I was upset about the findings in your article that pet fur found in songbird nests contains a high level of pesticides that get there because pet owners like me try to keep our dogs and cats free of fleas and ticks (Songbirds being killed by pesticides found in pet fur flea treatments, 27 January). I didn’t know that such medications are full of insecticides.
So I went to my vet and asked him if he could recommend any that didn’t contain pesticides. I may have imagined the slight tone of disbelief that I would even ask this, but the lack of curiosity was definitely there. He said: “We don’t do that sort of thing. You probably should just Google that.” If that is the prevailing attitude in veterinary practices in the UK, then songbirds have more problems to come.
