I got this question/complaint from Heather and her kitties, Thorsten & Anaïs:

You seem like a wonderful animal lover! But I have got to tell you I was really disappointed by The Cat Bible’s lack of information about ticks. I just discovered 2 ticks on my elderly neighbor’s cat — she was literally in tears. I pulled out my Cat Bible and… nothing helpful at all. I hope you will give some concrete suggestions on this matter in your next edition.

I told Heather:

I’m sorry you were disappointed to find no information about protecting cats from ticks but what I should have put in the book is this sentence: “There is no product that repels and kills ticks that can be used safely on cats.”

The products for ticks for dogs — like the Vectra 3-D I use on my dogs — works brilliantly, but not on kitties. Cats are sensitive (to the point of death!) to the chemical that works against ticks. I should have made that more clear although I have a great deal about it on my website.

The best advice I can give your neighbor or anyone with cats is that they belong indoors only, whether they like it or not! They are doomed to have a shortened life and perhaps horrible death outdoors, whether from cars, wild animals, other cats who are sick attacking them, and dogs (even leashed or fenced dogs will break loose and kill a cat in an instant). But while there is no safe repellent against ticks for cats, good news is that you can destroy the whole life cycle of fleas in your cat’s world with Vectra. Fleas are a serious health problem for cats, too — whether indoors or out — and I have found that the single most effective and cat-safe anti-parasite product on the market is Vectra for Cats. My listeners have been really pleased with it. I hope you can ask your vet about it and if s/he doesn’t carry it, ask if they would do so. If they won’t, then every Banfield clinic in the country has the product. It is made for them by Vectra and has the name First Shield and they will dispense it even if you are not a client.

Thanks again for trusting in my advice and to turning to me for information.

–Tracie Hotchner

Hi Tracie,

You seem like a wonderful animal lover!  But I have got to tell you I was really disappointed by The Cat Bible’s lack of information about ticks.  I just discovered 2 ticks on my elderly neighbor’s cat — she was literally in tears. I pulled out my The Cat Bible and… nothing helpful at all. I hope you will give some concrete suggestions on this matter in your next edition.

Happy Holidays,
Heather and my kitties, Thorsten & Anaïs

I replied:

Thanks so much for getting touch — and for getting THE CAT BIBLE. First of all, if you send me your mailing address I can send you a bookplate to put in it inscribed to your kitties — with a coupon for $20 worth of Precious Cat litter!

I’m sorry you were disappointed to find no information about protecting cats from ticks but what I should have put in the book is:

There is no product that repels and kills ticks that can be used safely on cats.

Cats are sensitive (to the point of death!) to the chemical that works against ticks — I should have made that more clear although I have a great deal about it on my website.

The best advice I can give your neighbor or anyone with cats is that they belong indoors only, whether they like it or not! They are doomed to die outdoors, whether from cars, wild animals, other cats who are sick attacking them, and dogs (even leashed or fenced dogs will break loose and kill a cat in an instant). But fleas are a serious health problem for cats, too — whether indoors or out — and I have found that the single most effective and cat-safe anti-parasite product on the market is Vectra for Cats — my listeners have been really pleased with it. I hope you can ask your vet about it and if s/he doesn’t carry it, ask if they would do so. If they won’t, then every Banfield clinic in the country has the product. It is made for them by Vectra and has the name First Shield and they will dispense it even if you are not a client.

Thanks again for trusting in my advice and to turning to me for information.

Yours,
Tracie Hotchner

The Cat Bible

Been meaning to tell you, we had talked some about flea control. I may just be lucky or I may be on to something. But I put one drop (only one drop) of Palo Santo essential oil on Diego’s rump once a day, and we have not had a flea problem all season. The oil I use is made by Young’s Living. I read about it online, that Palo Santo oil is a natural flea repellant. I have the Frontline as a backup in case this fails me, but it may be a great tip for your other listeners. One drop only! Diego is 50 pounds Portuguese water dog. He goes to daycare 3-4 times a week, is around a TON of other dogs, haven’t had a flea issue which in most cases would be highly unusual without other chemicals on him. For what its worth! Keep up the great work!

Steve A.

Please read some of my blogs about how Frontline is no longer effective due to 17 yr old technology and I recommend using Vectra 3D monthly year long — that essential oil (IF it is working at all) cannot reach the head, chest & neck which is prime tick area — many ticks attach and drop off unseen, transmitting diseases which are so serious.

