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Not one dog, but two. When I applied it to the area where the trunk meets the tail, in addition to a rash, the dog would have trouble moving its hind quarters and would hold his tail off to the side real stiff for several days. Two consecutive dogs I used it on exhibited the same reaction, a Lhasa Apso and a Cocker with epilepsy. I only use frontline now and I wonder about its safety as well.
Ken 8/31/02
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Actually, I had a tragic incident with my cats. As I had only the white tubes in my pet drawer, I thought I was using the bio-spot for cats, when in fact I grabbed the one for dogs. I used one tube on three cats, and all three died last week. I didn't even know
the dog flea control product had such a toxic level of pesticides, and I have used this
on my dog before too.
I am looking for others to join me in the fight against these drug companies which sell these pesticides, with poor labeling and warnings over the counter.
I am fanatic about my animals, and an extremely responsible pet owner, so for me to have made this mistake says to me that these products are lethel, and because of the poor labeling, and packaging, someone's human-child may die. For me I lost three animal-friends last week, and my heart is broken.
Pamela 10/27/02
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I found your website on the internet while searching for answers to my worst nightmare.
I used Bio-Spot by Farnam Pet Products on my three dogs last night. They range in weight from 65-95 lbs., so I used one tube on each of the product for large dogs (over 33 lbs.). Within 5 minutes my beloved Boxer, Bruno, collapsed on the kitchen floor, similar to the grand mal seizure you described. I rushed him the emergency vet where they attempted CPR, to no avail. They said he was in cardiac arrest. He died in my husband's arms.
Our vet says he has seen adverse reactions to products like Bio-Spot and Frontline before, where the pesticide needs to be washed off, and the pets survived, but never as severe as this. It doesn't say anywhere on the label your beloved pet could drop dead on the floor within minutes of application! I NEVER would have knowingly sacrificed my precious pet's life for the sake of a few fleas! No other family should have to go through this trauma. It is no fun trying to explain to a 3-year old "Where is BooBoo?" We are devastated.
Thank you for listening and for letting me get this off of my chest.
Andrea 10/30/02
Thank you for your thoughtful and prompt reply. Our sorrow is turning to anger as we contemplate our next step. We have asked the pet mortuary to hold off on our planned cremation, until we can make a decision by tomorrow morning. We are considering whether we need to have Bruno's body sent to Michigan State University for a toxicology screening as additional "proof", but it sounds like Farnam is very aware that this problem exists.
Being reimbursed for our emergency expenses is the bare minimum we would expect. Our dog did not deserve to die this way. He was healthy and happy, until this. Bruno deserves some sort of justice - that his life was not snuffed out in vain. Can you imagine the guilt I feel? What type of lawyer defends animals?
Thanks again for listening and for the information. I guess I have another night without sleep to look forward to...
Andrea 10/30/02
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Thank you for your website alert about Bio Spot. Our 2 1/2-year old airedale has had 4 seizures in the last 6 months. We have a vet appointment for tomorrow, and I am doing some research on the internet because I suspect Bio Spot as a causing factor. The last seizure happened only 2 days after we put the last dose on her.
Please reply and let me know whether your dog has had any continuing symptoms. I, like you, am concerned about long-term effects on my dog's nervous system.
My other question is whether Frontline will cause the same damage. We need to find an alternative flea and tick preventative.
Jennifer 11/13/02
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I SAW YOUR EMAIL ON THE DOGPILE WEBSITE. MY VET TOLD ME TO GET ONTO THIS WEBSITE BECAUSE OF THE REACTION MY DOG HAS HAD FROM THESE DROPS. I PUT THEM ON HIM ABOUT 6 WEEKS AGO BUT HE HAS NOT BEEN THE SAME SINCE. THE FIRST 3-4 DAYS HE VOMITED VIOLENTLY. SINCE THEN, OFF AND ON, HE JUST HASN'T BEEN THE SAME. MONDAY I HAD HIM IN AND FOUND OUT THAT HE HAS A MASSIVE KINDEY INFECTION AND WE ARE ON PINS AND NEEDLES-HOPING HE WILL RECOVER. THE VET SAID THOSE DROPS MAY HAVE COMPROMISED HIS KIDNEYS ENOUGH AND HE PROBABLY HAD AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO THEM . I USED THEM LAST SUMMER TOO, AND HE HAD SEZIURES ALL SUMMER. I NEVER PUT IT TOGETHER UNTIL THIS WEEK THAT THOSE DROPS PROBABLY CAUSED HIS SEZIURES. IS THERE A WAY YOU CAN HELP US TO MAYBE SUE HARTZ OR AT LEAST GET PEOPLE MORE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. I JUST WANT TO BE REIMBURSED . I AM NOT LOOKING TO GET RICH, BUT THESE DROPS SHOULD BE OFF THE MARKET. PLEASE ADVISE.
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My 2 ½ year old Scottish Terrier(who I got from Scottie Rescue) has started experiencing hair loss, skin swelling and infection as well as severe itching after using Bio Spot. I took him to the vet yesterday and my vet was very upset that I had been using Bio Spot. I was under the impression that it was safe and all natural, as touted on Dr. Foster's website. I am very upset as the last time I put it on him was in August and he is just now showing symptoms, I cringe to think what else it will do to him. It must be very toxic to just now be causing these problems. I don't think Rylie is out of the woods yet. His skin has multiple infections and he was placed on Antibiotics and prednisone to control the itching.
Pattie 12/4/02
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I have a shelter in New Mexico. I used Bio Spot on 20 of my 24 dogs and in a short time, all were hairless with bleeding sores. I have many photos to share. One died of liver problems, we think because of this. I wrote the company to get some reimbursement for vet bill. They offered $700 if I would sigh a document saying I would never say anything about their product. I told them to *****it. I would do anything to put these evil people out of business.
What can I do?
Jeannie 1/23/03
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Our dog on the second application of this product had the same reaction as your dog. He threw up within ten minutes of the second application. The next day my wife attempted to wipe off the produce with a wet towel. Minutes later he had his first seizure. We have him on anti seizure medicine. The interesting thing is that neither Vets (emergency and regular Vet) draws the correlation between the seizure and Bio Spot. Has your dog experienced any long term effects? Did you contact the company about their product and if so what did they say? I would appreciate hearing from you. Thanks Much
Tom 2/11/03
Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately our dog passed away today. Ugh. I appreciate the information.
Tom 2/11/03
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Yes, I used biospot on my poodle and now he isn't himself. I used it on him 2 days ago, I washed him yesterday to try and remove the pesticide ,but he is still acting funny.He acts like he has something holding him and he is real jumppy.He just hasn't been himself since I put it on him. I will never use it again, thats for sure!
Angela 2/13/03
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I wish I had done a netsearch before putting that poison on my dog. She has only had a rash (and I washed her as soon as it happened, suspecting the Biospot as I had only put it on a day prior), but she still has it. I'm going to wash her again (and again, and again...) THANKS so much for your webiste.
Lea 3/22/03
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I have a 7 year old shih tzu named oreo who has always been in perfect health, oreo has always been on sentinel for flea ,tick and heart worm control .a month ago my husband and i bought a siberian husky we named nikita since nikita will be outside most of the time we decided she too is also on sentinel every month , we called our vet. and ask if for extra protection for fleas and ticks if it would be ok for us to put both of them on bio spot ..just to play it safe. well what a mistake it was for me ....nikita was fine and has had no reaction from it but 6 days ago i noticed oreo was crying and trying to scratch his back i knew it was the bio spot so i gave him a bath to wash it off....well 3 days i oreo started to act strange he was very mushy around the house and he hardly wanted to eat his dinner i thought i was just a belly ache.....that night he began to vomit almost every hour on the hour till eventually it turned into him vomiting blood.....in the morning i brought him to an emergency vet hospital...they gave him fluids under the skin and a couple of shots to prevent the naushia...they charged me $250.00. i took him home praying he would be ok...he was lifeless and just slept...well he continued t vomit blood none stop and he could not even hold his bowl movement in's he had the worst case of diarrhea with blood mixed in . i brought him back to the hospital and they once again gave him more fluids,shots and pills to take home for 5 days...well the vomiting has stopped and he is slowly getting back to him self he has hardly any appetite or any energy...iam hoping that tomorrow will be even better than today...iam writing you in hope that my story will help people not to buy this product and have anyone else's pet got through this same horrible ordeal...oreo is my life there is not one thing in this world that i would not do for him i thought i was doing good for him but in turn i only hurt him...i feel so bad...and i want people to beware and keep their babies safe from this ...
oreo's mommy
rosanna 3/24/03
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I read of your problems with Biospot and have experienced similar problems with two of my cats. I have $900. in vet bills to prove it!
