Pet Safety / Compounds / Tefluthrin

Is Tefluthrin safe for dogs and cats?

Moderate risk for pets

Dogs on farms where tefluthrin is applied face a higher-than-typical pyrethroid risk due to the compound's elevated mammalian toxicity. Dogs that dig in or ingest treated seedbed soil, or carry treated soil on their paws and coat for later grooming, may receive meaningful exposures. Granule ingestion directly from applicator bags or spills represents the highest acute risk scenario. Veterinary evaluation warranted for suspected tefluthrin granule ingestion.

What is tefluthrin?

The IUPAC name is trans-(2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-methylphenyl)methyl (1S,3S)-3-[(Z)-2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoroprop-1-enyl]-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylate.

Also known as: trans-(2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-methylphenyl)methyl (1S,3S)-3-[(Z)-2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoroprop-1-enyl]-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylate, Force, Forza, Tefluthrine.

IUPAC name
trans-(2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-methylphenyl)methyl (1S,3S)-3-[(Z)-2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoroprop-1-enyl]-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylate
CAS number
79538-32-2
Molecular formula
C17H14ClF7O2
Molecular weight
418.7 g/mol
SMILES
CC1=C(C(=C(C(=C1F)F)COC(=O)C2C(C2(C)C)C=C(C(F)(F)F)Cl)F)F
PubChem CID
11534837

Risk for dogs

Moderate risk

Dogs on farms where tefluthrin is applied face a higher-than-typical pyrethroid risk due to the compound's elevated mammalian toxicity. Dogs that dig in or ingest treated seedbed soil, or carry treated soil on their paws and coat for later grooming, may receive meaningful exposures. Granule ingestion directly from applicator bags or spills represents the highest acute risk scenario. Veterinary evaluation warranted for suspected tefluthrin granule ingestion.

Risk for cats

High risk

Tefluthrin is a type I pyrethroid but with substantially higher mammalian potency than typical household pyrethroids. Cats on farms where tefluthrin granules have been soil-incorporated may encounter residues in freshly treated seedbeds; cats that dig in or ingest treated soil, or prey on soil invertebrates from recently treated fields, risk clinically significant pyrethroid exposure. The T-syndrome (tremors, ataxia) would be the presentation; the higher mammalian LD50 relative to household pyrethroids means tefluthrin warrants respect even at agricultural field concentrations. Treatment: remove from exposure, bathing if contaminated, methocarbamol, supportive thermoregulation.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Tefluthrin.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / EPA OPP—Not Yet Determined

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where pets encounter tefluthrin

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Tefluthrin:

  • Physical/mechanical pest control (IPM)
    Trade-offs: More labor-intensive. May not be sufficient for severe infestations.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is tefluthrin safe for pets?

Dogs on farms where tefluthrin is applied face a higher-than-typical pyrethroid risk due to the compound's elevated mammalian toxicity. Dogs that dig in or ingest treated seedbed soil, or carry treated soil on their paws and coat for later grooming, may receive meaningful exposures. Granule ingestion directly from applicator bags or spills represents the highest acute risk scenario. Veterinary evaluation warranted for suspected tefluthrin granule ingestion.

What products contain tefluthrin?

Tefluthrin appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

See Tefluthrin in the pets app

Look up products containing tefluthrin, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

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Sources (2)
  1. US EPA Pyrethroid Reregistration Eligibility Decision — cypermethrin/deltamethrin/lambda-cyhalothrin/bifenthrin/cyfluthrin/fenvalerate/tau-fluvalinate/fenpropathrin; type I/II classification; aquatic toxicity; cat sensitivity; sodium channel mechanism; human paresthesia; buffer zones (2011) (2011) — regulatory
  2. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: Pyrethroid Toxicosis in Cats and Dogs — type I vs type II CS/T syndromes; extreme cat sensitivity (sodium channel/UGT deficiency); bathing decontamination; methocarbamol tremor control; cyproheptadine; lipid emulsion severe cases (2023) (2023) — veterinary

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →