Sentinel
is a monthly tablet that guards against heartworm, fleas,
roundworm, hookworm and whipworm. Wow! Now that's a mouth
full! Seems like an easy answer to all your prayers, right?
Are you wondering how one little pill can do all this? Well
the answer is simple and straight forward; it poisens heartworm,
fleas, roundworm, hookworm and whipworm. Actually, it's
enough poison to kill an army of insects and parasites.
But it is FDA approved and the FDA says it is harmless to
dogs. So, is it "safe" to trust the FDA when it
comes to your pet? Well, keep in mind this is the same organization
that approved PPA in all of our cold medications that is
getting so much media attention and the basis of hundreds
of lawsuits. Don't put the health of your dog or cat in
the government's hands -- we wouldn't. As always, we encourage
you to get the facts and decide for yourself.
One
of the chemicals Sentinel contains, lufenuron,
is used for the flea prevention. Unfortunately, it doesn't
prevent fleas from jumping on your pet. Lufenuron has no
effect at all on the adult flea, as a matter of fact, its
only target is the female flea who lays eggs. When a female
flea jumps on and bites a treated pet it ingests lufenuron.
When the female lays eggs, the lufenuron is deposited in
her eggs. Now here is the clincher. Sentinel states that
lufenuron prevents "most" eggs from hatching or maturing
into adults. Most? What about the fleas that do not fit
into this "most" category? And what about all the male fleas?
Well logically, they remain on the animal. You know what
it recommends on the package? "Use of other conventional
insecticides should be employed for adult flea prevention."
If you do that, why even use Sentinel? We consider this
pill an internal insecticide.
Side
Effects of Sentinel
Want
more? Let's take a look at some of the side effects of Sentinel.
It has been reported to cause lack of appetite and anorexia,
vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, lethargy, difficulty breathing,
and skin irritations. Hmm, a long list of side effects just
like a long list of what Sentinel prevents. When these products
first came out, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
became flooded with reports of adverse side effects. Apparently
the pesticides and repellents being used to protect dogs
and cats from fleas, ticks and parasites were harming the
health of the animals and the humans administering them.
That's right, humans! In an 18-month period the EPA received
853 reports of adverse side effects caused from these so-called
"safe, easy to use monthly tablets". There were 148 animal
deaths, and 58 reports of human sickness. Doesn't sound
too safe to us! Think about this -- those are just the people
who made the association between their personal or pet's
illness with Sentinel. Most people would not even think
of this potentially making them sick because it is marketed
as totally safe.
Animal
Right Issues
We
have a real issue here too. At the time this article was
written, Novartis Animal Health, the makers of Sentinel,
use laboratory animals to test their products. They purposely
overdose innocent dogs and cats to see what will happen.
They give high doses to pregnant dogs to see if there are
any birth defects passed to the puppies. They administer
"exaggerated doses" to puppies to see if they develop any
side effects. All this from a company who puts the words
"animal health" after their name. Why would a company so
concerned about animal health put animal's health in jeopardy?
We
will never have a good answer for that one.
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