I called Farnam Cos. and spoke to Sherri Pike who informed me that if I submitted the treatment records, bills and product info that I would have my bills reimbursed. I did as she advised, and received a neat little b.s. letter back that the vial crimp info suggested that the biospot treatment I used was for dogs. She also pointed out what their current Cat formula packaging looks like and the differences in pyrethrin strengths between the cat and dog formulas. What she doesn't know is that the pet store that I purchased the Biospot from last June, just started stocking the new cat formula with the Flea repellent towelettes this January.
Knowing that the EPA has cited Farnam for product mislabeling, and the fact that they found every loophole to avoid paying for my expenses because they "can't control the end use of their products", I am in the process of contacting my local vets to see how many cases of toxicity have been reported to them and I intend to contact an attorney who specializes in defective product litigation.
Did you file suit? Were you able to have any of your expenses reimbursed ? Have you contacted Farnam about the reaction your dog had to their product ? I am seriously considering a class action suit like the one against Hartz Mountain.
Thank you for the information on your website!
Linda 3/25/03
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I found your website after specifically searching for any health/safety problems associated with Biospot. I used Biospot months ago - over the summer of 2002 - but recently it has reared its ugly head again.
Let me explain from the summer: At the time we had three dogs : German SHort hair male, 65 lb, about 14 years old, Husky, 100 lb, about 12 years old, and a shepard mix, 58 lb, about 7 years old. After extensive research on the web to find the best and most cost effective flea product I settled on Biospot. All the available advertising convinced me it was safe for use.
The shepard mix also has Addison's disease, and I am very particular about what she can have. I never would have ventured to use Biospot if it had been labeled as potentially hazardous. I used Biospot on all three dogs - dosage appropriate for their sizes. My Addisonian Shepard began to hyperventilate within the hour and I rushed her into the shower. The German Short Hair began to have horrible itching and heavy breathing - he too was rushed to the shower. The husky did not have a reaction. I thought perhaps the other two dogs - being elderly and Addisonian were more vulnerable.
Fast forward to November 2002 Bart the German Short hair must be put down because of spinal cancer. He has been suffering from arthritis and I do not feel there is a connection - though at this point how can I be sure?
Fast forward to the beginning of March 2003. Tiny (the husky) is taken to the vet to investigate a limp, and a persistent cough. While there x-rays are recommended of his leg and chest. The x-ray shows a mass in his chest cavity and an ultrasound is recommended. The ultrasound shows no unusual masses, but it does show an irregular liver density. His blood work shows he has become hypo-thyroid and has severely elevated liver enzymes (normal is 131 Tiny is at 3,000+). The vet then recommends a liver biopsy to investigate if this is cancer. The biopsy does not show cancer, and does not yield any appreciable results. The vet's first question to me was whether Tiny had been exposed to anything toxic. Initially I did not recall the Biospot, but remembered the next day. I decided to research.
I found your website and now I am very suspicious of the Biospot treatment. Tiny has no visible problems - the limp was nothing, and he is back to his old self, on the outside. Had it not been for the string of events leading to his blood work and biopsy I would not suspect Biospot. After reading all the testimonials and thinking to my close calls with the other two dogs - I cannot believe this product is on the market.
The vet bills for Tiny cost around $1500 dollars - all money well spent, but if this product billed as safe is to blame then something needs to change!
I would like to know if there is any sort of campaign of awareness in action to inform consumers of the danger they are potentially putting their pets in.
I would also like to inquire about any sort of class action lawsuit against the Biospot producers. My vet has said that she has also come to the aid of multiple clients who have rushed their pets into the hospital with adverse reactions, and she does not endorse the product. If enough testimonials can be collected a lawsuit should be filed so that this product is removed form the market.
Please advise to any action that I can take to help with this cause!
Jacquelyn 3/26/03
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I have a Boston Terrier named Otis who I treated with Defend flea control product. Although it is not BioSpot, it contains the same pesticide as BioSpot. I put this product on him as directed and within thirty seconds he became paralyzed on the floor and his eyes were glazed over. He had lost neurological function including bladder control, I rushed him to the sink and applied dish soap and thoroughly washed the effected area off and within a minute he was slowly able to sit up on his own and his eyes became alert again. I was terrified. I rushed him to the vet and they told me I had done the right thing by washing the pesticide off of him quickly. I am furious that a product like this is out there. I love my dog and would not harm him for anything, and to think that I put this poison on him makes me sick. Thankfully, Otis seems to be fine, I just hope there is no long term effects that show up later.
Barbara 3/28/03
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I used Control One Spot on our 3 year old Shih Tzu 3 days ago. She hasn't been the same since and I am quite concerned. Her hind legs bother her, she is edgey and
can't sleep and trys to hide her head. She has stopped eating and and has no energy. Control is made with Permethrin as well. There needs to be a warning on the label.
I would never put my baby's health at risk. A visit to the vet may still be necessary as
I moniter her condition.
Stephen 4/6/03
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I have 2 dogs both of which have been treated regularly for the past 5 years with Frontline drops. Recently, over a period of about 2 weeks, the behaviour of my 10 year old Kelpie/bordercollie cross began to change. She became excitable, and where her appetite has always been finicky, she became the opposite and I could give her anything to eat and she'd wolf it down! Then a week ago, she had a grand mal fit and over the next 2 days had 2 more, plus eight minor fits (when she didn't actually fall down but was just twitching, foaming at the mouth, rolling her eyes and her body was all bunched up). She is being treated now with low doses of phenobarbitone twice daily, and I am happy to say, the fits are controlled. Is it just a coincidence that I treated her around 3 weeks ago with a new and ' more efficient' form of Frontline that has an added ingredient to improve flea control? In retrospect, she may well have had several fits that were minor before the grand mal attacks - her bedding was wet on several occasions in the morning, with saliva. Blood tests showed her liver enzymes were high but this time a month ago, she was to all intents and purposes a fit and healthy dog. My question is, has there been any response to the 'new and improved' form of Frontline as far as dogs have adverse reaction to it?
Paula 4/13/03
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I have a 6 year old bichon. She was being treated for bladder stones with sd diet.
She was on Baytril...doing fine..the stones were no longer visible on xray. I applied bio-spot on 4/5/03 Within three hours she was severly agitated and moaning. She sat with her hind end tucked in and looked like she was cramping. I bathed her and then took her to the ER. They treated her with antihistamines and told me to use more benadryl over the weekend if necessary. The dog got worse. Her symptoms progressed to back pain, bloody stools, low temperature, low heart rate, elevated pancreas enzymes, seizures. The dog cried with pain for several days, during which she was at either the vets or the ER day and night. Finally, the dog had an extensive work up at a hospital which included cat scans and blood work to try to pinpoint a diagnosis..She was on IV's for several days..We have spent over $3,000 trying to save the life of my pet. She is at home, Sat 4/12/03 after a week of medical care and looks terrible. She sits in her kennel, is unable to walk for more than a few steps without hunching over, and looks to be quite uncomfortable.
