Fleas, Frontline, Free food

Tonight I went to a dinner sponsored by Merial (makers of Frontline and Heartgard) about flea control and perceived failures in flea eradication programs. I mostly went for the free food but there were some good tidbits I picked up on. It is however pretty widely known that Frontline is not safe for rabbits (it can cause seizures and death in some, but there is no way to know which ones). So one of the other vets at the dinner asked during the Q&A session at the end what was it in Frontline Plus that kills rabbits because after all he had been using Frontline Spray for years on rabbits without a problem but this week used Frontline Plus on a rabbit and it died. Um-first of all why would you continue to use a product known to be unsafe for rabbits just because you got lucky for awhile? There is a product that is safe for fleas in rabbits and he still put someone's pet at risk? And announced this in a room full of veterinary professionals? I found the whole incident disturbing-I'm not sure he should be working on rabbits at all. I mean if you are unfamiliar with a species you need to check before you use a drug to see if it's safe, but it sounds like he's just been using it all along as if the risk was worth it when Revolution has been available for years and is safe for rabbits. Anyway, the Olympics are on so I will now be returning to the couch!