Oct 8, 2024 10:39 PM
(This post was last modified: Oct 8, 2024 10:44 PM by C C.)
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1060268
INTRO: Most dog owners didn’t know that flea and tick treatments are dangerous to aquatic life, suggesting more awareness could ease the problem. A study on Hampstead Heath shows that ponds where dogs are allowed to swim contain levels of two pesticides harmful to invertebrate life.
These pesticides, imidacloprid and fipronil, are used as parasite treatments for flea and tick infestations in cats and dogs, using ‘spot-on’ formulas and flea collars. This is despite these chemicals being banned for agricultural use in 2018 due to their toxicity to bees and other important insects.
These treatments are increasingly used prophylactically – to prevent fleas and ticks – with doses applied as frequently as monthly. Recent studies have raised concerns about the level of these chemicals reaching the natural environment through household wastewater and dogs swimming in waterways, such as rivers and ponds.
Now, a study published today in the journal Science of the Total Environment has confirmed that swimming dogs can contaminate the water as the chemicals wash off their fur.
The study was carried out by researchers from Imperial College London, the University of Sussex, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Royal Veterinary College, in collaboration with the Heath & Hampstead Society and the City of London Corporation.
Dr Leon Barron, from the School of Public Health at Imperial, who co-led the work, said: “This work adds to the growing body of evidence that will hopefully lead to changes in prescribing practices and advice given to pet owners.
“But as the public can buy these products without restriction in supermarkets, we need to raise awareness among dog owners that while these chemicals are useful treatments, using them preventatively may create other serious issues such as environmental pollution and pest resistance.”
First author Lauren Yoder, from the Royal Veterinary College, said: “Dog owners can play an important part in reducing the overall impact on the water that dogs enjoy by checking if they really need to use these products. If more owners moved to a ‘when needed’ approach, then this parasiticide pollution could be reduced.”
Harmful levels. With its 800 acres of natural woodland, meadows and ponds, Hampstead Heath is central London’s biodiversity ‘hotspot’ and home to many rare and threatened British species. Insects and other invertebrates perform critical functions in our environment, including to clean water, and are important sources of food for bats and birds in the area. Insects such as dragonflies, which depend on the ponds, showcase a remarkable biodiversity on the Heath.
In the study, the team tested three ponds where dogs are allowed to swim, three where they are not, and six connecting streams that feed these ponds, to check for any other source of the contamination... (MORE - details, no ads)
INTRO: Most dog owners didn’t know that flea and tick treatments are dangerous to aquatic life, suggesting more awareness could ease the problem. A study on Hampstead Heath shows that ponds where dogs are allowed to swim contain levels of two pesticides harmful to invertebrate life.
These pesticides, imidacloprid and fipronil, are used as parasite treatments for flea and tick infestations in cats and dogs, using ‘spot-on’ formulas and flea collars. This is despite these chemicals being banned for agricultural use in 2018 due to their toxicity to bees and other important insects.
These treatments are increasingly used prophylactically – to prevent fleas and ticks – with doses applied as frequently as monthly. Recent studies have raised concerns about the level of these chemicals reaching the natural environment through household wastewater and dogs swimming in waterways, such as rivers and ponds.
Now, a study published today in the journal Science of the Total Environment has confirmed that swimming dogs can contaminate the water as the chemicals wash off their fur.
The study was carried out by researchers from Imperial College London, the University of Sussex, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Royal Veterinary College, in collaboration with the Heath & Hampstead Society and the City of London Corporation.
Dr Leon Barron, from the School of Public Health at Imperial, who co-led the work, said: “This work adds to the growing body of evidence that will hopefully lead to changes in prescribing practices and advice given to pet owners.
“But as the public can buy these products without restriction in supermarkets, we need to raise awareness among dog owners that while these chemicals are useful treatments, using them preventatively may create other serious issues such as environmental pollution and pest resistance.”
First author Lauren Yoder, from the Royal Veterinary College, said: “Dog owners can play an important part in reducing the overall impact on the water that dogs enjoy by checking if they really need to use these products. If more owners moved to a ‘when needed’ approach, then this parasiticide pollution could be reduced.”
Harmful levels. With its 800 acres of natural woodland, meadows and ponds, Hampstead Heath is central London’s biodiversity ‘hotspot’ and home to many rare and threatened British species. Insects and other invertebrates perform critical functions in our environment, including to clean water, and are important sources of food for bats and birds in the area. Insects such as dragonflies, which depend on the ponds, showcase a remarkable biodiversity on the Heath.
In the study, the team tested three ponds where dogs are allowed to swim, three where they are not, and six connecting streams that feed these ponds, to check for any other source of the contamination... (MORE - details, no ads)