Please spend some time on my website reading about it. Your beautiful boy may seem okay but I believe all dogs are in extreme jeopardy without proper coverage.

–Tracie Hotchner?

Hi Tracie,

I’m Betty from Waterford with the adopted poodle who is about 11 years old.  Coki has been having a bad time with lethargy and nausea.  I’ve spent the better part of the last two days at the VCA Animal Hospital in Waterford.  Lab work shows that she is positive not for Lyme disease but another parasite caused by tick exposure.  She’s a pretty sick puppy and may still end up in hospital but I’d rather take care of her at home.

My real question for you is what is better than Frontline.  This is obviously a failure of Frontline.  I live near Harkness Park and Waterford Beach so ticks are plentiful.  I, in fact, have just finished the treatment for Lyme disease after being bitten by a deer tick.  A friend just gave me a tag called Shoo which is supposed to be good for tick repellent.  Have you ever heard of it?  I’m a little leery of something that is supposed to be good for 4 months and it’s a tag you put on the dog’s collar.

Any advice you can give me I’d appreciate, and yes I do have The Dog Bible.
Betty

I am SO sorry that Coki has been knocked flat by a tick-borne disease — and so sorry that you, too, got nailed by a tick. As you know, I have been talking about VECTRA 3-D on the air for so long, trying to get people to realize how serious the illnesses are and how important it is to have safe and effective protection. I am surprised you didn’t recall my having spoken of it because had you gotten it on Coki she would very likely not have been bitten and gotten so ill. I have talked so often on Dog Talk® about how the older anti-tick products have become ineffective against the ticks that have adapted to older technology — as you have found yourself with Frontline, which is an older product. There are numerous horrible diseases caused by these parasites, which can be protected against by using Vectra 3-D, but the recommendation is to use it every single month year round.  As soon as Coki is better you need to start her on Vectra 3-D and use it religiously every month, now that she has been weakened by one tick-borne disease already she could become even more seriously ill if another tick were to infect her with a different disease.  I am baffled why the doctors at the VCA hospital didn’t tell you about First Shield, which is made for them by Vectra and is the exact same product, always requiring a veterinarian to dispense it. As for that tag, I have never heard of it but it cannot possibly work as effectively as the full body coverage that Vectra 3-D gives.

As for your copy of The Dog Bible, did I already send you an autographed bookplate for it? I seem to recall having done that.

All paws crossed for a speedy and successful recovery for Coki- and just as soon as the veterinarian says she is ready for it, please start that Vectra 3-D and make it a year round habit.

Tracie

Thank you Tracie.  I did remember you talking about Vectra but I couldn’t remember the name.  On Saturdays when I’m listening to your show I’m usually driving around so I couldn’t write down the name, then there were a couple of family emergencies which took me out of town and, frankly, I forgot about it.  Coki is now doing mush better and I’m hoping to get her back on the medicine soon but will go by the doctor’s order.  I have been impressed with them and their follow through.  The vet called me yesterday just to check and see how she was doing.  They really would have liked me to leave her with them over the weekend but I had to take her home and take care of her myself.  We had a couple of rough days but we made it.  The big concern to me was dehydration on a 17 pound animal.  People don’t seem to realize that animals are a lot like little kids, one minute they are really terribly sick and then suddenly greatly improved, but watch out because they can go back down again really quickly.  If I sound like a nurse it’s because I am.  I’ll ask about the First Shield this morning when we go back to VCA.

Thanks again,
Betty V

Betty replied:

The VCA Hosp here says they are unfamiliar with First Shield so I’ll have to get it elsewhere.  She is doing really well now but had to have a little more subcutaneous fluid again yesterday.  She is finally drinking water instead of the reduced sodium chicken broth so I thing we are close to normalcy if there is any such thing.

So I smacked my forehead and said:

I am such a DOPE — it is the Banfield clinics that carry Vectra as First Shield.

Sorry about that. Use the Internet to find a Banfield clinic near you. What great news about her recovery — rather than chicken broth, I suggest you buy a canister of Ice Pups right away — it is made by the Honest Kitchen and is ground up chicken & herbs that dissolves in water — really great for recovering dogs because they get protein & other nutrition from the fluid. I use it for one of my dogs who doesn’t drink enough water. Go on my website and see the listing of all the East Coast stores that carry The Honest Kitchen products — otherwise go to the link for the company on my website and they will ship directly to you. It’s such a  wonderful and unique product and although it was intended to be made into ice cubes you could give your dog in hot weather, I think it makes a great meal alternative or fluid booster.

