The Evidence for Environmental Contamination with Parasiticides in UK Small Animal Practice

This document has been created to provide a summary of individual scientific papers that are part of the growing body of evidence of environmental contamination with widely used veterinary parasiticide medications, and the pathways via which these compounds may be entering the environment.

This is not intended to be a systematic review of all the evidence available, but it includes key papers that have been cited regularly within resources published by Vet Sustain and other veterinary organisations.

The key take home points from these papers are:

Fipronil and imidacloprid are present in UK waterways at concerning concentrations;

A significant pathway for contamination is through household drains via wash off from pet bathing, bedding and handwashing;

Pets may also directly transfer chemicals into the environment from swimming and from hair shedding.


If you would like to find out more about responsible parasiticide prescribing, take a look at our other resources below:

Canine Parasite Risk Assessment Tool

Feline Parasite Risk Assessment Tool

The 4Rs of Responsible Prescribing of Pet Parasiticides

Responsible Parasiticide Use in Dogs and Cats in the UK Frequently Asked Questions

Discussing the Prescription of Parasiticides in your Practice Meeting Template

The Evidence for Environmental Contamination with Parasiticides

Download a PDF of this resource here