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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Sophie Pavelle

Flea treatments are turning our pets into an environmental hazard – there has to be a better way

A man walks his dalmatian  along the Thames in Richmond, London. Animals should not be allowed into water after being treated for fleas.
A man walks his dalmatian along the Thames in Richmond, London. Animals should not be allowed into water after being treated for fleas. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters

When I was 10, I succeeded in my campaign for a family dog. Part of her care, and our joy as owners, was the monthly application of spot-on worm and flea treatment. With veterinary medicine on my mind as a career, I relished the theatre of vets-at-home. We bought doses over the counter, scheduling the dog’s treatment on the calendar like a five-a-side.

We applied these drugs to our dog because every other owner did. Because it was encouraged, because it was easy, because it felt right.

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