Flea treatments for pets that are fatal for birds
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.
Anyway, I took his advice and I have bought some herbal flea repellant and herbal dewormer, and we will see how Bracken turns out.
Karoline Kuprat
Llanrhytsud, Ceredigion
• Further to your article about the fatal effect on songbird chicks of pesticides used in flea and tick treatments for pets, there is also the likely impact these chemicals will have on the many species of invertebrate that live in birds’ nests. A study by GE Woodroffe in 1953 found 12 species of ectoparasite, 66 species of scavengers and 14 species of predatory invertebrates living in British birds’ nests. Doubtless many more such species have been identified since then.
These creatures will probably be as directly sensitive to anti-flea preparations as the fleas they were intended to kill. Nest-dwelling invertebrates are invisible to most of us, but they are an intriguing and important element of the biodiversity of these islands. If the veterinary profession supports the preservation of biodiversity, it must consider the broadest implications of its prescribing practices and must start to educate pet owners about responsible use of pesticides.
Roy Smith
Burntwood, Staffordshire
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