How to Use Flea and Tick Products Safely on Dogs and Cats

This article is general information, not veterinary advice. Ask your veterinarian which flea and tick product is right for your pet.

Flea and tick products protect pets from itching, skin problems, and disease. Many of them are also pesticides, which is why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates them. Used correctly, they work well. Used on the wrong animal or at the wrong dose, they can make a pet sick. EPA and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) both publish practical rules for getting it right.

1. Why prevention matters

The AVMA describes fleas as no bigger than a sesame seed but able to "pack a mighty punch." A few facts from its external parasites guide:

• A single female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day. The eggs fall off into carpets, bedding, furniture, and soil, where larvae can stay cocooned for weeks before hatching.
• Heavy flea infestations can make young or small pets anemic from blood loss, and some pets become allergic to flea saliva.
• Pets, and children, can get certain tapeworms by swallowing fleas carrying tapeworm eggs.
• Ticks can spread serious diseases to pets and people, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and an adult female tick can consume up to 100 times her weight in blood.

AVMA notes that much of the flea life cycle happens off the pet, so treating only the animal gives temporary relief. Regular cleaning and vacuuming of pet sleeping areas and floors is part of the plan.

2. EPA's rules for applying products

EPA lists these safety tips for flea and tick products:

1. Talk to your veterinarian about the best way to protect your pet, and whether and when certain products are needed.
2. Read and follow the label carefully.
3. Use the product only on the species and size or weight the label specifies.
4. Never use dog products on cats, or cat products on dogs. Some pesticides are more toxic to one species than another.
5. Apply only the amount for your pet's weight. Products are designed by weight class, and using more product, or one made for a larger animal, can overexpose your pet.
6. Do not use on puppies or kittens unless the label specifically allows it. The label gives the minimum age or size.
7. Follow label warnings against use on weak, older, medicated, sick, pregnant, or nursing pets, or pets that have reacted to pesticide products before.
8. Watch your pet after applying, especially the first time you use a product.
9. Keep the package, including for individual applicator tubes. You will need the instructions, manufacturer contact information, and registration details if a problem occurs.

EPA also reminds owners that pesticides on a pet can transfer to children, which is another reason to follow label directions closely.

3. The cat warning, in plain terms

AVMA repeats EPA's species rule with an extra warning: cats are particularly sensitive to insect control products. AVMA says never to use a product that is not approved for cats, because the results could be deadly, and specifically names permethrin, found in some dog flea products, as toxic to cats.

In a home with both dogs and cats, store their products separately, and be careful about cats grooming or cuddling a dog right after a spot-on treatment.

4. Know the product forms

EPA notes that flea and tick products come in many forms. One of the most common, spot-on products, are liquid pesticides applied to a "spot" on the pet's skin, usually around the back of the neck or shoulders. EPA also points out that no flea and tick products are marketed specifically for reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, or other furry pets; ask a veterinarian about those animals.

5. How to remove a tick

AVMA's guidance on removal:

• Remove ticks promptly and properly to lower the chance of illness.
• Avoid crushing, twisting, or jerking the tick while its head is still in the skin. That can leave mouthparts behind and lead to a skin reaction or infection.
• Do not smother an attached tick with alcohol or petroleum jelly, or apply a hot match. AVMA says this can cause the tick to inject saliva into the wound, increasing disease risk.
• Once it is free, crush it while avoiding contact with tick fluids, which can carry disease.

In dogs, AVMA says ticks are most often found around the neck, in the ears, in the folds between the legs and body, and between the toes. In cats, check the neck and face.

6. If your pet has a reaction

EPA's steps after a suspected adverse reaction:

1. Bathe your pet with mild soap and rinse with large amounts of water.
2. Remove a flea and tick collar immediately if the pet reacts while wearing one.
3. Check the precautionary statement on the label.
4. Call your veterinarian, and/or the National Pesticide Information Center at 1-800-858-7378, right away.
5. Report the reaction to EPA or FDA, depending on the label information.

7. Key takeaways

• EPA regulates many flea and tick products as pesticides; follow the label and use only on the species and weight listed.
• Never use dog products on cats; AVMA warns some, including those with permethrin, are toxic to cats.
• Do not treat puppies, kittens, or sick, older, pregnant, or nursing pets unless the label allows it, and keep the packaging.
• A female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day, mostly off the pet, so clean bedding and floors along with treating the animal.
• After a reaction, bathe the pet with mild soap, remove any collar, and call your vet or the National Pesticide Information Center at 1-800-858-7378.