Keep up the good work.
Tracie Hotchner

The Dog Bible

Joan found a way to get Vectra even though her vet didn’t carry it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to deal with my “Vectra” problem. I went to  Banfield’s and purchased a 4 pack today. I find it is much longer lasting than Frontline Plus for ticks and fleas. What a relief to find it available as an ‘over the counter’ purchase, since my Vet did not carry it.  I love the internet, it solves a lot of problems and it found you for me.

Thanks again,
Joan from Ormond Beach, FL

How nice to get an email from Rob, one of my new listeners who is ready to take my advice on the products and services I have personally invited to be part of DOG TALK® & CAT CHAT®. I am honored that I am already gaining your trust — over the years on my other radio shows I have earned my listeners belief in my recommendations, but it’s truly gratifying to already have made that connection to my WOR folks!

Hi Tracie — I enjoyed listening to your show tonight! Very informative and thanks! I just would like to know the name of the product that you mention about ticks and fleas? The once a month treatment you said repels and kills the parasites? And also the good insurance company for dogs you mentioned on the air. I rescued an 18-month male German Shepherd (Wilson) who was abused, and I am trying very hard to socialize him with other people and dogs, but it hasn’t been easy!! But I took him away from the previous owners for they were considering putting him to sleep! Thanks for your help, and keep up the good work on your show!

I wrote him back: Thanks for the very nice note. The show is brand new so I am thrilled that you found it and that it’s to your liking. I look forward to continuing to bring you new ideas and guests to share information every week. And I want to salute you for giving Wilson a new home — what a good soul you are! And what a gorgeous boy he is — I’ll put his photo up in my Dog Talk® gallery on my main website www.TracieHotchner.com. It is such a challenge to help socialize a dog who didn’t get the right upbringing but patience and perseverance will win the day eventually.  My book THE DOG BIBLE has a lot of information and advice about re-homed dogs since that is how my own pack of dogs developed. I know you’ll find great satisfaction in helping Wilson feel more at ease in the world.

In answer to your questions, the name of the truly fantastic topical application against fleas and ticks is Vectra 3-D.  My dogs have been on it for 8 months now without a tick being successful in latching onto them, even in the hills full of deer in Vermont!

You may need some help in encouraging your vet to carry it. If you ask and they do happen to carry it, you are “golden” — but if they do not have it and need to have more information in order to carry I, please let me know so Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins can call from Vectra to introduce your vet to it. Please let me know either way.

And the pet insurance company I just switched to is Petplan. I think they have the best coverage and most efficient way to file claims.  To find out more, call 866-467-3875 and press EXT 2411 to talk to Fabrice for a quote (I am making a donation to the Humane Society of the United States for every listener who signs up — which the company itself does, too). The smartest time to get coverage is when your dog is young and healthy as Wilson is now — with no pre-existing conditions. That means that is anything does happen his vet bills will be covered. I recommend doing what I did and getting a policy with an 80% reimbursement (to keep your premiums more reasonable) but Fabrice at EXT 2411 will help you figure out what is best for you.

Again, your enthusiastic words meant a lot and I hope you’ll keep listening and get other pet-loving friends to listen to the show, too.

Tracie

The Dog Bible

I was amazed to see that I can actually receive messages through Twitter and in came a plea for help from Dawn, a fellow Vermonter further North up in Williston, who is already a devoted user of Vectra 3D for her dog. But she desperately needed a refill and her own vet was out of town for the 4th of July weekend. Her nice note went as follows:

We’ve been using Vectra 3D since the season began. The ticks in Williston have been INSANE this year and Vectra 3D is the only thing keeping our Shadow safe! She’s 7 months, 50+ pounds and a pure joy!

First please know that we are so sorry to hear on DOG TALK® about Max the Golden passing away, but also understand that you loved him enough to let him go. We loved our Chief enough to let him go 02.08.08 (14 years old husky/lab/rottie) and have been blessed with Shadow in our lives 02.08.09 very strange and amazing timing! Shadow is 1/2 Bernese & 1/2 Greater Swiss Mountain Dog and 100% LOVE! She is a great “sister” to our 9-year-old daughter Sarah, especially when Sarah tries to fish in our stream, with Shadow’s help!

So nice to hear from you, Dawn — Twitter is amazing!