JoAnn 4/13/03
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Thank you so much for your alert and efforts concerning this product. I was about to purchase this for my 3 large dogs (Bernese Mountain Dogs), but thought I would go on the website to check it out. I saw your consumer alert and after I read it, of course I would never buy this product. Also discovered that Pet Smart is the biggest seller of this product. I have emailed them stating that I will no longer by my dog food or supplies from them until they take this product off their shelves. I would like to help fight this product, please let me know what I can do to get this off the market. I have horses too and Farnam is a big supplier and will not buy their products anymore until they recall this deadly product.
Karen 4/14/03
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My beloved mutt is in the hospital as I read this, unable to stand. He was treated with Hartz Control OneSpot Friday night, was unable to use his hindlegs last night and couldn't use any of his legs this morning. The vet told me his nervous system has absorbed this chemical. I just spoke to the vet and there has been no improvement as of yet. He will continue to give him an antidote every 3-4 hours and hope for improvement. I treated his brother with Pretect at the same time and he has had no
ill effects. I'm praying for a quick and speedy recovery and I may try to recoup my vet bills from Hartz. Any suggestions? Thanks for this most informative website.
Madeline 4/15/03
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I just found your web site and I am so thankful!! I went through this almost 3 years
ago and I have still not made peace with myself regarding it.
Within 12 hours of treating my cat (Zeus) with Zodiac Spot-On Treatment for cats, Zeus died. My vet was unable to find any problems with Zeus during his autopsy. More test were done and sent to labs. I received the lab results on 6/20/00 and there was nothing wrong with Zeus that could have caused his death. They listed his death as acute and unknown. My vet and I have no other choice but to know that the Zodiac product caused his death.
I know it is impossible to prove that a flea treatment caused this death, but we have proven that nothing else had caused his death. To anyone reading this, please take this information and caution seriously.
Teresa 4/22/03
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My dog had to be put down 2 days after applying Hartz flea and tick drops. Lethargy, vomiting, and almost non-stop seizures. We had no choice. My family is devastated, as Yazzie was the 6th member of our family. If you can, be in touch with me.
Gary 4/26/03
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My 15-month-old Malti-poo became lethargic and started acting funny a few hours after applying Bio Spot on him for the first time. I immediately washed him thoroughly and he was fine.
I am notifying my vet and the store carrying the product and giving them copies of your article and all the emails and asking them not to recommend or carry the product anymore.
Norma 4/28/03
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I have an 11 month old beagle. I keep him in a kennel and only feed high quality dog food to him. I applied biospot to my dog and the next day he seemed lethargic and seemed to lose his balance from time to time. I keep doxycycline at my house since
I have several dogs and had just gone through the same thing with his sister the month prior with a spot on product from hartz. I gave him 2 doses of the medicine and he seems to be almost be back to normal.
Kim 4/29/03
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Last year I used Hartz advanced flea and tick drops on my pets, dogs and cats. I bought one package for two cats and then the dogs seperately, I washed my hands between handling them. My cat Whiskas came out at ten at night from behind the couch, she was staggering, frothing at the mouth. I tried to rinse her mouth out. She was light sensitive and acted as though she couldnt see me or hear me. She wasnt breathing well. She went and hid under my bed. I was at the vets for an emergency visit by eleven. She was treated and kept over night. She made it through. My vet has had other cases of this. 100.00 for the vet, and I had spent 40.00 for the product. I was so mad, looked on the internet and found a woman from RI who the same thing happened too. There was or Is a class action law suite against hartz. Look at the labels. Check out which has the lowest dose of Permethrin. I threw all the product out. Wont take the chance. EPA was notified about this too. And yes, These products should contain Specific warning labels on them, that way we as consumers can make a consientious choice in wether to use it on our pets or not. As it stands now we are NOT getting the full picture. We are ridden with guilt, at first blaming ourselves for this, then we get mad!!! We need more people to find out about this. I had it ran in my local newspaper.
Lyn 4/29/03
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I am the proud momma of a 15 month old Springer Spaniel named Oreo, a 13 month old Miniature Schnauzer named Ande, a 5 month old Great Dane named Junior and 2 17 month old Ferrets name Trixie and Powder. All 5 of my animals where going to be put on BIO SPOT starting tomorrow. Your website has given me information that seems to have saved my babies lives since now I am going to stick with my Frontline, which is what they have been on all there lives. I was reading your site and someone made a comment about bio spot was being used for pound animals. My animals are
all registered beautiful show quality dogs. That should not matter, if my dog comes
from the pound or a breeder with all kinds of health guarantees. The pain of having some mislabeled chemical hurt or kill my babies would be the same. Again thank
you for saving mine.
Malissia 5/2/03
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Last summer we gave our 110 pound rottweiler Revolution. He was fine for the first
4 doses, but on the fifth month dose, he had a horrible reaction.
He started vomiting yellow foam, took a few wobbley steps, and immediately collapsed. He layed on the floor panting heavily for several minutes, unable to respond to anything that we said to him. He vomited several more times, and was unable to move for over 30 minutes. We thought he was going to die. He continued to be very weak and lethargic for several days.
He did recover. The vet, and the company said that the product probably had nothing to do with it, but after reading your stories, I know better. We have not used any products of this nature since this episode, and he has been doing fine. Thank you for sharing these horrifying experiences with us so that no dog has to experience this again!
Are any products for fleas, tics, and heartworm safe?
Courtney 5/3/03
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Yes, ours had a reaction. We have a 7 year old Australian Shepherd/Doberman cross male named Rudy. We had used another product last year (can't remember the name, but it wasn't Bio-Spot) and Rudy showed some mild irritation at the site for a day but that was all. We weren't concerned. This year, we put on Bio-Spot and within an hour, he was scratching and biting at his hips (as close as he could get to the top of the tail head) and whining pitifully. We soothed him as much as we could, not understanding what was causing it and thinking maybe a bee sting or something. But it continued for another day and he was acting nervous and jumpy (not AT ALL like Rudy) and wasn't eating. Finally, on the advice of our vet andnot knowing exactly what was the problem, we took him downstairs and put in in the shower with my husband and Tom shampooed the dog and turned him out in the sunshine. That seemed to fix it....he was a bit uncomfortable that evening but nothing like he had been and by the next day he was fine. THANK YOU for posting all those emails and letting us know. We will NEVER buy anything like that again. Back to the good, old flea comb and brush! I am concerned about any residual effects now.
We didn't file suit and our vet didn't charge us for telephone suggestionl. I didn't contact Farnam then, but I think I will send them a copy of this email and let them know what I think of their product and any other company which would put out potentially lethal "pet supplies" like this. It isn't just Farnam and that's REALLY scary!
Mary 5/12/03
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I am a pet groomer. I sell Bio Spot for dogs and cats, and I have also been using it
for quite some time on my purebred dogs, a Shih Tzu, Chocolate Lab, Yellow Lab, and two Pomeranians, and also on my dog I adopted from the Humane Society and my
cat. I have never had anything but wonderful results with this product. I have sold a lot
of packages of Bio Spot to my customers in the past year, and every one of them is extremely happy with this product. When using any insect repellent chemicals there are going to be risks. Every animal reacts to them differently. Just like there are risks with a human taking medicine. But would you stay sick just because there have been a few cases of side effects reported? I am sure that you are only hearing about the bad reactions to this product. There are millions of people who use Bio Spot on their pets with wonderful results.
Bethany 5/13/03
I am glad that you and your customers are extremely happy with Bio Spot. I was happy with it, too, until it almost killed my dog. Unfortunately, I was not aware that severe adverse reactions and death were among the possible risks. I created my webpage to inform others who may not be aware of it, too.
I know that fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes can cause serious health problems in dogs, but
I don't like the idea of poisoning my dog in an effort to control these pests. There are safer ways to control these pests without using pesticides.
James TerBush
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I recently used Bio Spot for dogs on my 8 month old pug. This was her second Bio Spot treatment. She seemed agitated by the first treatment, but didn't show any signs of major distress. I applied Bio Spot on her Tuesday night and now (Thursday night) she
is trying to hide under anything possible. She basically climbs up my leg and then buries her head into my arm. She wimpers and has scratched a hole into her skin trying to get the poision off. I have bathed her three times hoping to give her some relief. I have been hand feeding her, as she won't eat on her own. She had an accident on the floor this morning as she seems unable or unwilling to move on her own. It is now
Thursday, 2 full days since the application of Bio Spot. I intend to take her to my vet tomorrow if she shows no signs of improvement. I only wanted to save her the pain of having flees and this is what I got. I only wish I had seen this article sooner. I will never put another flea treatment on my little girl.
