If your pet is wearing one of these flea collars, remove it immediately!

If your dog or cat is wearing one of the brands of flea and tick collars listed below, carefully take it off and dispose of it — now!

They are made by two companies, Sergeant’s Pet Care and Wellmark International, and some of the brand names include Sentry, Sendran, Zodiac, Biospot and Bansect.

They contain a dangerous pesticide called propoxur. It kills insects by affecting the transmission of nerve signals. That’s great where bugs are concerned, but it can do the same thing in people — and pets.

Because of a petition filed by an environmental group, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency finally twisted some arms at Sergeant’s and Wellmark to get them to “voluntarily” stop distributing these dangerous products.

But that won’t happen until 2016! And they’re even allowed to continue manufacturing them until next spring!

And since they have a “shelf life” of five years, that means you might find them in stores until 2020.

Poisoning ourselves and our pets with this dangerous product is bad enough, but exposure to propoxur can be even more dangerous for kids. The NRDC says that “evidence suggests” there can be “long-term effects for children exposed to these products,” such as cancer and even Parkinson’s disease.

The chemical comes off the collar and coats your pet’s fur. And that can leave a residue wherever your pet goes, like the couch, floor or even your bed. And of course, anyone who hugs or pets a dog or cat wearing one of these collars can be exposed.

So even while the EPA is congratulating themselves on a job well done, saying it’s “another example of EPA’s efforts to protect children,” we still have to take matters into our own hands to be safe for the next 6 years.

And then wash our hands really, really well.

For a full list of these flea and tick collar products, click here.

Sources:
“EPA, Sergant’s Pet Care and Wellmark International Reach Agreement to Cancel Potentially Harmful Insecticide Products” EPA news release, March 14, 2014, epa.gov

“Pet products may harm both pets and humans” The Natural Resources Defense Council, nrdc.org