Last month was a terrifying ordeal for our family. Lucy, our beloved dog, a spirited 11-year-old pit bull, nearly succumbed to accidental poisoning. The culprit? A pesticide, casually used by our neighbors on their vegetable garden, that we, like many others, assumed was harmless. This common pesticide was Sevin.
Sevin, a product of Bayer CropScience, is manufactured in Research Triangle Park and is widely marketed as a safe solution for pest control. In North Carolina alone, an astounding 68 formulations are approved for use across various applications, from sprawling lawns to even directly on pets. Millions of pounds of this product are distributed and used annually throughout the United States. Yet, the active ingredient in Sevin, carbaryl, is far from benign. It’s a potent neurotoxin, a suspected carcinogen, and is currently under scrutiny by federal regulators who are considering stricter usage restrictions.
While we wait to see if governmental bodies will enforce stronger protections for our pets, families, and the environment against this concerning chemical, I feel compelled to share Lucy’s story. My hope is that by recounting our experience, I can raise awareness and prevent other pet owners from enduring similar heartache.
It began subtly on a seemingly ordinary June day. We took Lucy and Zoe, our energetic 3-year-old Aussie, to their favorite swimming pond. Lucy, usually a strong swimmer despite her age and a touch of arthritis, seemed unusually sluggish in the water. She couldn’t keep pace with Zoe to retrieve the sticks I threw, a stark contrast to her usual water prowess.
That night, her odd behavior continued. Lucy became restless, pacing through the house, unable to settle in her bed. When I checked on her, I found her bed drenched in drool. The excessive salivation persisted into the next day, prompting an immediate vet visit.
After a thorough examination, our vet’s expression turned grave. “I’m feeling some sort of growth in her abdomen,” she stated with concern. “I’d like to get some X-rays done.”
Cancer. The word echoed in my mind, my worst fear materializing. The radiograph, displayed on the light box, seemed to confirm my dread. Even to my untrained eye, a dark, ominous shadow was clearly visible near Lucy’s liver.
The following days were a blur of anxiety and deepening mystery. Further tests thankfully ruled out cancer, but whatever was afflicting Lucy was undeniably severe. She started vomiting, her strength rapidly diminishing. First, she struggled with stairs, then lost the ability to walk altogether. Eventually, she couldn’t even stand. Her refusal to drink water necessitated subcutaneous fluid injections to keep her hydrated.
Night after night, I lay beside her, stroking her fur, whispering soothing words as tears streamed down my face. I was witnessing my beloved companion fading away, but the cause remained elusive.
The realization finally dawned on the Fourth of July. Our next-door neighbors had asked if they could set off fireworks. I explained Lucy’s critical condition and my fear that the loud noises would exacerbate her distress. Despite my plea, they proceeded with their fireworks display. As Lucy trembled in fear amidst the explosions, a wave of frustration washed over me.
It wasn’t just the fireworks, I realized, my thoughts turning to their gardening habits. They regularly used chemicals on their vegetable patch, situated mere yards from my own organic garden and separated from our yard by only a low, decorative fence.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced: the white powder they had sprinkled on their garden the same weekend Lucy first fell ill. Once the fireworks subsided, I went next door, driven by a growing suspicion, to inquire about the powder.
“Sevin Dust,” they replied. “Perfectly safe,” they assured me, echoing the common misconception.
Immediately, I searched for “Sevin” online and discovered its active ingredient: carbaryl. The symptoms of carbaryl poisoning listed online chillingly mirrored Lucy’s: excessive salivation, vomiting, muscle weakness. I frantically called our vet at home, relaying my discovery. Could Lucy have been poisoned?
“Eureka!” the vet exclaimed. “Bring her in first thing in the morning.”
The next day, Lucy received the antidote: atropine. When I picked her up from the animal hospital that afternoon, she was still groggy but, miraculously, able to walk. An ultrasound revealed her abdomen was clear. The “tumor” was, in fact, a liver swollen and inflamed, overloaded with toxins.
