12/03/2025
The chemicals used in standard flea treatments are polluting waterways and having a drastic effect on wildlife like killing songbird chicks🪺.
"Research at the University of Sussex has found that pesticides used in regular flea treatments are in 98% of English rivers, often at levels far higher than those deemed safe.
Some of this is from treated dogs swimming, but much goes down the drain from households, (eg from shampooing dogs, washing bedding, stroking and washing hands) and then enters rivers, according to Dave Goulson, professor of biology at Sussex, who co-authored the study and supervised the research.
Recent research also found that 100% of blue tit🐦 and great tit nests🪹 are contaminated with pesticides💦 from pet flea treatment, as the birds collect fur from dogs and cats to insulate their nests. The study, funded by the charity Songbird Survival, found that nestling mortality is associated with higher levels of the pesticides.
[...] If spot-on products are considered the only appropriate form of treatment, you should brush your pet indoors or in a sheltered area where you can gather the hair afterwards and dispose of it in a sealed bag.
'What we don’t want is the hair blowing away and birds collecting it up as nesting material. I think a lot of us have probably thought that was kind of quite a nice thing for birds to do but clearly it really isn’t if the hair is contaminated with chemicals,' said Millineaux.
It is also important to take care of packaging material, particularly from spot-on products. 'I’ve heard horror stories of people washing out the little containers, which obviously do contaminate water,' added Millineaux.
'What we want to be doing is not washing them out but disposing them of them in something like a seal bag and following any manufacturers guidelines.'
Washing is discouraged for several days after treatments, owing to the risk of product getting into waterways. " - Guardian
