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    - Taking Care of your Pet During Flea and Tick Season

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# Taking care of fleas and ticks on your pet

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##### Resources 

      - Questions On Pesticides?   National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC)   1-800-858-7378        

##### More Information

      - Advisory: Increased Scrutiny of Flea and Tick Control Products for Pets
      -  Protecting Pets 
      -  Counterfeit Pesticide Products for Dogs and Cats

Taking care of your pets responsibly includes protecting them from fleas         and ticks. Before purchasing and applying pesticide products to pets to     control fleas and ticks, there is important information you should know.      

On this Page
    - Safety tips for pet owners
    - Advice for Reporting Incidents
    - Flea Control Tips
    - Additional information

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#### Safety tips for pet owners:

    - Consult your veterinarian: 
    Before use on weak, aged, medicated,        sick, pregnant, or nursing pets, or on pets that have previously shown        signs of  sensitivity to pesticide        products; and 
If your pet experiences an adverse        effect. 

    - If you use a spot-on       product or any other pesticide on your pet, carefully read and follow the product label.
    - Use flea and tick       control products only on the animal specified by the product label ─ for       example, dog products for dogs only and cat products for cats only.  
    - Follow any label       prohibitions against use on weak,       aged, medicated, sick, pregnant, or nursing pets, or on pets that have       previously shown sensitivity to pesticide products. 
    - Apply only the       amount indicated for the size of the animal being treated.  
    - Do not apply to       kittens or puppies unless the product label specifically allows this treatment. Pay attention to the age restrictions for puppies and kittens on the label.
    - Monitor your pet for side effects or       signs of sensitivity after applying the product, particularly when using the product on your pet for the first time. Do not apply spot-ons to pets known to       be sensitive to pesticide products. 
    - If your pet       experiences an adverse reaction, immediately bathe the pet with mild soap       and rinse with large amounts of water.
    - Keep the package with the product container       (such as individual applicator tubes).  Also keep the package after treatment in       case adverse effects occur. You       will want to have the instructions at hand, as well as contact information       for the manufacturer. 

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#### Advice for Reporting Incidents

    - Keep the package with the       product container (such as individual applicator tubes).  Also keep the package after treatment in       case adverse effects occur.  The       package contains the product label, which includes important information       such as the EPA registration number and contact information for the       manufacturer.
    - Report any adverse       effects to the manufacturer, who is required by law to report it to EPA.       Contact information can be found on the product label.  In addition, you may report the incident       to the  National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) ,       1-800-858-7378
    -  Encourage your veterinarian to use NPIC’s       Veterinary Pesticide Adverse Effects Reporting portal at  http://npic.orst.edu/vet        to report any       incidents.  This portal is not for       use by the public. 

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#### Flea Control Tips

The following tips may help to prevent, reduce, or eliminate flea infestations:
    - Vacuuming on a daily basis to remove eggs, larvae and adults is the best method for initial control of a flea infestation. It is important to vacuum the following areas: carpets, cushioned furniture, cracks and crevices on floors, along baseboards and the basement.
    - Steam cleaning carpets may also help as the hot steam and soap can kill fleas in all stages of the life cycle. Pay particular attention to areas where pets sleep.
    - Wash all pet bedding and family bedding on which pets lie in hot, soapy water every two to three weeks. If an infestation is severe, discard old pet bedding and replace it with fresh, clean material.
    - Flea combs are very effective tools in the suppression of adult fleas. They allow hair to pass through the tines but not the fleas, removing fleas as well as flea feces and dried blood. Focus combing on those parts of the pet where the most fleas congregate, usually the neck or tail area. When fleas are caught, deposit them in hot soapy water to kill them.
    - Consider keeping pets indoors.

Besides spot-ons, there are other pesticides registered for flea and tick control on pets.  These include shampoos, collars, dust, and sprays.  Consumers should apply the same precautions when using these products as recommended for spot-ons.  Pet owners may also wish to consult their veterinarian for advice and recommendations.

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#### For additional information please see the following:

    - Contact the  National Pesticide Information Center  (1-800-858-7378) for information about the pesticides contained in these products or for other information about effects of pesticides on people and animals. (NPIC is partly funded by EPA and provides science-based information about pesticides.)      
    -  Hartz Flea and Tick Drops For Cats and Kittens to be Phased Out  -- Fact sheet that includes details of the agreement, information for consumers on controlling fleas and ticks, and label precautions for use of these products. 
    - Hartz Web site  - Information from Hartz.     

For more information, please visit EPA's Pesticides Q&A database. 

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