And I am also really really happy to know that you found Vectra 3D, or I should say that your vet found it. It is an amazing and uniquely effective product and for those of us who want to enjoy the fields and streams (what a darling photo, by the way! thanks for sharing it) it gives us complete confidence.

As for getting some right now before the Holiday weekend, it sounds nearly impossible, but I think you’ll be okay without it, given that we have had nothing but deluges of water (don’t know about Williston but here it is raining cats & dogs, once again, and the weekend portends more of the same.) The ticks are drowning (I hope!) or at least biding their time so your sweet pup will not be in jeopardy before Monday, when I hope your vet will be back.

I don’t know if you realize this, but Vectra 3D is also unique in that they have a very firm policy that it can only be dispensed by veterinarians and you need a prescription from your own vet (if you were not so lucky to have one wise enough to carry it!) in order to get the Vectra 3D from another doctor. The company explains that they do this for quality control — so it cannot be counterfeited or sold black market — and also so dogs can be tested by their vets to keep on top of whether they were infected by any tick-borne disease before they got the protection of Vectra 3D.

However, I just learned that the Milton Animal Hospital carries the product, so give them a try.

I do know the urgency you feel to have your girl totally safe (meaning your puppy AND your real little girl, who clearly spends a lot of time with her and therefore is protected by the dog not having any ticks around). But it’s only a few days and I think the lousy weather is going to offer some natural protection.

Thank you for your very kind words about Our Golden Max — he wasn’t my own dog — as you can see from the email trail on my website with Max’s Mom Pam — a listener’s dog whom I supported through the process of cancer diagnosis, surgery, treatment, etc. But being part of the DOG TALK family, Max was all of our dogs, whom we have lost to this terrible disease.

Tracie

The Dog Bible

I got this agitated email from a longtime thoughtful listener to DOG TALK®, Bob in Atlanta, about my recent show with Elizabeth Hodgkins about the need for at-risk dogs to be using topical tick repellents. She and I both sang the praises of Vectra 3D and this was disturbing to Bob, whose dog Smokey (who was Dog of the Month for April) uses Advantix, a similar product — he said he “totally disagreed” with the interview. Here’s part of what Bob had to say:

I listened to your guest Elizabeth Hodgkins rave about the product that the company that she seems to be affiliated with — Vectra 3D — and how it is better than any other anti-tick topical and possibly better than sliced bread . As you know, I am not a Vet (Smokey would attest to that), but I am very interested in science and medicine, and researching claims made by companies, and many of the comments she made about Vectra 3D made no sense at all, as far as I was concerned.

Dr. Hodgkins stated that the active ingredient in Vectra is permethrin and that is why it repels and kills ticks before they bite. Well, that is the same active ingredient that is in Advantix and Bio-spot (about which there are a lot of consumer complaints online and anecdotes about problems), which means it is basically old school, nothing new. I have used Advantix for years, and Smokey and I walk in tall grass everyday in the park next to my home where there are deer and I have yet to see a tick since using Advantix on Smokey. Being in Georgia, there are also tons of fleas and in the summer mosquitoes, and the mosquitoes avoid Smokey like the plague, again due to the Permethrin. Even though I think that there are some downsides to Permethrin, I still use it because I think the ticks and mosquitoes are a bigger threat to the health of the dog. What I do strongly disagree with is your guest acting like using Permethrin is perfectly safe, and one shouldn’t worry about it at all. Not true, in my opinion. Maybe the new formula in Vectra 3D that your guest is telling us about is better for flea control (although Advantix is superb in my opinion), but the focus of her discussions on Vectra 3D on your show seems to be tick control and permethrin.

