Below is Dr Becker's ‘red flag’ list of flea and tick ingredients.

Unlike other collars, the top-selling collar with more than 75,000 incident reports contains two pesticides – Imidacloprid and Flumethrin. While the synergy between the two chemicals might make it more effective, it also dramatically increases its potential for toxicity.

Many of the side effects are seen in dogs weighing between 4.5 kg (10 lb) and 9 kg (20 lb). The most affected small breeds include Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, Shih Tzus, Miniature Poodles, Maltese, Yorkshire Terriers, Dachshunds and Bichon Frise.

Cats are also often affected. Products that contain questionable ingredients carry prominent warnings against their use on cats, as accidental use on cats has resulted in a high rate of serious reactions and deaths. Cats can be adversely affected simply through exposure to a treated dog.

The following list of chemicals is Dr Karen Becker's ‘red flag’ list of flea and tick ingredients, found in the latest flea and tick collars, as well as spot-on products, are particularly concerning:

Imidacloprid – This chemical is a neonicotinoid insecticide, the class of chemicals believed responsible for the massive die-offs of bees, butterflies and songbirds. In the European Union, imidacloprid is allowed in pet collars but banned for outdoor use.

Flumethrin – A member of the pyrethrum family of chemicals, which includes permethrin and pyrethroid. Pyrethrum-based products are the most common type of flea control products available today.

Isoxazoline – The Food Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a warning that this chemical insecticide could potentially cause neurological adverse events, such as muscle tremors, seizures and loss of muscle control in dogs and cats.

Fipronil – This chemical acts by disrupting the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord. Clinical signs of toxicity include itching, sores, skin irritation, hair loss, lethargy and vomiting. When applied, it turns into a metabolite that is 20 times more toxic. Family members cuddling with the pet can absorb the chemical as well. The US EPA has classified fipronil as a “Group C – Possible Human Carcinogen.”

Permethrin – This commonly used insecticide is a central nervous system poison and can cause neurotoxic symptoms even if derived from natural chrysanthemums. An endocrine disruptor, it is toxic to the liver, thyroid, pancreas and reproductive system. Symptoms of toxicity include incontinence, tremors, paralysis, nerve damage, difficulty breathing, paralysis, coma and death.

Pyrethrin – This neurotoxic pesticide has been known to cause vomiting, seizures, skin reactions and deaths. Cats are often sensitive to this chemical – natural or synthetic – so it shouldn’t be applied to cats or any dogs that come into contact with cats or have a predisposed sensitivity condition.

Here’s the question you need to ask yourself... Do you really want to expose your pets to these pesticides 24/7 for months on end?

What’s more, using products with these chemicals places your well-being at risk, too. The chemicals get on your hands when you bathe or simply pet your dogs or cats, as well as your clothing and bedding.

These products' ingredients are having a negative impact on the environment, too. A recent study has found that fipronil and imidacloprid are poisoning rivers across England, and the fish, birds and water insects that depend on them.

Step 1: Create an Unwelcome Territory for Pests

If your pets appear itchy or are licking and biting, there’s a good chance fleas are responsible. Remember, upon inspection, you may only find one or two, and that’s if you’re lucky. Fleas hop around quickly and are masters at hiding.

There are many types of fleas out there, but the cat flea is the most common threat to your dog or cat. Fleas feed on any warm-blooded body, but they prefer hairy animals like dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, skunks, opossums and raccoons.

Once a flea hatches and grows to adult size, it jumps onto a host. After attaching to its host, the flea will feed on its host’s blood, mate and lay eggs, which easily fall off onto bedding, carpeting, blankets or the ground.

Fleas can reproduce very quickly and produce 400 to 500 offspring in their lifetime. This makes flea infestations challenging to control.

To minimise fleas, you want to make your indoor and outdoor environments as pest-unfriendly as possible. Wash bedding and pet beds often, especially during flea and tick season.

Now that you have treated their environment, let’s take a look at what else you can do to help your cats or dogs feel comfortable enough to enjoy their lives the best they can.

Step 2: Inspect Your Pets and Remove Any Ticks

Especially if you live in a tick-infested region, develop the habit of checking your pets’ coats and skin thoroughly each evening.

Ticks tend to live in wooded areas, bushes, undergrowth, meadows and clearings. Because ticks are now widespread, they can thrive anywhere there is grass or brush.

Some ticks are so tiny they can be difficult to see – and remove. They attach and embed themselves to their host in areas where the skin is thin, inserting their rostrums – tube-like structures covered with backwards-pointing spikes – and secreting saliva to help them anchor tightly to your dogs or cats.