Megan 5/15/03
Thank you for taking an interest in my story. I did take my puppy to my vet on friday. She didn't seem to think that there is anything internally wrong with my puppy, but that her symptoms are mostly from the wound on her back. She shaved the hair from the burned/scratched spot between Pezi's shoulders. It looks pretty nasty and it's been a real challenge to keep her from scratching at it. I have been wrapping an ace bandage around her and even sewed a T-shit to fit her, so that she won't make the wound any worse.
Today she has shown amazing signs of recovery as I took her on her first walk since the incident. She has been put on a number of medications and will return to the vet on friday. I will definately be contacting Farnem to inform them of the horrible eposide and to seek compensation for the vet bills. I have taken pictures of the wound caused by Bio Spot as I'm not sure how easily the company will reimburse my expenses. I am so thankful that Pezi seems to be recovering. I am fully aware now that others have not been so fortunate. Thank you for your advice and helping to get the word out on the dangers caused by Bio Spot.
Megan 5/18/03
I thought I'd update you on my Bio-spot episode. I did contact Farnam and was told they would file a report of the incident. They also told me that if I mailed them proof of purchase, my vet bills and recordes, they would reimburse my expenses. I did mail that information only half expecting to recieve a check from the company. To my surprise the check arrived yesterday and did cover the total cost for Pezi's care. Pezi is recovering well. The only lingering sign of the episode is a small bald spot on her back. The fur is slowly growing back. Thank you again for your advice through this horrible event.
Megan 6/10/03
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I would like to thank you for writing that article on Bio Spot. I nearly bought it for my
cats from Pet Smart, but after I read your article, as well as others who'd had similar problems, I cancelled my order. I also notified Pet Smart that, as a trusted pet care company, they should remove such a thing from the shelves and was notified that they were looking into it.
It outrages me that such a thing is being sold, so much so that I've e-mailed the Consumer Product Safety Commission, as well as the company that makes Bio Spot.
I would urge you (if you haven't already) to also do this and will do what I can to make sure people know how harmful this product is.
Thanks again. I am only hoping that it didn't have any long-term effects for your dog.
Robin 5/17/03
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HELP!!!! One week ago, I applied Bio Spot to my Borzoi "Vladimir". A day after the application, he started acting "funny." His behavior has been very eractic. He alternates between depression and excitement; hunger and appetite loss, lethargy and aggression etc. etc. Unfortunately, I have been out of town for the past two days, so I can't speak of that time period, but he still appeared "out of sorts" for the brief time I spent with him last night. I also noticed that on several areas on his face (around his mouth, eyes etc.) is discolored (usually these areas are a nice shiny black, now they are brownish. Until I found your website today, I assumed these problems may have been caused by the ticks that had been on Vlad. But now, I am concerned I may have poisoned him. I have a vet appointment in a few hours, anything I can do in the meantime?????
Jennifer 5/19/03
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I am so glad that I read this article. I just ordered some Bio Spot from Dr Foster & Smith. Although I always use Advantage, I was interested in BioSpot because it kills
all stages of fleas. I was really just looking to see if it was waterproof because my 14 month old yellow lab is a water freak! Wow! Am I glad I came across your website. I
do know that all insecticides have risks, but this was needed feedback before I change to a new product. I will be sending the BioSpot back and I'll stick with Advantage.
Cristy 5/23/03
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I would just like to THANK YOU for your "Consumer Alert" Page and sharing Hamish's horrific ordeal with Bio Spot. I was very happy to read that Hamish is doing so much better.
I was looking into using Bio-Spot on my 7 year old Husky, Akuna, when I came across you web page and would like to thank everyone who posted their story as after reading them all, I will NEVER use this or any product like it. Akuna is our Pride & Joy and I don't know what we would do if anything ever happened to her and although I can't protect her from everything because of your web page at least I can protect her from Bio Spot.
Julie 5/23/03
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I have a German shorthair pointer. Two days ago I applied the BioSpot Flea and Tick control for dogs, and this morning he had a seizure. Remembering that I tried a new product on him recently I thought I'd look on the Internet to see if there were any possible connections, and I found this site right away. My husband and I gave him a bath immediately to remove what may be left on the skin. Right now he's really hyper. We have him kenneled so he doesn't hurt himself or destroy the house. I'm hoping he'll come around to his normal self soon.
Becky 5/26/03
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James- thanks for the info. Just an update on us... as my husband mentioned we did just recently move to Alabama. We've never had to use anything for insects on our dogs and cats. Unfortunately, this place will make you challenge your whole belief system, which is how we came upon you and your story. After realizing we had a huge flea problem...we found 3 ticks on our son, in our bed and on our floor and decided that was it-- we were going to have to do something. We gave our dogs one application of Frontline and all was ok for the last 3 weeks. I hated doing it. But we felt pushed to our limits at that moment. After 3 weeks, we've been finding ticks again though. And I refuse to douse our dogs in chemicals every three weeks. So we've renewed ourselves to doing this the natural way, with oils and with herbal powders. The reason for my email is to let you know about a book we found and that we're coming to treasure--Natural Insect Repellants- For Pets, People and Plants By Janette Grainger and Connie Moore Lots of step by step instructions that reminded me of lots of things I already knew, and lots I didn't. Hope you can get your hands on it! Good Luck!
The Rileys 5/30/03
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Thanks for your website. I have always used Advantage once or twice during the summer months with no problems. Because the $ difference caught my attention
( I have 5 dogs & 3 cats) I almost ordered Bio-spot from the Foster & Smith Catalog. Then I remembered an article I saw about 2 years ago about Spot-on being a dangerous product and wondered if Bio-spot & Spot -on were similar products. So I called Fosters & Smith to ask them if they were the same ingredients and if they had had any complaints. The info person apparently had never had the question asked before and knew nothing about Spot-on & of course had no complaints about their product. She did advise me to research it on line and compare the products myself which is how I found your website! Thanks for the info and for taking the time to get
this info out!
Paula 5/30/03
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I had always used Advantage on our two, four year old Miniature Pinschers, without any problems. Last August we were going to Connecticut and decided we should protect our dogs from ticks, too. We applied Killtix(permethrin) just that one time last summer and had no problem. However, this March and April I used Advantix(contains permethrin) and a few weeks after the second application my one dog acted very lethargic, kept opening his mouth, was shaking and would not get off our laps. I took him to the vet within one hour, but he couldn't find anything wrong with him. I thought maybe Bandit had been stung by a bee--because he has had an allergic reaction before to bee stings, so we gave him Benadryl. He seemed fine by later that evening. This was last Tuesday. Saturday he began exhibiting the same symptoms, but our vet was closed for the weekend, so we just kept a close eye on him and after several hours he was okay. I called my vet today to let him know about this latest "spell". I only talked to the receptionist and she said it sounded like a seizures. Then I remembered your web site I had come across last year and told her it could be a possible reaction to permethrin. She didn't seem to know anything about it causing problems. I am certain that this product caused it especially after reading about all the other people who have had similar stories. I don't know if the vet will call me back because there isn't really anything he can do now, but I will never use any product containing permethrin and I'm not even sure I should be using Advantage either. Thank you for sharing your story and making this danger known to other pet lovers.
