Are Flea Treatments Hurting Your Pets?
Thinking of trying to save a few bucks by buying flea & tick medicine and doing it yourself instead of seeing a veterinarian? Stop and think twice before you do that! Numerous dogs and cats have suffered serious health problems while others have even died because of these “do it yourself flea & tick treatments.”
Pet owners and veterinarians have seen a number of problems with over the counter flea treatment products. One of the problems may be that these products are applied down the animal’s back rather than in one spot near the neck. That allows more opportunity for the pet to lick it off, get it in their system and then become ill. Another item to note is that some cats are getting sick because pet owners make the mistake of using products made for dogs on their cats.
If an animal is exposed improperly to one of these products, the symptoms may include itchy skin, seizures, tremors, drooling/foaming at the mouth, staggering, inability to drink water, twitching and some animals act as if the substance is burning their skin. Animals suffering from these symptoms should be taken to a veterinarian immediately for treatment. Overnight care, flushing of their system, IVs and other treatments may be required. The EPA recommends washing the animal with a mild dish washing soap to get rid of these flea products.
In 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency had more than 44,000 reported incidents with EPA registered spot
flea treatments. They are checking into this problem, however, there are no confirmed links between these incidents and products. The EPA warns that you should look out for counterfeit versions of flea products that are sold online.
Here are seven important tips:
1. You need to consult your veterinarian FIRST if your pet is weak, aged, medicated, sick, pregnant, nursing or if your pet has previously shown signs of sensitivity to flea products.
2. Follow the instructions carefully if you use one of these products.
3. Only use a product that is designed for use on your pet. Don’t use dog products on cats, for instance.
4. Don’t use more of these products than is indicated for the size of your pet.
5. Don’t use a product on kittens or puppies unless the product label allows you to do so.
6. Keep an eye on your pet and look for side effects when you use a product for the first time.
7. Save the product’s package after you treat your animal so that if there is a problem, you’ll have the instructions and the manufacturer’s contact information handy.
More information is available at the EPA website.
In our experience, products sold by veterinarians have worked extremely well and they have drastically reduced the need for interior flea treatments of homes. From time to time you may have populations of fleas on the exterior of homes, but in a lot of cases, they are caused by stray and/or wild animals. Problems like that are easy to take care of and it’s a good idea because you don’t want those fleas attacking your family or pets, either. Have a flea problem? Call us at (949) 631-7348 and we’ll be glad to help!
Another Rave Review!
We contacted Termite Terry over concerns from seeing termites in our home. The inspector spent several hours performing a thorough inspection and gave us a neatly written and comprehensive proposal for a complete subterranean termite treatment. He included brochures and a copy of the manufacturer’s instructions. I appreciate being able to review this information and commend Termite Terry for sharing this info with their customers – several other firms do not. They also sent us a six page report with specific recommendations.
They scheduled the treatments. The staff was polite, friendly and professional. They were careful in moving all of our stuff out of the way and were meticulous about their measurements between drill sites. Trenches were dug around the perimeter as they promised and as recommended by the manufacturer.
Work was completed in two days as promised and everything was put back in place with care. In checking their work, I found all the drilling sites to be professionally patched and done in a manner where the holes were hardly noticeable. This was particularly true for our brick patio where they mixed the appropriate coloring to make the drill sites discrete. Before leaving, they left us with a booklet titled “All About Pest” which we found extremely useful.
We would summarize by saying the folks at “Termite” Terry Pest Control deliver service on-time and in a friendly, professional manner. We have found their work to be without compromise and done for a reasonable cost. We would not hesitate to recommend this firm to others.
William B. Martin, Ph.D., Chemist
Santa Ana, California
Read more Rave Reviews about Termite Terry’s Pest Control and Termite Fumigation services here.
Termite Terry Launches New Web Site!
We’ve been fortunate and over the years, we have gotten a lot of business from the web. But, our old web site had been re-done, patched up and it was starting to get a little bit dated. Besides, we had collected a lot of new material that we wanted to share with the public and rather than invest more in the old site, we figured it was time to start fresh with a new one. That’s when we contacted Sean Sloan, of Sean Sloan Productions, to build us a new web site.
One change that I know you’ll really enjoy will be our blog. It’s going to be a lot of fun for you to hear some of the stories that we’ll be sharing – sort of like some of those reality shows you see a lot on TV these days.
Another feature that you’ll enjoy are the new slide shows and videos. The slide show showing our carpenters doing wood repairs on a two story house is really fascinating. You’ll see that there’s a lot more to doing a repair job like that than most people think. And when you do look at that slide show, take a close look at that finished job. Doesn’t that house look like brand new when they’re finished? Many of our clients have written rave reviews about our crews and we’re really fortunate to have guys that care and that really do treat customer’s homes as if they were their very own.
Click on the “Pest Control Services” button on the right of your screen and then click on the “Pest Information and Control Solutions” button. There you’ll see information on many different pest. There are a lot of great pictures, plenty of technical information and a long list of solutions to solve your pest problems. We’re already having fun with that feature because it’s really neat to have clients calling up and telling us that they saw something crawling on the floor. Then, they looked it up on our web site, saw a picture of that bug and then they tell us exactly what we need to do to fix their problem!
