Risk-based approach to flea treatment

There was an interesting and eloquent debate piece in a recent issue of the Veterinary Record discussing environmental insecticide contamination and flea control products in companion animals (Perkins, 2020).

It makes the excellent point that more research is required to establish to what extent companion animal flea products contaminate the environment. The source of neonicotinoids that have been found in UK waterways is currently unknown, and information is patchy or absent on other insecticides used for flea control on pets. If we knew which, if any, of the insecticides we currently prescribe were primary offenders in environmental contamination then we could take this into account as a factor when selecting our flea control products.

The article emphasises the importance of a risk-based approach to parasite control rather than a ‘blanket treatment’ (all pets all year around) approach. This is something that the European Council for Companion Parasites (ESCCAP) UK & Ireland promotes to prevent unnecessary treatment of pets. It is particularly effective where lifestyle and geography play major parts in parasite exposure risk, as is the case for lungworm or tapeworm infection. It is an uncomfortable truth that, following risk assessment, sometimes the evidence points towards blanket year-round treatment for all cats and dogs as being the right decision for human and animal health. This is the case for fleas.