Flea treatments

[Jim Sinclair]

I need to treat my cats and dogs for fleas. Some of my cats spend a lot of time perching on top of my largest fish tank, and all the tanks sometimes have stray hairs floating in them from mammals shedding.

Is Advantage II, if applied to a cat or a dog whose shed hairs then end up in a fish tank, safe for fish? How about Frontline Plus?

I already called Merial and asked about aquarium safety if using Frontline in the home, and I am planning to call Bayer next and ask about Advantage. But the answer I got from Merial is that they don't know, no studies have been done, so they are unable to recommend either for or against using their product in a home with aquariums. If aquarium safety studies aren't routine for the industry, then I may well get the same response from Bayer.

If anyone does know of any such studies, or has personal experience with these products in households where pet hairs are known to get into fish tanks, I'd greatly appreciate hearing about it.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Best thing to do around fish is bathe your animals in Dawn. Then sprinkle Borax around the perimeters of your rooms. It will kill both fleas and eggs. Treat your yard at the same time with a flea control spray. We use malathon but not everyone can get it. We haven’t had a flea issue in over 7 years.

 

[Jim Sinclair]

Unfortunately that's not logistically feasible. Two of the dogs are so large that I can't lift them into a tub. The small dog is highly prone to fear biting. Shortly after he was rescued he became the first dog in some 28 years to bite me badly enough that I required medical attention. And I have 8 cats, none of whom would cooperate with being bathed, so we're looking at rather high injury/infection potential for me (I am immunocompromised so agitating multiple cats is contraindicated), plus the oldest cat is 18 years old and currently in frail health with an oral abscess and I don't want to stress him too much. Bathing all the dogs and cats, whether with Dawn or with flea shampoo, simply isn't an option.

Best thing to do around fish is bathe your animals in Dawn. Then sprinkle Borax around the perimeters of your rooms. It will kill both fleas and eggs. Treat your yard at the same time with a flea control spray. We use malathon but not everyone can get it. We haven’t had a flea issue in over 7 years.

 

[betta fish]

Hi, I have often wondered this too my cat also sits on my tank lid I guess he likes the warmth when the light is on, and I do occasionally find a hair or two in my tanks. I would worry too much as it hasn't resulted in any problems, the active ingredient in his treatment is imidacloprid and this is toxic to aquatic life but most is absorbed through his skin and any hair that may end up in my tank is usually licked clean.

 

[Jim Sinclair]

Update:

I did indeed get the same response from Bayer as from Merial: no studies on aquarium safety.

There's an aquatic veterinarian that I've traveled a few hours to see a couple of times. I called there and asked. The recommendation (from the receptionist, not the vet herself, but everyone I've talked to at that practice seems to be quite knowledgeable about fish) said if possible just keep the cats out of the room or keep a sheet over the aquariums for 24 hours after applying the flea product to the tank-perching cats.

I need to treat my cats and dogs for fleas. Some of my cats spend a lot of time perching on top of my largest fish tank, and all the tanks sometimes have stray hairs floating in them from mammals shedding.

Is Advantage II, if applied to a cat or a dog whose shed hairs then end up in a fish tank, safe for fish? How about Frontline Plus?

I already called Merial and asked about aquarium safety if using Frontline in the home, and I am planning to call Bayer next and ask about Advantage. But the answer I got from Merial is that they don't know, no studies have been done, so they are unable to recommend either for or against using their product in a home with aquariums. If aquarium safety studies aren't routine for the industry, then I may well get the same response from Bayer.

If anyone does know of any such studies, or has personal experience with these products in households where pet hairs are known to get into fish tanks, I'd greatly appreciate hearing about it.

 

[seangee]

Can't say I have ever thought of this but I have 2 cats and a dog who get frontline. Often have hair in the tanks and never known a problem. The cats both love sleeping on tanks and also love to help at water change time. I will definitely make a conscious effort to keep them away from the tanks on frontline days in future

Actually the cats are so (ummm) helpful with water changes they already get banished while I am actually changing it.

 

[Jim Sinclair]

Only one of my cats gets really close when I take off the tank covers for feeding or water changes. He's a Maine Coon mix, and has the breed's characteristic interest in water. He has never tried to go after the fish, though. He just wants to share the peas, spinach, and broccoli
(

) that I feed them.

Can't say I have ever thought of this but I have 2 cats and a dog who get frontline. Often have hair in the tanks and never known a problem. The cats both love sleeping on tanks and also love to help at water change time. I will definitely make a conscious effort to keep them away from the tanks on frontline days in future

Actually the cats are so (ummm) helpful with water changes they already get banished while I am actually changing it.