Three-and-a-half year old Posh and her brother Beckham are the light of Russell and Jennifer Nowotny's life, so when one of the two dogs became violently ill Monday evening, the Nowotny's were beside themselves.

"She was choking, gasping for air, vomitting in the vehicle..I mean her mouth was just gaping..you could tell..she was just..I thought she was going to expire," said Russell. "It was pretty scary."

They had just treated their two dogs with an over-the-counter flea and tick medicine -- one they soon learned is on a long list of "spot-on" products being investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency, following 44,000 reports of "adverse reactions".

The EPA website says the reactions range from mild effects such as skin irritation to serious serious effects such as seizures and in some cases, death of a pet.

The list of products being investigated is long, and includes a number of name brands like Hartz, Advantage, Frontline and Omaha based Sergeant's Pet Care Products.

The EPA said none of the products are being recalled as of now, and that flea and tick products can be "appropriate treatment for protecting your pet and family's health". The agency urges consumers to exercise caution when using products and to monitor their pet's behavior.

Dr. Chris Carr with Veterinary Emergency Services of Lincoln said,"flea and tick products are pesticides and they are known to have reactions, typically used as directed they are pretty safe."

Carr said its best to chose vet recommended products.

"Because there are products out there that are more safe than other products. Absolutely you have to read the label carefully and use only as directed."

Carr said her clinic doesn't have an official way of tracking reactions but notes the clinic has found about a dozen cases within the last year, and three to four so far this summer.

A spokesperson for Omaha based Sergeant Pet Care Products, which is just one of the numerous companies with products on the EPA investigation list said "its hard for anyone to make any judgment on whether this was just a product issue -- misapplication has and continues to be a problem with products.."

The spokesperson went on to say the company "doesn't want any animals to have any adverse reactions that would make them sick and we encourage customers to contact us so we can properly investigate."

The Nowotny's believe they did correctly follow directions for the product they used, they didn't however, know about the EPA's investigation into the products.

Russell said he hopes their close call will save others similar agony.

"The main thing I want people to know is they really need to investigate these products they're applying to their animals."

For more information on what to look for when applying products, you can visit www.lookatthelabel.com. The site is part of an awareness campaign sponsored by Sergeant Pet Care.

To report any incidents to Sergeant's, call 1-800-224-PETS.

To report any pesticide related effects with the EPA, visit http://pesticides.custhelp.com.