Vets urged to cut back on flea treatments

Vets urged to cut back on flea treatments amid UK biodiversity fears.

University of Sussex scientist calls promotion of preventative practice when pets are flea free ‘profiteering’.

Vets need to stop “profiteering” by giving dogs and cats preventive flea treatments that are wiping out insects and songbirds, according to a well-known scientist.

The standard practice in the UK at present is to advise that customers take a preventative approach, treating their pets every couple of months even if they don’t have fleas.

But flea treatments include powerful insecticides that have been found to leach off pet fur – and the hands of their owners – into waterways. A recent study also found that songbirds are inadvertently killing their young by making nests out of contaminated pet fur.

There is growing concern about the impact these treatments are having on biodiversity. Imidacloprid and fipronil, for example, are powerful insecticides: one monthly flea treatment for a large dog contains enough imidacloprid to kill 25 million bees.

“Defra [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] and the veterinary profession need to take responsibility for development of a sustainable alternative, but an obvious first step is to stop treating animals for fleas if they don’t have fleas.

The Guardian