Pesticides Poisoning Pets -- And Now Vets Will Report It

Dogs and cats may be more vulnerable to pesticide poisoning than their human companions. After all, they nose around close to the ground, where lawn and garden pesticides may linger, and they lick themselves clean afterward. Beyond that, many pets are dosed with flea and tick repellents and powders.

All of which means that dogs, cats and other pets may be at risk of chemical poisoning and other health problems that come from exposure to pesticides. While veterinarians have been aware of the issue, a new American Veterinary Medical Association Web site makes reporting cases -- and hopefully, identifying the most risky chemicals and uses -- much easier, according to Beyond Pesticides, a group that advocates for eliminating the use of pesticides.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[wm1066]

In the sixties there was a product called (I think) a "Wonder bar". it was to get rid of dandelions. It had a rope on it so you could pull it around your lawn. And our dogs got sick with cancers later on. I always wondered about that "WonderBar" and if it did our dogs in.

[swiss-ski]

The Vets should have been reporting this type of thing all the long.

[Chumleysmom]

Just HOW SAFE are those anti-flea meds that every vet sells ... those pills that are ingested or the liquid that's rubbed on the dog's neck? Does it make sense that this poison can zap or sterilize a flea and have no effect on a dog especially when it's used month after month?

[DogTown]

Poison to keep grass short and green....grass is suppose to
be tall and golden in color so we poison are planet for
something that is not even natural
Typical stupidity!

[lmvd3]

Great to see this in print! I have refused lawn chemicals over the years, and as a result exceeded by over two years, the oldest recorded age for my dog's breed (17 1/2 years). I have never used flea or tick repellent on my dog, and never a single lawn chemical. Plus, I fed him human food (no onions, corn or chocolate, however, those are toxic) for most of his life. Dogs love fresh and cooked vegetables, and most fruits, and it's great for them! The combination of healthy food and low exposure to chemicals, added significant longevity to my dog's life. My dog still played like a puppy everyday, even past the age of 16. I recommend a membership to Beyond Pesticides; they're a terrific organization.

[Dianekkdi]

I planted my lawn with ground cover. I love the spread of clover. Fire ants can be dealt with using dishsoap and water. I despise pesticides and use as little as possible.
I'm sure you miss your four footed friend. It sounds like he had a great life. We lost our cat of 22 years just two years ago now. We still have a nine year old and a fourteen year old. We love them dearly.

Beyond Pesticides -- I'll check them out. Thanks you!

[Scoppertop]

Two men from my community's landscaping service have cancer. Roundup is known to cause lymphoma, which one of the men (age 55) has, and he is on his 2nd relapse and chemo. The other man (age 45) has renal cell carcinoma. Stay away from it!

[watchingthings]

Multinational [global] .....no good.
We need to get back to where we supported local...or next closest....America prospered.....everyone lived happily.......even the show "happy days" was enjoyed because it was very familiar. Global economy is a bust....Trillions of dollars will not revive it....don't fall for it......local ecomomy...as right after WWll is the way to go. China will not help....Oh, it will.....but only for itself.

[swiss-ski]

This is old news! Anyone who has killed a weed should know the dangers of lawncare poisons and the effect it has on both humans and our 4 legged friends.

[wadenelson1]

2,4, D is tolerable. But stay the hell away from Round-Up.

A leaking squirt bottle got this stuff on my thumb and first finger. I washed my hands after I was done applying it 20 minutes later.

I ended up with some form of arthritis in those fingers and joints that took 2 years to heal. My hand felt 90 years old, stiff, painful, limited motion.

Please, people, wear rubber gloves AND wash up if you buy Round-Up. Or use something else. This stuff is a toxic industrial herbicide and should have never (IMHO) been released for home use.

And quit using it to get rid of "weeds." Use a shovel. Hire Jose. You'll be amazed at the genetic diversity of grass you get once you quit applying herbicides.

A "perfect" lawn is in fact an ecological disaster.

[BlueKansas]

Okay, lemme get this straight, Einstein. You got Roundup (glyphosate) on your bare skin and you waited 20 minutes to wash it off? You didn't read the label, did you? No, you didn't because if you had, you'd have worn gloves and face protection, and you would have known that glyphosate works by migrating through plant tissues and works systemically from that point on.

then you decided to blame your arthritis on this glyphosate event. I'd believe you if you told us your doctor diagnosed your ailment as pesticide toxicity.

You violated the first rule of pestidice/herbicide use. YOU DID NOT READ THE FRICKING LABEL.

No one uses Roundup on lawns because it's a broad spectrum herbicide that kills EVERYTHING. The only time you'd put Roundup on a lawn would be to kill off the whole thing and start over. And even then, you'd have to apply it correctly or it wouldn't work because you know what?? It frequently biodegrades before it has a chance to do its job if it isn't applied correctly!

As for that "genetic diversity" -- that has to be a joke, right? You're talking crabgrass and nutgrass and quackgrass as additions to bluegrass and fescue, right? Because if you're talking about any other kind of genetic diversity, you're talking nonsense.

Honestly, I really do think these products should be restricted more. Homeowners are too impatient and too arrogant to READ THE FRICKING LABEL before using them.

[swiss-ski]

no poison is tolerable.

[BlueKansas]

My God, lawn care companies are ignorant, and they like to keep their clients even more ignorant. The chemical 2,4,D is nasty, but if you must use it, do so at the right time, in the right amount, and when the damned wind isn't blowing. By the way, check your Scott's bags -- this is the active weed-cntrol ingredient in their Step Lawncare programs!

Make sure the grass is damp so the granules stick to the leaves, and keep pets off the lawn for a few days. And for God's sake, if you are letting anyone apply this stuff to your lawn FOUR times a year, STOP IT. You're wasting money and putting your kids' and pets' health at risk!

Contact your local extension agent's office to find out the recommendations for your area, and for heaven's sake, stop using big name lawncare services. They're not doing you, your pets, your wallet or your lawn any good.

[lmvd3]

FYI, everyone, 2,4-D is half the ingredients in AGENT ORANGE! That's right. Agent Orange was an equal, 50:50 combination of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. Do not use 2,4-D unless you want chemical weapons on your lawn, exposing your children and pets, and then tracked into your house. Just a little detail the Dows and Monsanto's of the world fail to tell us.

There is in fact, no justifiable need to expose our children and pets to these chemicals; we and our kids are already over-exposed through other chemical uses in our lives. In the documentary "The Corporation", there is a second disk with interviews of experts. One interview is with Samuel Epstein, PhD from University of Illinois Chicago. If you have access, watch Epstein's 10 minute interview. It is an eye-opener. We are unknowingly exposed to thousands of chemicals everyday, and no one knows the combination or synergistic effects of all of these chemicals on the human body. So, we should avoid what we can avoid. And we can certainly avoid chemical agent 2,4-D.

[eus]

Actually timing is important. This means the right time of year. Herbicides are best applied just before plant starts to bloom or in the fall when they are storing energy in the roots. After a rain (irrigation) is good. Droughty weeds are in conservation mode and dont absorb herbicides as well. Agricultural (30%) vinegar works well in some circumstances. On a lawn, it will burn everything. Creeping Charlie will be permanently killed but the lawn and dandelions will grow back. Even tho they are ugly during that brief period of stalkiness, dandelions are beautiful in the spring when not much else is up. I love to see the bees working them, refueling themselves after the long winter. It makes me sad to see bees on poisoned dandelions... they are such important insects ...pollinating our food crops.