Barbara 6/2/03
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Hi! Thank you for your wonderful website. After searching for hours on poisioning I came across your website. We think our dog was poisoned by Advantix though this is the first dog my vet has seen with a reaction to the solution. Our vet specifically recommended this product and sold it to us with no outer package. Trusting our vet, we applied the Advantix. It did not react as quickly as other people have noted on your website. In fact, it took 6 days before Casey's paw and eye started twitching. As nothing else was new in her environment, we took her back to the vet. He concluded (without any tests) that it was from the Advantix. He sent us home with muscle relaxers. After watching our baby twitch in one paw so badly she could hardly walk, we called the vet again. He really didn't want to be bothered. We contacted other area vets who all said they won't sell permethrin-based products like Advantix. I was so angry with the vet because we placed our faith in him. We now have a new vet (much, much, much better). She drew blood to run tests though we won't know for a while. The new vet also recommended bathing her in dish soap or neutrogena shampoo, continuing with the muscle relaxers and gave her subcutaneuos fluids. Her twitching has improved but she just isn't herself. We are on pins and needles hoping for the best-thanks again for your website.
Karen 6/6/03
Hi! Thank you for both of your messages. You can believe I will take all of your suggestions on reporting this deadly product. It is more productive to write letters and warn everyone I know than to sit and stew in anger. Thank you for taking your time to host a website and answer all of the messages.
After nearly dehydrating, Casey is being fed baby food every four hours. Slowly, she is returning to herself. Thankfully all of the other symptoms have subsided. This has truly been an eye-opening experience.
Thank you again,
Karen 6/13/03
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About two week ago on May 24th 2003 I applied Bio Spot for Dogs to my Australian Shepard, Casey. This was from a batch I had purchased, I believe, in 2000. I had applied one package of it to Casey at that time back in 2000 but he was very reluctant to have it applied a second time. All I had to do was give him the impression that I was going to apply it and he would run for the hills. I found the packages in the medicine closet and I figured I would try it again. There was no expiration date on the packaging so I figured it was safe to use. About 5 days after applying the Bio Spot I noticed that he was not acting himself. Casey always wanted to play ball when we walked in the field near our home. That day he wasn't wanting to play. Casey had a problem with his hips so I thought it was just that. He had been taking medication for his hip problem but was not on it at the time I applied the Bio Spot. I had been treating him with aspirin.
On Monday June 2nd he was still not acting himself, not eating, etc. We took him to the Vet but never mentioned that I had applied the Bio Spot. On Thursday morning June 5 we again took him to the Vet because he now could not walk straight. The doctor looked at him and diagnosed him as having an inner ear infection. He gave us some antibiotics and said he should be better in a few days. By 1 PM that day he died.
I believe the Bio Spot attacked his central nervous system and killed him. An autopsy done by the Vet revealed no cause for Casey's death. He concluded that it must have been something in the central nervous system that killed him. An aneurysm would have been very quick. A brain tumor would have been much slower revealing more signs of problems as time passed.
I've attached a photo of Casey taken last summer. He was a wonderful dog and will be sorely missed by me and my wife. We intend on getting a replacement but I guarantee you I will never use a topical Flea and Tick Control medication again.
Please pass this on to all your friends who have dog or cats and are thinking of using a topical Flea and Tick Control. Thanks for listening.
Paul 6/7/03
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I also have reluctantly put Biospot and other topical insecticides on my dogs and cats. Never again after reading your site! At a few different vets, I have asked, "Is this safe? It says don't get it on MY skin, yet we douse our pets with it?" Vets have told me it is fine. This tells me not to trust my vet! Now I notice my cats are scratching in the area where the topical was applied -- and this is the expensive, vet-sold one, not biospot. The problem here is that many, not all, vets make good money selling these products, so of course they will a) neglect to investigate side effects, and/or b) tell you they're safe.
In addition to the book mentioned above, I highly recommend "Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats". The topicals are just the tip of the iceberg, folks -- the Rx pet industry is HUGE, in the billion$. After a lot of investigation, I only get my pets rabies, etc. shots every other year or so. Cancers and Rx reactions are on the rise, especially in pets. Do your own research and see. For you who think the EPA will do something about this, think again. The gov't and Rx industry have verrry close ties. It's going to take a massive class action suit to even get mainstream media to notice and favorably cover the real story here. Meantime, watch what goes into and onto your babies!
Steve 6/8/03
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I read all of the letters about the pets that were affected by Bio Spot. Well two days ago
I went to the store and decided to pick up some flea and tick treatment for my two dogs.
I have used Sargents in the past and it caused one of my dogs to have horrible seizures. I wasnt aware that Hartz would do the same. It has now been 2 days since I applied it to my dogs and today the same dog had a seizure. I am disgusted that the FDA and EPA would let this stuff stay on the shelves. My husband and I are considering a lawsuit. Not for the money but for the welfare of all pets. I am going to warn everyone I know about this danger. Luckily my baby is ok. It has only been an hour since the seizure and he has been out to play and potty. Now he is taking one of his many beloved naps. My other dog hasnt had any side effects that I have seen thank God!
Amie 6/10/03
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I've been researching the internet to help my brother's dog and came across your website. Thank you so much for putting this out, more people need to become aware of the dangers. He became sick about 3 days after having his first dose of Advantix. His stomach is swollen with fluids, he cannot eat and keep anything down, and this has been going on for about five days. He was taken to emergency vet this past Sunday and they have run all the blood tests, ultrasound, etc. Their only conclusion is Advantix has caused this poisoning. He has been bathed a couple times, but is not getting better. We need help with treatment for this poisoning! Have you heard of any type of treatment which will help get the advantix poison out of his system fast? If you know of anything that has worked, we would greatly appreciate you letting us know. It's worth a try, otherwise he may die.
After reading all of this on your website, I want to make sure the word gets out to as many people as possible. If there is anything we can do to help this, please let me know.
Suzanne 6/10/03
Thank you
Thanks so much for the information. I read a lot on your website last night and gave my brother tips about bathing and IV. From talking with him last night, they had started an IV and bathed him in dish soap. That is what Bayer recommended. One of the vets seems to remember a similar case and they are going to check the fluid in his stomach/heart. Possible pancreatic? If this test comes null, than I told my brother to call the hospital in Philadelphia. I'll let you know what they find out and hopefully help any other dogs experiencing this reaction.
Suzanne 6/11/03
Well, sorry to say my brother's dog has not made a recovery yet. He is still hanging in there and has been at the vet for a week. They have ran every possible test on him and no conclusion. Tried another bath yesterday in dish soap but he continues to vomit after attempting to eat even baby food. I think they're going to try steroids or suggested exploratory surgery. I guess he cannot go on without nutrition very long and is getting at that point. Do you have any knowledge of anyone using steroids to help? Thanks again.
Suzanne 6/14/03
Finally, some great news, Bugsley is coming home from the hospital today! It had been 11 days since my brother took him there. I wanted to let you know it appears as if the steroids the vet gave him worked. She said she was going to hit him hard with steroids for 2 or 3 days and that is what she did. He finally was able to keep down some baby food down the other day. I believe he went over ten days without eating. Just wanted to let you know, so you can post it to help others. The treatment that helped him was bathing in dish soap, IV water/electrodes, and finally steroid therapy. The funny thing about his side effects is he had no seizures, mostly unable to eat, vomiting, and swollen stomach area. The ultrasound showed fluids in the stomach/heart area. All is tests came back normal, they were unable to find anything else wrong with him. Conclusion: Advantix did this! Wanted to let people know the side effects may be different, but don't give up hope. Take your dog to a good vet and hope for the best.
It takes time for the Advantix to get out of the dog's system. Now it's time to start working on a class action lawsuit against Bayer!!!! More people need to know about this harmful product. Thanks again for the support and well wishes!
Suzanne 6/18/03
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I am so thankful that you have this information on your website. I have always used Advantage on my dog and two cats. It works great but is expensive. I decided to try
the Bio Spot. My usual routine is to put the medicine on the dog then use a drop for each cat because I am very aware that the potencies are stronger for dogs and we have a large one. Last Thursday I treated all the animals. By thursday afternoon one of my cats was shaking uncontrollably and foaming at the mouth. Scared to death I took her outside and monitered her and she died within an hour. Terrified, I started looking
for poisons and checking the other animals and my children for that matter. I never thought about the flea medicine. Friday morning our other cat started with the same symptons. Foaming at the mouth, drooling and seizing. I was shocked because she was fine, I assumed whatever happened to the other cat was a freak of nature or something. Unfortunately, at the moment it is not possible for us to take her to a vet
due to financial reasons. We have had this cat longer than some of our children. I put her outside and had to walk away because I couldn't bear to see her die also. When
my husband returned home she had stopped siezing and seem to be getting better.