Dear Bob – You seem all wound up in this email and I’m sorry that a DOG TALK® show distressed or confused you. I’ll try to sort things out for you, but the irony is that while you think we are in “total disagreement,” we actually agree! I’ll just hit the points in the order in which you raise them. First let me make clear my relationship with Elizabeth Hodgkins, who isn’t just a vet but has a law degree. She has been the Official vet on CAT CHAT®, my other radio show on SiriusXM, from the beginning — when she heard I was preaching against feeding cats Kitty Crack, which was a message that was her life’s work (after many years working for the Hills pet food company — and then for Purina — she realized the harm to cats from dry food and opened her own cats-only vet clinic, bred and showed Ocicats, and dedicated her life to teaching people that cats need to eat meat. She is one of the most morally pure people I have met in any field, but in the vet field she stands up against anything that is not good for animals or exposes the greed of people. Senator Richard Durbin invited Dr. Hodgkins as a special guest to the pet food recall hearings that he conducted on Capitol Hill. She is a person of enormous intelligence, and impeccable morals. She sold her vet practice and was in early retirement — when she took a job with Summit Vet Pharm to educate other vets about Vectra and Vectra 3D I was surprised but intrigued, because I know she only travels “the high road” and would associate herself only with “proper people.” Knowing her as well as I do — after many hours on the air together and behind the scenes about pet food and other issues — I was really intrigued what sort of company or product could have enticed her to go back to work in a corporate environment. The more I learned from her about Vectra 3D and about the ever-increasing dangers from ticks and fleas, the more I wanted to get it for my own dogs and to tell my listeners about it. Please recognize that the excitement and energy in that interview was due at least equally to my own enthusiasm about Vectra 3D.

You say that she spoke about Vectra 3D as though it is “better than sliced bread” — and you are so right! It really is! I share her enthusiasm for a more effective anti-tick product that inhibits the entire life cycles of fleas as the only product with the new technology of an IGR (insect growth regulator) to wipe out all life stages of the flea. Yes — this is entirely superior science and technology to anything on the market — and mosquito-borne diseases are no picnic, either.  What is different and superior about this product is that the patented applicator tip allows you to get more of the product down onto the skin, not the hair. This makes it a better product — my opinion being based on practical application and logic. The dilution of permethrin in Vectra 3D, as I understand it, is such that it spreads better and dries within 2 hours on the dog, after which time there is no danger to people or cats who touch those treated areas. In using it on my three dogs — 2 with very short hair, one with very long thick hair — I found this to be true.

You must have misheard the comments about the “total safety” of using such a product since that is not at all what Dr. Elizabeth was saying. She was explaining that safety is relative — this permethrin is a substance that has been used on human products (soldiers uniforms, mosquito netting, Nix head lice shampoo) for a very long time without causing problems. Her point was that we have to make choices in life and using Vectra 3D is much safer than the alternative of running the risk of getting a tick-borne disease. You seem not to have understood Dr. Hodgkins’ point about the safety of using permethrin on a dog at risk for coming into contact with ticks — her point was that everything in life is potentially dangerous, that everything carries some risk, so it is a matter of weighing the risks versus the benefits and where tick-borne disease is concerned, the scales definitely tip in favor of using Vectra 3D. Your own comments show that you are in full agreement with her about that. The bottom line is that using a product with tick repellent/killer is essential given the severity of the disease that can result otherwise. This is a message which is a whole lot harder to get across to veterinarians and pet parents than you can imagine — and after a couple of weeks on steeping myself in this topic, I am determined to get the message out and protect as many dogs as I can. In fact, I was so impressed by Vectra 3D and not having seen one tick on any of my free ranging dogs (on Advantix the ticks did attach and eventually died) that I asked Vectra 3D to become one of my website sponsors and they agreed. You know me well enough by now that I choose those companies affiliated with me very, very carefully — and Vectra 3D is worthy of that connection. I hope some day you’ll give it a try and personally see how it performs.

Tracie

The Dog Bible

Katherine is a new listener to DOG TALK® who has a darling Polish Lowland Sheepdog Sofie (whose photo is now on my website. In listening to a show where Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins and I talked about the new tick repellent/killer Vectra 3D, Katherine discovered that her own vet was enthusiastic about it and carried it so she got it right away for Sofie. She was so pleased with the results (absence of any ticks on Sofie, despite long flowing hair) that she did what many of us do when wanting to share something great with others – Katherine posted the following recommendation about Vectra 3D on the Polish Lowland Sheepdog Yahoo group message board:

“I have recently discovered what I believe to be a much better product than Frontline. It’s called Vectra 3D and I heard a vet talking about it on Tracie Hotchner’s radio show “Dog Talk®.” It’s applied monthly as the other treatments are, but it not only kills ticks, fleas and mosquitoes, but also repels them. To my surprise, my vet was already carrying it and highly recommending it. Sofie’s first treatment was last week, and it’s much easier to put on than Frontline, and isn’t oily. She had no reaction at all. Now that the hot weather is here, I’m grateful that I found it.”

