Pyrethroid insecticides
Also appears on labels as: permethrin, flumethrin, etofenprox, phenothrin, d-phenothrin, tetramethrin
Synthetic relatives of the pyrethrins in chrysanthemum flowers: permethrin, flumethrin, etofenprox and phenothrin, which one household spray prints by its chemical name.
Watched ingredients get highlighted on every product panel you open.
- Where it comes from
- Chemical synthesis.
- Why it's in the product
- The insecticide, or one of them, in spot-ons, collars and household sprays.
- Safety and toxicity
- Cats are more sensitive to permethrin than dogs because their bodies take a long time to break it down, so a permethrin product made for dogs can poison a cat.
- Interactions and who should be careful
- Read the species on the front. A dog-only permethrin product stays off cats, and the label says so for this reason.
We make the longer argument about this one on the pesticide actives evidence page.
General reference, not veterinary advice. Dose, breed, and existing conditions change the answer, so talk to your vet before changing what your pet eats. Think we got this wrong? Tell us and we log it publicly.
Found in 4 scored products
Lowest scores first. Its presence here is not what drove those scores.