We brought her in and cleaned her up. 4 days later she seems to be ok. The dog seems to be showing no problems at all, thank god.
I can't believe that one little drop did all of this. I feel so guilty for doing this to them and now that I have done this research I am absolutely outraged and will let EVERYONE I meet know. Thank you for sharing your story and confirming my suspicions about what happened to my family last week.
Misty 6/11/03
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We've used Bio-spot during the tick season for the last 7 years on our Dog Blue. I had noticed through her whole life that she has a twitch to her mid spine when I touch it. This season I was going to stop the Bio-spot and go with Natural ways to fight ticks and fleas. Blue came down with a sickness from the tick bits so I tried Bio-spot again. This time she had a reaction to it. Here back legs would twitch every 3 to 5 seconds. This went on for a week. I now use holistic flea and tick shampoo sold at health stores and I give her Garlic to ward off fleas. I can now touch her spine and she's ok. Ticks are the hard ones. There are a lot of recipes for herbal spays on the web. You have to be careful with herbs, they are medicine. I tell people every time I can about these flea and tick drops. Hartz seems to be the worst one out there. They have a class action law suit against them and Walmart continues to sell it. Thanks for the web site help. I hope
your dog does well in the future.
Ernie 6/11/03
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I've used Advantage on my Pomeranian a few times and never put two and two together. She has had seizures for about 2 years now and has seen many, many specialists. She has been diagonosed with liver problems. No exact diagnosis of the liver has been established. Now I firmly believe my dog has adverse reactions to Advantage and other chemicals...even cleaning products. Just this last Saturday I used a dry cleaner on my carpets, and Monday my dog had seizures and she wobbles when she stands and stumbles when she walks. I'm taking my dog to a homeopathic vet next Tuesday. Hopefully he will have a more natural approach to her problem.
Cindy 6/12/03
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This may sound like an old wive's tale, but sometimes they are true!
Make an infusion of lavender by boiling it in water (you can get lavender at craft stores, farmer's markets, or grow your own). After washing your animal, poor the cooled, strained infusion over the animal and do not rinse. Lavender is a natural insect repellent and works wonderfully, plus your critter smells great!
Good luck with Hammish and thanks for the wonderful service you are providing. I have e-mailed this web site to all my animal-loving friends!
Kellie 6/13/03
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Thank you for your consumer alert , unfortunately it came too late for my beloved friend Christy. I have been using Bio Spot for about 3 years on Christy. Last year I noticed Christy was vomiting shortly after using Bio Spot however I did not make the connection. About 6 weeks ago I applied Bio Spot to Christy and noticed a change in her appetite. She started to vomit and foam at the mouth. I took her to my vet and after paying 1500 dollars in veterinarian fees he told me that she had liver damage. My vet advised me to put her to sleep, however, I could not bring myself to do that. Instead, I took her home and nursed her back to health. Her appetite came and I thought she would be OK. A couple of days ago she began to vomit and foam at the mouth again . I buried my beloved 10 year old Collie today.
Jim 6/14/03
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I took my grandchildren's (mixed breed) 6 year old dog to a groomer. The groomer talked me into trying Bio-spot. Within two hours of bringing her home, she was acting strange...running from one corner to another and plopping down. By morning she had a "hot spot" so we took her to a Vet. Ginger has now been six for 2 weeks and the vet bills are piling up. She is on special food and two pills. Her behavior is irritate. She hides in the closet and doesn't want to come out. She doesn't want to eat or drink. We suspect neurological damage.
Shouldn't there be some kind of class action lawsuit against this company?
Jeanie 6/16/03
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I'm sorry to hear of your experience with Hamish. Unfortunately, as a veterinarian, I see and hear this way too often. When you think of the permethrin products used on cattle, they are generally anywhere from one to ten percent. Many of the permethrin containing products for dogs that you cite are 45%, sometimes up to 65%. Doesn't make sense to me. In my area of the midwest, my personal preference is Frontline Top Spot applied once a month for dogs and Revolution applied once a month for cats. In my own clientele, I've witnessed practically no adverse effects. There are the occasional local skin irritations, but it has been several months since I've seen one of those. Permethrin containing products should never, never be used on cats.
On a related subject, people also need to be warned that products obtained from some internet providers are actually foreign products. EPA registration numbers are not accurate and dosing is most generally in metric.
Hope this helps,
Mike D.V.M. 6/20/03
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Saw your offering on the Urban Legends website and thought it was extremely thorough.
I was impressed.
I have been breeding Newfoundlands for almost 24 years (for show and pet) and I get a lot of feedback on new products from breeders at the dog shows. Wanted to share with you that in the dog fancy it is fairly well known, although admittedly anecdotal evidence, that dogs that are white or primarily white suffer more adverse reactions to strong medications. It is said that you cannot give the product Baytril (a Bayer Co. antibiotic that is gram negative and gram positive) to Samoyeds because they have incredibly adverse reactions. It is thought to have something to do with the color, just as congenital deafness in some breeds is associated with the white or all white color. This has not been a huge concern for me as I breed black dogs but I thought I would pass it on.
Marsha 6/20/03
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I have 2 Great Danes and a cockapoo. Friday night I applied bio-spot to all three of my dogs and one of them (my Great Dane named Lancelot) started shaking and could not walk. He was going into cardiac arrest. We rushed him to the vet and found out it was the bio-spot. Our vet gave him shots and medication and told us to wash it all off. He vomited all night and we had to keep him in a dark, calm place. He seems fine now but we still have to give him medication. He couldn't even walk for a day and a half. I have used bio-spot for a year on all three dogs and this was the first reaction. I will never use it again.
Robin 6/22/03
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I live in New Orleans - Flea Paradise of America! I had been a user of Frontline Plus for years until my Vet decided to mark up the product again and it was just out of line for my fixed budget. When looking through the J-B Wholesale Pet Supplies catalog, I saw the advertisement for Bio Spot and the description of the product. All of this sounded to me in keeping with the Frontline Plus advertisement, but sooooo much cheaper and I could afford to do this without having to go to the Vet who always wanted to see my dog before prescribing Frontline Plus - thus the Office Visit, Exam and Frontline every 3 months. (That was nearly $500 per year just to obtain Frontline Plus).
I ordered the Bio Spot and within hours noticed a dreadful reaction. Bonny would constantly shake her head as if she had an ear infection. She went back and forth to the Vet for an examination to check her ears, but nothing could be found to indicate that she had an ear infection; however, to be on the safe side, ointment for the ears was prescribed. There was never a thought that it could be Bio Spot.
Within 3 weeks or so the head shaking diminished and she would be back to normal. Naturally I am thinking all along that she must have had an Inner Ear Infection and the ointment resolved the problem. Then when the Bio Spot was applied the following month, it started all over again and we went through the same scenario. After a package of Bio Spot and multiple trips to the vet, endless nights of hearing the collar rattle with the sound of her tags, and a perfectly miserable pet, Bonny was taken to the Groomer, clipped down completely, scrubbed and put on ChlorhexiDerm Shampoo weekly and off the flea medications for 2 months.
I am back to Frontline Plus purchased by catalog -- expensive, yes -- but far cheaper than what I have been going through. I assure you that we will never have Bio Spot in this house again under any circumstances.
Judie 6/22/03
I did fail to mention that her hair fell out and she had big sores on her skin for which her vet at the time gave her bi-monthly injections of steroids and she was also on oral steroids. After hundreds and hundreds of dollars, I took her to a vet recommended to me and he gave her a month's supply of Keflex after he did lots of lab tests. Her skin has cleared.
