Letters from readers:

Fipronil far from safe
flea and tick product

Hi,
I just read your article, Fipronil may result in 'topical consequences', and was wondering if you could please tell me when this article was first published? Here is the link to your article: http://www.k9magazinefree.com/k9_perspective/iss6p17.shtml. I went to the consumer website and tried searching for "fipronil" but I could not find anything.

The article that you reprinted is very informative, and I would like to read the original article, if possible. Thank you very much for your help. - James

Hello James,
The article you refer to in my magazine was uploaded there in 2002, so I would think that the original was probably written some time in 2000-2001. I tried looking up 'Fipronil' and found that the Australian veterinary Assn had called for a review of that product's registration in 2003, because of matters of toxicity and skin problems for both dogs, and for humans who patted medicated dogs. I have been unable so far to find a result of that review, but as the products are still on shelves I can only assume that it was again approved. But the skin problems it can cause for dogs are quite severe.

However, I have found a little more about it on the PAN UK (Pesticides Action Network) website and found it rather interesting. For even more information go to: http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/actives/fipronil.htm and read the complete breakdown.

The product is a phenyl pyrazole pesticide that is degraded by sunlight to produce a variety of metabolites, one of which is fipronil-desulphinyl or MB46513 - a chemical which is even more toxic than the parent compound. Fipronil is used in cockroach bait, ant bait, agricultural spraying chemicals (called "Regent" for crop spraying), and flea/tick/lice treatments for dogs and cats. However, it has been recorded that deaths have occurred from using these products and at the time of their deaths the dogs still had active and live ticks, so it appears that it is not particularly effective at least on ticks. Australia has some particularly bad paralysis ticks.

Apparently concerns about the Frontline spray product, which contains Fipronil, have since caused its registration to be discontinued, although the rest of the line of products remains. It is classed as a group C carcinogen, and it was felt that the spray product could more easily be absorbed by people in the pet animal grooming industry who were using it daily.

Personally I have for many years avoided using any such products on my dogs, preferring to use the much more effective flea comb every day (and what dog doesn't love to be combed). I know most of the chemical companies would ask "would you rather your dog retained its parasites?" But this is a misleading question - retaining parasites is not the only alternative to using chemicals. As well as the daily grooming method there are many natural insect repellents on sale now and I would think these would be a whole lot better for the health of any animal or human. Some of these are Crocodile, Critter oil, neem products, tee tree oil, and various others that are sold for humans as well as animals.

If a product is "for animals only" then I class it as unsafe. I hope this helps a little. Even though the exact date of the original article is rather blurred with time, there is now a lot more information out there that can be researched from various websites, and much of it will be more recent than the original article. - Ed