Today I applied my last dose of Frontline on my large mixbreed dog Carmina.  I had already stopped using it on my Papillons because one, it did not work, two I was concerned about skin irritation.  After today, however, I will never apply spot-on treatments on ANY of them again.  Contrary to the instructions, I opened the Frontline packaging by making a slit with a pair of scissors.  I didn’t notice that I had accidentally cut the dosage packaging itself.  As I applied it to my dog, some of the medication leaked out onto my index finger.  I thought nothing of it at the time, then about half an hour later, my finger started burning and itching, and I started to not feel so well.  I still do not feel so well and my finger is burning like a chemical burn.

It took me a minute to figure out what was going on, then I remembered having to wash off the liquid from that same area on my hand.  All I could think was, I can’t believe I’ve been putting this stuff on my poor dogs!  Those poor Papillons especially with their sensitive skin must have been miserable.  It hurts and it makes you feel like crap.  So, as a result of inadvertent testing on humans, topicals are out.

I did some further research on topicals and found that the EPA is closely monitoring spot on treatments because of numerous reported incidents.  You can read the full EPA article here.

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is pursuing a series of actions to increase the safety of spot-on pesticide products for flea and tick control for cats and dogs. Immediately, EPA will begin reviewing labels and determining which ones need stronger and clearer labeling statements. EPA will also develop more stringent testing and evaluation requirements for both existing and new products. EPA expects these steps will help prevent adverse reactions from pet spot-on products.”
There have also been problems with counterfeited Frontline and Advantage medication earlier this year.  Click here for the full EPA warnings.