Vet’s plea to pet owners over 'forever chemicals' pollution

A leading northern vet has issued pet owners with advice on how to reduce the environmental impact of parasite treatments comprising ‘forever chemicals’ after calls to ban their over-the-counter sales.

Dr Tanya Leslie said pet owners would be better off selecting targeted rather than broad spectrum treatments after the House of Lords’ Environment and Climate Change Committee found insecticides including fipronil and imidacloprid are impacting UK rivers at levels harmful to the environment.

The committee had heard evidence from University of York academic Professor Alistair Boxall, who after spending decades studying the region’s rivers, said chemicals were being seen in very high concentrations, and concentrations appeared to be rising.

The committee underlined the “intensive and unnecessary overuse” calendar-based dosing of cats and dogs was often promoted by the pet pharmaceutical industry, but was not supported by robust scientific evidence.

While banned for agricultural use, such pesticides includes carbon groups that resist natural environmental degradation.

Meanwhile, researchers from the university’s Ecomix project have found over 4,000 different chemicals in the River Foss alone, including antibiotics and paracetamol.

The study of ten rivers in Yorkshiire, spanning 19 sites, concluded chemical mixtures were disrupting aquatic life at multiple levels of the food chain and contributing to biodiversity loss, rivaling the damage caused by sewage pollution.

Rob Collins, director of policy and science, the Rivers Trust, said: “Once these chemicals get into the environment it’s very hard to do anything about them."

Dr Leslie said spot-on flea and tick treatments should only be used when needed, such as during high-risk seasons or if there is an active flea infestation.

She said it was crucial to keep pets out of rivers, streams and other waterways for at least 48 hours after application and where appropriate, ask vets whether an oral flea or tick treatment might be a suitable alternative.

Such products are less likely to wash off into the environment and as they are excreted in urine and faeces, it's important to always pick up after pets.

Central to the committee’s recommendations, was a call for a more precautionary approach to parasite medicines use to reduce the number of unnecessary treatments, particularly for low-risk animals. This includes strengthening advice and guidance, ensuring such treatments cannot be sold without qualified advice, and making risks more visible on packaging.

It also called for a review of the relationship between the industry and UK and international veterinary medicine regulators, to ensure that any risk of regulatory capture is removed and give confidence that appropriate and independent guidance is prioritised.

Dr Leslie, Veterinary Advisor for DOUXO, said as every pet is different, parasite control should be based on their individual lifestyle and health needs, as well as the needs of the people they live with.

Puppies, kittens, pets that regularly mix with livestock, pets with certain medical conditions, and households with young children or immunocompromised family members may need more frequent parasite protection, she said.

"Where possible, it's best to use targeted treatments rather than broad-spectrum products that treat multiple parasites at once”, said Dr Leslie.

“For example, if your cat needs flea treatment, choose a product specifically for fleas for the appropriate period. If worm treatment is needed at another time, use a separate worming product. If your pet needs year-round parasite protection because of their lifestyle or the health needs of your family, speak to your vet about the most appropriate option, balancing effective parasite control with minimising environmental impact.

Ideally, we don’t necessarily always need to be ‘parasite-free’; we want to manage numbers to a level that doesn’t cause clinical problems for the pet or ourselves.”

When deciding whether their pet needs treatment owners should, Dr Leslie says, firstly consider the season. She said as fleas and ticks are usually more active during warmer months, treatment may only be needed at certain times of the year. She added: “Parasite risks vary across the UK and abroad. Some areas have parasites that can spread disease, making regular protection more important.”