Don’t forget the question and answer box on the home page. Anything you’d like to know, just fill in the blanks, ask your questions and we’ll get right back to you with an answer.
Need service? There is a handy on-line order form right there and you can place your orders 24/7.
Last but not least, click on the “Contact Us” button on the right side of your screen and there you’ll see a picture of “Sassy Sandura”, our office administrator. Boy, I almost got myself in a heap of trouble over that. When we were building the new site, I picked out a picture of someone else to put on that page and that’s when Sassy let me know that wasn’t acceptable. She made me go and get my camera. Women! Oh, the things we men have to do to keep them happy!
Developers Building Green Homes
Over the past few years we’ve all seen how the world of “green” has become a big thing in America. A lot of credit for this green movement should go to our education system, advertisers and the media. More and more are becoming aware of our environment and some people are making changes in their life styles.
Building “green” homes is a new niche market for some builders. The number of new homes being built this year will only be about 35% of what it was back in 2005. But, some builders believe that if they offer green construction, it might help to stir up some new business amongst high-end home buyers.
The National Association of Home Builders has developed new Green Building Standards and they were approved by the American National Standards Institute(ANSI), earlier this year. You’ll see a lot of builders exercising their own judgments of what they feel is green construction and what products to use. But, the NAHB will be marketing their standards to the public and that should put pressure on builders to comply.
If you’ll check around, you’ll see various builders in Southern California building green homes. Right now, this type of construction is only a small part of the market but it is almost sure to grow in the future.
Here are a few standards that help to define green construction:
· Energy efficient
· Sustainable
· Renewable
· Low carbon footprint
Most consumers feel that energy efficiency is a big priority. Builders are offering homes that feature items such as low “E” glass, sealed ductwork, fluorescent lights, extra insulation, programmable thermostats, tank less water heaters and solar panels that generate electricity.
You’ll see that some homes feature carpets made from recycled soda bottles. Bamboo flooring is popular. Builders are using more and more engineered wood made from small fragments of wood. These products help to save our natural resources.
New homes are sealed up so air tight and the builders are very concerned about the home’s interior environment. That’s why you’ll see them using paints that contain fewer volatile organic compounds. This makes the paint less toxic and with little odor.
There are a couple of green technologies that could prove to be disastrous from our perspective. The first would be insulating concrete forms. These products could provide an untreatable highway for subterranean termites into any structure. The other would be “green roofs”. That’s where they put dense plants and plant grass on flat roofs. With all of that moisture, it will become a heaven for mold, rats and termites.
Do you consider yourself green and are you concerned about using pesticides in and around your home? Don’t forget that we offer both green and organic pest control services. If you’d like to know more, please visit our site at www.termiteterry.com or call us at (949) 631-7348.
The History of Father’s Day
Father’s Day is a celebration of fatherhood and male parenting. It’s also a day to honor and commemorate fathers and forefathers. It is celebrated on a variety of dates around the world.
On July 5th, 1908, it is believed that the first observance of this holiday was at Dr. Robert Webb’s Central United Methodist Church in Fairmont, West Virginia.
In 1909, while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon at a church in Spokane Washington, Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd independently came up with the idea to celebrate Father’s Day. She arranged a tribute to her father on June 19, 1910. She was the first to campagne for an official Father’s Day observance.
The YWCA, YMCA and churches supported the idea but the holiday didn’t become official for many years. People were enthusiastic about Mother’s Day but laughed at the idea of Father’s Day. It became the subject of a lot of jokes, parody and derision. A lot of people were concerned that this was just another way to fill up the calender with silly promotions like Grandparent’s Day, Professional Secretaries’ Day, National Clean Your Desk Day, etc.
In 1913, a bill was introduced by Congress. President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea in 1924. Trade groups formed a national committee in order to legitimize the holiday in the 1930s.
As another note of interest, you’ll find that many countries also celebrate International Men’s Day and that is usually on November 19th.
Final Thoughts…
I’d like to congratulate Ric Romero for his recent article on ABC 7’s Eye Witness News. The article was titled, “Termites Are Hidden Home Wreckers”. He started off by describing the damage caused by termites and how it’s not usually covered by homeowner’s insurance.
The part that really got my attention was when he stated, “There are several methods used to terminate termites, but only two of them really work to completely rid your home of termites”. He described how tent fumigations and heat treatments are the only two completely effective treatments. The other part that got my attention was when he said, “All other methods, such as borate and orange oil, are for spot control only, so the kill zone is limited to the area treated which may require drilling holes into the structure.”
Dennis Patzer of the Structural Pest Control Board was also quoted as saying, “Companies that perform treatments and advertise them as whole house treatments with orange oil, they would be in violation of the Rules and Regulations of the State and would be subject to displinary action”. Wow! Finally someone is settting things straight and telling it like it is! So many homeowners have heard commercials about these “so called alternative treatments” and even when you point out all the facts and reasons why these methods won’t work, they still wind up hiring one of those companies.
Let me tell you, it feels real good to hear others backing you up with good reporting. Hopefully, this will help a lot of homeowners make better choices. Thanks to Ric and his staff at ABC 7!