A week or so ago she went to the groomer and I was looking at collars. It dawned on me today after reading your site that near the collars I saw a number of packages of Bio Spot for people to buy. I have copied all of the comments made to you in 2003 and sent a letter to the groomer regarding the product. I hope that after reading the comments, they will remove the product so more innocent animals will not he hurt and families not heartbroken by the loss of their 4-legged kid.
Thanks for sharing the information and making it possible for people like me to be better informed.
Judie 6/23/03
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I used Bio spot for Cats on my cat and it went into seizures and almost died. Thank God there was an emergency vet who saved the cat to the tune of $523.
Jody 6/25/03
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I am so sorry to hear about your pet. I made the mistake of putting PreTect on my three cats..One as we speak is having severe seizures.. The vet said to wash all the medicine from their necks and they should be fine. The other two are acting funny..One is not eating, and is having twitches in his eyes. I cannot get to an emergency vet in my area, but know that it is already too late. As a medical person, I am so angry with these companies.. I would never have put this product on my animals if I had read this first, but
I would not have been looking if I had not had this terrible reaction..please lets put a stop to these companies.
Vicki 6/25/03
Hi thanks for writing back and for your concern. We took both cats in to urgent care last night, and a call early this morning brought to us the bad news that one cat had died. I picked up the cats this morning, and took the living cats to my vets to be checked and he told me to take him home and watch him..he is not great..very jumpy, like he is paranoid or something..he is lashing out at me and even jumped on my hear and started to tear my hair out...what a shock..i just hope this is happening due to the medication and will not turn into something else.. no, I didnt use the dog PreTect, but upon talking to the people in charge of the health concerns of Sergeant's products informed me that it was possible that some of the permethrins could have gotten into a batch of the cats. Unfortunately, the urgent care staff threw the container and package away, so we will never know...so, thanks again for your concern.
Vicki 6/26/03
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Our dog Daisy May had a severe reaction to Bio Spot Friday 6/20/03. The Bio Spot was applied just as the package directions say. Immediately, she began having trouble breathing, her skin turned bright red, and she began thrashing around, not like a seizure, but trying to scratch her skin on anything she could find. We rushed her to the 24 hour emergency clinic, she was started on IV steroids and benydril. She spent the night at the clinic. She was sent home with steroids and an antibiotic for her skin sores. On Tuesday, 6/25/03, she began throwing up around midnight, she threw up 8 times in 10 hours, we went to our regular vets office, she was given an injection for nausea, subcutaneous fluids, and ordered not to have any food or water, only ice chips, until in the morning, then we were to give her this special bland food for four days. Daisy May is still not back to normal, she is lethargic, and not her usual happy self. To make matter worse, she just had puppies 8 1/2 weeks ago, thankfully, she is no longer nursing, she had 8 babies, we still have 3 at home, but, she is very short tempered with them, she is growling when the get too close to her, she just wants to be left alone. That is not like her at all, she was such a great mom to her babies before this happened, she loved to play with them, now she stays away from them.
Both vets told us they see reactions to Bio Spot often, usually with cats is results in death, the first vet said. She does not understand why that stuff is still being sold over the counter. The second vet said she sees reactions to Bio Spot at least once a week, we live in a small town, so that is really bad. She also said that Bio Spot should be taken off the market.
Michelle 6/26/03
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Last Oct., I lost my beloved golden retreiver to an undiagnosed illness. I wish I had found this web site before now. Last June, I used Bio Spot on her, she was as healthy as a horse. In July, I used it again. She had a little bloody diarrhea this wasn't abnormal for her because she had a very sensitive stomach and she had had some table scraps. So, off to the vet, put her on medicine for her stomach and swear off scraps. She recovered but was still just a little off. August, another dose of Bio Spot. Darby started to vomit a little blood, and again bloody diaharrea. By the time I got her to the vet, she was diagnosed with ITP, and her platelets were at about 14. She was tested for tick borne diseases and the tests all came back negative. The vets asked was it at all possible that she had gotten into any rat poision. No, not possible. In Sept. when it was time to get the flea meds, I asked the vet about not using it because she was so sick and no longer able to go out, so I held off. She had now been diagnosed with AIHA. I never felt a need to tell him that I had been using Bio spot. Darby got frailer and frailer. She went from 124lbs to 92 lbs. She was now in terrible pain and had started to bleed internally. I lost her on October 4th. When I look back now, I seem to see a terrible connection between her illness and the applications of Bio Spot. My heart broke when I lost her and now I wonder could I have posioned my beloved golden girl. I will discourage any pet owner from using this over the counter flea med.
Margaret 7/2/03
Thank you for your kind message. When I look back over Darby's illness there was so much connect the dot. It just seems so coincidental that bio spot was used during this time. The vets were initially so sure that she had gotten into poison. Maybe, just maybe biospot was that poison. I'll never know for sure, but I will never use this product again, nor would I encourage anyone else to save a few pennies by buying this over something that I would buy at the vets.
Margaret 7/2/03
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I am writing to tell you my experience with BioSpot, the Farnam treatment for fleas and ticks. I have a seven year old Sheltie who was fine up until a few weeks ago. I have applied BioSpot to Max a few times before, but this last time was different. Within minutes he became agitated, walking from room to room. We let him outside, where he rolled around on the grass. We thought he just didn't like the smell of it and was trying to rub it off of himself. Within a short period of time, Max began to pant. He has been panting for a couple of weeks. We attributed it to the heat wave we've had here in the
northeast. Then the drooling began. Max apparently vomited all night two nights ago, which we didn't find until the next morning. I took him to our vet, and when I told him I had applied BioSpot to Max, our vet told me not to use the product again. He has treated many cats with seizures caused by BioSpot, and some have died. Our vet gave Max a shot to help with the nausea, a special canned food for easy digestion, and an antibiotic in case of any secondary problems. He drew blood for a host of tests, including liver and kidney damage.
After reading story after horrible story about the affects of BioSpot on others dogs and cats, I can't believe this product is still for sale. I, for one, will never purchase another Farnam product. I have many horses and donkeys that I purchase many products for, and I'll never trust another product from Farnam. Their labeling leaves much to be desired and no one can tell me that they aren't aware of the health dangers associated with using BioSpot. Perhaps they should include possibility of seizures, organ damage, and death on their labels.
This BioSpot problem is NOT an urban legend. It's very real!
Rebecca 7/2/03
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My husband and I used Bio-Spot on our two dogs one a golden retriever and the other a mix breed puppy we did this the morning of July 4th. We used the Bio-Spot on our Kitty Socks also that day within four hours our Kitty went into seizures. The Vet Hospital said that the Kitty had Pyrethin Toxicity. There is a long story involved here anyway Socks could only be with them for 24 hours. They said Sock's case was the worse case they have ever seen. Socks died Saturday evening at home with me. When we brought in Socks to the hospital they asked if there were any other animals we said yes and told them about the above mentioned dogs. My husband had to rush home and get the puppy and thank God is fine and had no adverse effects. In the past couple of days I have been well educated on this. And learning more and more. I was not going to report it to Farnam but was talked into it. So I did they are paying the vet bill. Which is nice? I have talked to the women the past two days. I told her I wanted to educate people on Pyrethin and the harmful effects on the animals and make Sock's voice be heard.
I don't want to bash the company but think all pet stores should be aware of this problem. We think somehow the dog product got mixed with the cat product I don't know what happened it smelled like oranges when we put it on the cat and dog. I had no idea until I read your website the affects it has on children. The hospital where I took my kitty said they see three or four cases a week come in some live and some die. Farnam said the EPA lets them have 1% {not sure if its deaths or reactions} from the product. To me 1% is too much.
What can we do to educate people about this product {the vet said most consumers have no clue that they are lethal to cats and very harmful to dogs} and get the EPA to stop letting all these companies put this on the market? I was wondering about the Humane Society maybe they can and will get involved.
