tick Squeeze-On for Dogs. The line itself isn't too new, but their "new" claims are. The EPA gave it the thumbs up. Likely because the same formulation of active ingredients has been used in Sergeant's Gold products for years. Evolve 11 is being touted by Sergeant's as a "Gentle Product for Small Breed Dogs" (see upper left corner of picture). The ingredients are 55% Etofenprox, 2.2% Pyriproxyfen and 42% "Other Ingredients". In the past, these ingredients have often been called Inert. Manufacturers do not need to disclose them, even to the EPA, if they claim the inert (or "other") ingredients as a trade secret. Etofenprox is a pyrethroid, which means it is a synthetic derivative of pyrethrin. Pyrethrin is made from the chrysanthemum plant. Pyrethrin is a perfect example of why "natural" does not necessarily mean "safe". Etofenprox is known to be an endocrine disruptor for mammals, including humans and as such, can cause a whole host of issues. One of it's primary methods of action is to interfere with the thyroid and steroid receptors in mammals. Before you think that perhaps it is safer in lower doses, one of the key factors with endocrine disruptors is that a very small amount causes these issues. That's something unique just to EDs. According to the NRDC Green Paws website, they give it a toxicology rating of three paws out of three paws.

Chemicals:

Etofenprox --Etofenprox is one of a class of synthetic chemicals, called pyrethroids, that are derived from natural chemicals found in chrysanthemums. The synthetic varieties are significantly more potent and persistent than naturally occurring products. Etofenprox also disrupts the endocrine system, specifically thyroid hormone, and is toxic to the developing nervous system. Etofenprox, like other pyrethroids is known to be very toxic to cats, causing muscle tremors, seizures, salivation, vomiting and even death. Veterinarians caution against using pyrethroid containing products if there are cats in the home.

Toxicity:

• Toxic to the nervous system
• Endocrine disruptor
• Very toxic to cats

{Thank you to NRDC & Green Paws for their fantastic Database!}

Pyriproxyfen, the second ingredient, is the same thing as Nylar. Interestingly enough, in some Sergeant's products, Sergeant's calls it Nylar, in others whatever they feel like at the time. It's not uncommon for these manufacturers to make up names so that it is even more difficult for the public to keep informed on dangerous ingredients. Nylar is what's commonly known as an IGR - Insect Growth Regulator. This means it interferes with a flea's ability to come into adulthood and reproduce. These two ingredients are the same as  in their Sergeant's Gold line, so nothing too new about their "new and gentle" formula. Recently, Sergeant's has made a move to remove their Sergeant's Gold line from the market. Apparently to replace it with pretty much the same product, but attempting to make it look more appealing to those who do not know about the dangers of some of these flea and tick products. If you look at the top left of this package - the same product, but a higher weight class for dogs, you can see that Sergeant's feels adding Vitamin E might help your dog... Not sure what the logic is there, but I am sure Sergeant's has some explanation. If this slight of hand move angers you as a consumer and pet owner, here are  few quick actions you can take to help. It might seem like educating pet owners about these products is a never-ending mission, but you make a difference. Reaching one person at a time, we can all make a difference. Special thanks goes to BiospotVictims.org for the heads up on the "new" claims for Evolve. If you haven't visited the site before, it's full of an incredible amount of information.

This post has been updated for January 2011. We made it to the top 100 in December, which means Pepsi automatically sent us into the last month of the contest.  YAY! Pepsi then started everyone at zero  and re-calculated the votes, which brought us to #32 the first day!!! YAY! YAY! We can do this! I wanted to re-do this to make it easier for people who have trouble with the group link. (the Pepsi can below). Once you vote for voting partners (or the ideas of your choosing) you can go to the bottom left, next to where you log in on the Pepsi Refresh site, and click "Profile". This will bring up the ideas you have supported. When you take a few moments to vote for Timmy Tour Across America in the Pepsi Refresh contest, you are giving the best gift ever - more people will learn of Timmy's story. VOTE DAILY: text 104450 to Pepsi (73774) and/or http://www.refresheverything.com/timmytouracrossamerica UPDATE & VOTING PARTNERS LINK: We are climbing!!! We want to share Timmy's story with as many people as possible, so the higher we climb, the more people will learn about harmful flea & tick products that cause needless suffering for tens of thousands of cats & dogs each year.  They will learn about Tiny Timmy's story and his message. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!! Don't forget to vote daily!!! How often??? VOTE DAILY text 104450 to Pepsi (73774) and/or http://www.refresheverything.com/timmytouracrossamerica We put together a link of voting partners. Voting partners (and Timmy Tour) will show up on one page for you. It's easiest to open these in a new window so you can leave a comment at the bottom of their voting pages. IF YOU DON'T LEAVE A COMMENT, THEY WON'T KNOW WHO TO SEND VOTES BACK TO. (Namely Timmy Tour text 104450) Also, please tell them how many votes you placed. If you log in with you email, then Facebook and text, that would be 3 votes. Many partners are returning the same amount of votes we give them. To open the links on the voting page into a new window or tab: Put your cursor over the name of the idea and in WINDOWS right click your mouse. A menu will pop up. Choose the option to open link in new window or new tab. For MAC simply press and hold the Apple key and click your mouse. The window will open up automatically. VOTING PARTNER LINK: (Just Click the Can and a new window will open for you that will list 10 voting partners and Timmy Tour) Again thank you so much for sharing and voting. It means a lot and we can do this! We can raise awareness of Timmy's story and help others not have the issues he has. One Pet At A Time! Here is a Chart of our Voting Partners Listed Individually for those who had issues with the group link above. Just click the names for the Pepsi Challenge website link. The text number at at the side. Text the code to 73774 (PEPSI). Pepsi does NOT charge you for this, but it will count as a text message on your cell phone plan.

• Timmy Tour Across America ($50k) 104450
• Pet Detectives ($25k) 103623
• Wild Life Rehabilitation & Release (25k) 102783
• Mommy's Heartbeat ($50k) 103900
• Bliss Wildlife Rescue ($25k) 104287
• TheraDog ($25k) 104291
• Catty Shack - ($250k) 100875
• Help Willy's Friends ($25k) 102063
• Jungle Friends ($25k) 103310
• National Marine Wildlife Center ($250k) 104765
• HELP Humane Society ($250k) 104200

Other Great Pepsi Causes

• PAWS Ohio (25k)   105049
• NAMTA Foundation Scholarships ($25k) 105006
• Katz Krusade – Randall Garrett Herzon ($250k) 100845
• Life is Lab ($25k) 103192
• Coastal Pet Rescue (Save Disabled Pets) ($25k) 105069
• Griffin pond (50k) 103840
• Quantum Leap Farm (250k)  104833
• Haven Friends (250k)   104189
• Sierra County Animal Relief Fund ($5k) 102744
• Ellijay Wildlife Sanctuary (250k)   103289
• Spay/Neuter Animals of Needy Families (Melissa Miller) (5k)   104926
• Full Moon Farm (25k) 104283

~ The Under Secretary for Timmy Affairs **NOTE** If for some reason you still need to cut and paste the link here are the directions for Windows and Mac: To cut and paste: WINDOWS: Highlight the link by dragging your cursor over the entire link (back to front is easiest) while holding down your left mouse button. Once highlighted, CONTROL+C to copy. Go to your web browser and put your cursor into the address box. CONTROL+V to paste and hit enter. FOR MAC: Do the same, but use APPLE+C and APPLE+V instead of CONTROL.