Sevin had poisoned my dog. But how? Our neighbor’s flimsy decorative fence had always kept her out of their garden. Had the chemical drifted onto our yard? Onto the grass she grazed on? Had she walked through the drift and then licked her paws? The exact route of exposure remains uncertain.
When I shared what had happened with my neighbors, they were understandably horrified. They were completely unaware of Sevin’s potential dangers, confessing they had even considered using it directly on their own dog for flea control. To my immense relief, they promised to cease using chemical pesticides in their garden altogether.
I must confess, among my friends and family, I have a reputation as a “chemophobe.” I am committed to organic gardening and eating. I use all-natural cleaning products in our home. I’ve even challenged the city of Raleigh over what I deemed their irresponsible pesticide use in public parks, twice prompting state regulator intervention before they adopted a more responsible pesticide policy.
Yet, even I, with my heightened awareness of chemical risks, didn’t immediately raise alarm bells when my neighbors treated their garden with what was clearly a pesticide. Even I failed to connect the dots between the white powder and Lucy’s sudden, severe illness. Like countless Americans, I subconsciously assumed that if a product is readily available for purchase in stores for home use, it must inherently be safe.
“The basic assumption that people bring to their purchasing is that availability in the marketplace equates to safety, and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” states Jay Feldman, the executive director of Beyond Pesticides, a Washington-based organization dedicated to pesticide safety advocacy.
Alt text: Concerned dog, Lucy, exhibiting symptoms of pesticide poisoning, emphasizing the distress and worry of pet owners facing unexplained pet illnesses.
The reality is that while carbaryl was initially approved for use in 1959, it has never been subjected to the rigorous safety evaluations demanded by modern scientific standards, according to Toxic Tradeoff, a comprehensive report on carbaryl published by the Washington Toxics Coalition. Alarmingly, as early as 1969, a U.S. government report advocated for restricting carbaryl’s use after it was linked to causing birth defects in laboratory dogs. Furthermore, carbaryl is known to be highly toxic to bee populations and has been associated with immune-system cancers in farmers and brain cancer in children.
In 1980, five years after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a special review prompted by safety concerns surrounding carbaryl, the review was abruptly terminated – a decision described by Dr. Janette Sherman of Alexandria, VA, then a member of the EPA’s Advisory Committee on Toxic Substances, as a “political and economic decision.”
Carbaryl is currently undergoing “re-registration,” the federal process through which the EPA reassesses pesticides against current safety benchmarks. The agency has indicated potential changes, such as restricting certain lawn care and pet applications, but safety advocates are concerned that these measures may not be sufficiently comprehensive. Earlier this year, a coalition of 15 public health, farmworker, beekeeping, and environmental advocacy groups urged the agency to prohibit all uses of carbaryl due to its detrimental effects on both human and ecosystem health.
What I find particularly disturbing is that the immense suffering carbaryl inflicts is entirely avoidable.
“There are so many non-toxic alternatives out there,” emphasizes Fawn Pattison, the executive director of the Agricultural Resources Center/Pesticide Education Project in Raleigh. “It’s not necessary to take risks like that, especially in your garden where you’re growing your own food. People should really think twice before they reach for that can of chemical pesticide.”
Lucy and I wholeheartedly agree. Choosing safer alternatives is not just about protecting our pets; it’s about safeguarding our families, our environment, and ourselves. Before reaching for conventional pesticides like Sevin, explore pet-safe and eco-friendly options to ensure the well-being of your beloved animals and the health of your home and garden.
Alt text: Happy and healthy dog, Zoe, running freely in a lush garden, illustrating the joy and well-being of pets when protected from harmful pesticides and living in a safe environment.
References:
- Toxic Tradeoff report: www.watoxics.org
- Beyond Pesticides: www.beyondpesticides.org
- ARC/PestEd: www.pested.org
- EPA Carbaryl Re-registration: www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reregistration/carbaryl