Because of the unique way they attach themselves, it is critically important to remove them properly.

If you try to remove a tick by squeezing it and pulling it out, this could cause the tick to secrete more saliva and pieces of the tick's rostrum could remain embedded in your pet's skin. So, how do you safely remove ticks?

The Tick Stick is one of the best tools I've found and recommend as part of my pest-repellent system. This tool allows you to hold the tick without compressing it and remove it by using a twisting, rather than a pulling motion that can ‘lock’ the tick in place.

The twisting motion of the Tick Stick works with the tick's rostrum structure. As you twist, the spikes bend into the axis of rotation, making the tick easier to remove.

Another option, using a pair of tweezers but not just any tweezers will work. Most household tweezers have large, blunt tips. You should use fine-point tweezers, to avoid tearing the tick and spreading possible infections into the bite area.

Spread your pet’s fur, then grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible. Very gently, pull straight upward, in a slow, steady motion. This will prevent the tick’s mouth from breaking off and remaining embedded in the skin. 

Step 3: Repel Pests With Natural ‘Pet-Friendly” Oils

To understand how to best prevent these pests from attacking your dogs or cats, we need to look at how they recognise and find their victims.

Fleas and ticks have several mechanisms they use to detect their hosts. Odour, or olfaction, is the most common one.

Fleas and ticks have olfactory systems consisting of about 20 sensilla located on their first pair of legs. This odour detection system is narrowly tuned to specific scents, which allows them to sense and hone in on their intended target or host.

Many of the flea and tick repellents on the market work by masking the specific odours on your pet that pests are searching for. Effective formulae prevent fleas and ticks from smelling, tasting or otherwise identifying the host they're seeking.

The good news is that some herbal repellents work just as well, if not better, than the harsh chemically-laden formulas by using these same masking methods.

Our flagship pet pest repellent product, Flea & Tick Defense, is based on a formula created in the Amazon rainforest where fleas, ticks and mosquitoes are a way of life.

The indigenous Brazilian people living in the rainforest have always dealt with pests in their environment. The lush forests and tropical climate are perfect breeding grounds for fleas, ticks and mosquitos, and the window-less dwellings do little to keep pests out.

For centuries, people have used a uniquely effective method to protect themselves from these pests – a combination of oils from their native surroundings.

Bark & Whiskers have used the same pest-repellent oils to formulate Flea & Tick Defense – a special blend of “pet-friendly” natural Brazilian oils, based on centuries of successful use in one of the most hostile, pest-ridden environments imaginable.

If this blend works in the Amazon rainforest, imagine how well it will deter fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and even flies where you live.

The signs are pretty obvious – frequent or continual itching and scratching, hair loss and the development of hot spots.

Sensitivity symptoms tend to worsen with age, and they can lead to behavioural changes that include restlessness, anxiety, irritation or nervousness.

When fleas do bite, they can cause skin irritation and allergies. With their specially developed mouths, ticks can remain embedded in their hosts’ skin for days. Because a tick’s saliva contains anaesthetics, your pet may not even feel the bite and know the flea is there.

Here’s an even bigger issue with fleas and ticks – they’re far more than just an itchy nuisance. They can carry potentially harmful bacteria and viruses, and transmit them to your pets.

In fact, fleas were responsible for the spread of the bubonic plague that wiped out one-third of Europe in the 14th century. Plus, fleas can serve as an intermediate host for tapeworms and pass it along to your pet.

Ticks can latch on and feed on your pets’ blood and have the potential to transmit serious diseases, like Lyme disease.

This great product - Flea and Tick Defense for Cats and Dogs is provided via our exclusive partner, Bark & Whiskers, where Dr Karen Becker, one of the most followed wellness and integrative veterinarians in the world, shares the most up-to-date information on species-appropriate nutrition and care.

Just like Furchild, she believes that the food and lifestyle choices you make for your pets form the foundation of their health and longevity.

Moreover, Dr Becker is also the first veterinarian to give a TEDx Talk on species-appropriate nutrition. 

She enjoys empowering pet parents and helping them become knowledgeable advocates for their pets’ well-being. Instead of simply addressing the symptoms, Dr Becker promotes the use of functional medicine, which involves making dietary and lifestyle choices to help pets thrive and prevent illness.

And in 2021, she also co-authored with pet influencer, Rodney Habib, to publish their book - The Forever Dog, which became the first-ever No.1 New York Times best-selling book about intentionally creating canine well-being.