We live in a heavily tick-populated area, so we take keeping ticks away from our dogs and ourselves seriously. As much as we'd like to give our dogs a quick chewable once a month that eliminated the tick issue, the often-prescribed flea & tick medicines (essentially pesticides delivered to ticks through our dogs' bodies) never passed the test for us. We would love to have a weedless lawn too, but we don't use Round-up for the same reason.

Now the FDA has weighed in with a recently expanded alert that confirms the upsetting anecdotal evidence from broken-hearted dog parents.

The FDA "is alerting pet owners and veterinarians of the potential for neurologic adverse events in dogs and cats when treated with drugs that are in the isoxazoline class." The "adverse neurologic events" include seizures, muscle tremors, ataxia (loss of muscle control that can lead to heart failure and death), along with other side effects such as vomiting, depression, allergic reactions. The brands included in this FDA warning are: Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica, Credelio, and Revolution Plus. The FDA alert goes on to say that despite all this, the toxic reactions and "adverse neurologic events" haven't been shown to affect all dogs (as far as they know for now without any long-term studies), so the drugs are still FDA-approved and we should consult our vet and decide if we would like to take the risk with our own dogs. Seriously, FDA? The FDA alert overview here.

Here's why these flea & tick medicines never made sense to us. Isoxazolines are pesticides, neurotoxins that block nerve signals in fleas and ticks ultimately paralyzing and killing them. They work systemically, meaning these medicines are absorbed into our dogs' blood and spread throughout their bodies. Fleas and ticks have to bite your dog to be poisoned by the neurotoxin they ingest from your dog's blood. These products don't repel fleas and ticks; they use your dog's blood to deliver poison that kills bugs after they bite.

For our dogs, we choose to fight ticks in a way we can feel good about, to know we're not trying to solve one problem by creating an even more dangerous one. We love the Pure + Good regimen we use with our guys - Flea & Tick shampoo & conditioner for baths, spray and wipes we keep by the door to massage into their coats frequently or douse a bandana. The ingredients are things we all recognize - cedarwood, peppermint, lemongrass, citronella - that naturally repel and can kill fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes (+ have additional good-for-your-dog properties like being naturally antiseptic/anti-inflammatory). A couple real-life usage notes: our dogs' routine isn't a one-and-done. We are constantly checking them. We also always give our dogs a good look-over right after a hike or outside play to be extra vigilant about ticks. Basically, all the things we would do for our human children. Which makes perfect sense to us.

If you have questions, let us know. There are lots of great ways to protect your dog naturally from ticks and we'd love to hear what has worked for you.

Love,

Your #FairyDoglyMother

Jane & Cory