Question:
Something to watch for when using flea and tick products is Mentholcarbomate...if it is in the product, stear clear of it. 14 years ago, my brother was 3 yrs at the time, he played with the dog the day after it was treated with a flea and tick product and left outside to dry. Being a typical 3 year old, he would climb on the dog, use him for a pillow, etc. well 10 days later my brother was in a comma...stayed in the comma for 3 weeks before he woke up. Dr's said it was Mentholcarbomate poisioning. It has absorbed through his skin when he had been playing with the dog. He has been suffering for 14 years now with severe learning disorders, ADD, ADHD, and most importantly uncontrollable seizure disorders. This child has been on every anti-seizure medication known to science, tried the Katogenic Diet for 3 years, has something I can't spell but it works like a pacemaker for the brain and has a switch in the chest area you scan with a magnet to short circut the brain when he is about to have a seizure, has a seizure detection dog and STILL can't get to school for more than 3-4 months total out of the year...The doctors were going to try to remove the part of his brain that the seizures are coming from, but it is too close to the learning center of his brain and they won't do it. He is 17 years old now with the mentality of an 8 year old and according to the neurologists, that is as mature as he is going to ever get. Don't mess around with it! Check the labels! Especially if you have young children. The brand of flea and tick product that this was and in many cases still in, is Sargents. If you see it: Mentholcarbomate, don't buy it! Some Sargents products still use it, and some don't. So please! Check the label with every flea or tick medication you buy!


Answer:
I'm sorry that your brother had to/continues to go through all of that. Did your family ever contact the company? You would think that they would not be able to use a chemical that could have such serious detrimental effects on people!
Thank you for the warning.


Answer:
My dad and stepmother tried to sue (not that they are sue happy, just these medical bills add up) and they were told that because it hadn't been reported as happening to other people and that it does state to keep out of the reach of children, not to mention they are a huge company and this was one little family, we pretty much had little chance of winning in court. It could be dragged out for years pretty much at our own expense $$. My parent's had to drop the case due to funds and stress. So, although we couldn't do anything legally about it, we could warn others so as to not have this type of thing happen to their children.


Answer:
Oh, and their major point was, well maybe it could have put him into the comma, but you can't prove that all of the ill effects were because of the one chemical.


Answer:
Rescue_Woman, thank you very much for the warning and I'm sorry to hear about your brother's situation.
Just to clarify, is the name of the chemical Carbaryl (1-Naphthyl N-methylcarbamate)?


Answer:
Yes, but it is often referred to on some of the packages as just Menthylcarbamate. So you may want to check for both. It is especially dangerous to small children because their skin is so translucent, it easily can absorb into their blood streams, even if the child doesn't touch the animal for several days after application. This is that happened to my brother.


Answer:
Chemical flea treatments always make me uneasy, especially the STRONG chemical smell that lingers after applying the treatment. I know some alternatives are citronella and dicthnomous (I can't spell this word for the life of me) earth but I'd really like to find a good flea repellent/killer that is natural and actually works well. I might not like the chemicals used in flea treatments but I also don't appreciate living with fleas! I've had a dog all my life and the only time my dog ever caught ticks was when we had to board her at a kennel, otherwise I'm meticulous about brushing and cleaning and I have not had a flea problem yet, knock on wood.
It's also probably due to the fact that I live in the city rather than the countryside and contact with fleas and ticks is probably minimal.


Answer:
We use FrontLine...I don't think it is all natural, but I do know it kills fleas (in all stages of their life cycle) as well as 6 different kinds of ticks. It doesn't smell, and doesn't wash off the animal if you wait 24 hours before bathing them, and isn't harmful to skin. I wouldn't suggest licking your dog after you apply it, but it is safe for other animals to lick and there are no hazardous chemicals to humans from skin to flea product contact. Just be sure to wash your hands really well after you apply it.