It’s a scene many of us are all too familiar with: your dog Fido violently scratching one day, your denial immediately kicks in and you tell yourself he just needs a bath. You know full well you need to do the obligatory flea check, but frankly, you just don’t want to know. The itching continues over the next few days and now you’re forced to dig out the flea comb. The first few combs you see nothing. Then, you dig deeper, taking the hair and debris over to the sink to thoroughly investigate. A few drops of water and you’ll have your answer. Will all those little brown specks just be dirt or are they flea dirt (okay flea feces) that will “bleed” when wet? There’s no denying it, it’s flea poop and even a live flea or two. Oh, no, it's time for flea treatment.

Panic ensues. Self-hatred grows. Why didn’t I just use the darn Advantage flea treatment? Well, if you’re like me, you didn’t use it because it’s astronomically expensive (like many flea products), especially if you have multiple pets as I do. The undesirable union of the beginning of flea season and the current economic crisis may send pet owners scrambling to save money ridding their homes and animals of these pesky parasites. With the leading prescription flea treatments costing a fortune, well-intentioned owners may be unwittingly poisoning their pets with over-the-counter flea remedies.

I look at the clock, it’s too late to go to the vet for Advantage flea treatment. PetSmart’s Veterinary Clinic is now closed. I know there’s no sleeping with these unwanted tenants in my house, there’s just no waiting until morning to begin the annihilation. So, I’m peeling out of my driveway on the way to the closest PetSmart. I have no time to mess around, so I immediately ask for assistance. I ask about “alternatives” and the employee shoots me over to the aisle with never-ending flea control products. I ask if any of them really works. He tells me their groomers always use Zodiac Spot On Flea Control, claiming it’s really the same stuff as Advantage, just a lot cheaper. Bear in mind, I am desperate here. I really want to believe him. I don’t have time for research. I feel good about the purchase: “If their groomers use it, it must be effective and safe.” I think to myself. I buy a package for cats and another for dogs. They wouldn't sell dangerous flea products, right?

Feeling immensely pleased with myself for saving so much money, I rip open the packages and carefully read the directions. I am aware that I am about to place poison (neurotoxins) on all five of my beloved animals, so I am careful to educate myself before I start the procedure. My husband lends a helping hand as we begin with our two dogs. We decide to isolate the dogs from the cats for the rest of the night just to be on the safe side. We then begin the descent upon the cats (finding them is often the most difficult part of the process). We treat all three, sit back and relax while we envision sure and excruciating flea death.

The next morning brings with it the usual mad dash to get the kids off to school. I have plans with a friend to meet for coffee afterwards. She’s a pet owner as well, so I am happy to share with her this new flea treatment that will save her an arm and a leg. With a full-on caffeine buzz, I arrive home at lunch time. I decide to start some laundry and begin the tedious process of gather my children’s clothes from various locations around the house. It was then that I found frightening things in my son’s closet, but none as frightening as my little tortoise shell, Eek hiding behind the large pile of clothes. She appears to have been terrorized and wants nothing to do with me. Odd for her, she’s normally a very friendly cat. I eventually pull her out and she’s barely able to walk across the room. She stumbles, quivers, and falls down behind the rocking chair. I am panicked. I pull her out to take a better look. Her head is twitching and she is ataxic. I race to the phone to call my veterinarian and we’re in the car within a minute.

I reported to my veterinarian that I’d used this Zodiac Spot On flea product. She informed me Eek displayed the signs of Methoprene poisoning and that she would need to stay in the clinic for 24 hours to cleanse her system. She was bathed with Dawn, lathered 3 times and hooked up to an IV to rid her body of this toxin. Eek is a small cat, only 6.5 pounds as a full-grown cat. The same flea treatment was given to my other 2 cats with no adverse effects, both of these cats are twice the weight of Eek. My veterinarian theorizes that Eek's ill response was due to her low weight, however nowhere in the precautions does Zodiac address the potential risk for small cats. Wellmark International, the manufacturer, only warns that this Zodiac Spot On treatment should not be given to kittens less than 12 weeks old.

My veterinarian assured me this is NOT an isolated case of this Methoprene poisoning and that her toxicity is NOT my fault. Flea treatments for cats can be quite dangerous if you use any over the counter flea medication. She sees cats with similar reactions to Methoprene regularly, even in average weight cats. I followed the directions, I read the entire package from beginning to end and my cat became very ill.

I wasn’t sure my cat was going to live. I brought her home and nursed her day and night, slept with her on the bathroom floor where she was hiding. SLOWLY she got better after a few days. Her gait got better and she returned to her perky self. My veterinarian told he Eek was lucky. She’s seen many cats (large and small) die from Methoprene toxicity.

$302.63 later, I was angry. Fight back angry, so I got busy. I contacted the EPA's Animal Products Safety Service and gave them a detailed account of this poisoning. I called Wellmark International, the manufacturer of Zodiac's Spot On Flea Treatment to complain and demand reimbursement. My veterinarian has been very concerned about this issue for years and voluntarily wrote a letter to Wellmark International. I was convinced I'd covered all my bases and would receive compensation. I figured, at the very least, they'd want me to keep my mouth shut.

Wellmark did call me back and asked a lot of questions about my experience with Zodiac's Spot On Flea Control... She wanted to ascertain that I'd applied it correctly (I reassured her I had) and wanted to know if there are any other pets in my house and whether or not they'd become ill. I told her my two bigger cats were fine (my cat that was poisoned is only 6 1/2 pounds). My dogs were also just fine.

She explained that the active ingredient in this Zodiac Spot On Flea Treatment for cats is called Methoprene and that it is a growth inhibitor for fleas and does not attack the central nervous system of cats. However, the active ingredient in the dog Zodiac Spot On Flea Treatment is Pyrethrin, which according to the company is not toxic to dogs, but VERY toxic to cats. She theorized that my cat, Eek inadvertently rubbed up against one of the dogs and was thereby poisoned with the Pyrethrin in the dog product. I told her about my isolation procedures with the dogs and assured her there was no way for Eek to have rubbed up against one of my canine companions since they were locked away in their doggy room downstairs and the cats were locked away upstairs.

Let's say I'm the average non-paranoid consumer and I treat my dogs and cats with this Zodiac treatment. Much to my horror, there IS no VERY strong warning on the packaging that households with cats should either not apply this dog product, or there needs to be some isolation procedures in place to avoid unintentional transmittal onto the cat. I mean, let's face it, lots of households have cats and dogs. She even agreed there needs to be a very clear and highly visible caution.

She asked me what the total was for the product plus the veterinary bills I accrued. The total was: $302.63. She gave me the address of the company and asked me to send her 4 items: 1) an itemized vet bill, 2) a copy of the receipt from PetSmart, 3) a copy of my cat's case notes and 4) a piece of paper with my name, address and phone number for verification purposes. I mailed all this to:

Wellmark International

Attention: Consumer Relations

1501 E. Woodfield Rd, Suite 200W

Schaumburg, Il 60173

Wellmark's fax number for such complaints is: 847-330-5391

I did not receive ONE DIME in compensation for the veterinarian's bills. I merely received my money back for the product. Wellmark will not admit Methoprene can poison cats. Wellmark will not place any warning about the need for isolation procedures to avoid inadvertent transmittal from dogs to cats. Wellmark isn't concerned about minimum weight cautions. Wellmark wants to make a buck at the expense of many of our loving pets (and owners).

Stick to the non-neurotoxin prescription flea treatments like Advantage flea treatment or Frontline flea control, it'll save you a lot of heartbreak and serious cash.