Holly 7/9/03
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Last night I applied the correct BioSpot dosage on my Rottweiler, Makai. Late this morning I found my cat, Murphy, collapsed in the yard, foaming from his locked-open mouth and shaking uncontrollably. He was limp like a rag-doll when I picked him up to take him to the vet. He could have only come in contact with a very small amount of the substance as the dog and cat will sleep in the same area but do not groom each other or play together. But the reaction was very severe! The vet currently has him stabilized and I am hoping for a full recovery.
Thanks for your consumer information. I hope cat owners will realize the danger even when the product is not applied to the animal.
Kathy 7/10/03
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On July 5, 2003, I applied K9 Advantix to my two adult dogs (Dalmatian 9yrs old; mixed breed 3yrs old). The Dalmatian began to act erratically that night. The next day both dogs were very itchy along the back where the product was applied. The Dalmatian was restless and rubbing and falling down scratching her back. I finally decided to bathe them both to get the K9 Advantix off of them. This seemed to help the mixed breed but the Dalmatian was carrying her tail between her legs, darting around, and acting completely out of character. On Monday, July 7, I took my Dalmatian to the vet. He thought she was having a mild reaction to the permethrin and had also injured her back. Gave her a steroid injection and take home medications. She is improving daily. Her back still seems extremely itchy.
Dawn 7/10/03
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I was in the process of ordering another batch of Bio-Spot from Drs Foster/Smith when I decided to look online to see if I could find it someplace else. Guess it was a blessing in disguise that I didn't place the order and that I found your website. We have 7 shih tzus and live out in the country. We have never had trouble with fleas, only ticks. Like everyone else we had always used Frontline Plus and with seven dogs it got very expensive. We have used it several times but only the previous time and a few weeks ago did we notice strange things. The previous time they all started running around and crying and acting crazy -- we thought maybe we put it too high up on the neck so this last time we made sure we put it between their shoulder blades. One of the dogs started crying and running around and acting crazy even worse than before and another one started vomiting constantly--it didn't seem to really bother the others that much. We washed it off the one acting crazy and crying and she seemed to feel better. We never put 2 and 2 together until I read everyone's letters on your website. Before we had these shih tzus, we had a rottweiler puppy. He died two days after taking a heartworm medicine. I have always thought it had something to do with his death. These companies and even vets don't realize that these are not just pets, they are our babies and we would do the same for them as we would for our two legged children. I just told my husband that we were never buying Bio-Spot again. I did read however that you were never to mix any of these together. Do you think it would hurt the dogs to switch from Bio-Spot to Frontline within a month timeframe? I'm with some of your other readers, I'd rather have fleas and ticks than put my babies in any danger.
Thanks again. 7/10/03
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I put the Hartz flea and tick medicine on my dogs and cats on the first of this month, July 2003. When I got home on the third from doing some gardening with my grandmother early in the morning, one of my dogs jumped on my chest when I was sitting on the couch and she was shivering. After a lot of comforting, she seemed okay. I thought maybe she was having seperation anxiety issues or she got scared by a firecracker outside or something. Then I noticed later that she wasn't limping, but she couldn't control her back legs as well as she could before. I used to get home and she would be
so glad to see me she would jump 2 or 3 feet in the air. Now she doesn't jump half that height, and when she tries to get into my truck that she used to just hop up into, she has to crawl and I have to help her up. When she jumped off my bed she would wince and whine for a second, and because of this we took her to the vet. We couldn't get in till Monday though, which was the seventh.
The vet tried to figure out what was wrong with her, and she couldn't. The vet moved my dogs back legs around in all directions, and watched her walk down the hall and saw she wasn't limping. Couldn't find anything wrong. Then she suggested give her some chewable dog asprin twice a day for a week, and see if she gets better. As I was leaving, I asked her about Frontline, because the Hartz wasn't working that well for fleas at all, she still has them all over her, and the vet replied, "be careful with the Hartz
brand. We get lots of cats that went into seisures and a few dogs as well." I didn't think to ask her if my dogs leg or hip problem or whatever it is was caused by the Hartz.
I've been thinking about it all night though, and now I'm really concerned. I'm going to call the vet first thing in the morning, and find out if that could possibly be the cause, and if it might be, I'm going to get her checked out and xrayed and whatever else it takes to make sure she's okay. I'm really hoping that there isn't any permanant damage, but she
doesn't seem the same as before this happened anymore. I really hope this goes away, but I'm scared to death just thinking about it, because I love dogs more than anything else in the world.
Thinking back now too, I had a dog that died less than a year ago. The dog was 9 years old, almost 10, and was in pretty good health. He started acting funny one day, so we took him to the vet, and the vet told us he was in shock, and he had to be put down. The vet told us that he probably had a stroke or something.
We have been using the Hartz brand that we've been buying from Walmart for a long time now, and that might have been the cause of his death, thinking back now. I haven't had to use it because my dogs and cats have been free of fleas over the winter. As of this moment my dogs and cats are completely banned from ever using this type of flea medicine. I used to think those medicines were the greatest because they ridded my loved ones of pesky fleas, but if I lost one dog due to these products, and another is sick, then there's just no tradeoff there. Its not worth the risk, and I wish someone at least warned me of the possibility of these harming my pets, or I never would have used
them at all ever.
I'll write you another email when I find out what's wrong with my dog, Sassy, and update you on how she recovers. If we can't get this product banned from the market, just make sure everyone tells every single one of their friends the dangers of this product, and that it is not just a rumor. Tell people to ask their vets about them. When my vet told me how dangerous it was, I was shocked and scared. If only I knew earlier... I might have had more time with my loved ones, and that is beyond any price.
7/10/03
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Two days ago we gave our Cat a Bio Spot flea control. Yesterday morning we had to rush him to the Vet, we lost our Kat-Kat late yesterday afternoon.
We contacted the Farnam Company. They did send a fax to our Vet with the correct procedure that was suppose to help. By the time the fax was sent our Vet had already done all the procedures that they suggest.
According to our Vet he sees this happen at least twice a year. Like so many others we made the mistake of trying to save a little money and bought that product. The loss of our Kat-Kat will haunt us forever due to our Stupidity of trusting that product and trying to save a little money.
Sue 7/12/03
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We have a 30 lb. 4-yr old Boston Terrier, Misty, and I put BioSpot on her Wednesday night, following the directions on the box. The next morning, she had quarter-size hives all over her body and her face was all swollen. I immediately gave her a bath and also a
Benadryl so that the swelling would hopefully go down. I went to work and looked the internet about her problem. When I saw your site, I got worried and had to leave early to check on her. Thankfully I did because when I got home her face was swollen very
badly and I immediately took her to the Vet. The vet gave her 2 shots (1 epinephrine & 1 predrizone?) and he said that he's seen a lot of cases like this where dogs have bad reactions to BioSpot and other related products, and he recommended not using them. So all day after that I've been keeping a close eye on her and she is very lethargic and doesn't seem to be her usual hyperactive self. I'll be watchin over her the next few days and hopefully she gets over this. I can't believe they still actually sell this product. Even though many people probably use this product with no problems, the fact that there are this many people on your website who have e-mailed you about their pets having bad reactions, it should be taken off the shelves!!! I printed this page out and it was 34
pages of complaints about BioSpot and other similar products. Something has to be done before many other pet owners have to go through what we went through. Thank you for posting this on your website, hopefully it can save some pets' lives out there. If there is any type of action to get this product banned, please contact me, because I would love to help.
I'll keep you posted and hopefully Misty will be able to overcome this, and not sustain any long-term damage because of this dangerous product.
Cathy 7/17/03
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How do I report an adverse reaction to a flea control product?
Please contact the EPA by telephoning the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) on 1-800-858-7378, seven days a week excluding holidays, from 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM Pacific Time - or fax them on (514) 737-0761 - or send them email at npic@ace.orst.edu. Also report the adverse reaction to the manufacturer of the product by calling the phone number listed on their packaging.
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If your dog had a severe adverse reaction to Bio Spot Flea & Tick Control (or any similar product), or if you have found a safer way to
control fleas & ticks, please let me know.
