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TUCSON - We have enough to worry about when it comes to our pets and the hot summer weather.

But there's another growing concern and that's some so-called *spot-on* flea and tick treatments you apply to your pet.

Some animals have gone into seizures, convulsions, even died from the products.

In fact, the E-P-A now requires better warnings and labeling on these products.

Leah Richard knows about the dangers of some spot-on treatments. She used an over the counter product on her dog, Perry. A product vets say most pets are fine with using.

But Leah says by the second treatment, Perry's hair was falling out; then, he started scratching his hairless patches.

The vet had to fir Perry with a 'cone' around his neck to keep him from reaching back and hurting his skin.

Tucson veterinarian Dr. Ken McMillan says he's seen a 55-percent increase in pets with adverse reactions to flea and tick products.

Maladies like mild skin irritations to hair loss to neurological seizure types of things, depression, convulsions.

He says the problem stems largely from an individual pet's reaction to a certain product, or pet owners using the wrong product, or applying a dog product on a cat, for example.

Dr. McMillan says he's not at all surprised to see the government stepping-up warnings and information for pet owners.

Perry's recovered, and Leah now checks with her vet before using anything on her best friend. Vets say that's the best advice is: check with them first.

We contacted Hartz for their reaction to our story and the new E-P-A rules on these products.

A company spokeswoman released the following statement: "Because safety is our number-one priority, we undertake rigorous clinical tests on all our products. All EPA-approved topical flea and tick products sold through retail channels are held to the same safety and efficacy testing standards as those brands purchased from veterinarians. Labeling direction mandated by the EPA is also consistent for all flea and tick prevention products sold through retail channels or veterinarian offices. We are confident in the quality and safety of our products, and will continue to work with the EPA on labeling and other matters to make sure our consumers better understand the proper use of these products and use them with confidence. Hartz agrees with the EPA on the importance of carefully following label directions when applying topical flea and tick control products on pets. While Hartz is the leader in flea and tick retail sales, Hartz flea and Tick drops account for less than five percent of all adverse effects reported to the EPA in 2008 for topical dog and cat flea and tick treatments. Looked at another way, the EPA reported a total incident rate of 160 adverse reactions per million doses for all manufacturers. The incident rate for Hartz products is less than one third of that number- 46 reactions per million doses. Per the EPA, most reported incidents were classified as minor, meaning effects were minimally bothersome and rapidly resolved."