Hello,
I used to use Frontline on my two dogs until after I applied it one time and ended up in the hospital for a week with too many symptoms to mention. It was the worst time of my life for about two to three months. The doctor had no idea what the problem was. There is no test for Fipronil.
I must be highly allergic to it but I know I am not the only one. It started out with a very dry mouth, then I started foaming at the mouth. Usually I have good veins, but they totally disappeared. It felt like I was having a heart attack. I never had a seizure in my life but later I felt like I was going to have one. It almost cost me my marriage. Has anybody ever complained to you about the effects on a person? Just curious. - Jim
Hello Jim,
Thanks for that information. Fipronil is a neurotoxin that can cause allergies to start, like many other chemicals. There have been quite a few adverse reactions in both humans and dogs. Apparently dogs are more often affected than cats. In dogs it can cause rashes and hair loss at the point of application, and there have been deaths reported. Information on fipronil says it has a "low absorption rate through the skin", but then goes on to say that 45% to 75% of the "administered dose" will leave the body through the faeces, and 5% to 25% through the urine.
To me, to have it leaving the body at the rate of 50-100% of the amount applied does not mean that it has a low rate of absorption - just the opposite. Also, humans and dogs can become more sensitive to it with regular application, such as treating a dog every few months, which really means the dog is never clear of the stuff. And the same for humans who use it on animals, stock, farm crops, etc - it is regularly invading their systems and the possibility of increasing sensitivity gets higher with each use. There is also always the danger of sunlight on the application area (what dog does not like to lie out in the sun) and the breakdown of the original chemicals to form newer and more toxic versions. And then there is nothing to stop the dog actually licking that application area.
I am sure that such scenarios are never given a thought when considering toxicity. I hope that helps a little - with the bad reaction that you have had you will need to stay right away from the products in future as such reactions never get better - only worse - with time and further exposure. - Ed
