Update 11/7/06: Hamish has not had ANY seizures since we stopped using Bio Spot
OVER 4 YEARS AGO, and appears to have made a full recovery. We are thankful for each day
that he is with us.
Farnam reimbursed us for Hamish's medical expenses, provided that we accept it as "FULL
AND FINAL SETTLEMENT FOR THE ALLEGED ADVERSE REACTION TO BIOSPOT."
Here are some of the e-mail messages that I have received from others whose dogs and cats experienced adverse reactions after using flea control products. I have no way of knowing
if the information in these messages is factual, or if the products they used were the actual
cause of the adverse reactions.
CAUTION: This information is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional veterinary advice. Please consult with your veterinarian before giving
any treatment to your animals.
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(Below is a letter that I sent to the EPA via Priority Mail on 9/13/06)
September 13, 2006
Stephen L. Johnson, Administrator
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Ariel Rios Building - Mail Code 1101A
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20460
Dear Mr. Johnson,
I would like to file a complaint against Merial Limited for advertising safety claims they are
making on their web site for their Frontline brand of flea and tick products, and against the
Bayer Corp. for advertising safety claims they are making on their web site for their Advantage
and K9 Advantix brands of flea and tick products.
Here are the advertising claims, which I believe substantially differ from any claims made on
the label or labeling:
Please see: TRUSTED, GENTLE, Gentle enough to use on puppies and kittens 8 weeks of
age or older without weight restrictions.
Please see: K9 Advantix is gentle enough for puppies 7 weeks of age or older and dogs
of any size.
Please see: How safe is K9 Advantix in dogs and puppies?
Please see: Is K9 Advantix gentle enough for dogs and puppies? K9 Advantix has been
evaluated in domestic animal safety studies in both adult dogs and puppies. Adult dogs and
puppies that are 7 weeks old or less were treated at weekly intervals for 4 weeks with topical
applications of K9 Advantix. No adverse effects were found.
Please see: How gentle is Advantage on my pet? Advantage is backed by extensive and
thorough domestic animal safety studies that show even when administered at five times the
target therapeutic dosage for three consecutive days, cats and dogs experienced no adverse
effects. If you apply as recommended, you can be confident of the gentleness of Advantage
on your pet.
By using the words "trusted", "gentle", and "safe", I believe that Merial and Bayer are violating
federal law because these words may be misinterpreted by the public as a claim of safety,
and may lead users to ignore labeling precautions.
Four years ago, my dog had a near fatal reaction to Bio Spot, a popular over-the-counter flea
control product. I created a website about the incident and asked others to write to me if they
had a similar experience using these products. I have received hundreds of emails, which are
posted on my website. My website is:
In the last four years, over 107,000 people have visited my website - many of whom have found
it by searching for information on adverse reactions to flea control products - including Frontline,
Frontline Plus, Advantage, and K9 Advantix. I believe that many of these adverse reactions could
be avoided if the EPA took action to stop Merial and Bayer from making safety claims.
I look forward to your consideration of this complaint and the issuance of a finding within the
next 60 days.
Sincerely,
James TerBush
(Below is email that I sent to the Government Accountability Office on 9/14/06)
To whom it may concern,
Below is a letter that I sent yesterday to the EPA in regards to advertising safety claims that Merial Limited and the Bayer Corp. are making on their websites for their pet pesticide products. As you are aware, safety claims on labels and advertising for pesticide products is a violation of federal law. I am forwarding this information to you because I believe that the EPA is not likely to act on my complaint.
In March 1990, the GAO wrote a report titled, "Lawn Care Pesticides - Risks Remain Uncertain While Prohibited Safety Claims Continue", in which it found that advertising safety claims were a low enforcement priority at the EPA. It further found that the EPA does not have an active program to screen pesticide literature nor an enforcement strategy to monitor compliance, but reacts to complaints it receives. If the GAO did a follow-up report today, I believe it would find that nothing has changed at the EPA in regards
to advertising safety claims for pesticide products.
I hope that the GAO will again encourage the EPA to enforce federal laws prohibiting advertising safety claims for pesticide products - including pet pesticide products, which poison tens of thousands of companion animals each year.