But then Katherine was confused when her posting elicited comments with alarmist warnings about supposed dangers and even an excerpt from a Wikipedia listing about Pemethrin, an active ingredient in Vectra 3D (as you can see from my later comment – and you’ll see often in disparaging comments in the New York Times and other publications – Wikipedia has become an object of derision as a source of reliable facts since it is written in a come-one-come-all fashion.   But Katherine said:

I posted on one of the PON (Polish Lowland Sheepdog) message boards about Vectra 3D, got some flack about it having Permethrin in it and then someone posted the definition of it from Wikipedia…what do you think?

Go right to my website and there is a page for Vectra with links to their site with a full and clear explanation about Permethrin – which, by the way, is in soldier’s uniforms, mosquito netting and even in the Nix shampoo used for head lice in school children

As for Wikipedia, it is an entirely dubious source of ANY information since anyone can write anything and anyone else can edit it, take it down, etc. I am perplexed why people have come to believe it is a source of facts – it is self-reported by self-proclaimed experts on any topic – an extremely weird model for information. It is considered a joke in most circles when cited for “facts.”

The facts are that weighing the pros & cons of using a highly effective product like Vectra 3D is that the risk is slight (no bad reactions in a year and half on the market) and the risk of horrible illness from any of the tick-borne infections – not to mention mosquitoes and fleas – is SKY HIGH.

Those are facts. Incontrovertible.

If what you want to know is what I think – I think that the Internet and chat rooms attract people who are naysayers and fear-mongers and they love to shake their rattles at anything they know little about. I am never amazed at the propensity of people on the Internet to have huge negative reactions and opinions without doing any proper research or even wanting to. You are different Katherine – or I wouldn’t take so much time responding to your emails. You are super careful and thoughtful but you have a head on your shoulders and you use it. God bless people like you or we’d all still be in the Dark Ages, wearing garlic around our necks to ward off witches – and ticks probably, too.

And it’s really too bad for the people who don’t know how to embrace new technology with gratitude that it exists to protect our vulnerable pets against these horrible ticks and the devastating illnesses they carry.

-Tracie

I am pretty concerned about ticks since all three of my dogs run free in fields and forests every day which are crawling with ticks – and each of them tests positive for a different tick-borne disease. So I was excited to learn that Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins — the Official Vet of Cat Chat — went to work for a company making a new topical “anti-tick potion” called Vectra 3-D. Elizabeth is one of the most honest, morally centered people I know, so I immediately had trust in the company she chose to join which makes Vectra 3-D. My dogs had not been getting protection from Frontline and I wanted to change to a product that would give me real protection — beginning with repelling the ticks so they can’t even get a chance to attach. But I was worried about the recent EPA concerns about some of these products (Frontline was mentioned where Vectra was not) and also worried whether Permethrin – the ingredient in Vectra – istopical are dangerous to the pets Dr. Elizabeth’s reply put my mind at rest enough that all of my dogs are now Vectra 3D dogs, safely running through fields of ticks that leave them alone!

Few dogs react to Permethrin, but clearly some do — just as some will react to virtually any other product. The thing about Permethrin is its potency and repellent properties for ticks especially that other popular products do not have. There is a reason that it is used to “tick-proof” soldier’s uniforms and “mosquito-proof” netting in places where ticks and other vectors are such a problem and threat to human life. Permethrin is almost always the active of choice for these purposes. In Summit’s studies, the big problem with other tick actives was potency fall-off before the end of the month. We also saw more rapid and thorough tick kill at the beginning of the month with most tick species with Vectra. We know that localized reactions are not a consistent problem, because there are many vets using it out there and we are not hearing back that 3D is causing problems other than the very occasional. As you know, the EPA has recently issued a warning about spot-ons (Vectra was not mentioned incidentally). This warning came from the numbers of adverse events reported to the EPA. Now these can range from “my dog looked at me strangely after I put the topical on him,” to “my dog had to be rushed to the vet for emergency treatment.” But the most popular topical spot-on has its share of reactions, without question. The important thing to remember is that every health care product out there, from antihistamines and laxatives to antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs can (and have) caused reactions in the target species (pets, livestock and/or humans). There are no exceptions to this rule. We use these drugs anyway, despite the small amount of risk involved, when the benefit outweighs the overall risk. In the case of permethrin, its effectiveness against vectors of debilitating and even fatal human and pet diseases is so great, and the risk of serious reaction to the treated animal is so small, it is obviously an excellent active for preventing tick-transmitted diseases. The efficacy and safety studies of all of Vectra’s products are available on the company’s website atwww.summitvetpharm.com.

Tracie