While most people give their dogs flea and tick medication to make sure their pet doesn't "come down" with a case of fleas, many popular flea and tick medications contain harsh chemicals and by-products that can ultimately be harmful to your pet.
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Pesticides
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Flea and tick medications, whether in the form of a collar or one large dose, contain pesticides that can be harmful to your dog. The National Resources Defense Council reports that many flea and tick medications contain organophosphate insecticides, or OPs, that work by blocking signals from the nervous system to the brain in insects and can do the same thing to dogs. Although most flea and tick medications don't contain enough OPs to kill a dog, it can injure his nervous system.
Propoxur
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Flea and tick medications containing propoxur (usually found in flea and tick collars) can cause cancer for both the dog and the owners of the dog. This propoxur stays on the dog's coat and can rub off when humans pet him, making them extremely vulnerable. In the state of California, flea and tick collars containing propoxur come with a warning, so that the public will know that it may cause cancer.
Dangers for Children
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Children have a tendency to touch things and immediately put their fingers in their mouths out of force of habit. The National Resources Defense council estimates that if a child puts his fingers in his mouth after touching a dog who has just had a flea dip will be exposed to 500 times the recommended safe amount of the product. Many flea collars also contain the dangerous chlorpyrifos, and toddlers under 21 months who merely hug a dog wearing a collar containing this medication will be exposed to seven times the recommended level.
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