Chemical use on our pets

There is an unfortunate story going around the internet of a Pomeranian that was poisoned over time by the use of a once a month flea product. It is sad but not surprising. Poms are very small and the dosing on some of these products need to be watched very closely. However I would also caution that using chemicals regularly on our pets is something that should be monitored far more carefully than it is sometimes. Reading the warnings on the products alone might make some people think twice. (If the application is so toxic to people, why are we putting it on our pets again?)

I share with you photos of the chemical burn our own dog Missy suffered from a once a month topical flea treatment. She came to us at age 4 and the breeder had used a topical on her never previously having problems with it. Here is the burn she arrived to us with:

And here is what it looks like now, 3 years later:

It is actually pretty hard to see unless you are looking for it now. The hair didn't grow back in the entire spot, it mainly grew over the spot.

We also took some weight off her when she got here which made the spot smaller. In her defense she was a tad heavy from having a litter of pups 12 weeks prior.

So my caution is to reconsider how often you use chemicals on your pets if you do. Unless you are having an ongoing problem is it really necessary to use something every single month? I know I don't and I don't have flea issues. A flea bath or combing them out does wonders and is much less toxic, just more work for us of course. VBG

(A low cost tip-if you have a flea problem vacuum your whole house and then take the bag out of the vacuum and dispose of it outside the home. Repeat in 10 days to get the newly hatched flea eggs. Also wash all bedding. Repeat in 10 days too. I learned this from a sales rep of flea products when I worked for a vet.)

I also always recommend only using the flea products you can buy at a veterinary practice. NEVER use the over the counter stuff you can easily find in stores. They just aren't regulated the same. Back when I worked for a vet we regularly saw poisoned pets from those products. Sure they may be cheaper initially, but that vet bill sure won't be.

And an update: Here is the finished yarn from Gizmo and the rabbits. I know it fetched at least $100 for the auction. I didn't make it back in time to see if anyone else bid. It turned out to be 3 skeins and 425 yards of fingering weight yarn. The book was a signed copy by The Yarn Harlot.

And here are the pics of the fiber contributors I displayed with the basket.

All the fiber used was from rescued animals so it was very fitting to make the yarn from them.