Hi!  I am new to the list and have only posted a couple of times about one
of my ferts, Kali, and her adrenal surgery.  I have been reading the last
few posts and I have a few comments/suggestions regarding flea control.
Someone (sorry, I forgot who you are) mentioned that carbaryl used to be
extremely toxic and wanted to know if some recent changes have been made.  I
don't think so.  I do know that using a flea shampoo/dip containing carbaryl
can and will kill most cats so I definitely would not use it on my fuzzies.
In fact, I personally try not to use anything on my pets at all.  Instead,
I treat my house with an area treatment that contains an insect growth
regulator.  If fleas are present, two or three applications might be
necessary to get the problem under control quickly.  If used as a
preventative measure, one treatment will work for 3-4 months depending on
the product.  Of course, all animals and humans must be removed from the
building for a minimum of 5-6 hours, and if you are trying to get rid of
fleas, it is best to bathe all the animals before returning them into the
home or use a safe flea spray ( which can be difficult to find, so please
make sure before using anything).  If you are trying to get rid of fleas in
the home, you should treat the house and bathe/spray the animals and then
repeat the process about 10 days later.  The spray itself will kill any
adult fleas and eventually sterilize the eggs so they can no longer hatch.
It works about the same as giving Program to the pets.  I have 13 animals in
house right now ( ferrets, cats, and dogs) and I do not treat any of them
with any type of flea control products.  The vet clinic I work at currently
sells Knockout which works extremely well ( last year I got a major
infestation under control in about 2 weeks using this product).  Another
good one is Basus.  From what the vet says, both of these are safe once
dried and the home aired out.  I would recommend getting these products in
the area treatment form instead of the traditional "bomb" because it is much
easier to control where the spray goes (under couches, cushions, beds, etc.)
and in the long run it is usually considerably cheaper.  If you are in an
area where fleas are a problem all year, or if you are like me and are
exposed to alot of animals with fleas all year, using one of these products
every 4-6 months will help prevent any further infestations.
 
 
Stacia and the zoo:
ferts- Kali, Rama, Krishna, Sati
cats- Bandit, Stimpy, Nipsy, Bubby, Stray Cat, Baby, and Sammy DeCat
dogs- Heidi and Scroungy
[Posted in FML issue 2377]