Sincerely,
James TerBush
(Below is a letter that I received from the EPA in response to my complaint against Merial and Bayer)
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Over Labor Day weekend I decided to treat all my pets for fleas with a 'cheaper' product and also one I could come by more quickly, as oppose to the longer drive and then wait at the vet's office. That product
was Bio Spot. I did not investigate the product first. I figured if PetSmart sold it, it had to be safe, right? I
was even careful to buy all the correct doses for the correct animal type (cat vs. dog).
First I applied to my German Shephard, who actually has a skin allergy, she did absolutely fine! Then I applied to my cat, and again, no immediate problems that I was aware of. The last was my long hair Chihuahua, and there we had the problem. Right away, he went crazy rubbing his face on every surface he could (I applied behind the head on the neck). I figured he just didn't like the smell (it has a strong citrus odor) or maybe the 'feel' of it? We went to bed and I didn't think anything more of it. The next day Max, the Chihuahua, was jumpy and anxious. He just couldn't seem to get comfortable. He was scratching his neck like crazy! I just couldn't understand what was wrong, so I Googled: chihuahua jumpy after flea treatment. I was shocked! Although I had not put in key words regarding Bio Spot, that's exactly the problem that surfaced!
Thankfully, I saw all these letters on this site and took immediate action, washing the dog and watching for any signs of a seizures. I couldn't sleep that night, I just felt sick that I could have caused my baby to suffer because I had been cheap and lazy! From what I've read, I know I was luckier then most. It's been several days, and Max seems fine. He's eating normal, playing fetch like he loves to do and harassing the cat as usual. I'm still worried because he's "gacking up" about once a day, maybe still getting the crap out of his system........oh, and the cat, she stopped using her litter box after the treatment and I didn't know it since she goes outside a lot during the day. Although we aren't out of the woods, I have hope and, now, knowledge
that because a readily available product is out on the market, it's not always safe.
Thank you for creating this website, and thank you for sharing your stories. Your tragedies may have saved my dog's life.
Mary 9/8/06
Prescott, AZ
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I recently went on a two week vacation with my 2 dogs in tow. they picked up a couple of fleas on our travels. I got home on Wednesday aug. 16th, 2006 and applied some frontline plus to both of them and my cat, so he wouldn't get them as well. 2 days later my little Pekingese "sugar" started acting really strange. she was panting heavily, was hiding under furniture, she couldn't jump up on the couch or bed, and she couldn't go up or down my flight of stairs to go out to the bathroom. I had to carry her since I live above a garage, so she could go potty. the strangest thing that happened though was when I was getting out of the shower on Sunday, she wanted to jump in, like she wanted a bath. I tell you sometimes I think they are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. she "hates" baths, but she really, really wanted one this day. I gave her a bath and she would cry whenever I got near her belly. I found her to have "pustules" on her tummy and when I extracted them, they oozed a green discharge. she didn't have any on her neck or back of her tail where I applied the frontline, so I wasn't sure if it had relevance.
This behavior went on for close to two weeks. she eventually went back to normal in three. I took her to my vet to be on the safe side and explained her symptoms. my vet said she didn't think they were related to the frontline. but did an ex-ray to rule out a back problem and gall bladder stones. everything came out fine. I have felt since the 2nd day that it was related to the frontline. my instincts were telling me that this was a neurological response and that her body was trying to fight it off. I wasn't satisfied with my vets inability to diagnose this, so I went online and found this site. so many other dogs had similar responses. this can't be just coincidence. my dogs are extremely healthy, so why would she out of no-where have these symptoms within 2 days of application, and the vet couldn't find anything wrong?
Coincidence? I think "not!"
Chantel 9/8/06
thank u james! i sent an email 2 the epa and 2 the apvma as well. i figure the more cases, "up's"
those statistics. i appreciate all u are doing. my friend suzanne and i have a dog rescue organization... www.dogrescue.bigstep.com we have saved hundreds of dogs over the last few years and currently
have around 70 in need of good homes. we won't be using frontline any more or any other chemical pesticides for that matter. we usually go for the hollistic approach anyway, but always deemed frontline
as safe. suzanne re-calls a few of our dogs over the years having reactions also. one in the last year
fell over and collapsed and went into a grand mal seizure after she sprayed him with fronline spray.
he is ok now. we are notifying everyone of this and now have it posted on our website!
thank u again...keep up the good efforts!
chantel 9/11/06
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I just read the story of adverse reactions to flea products. I usually applied Frontline to Copper and Trusty
(2 hound mix mutt brothers that are both 5 years old). I had one more Frontline treatment for the cat, but at Petco picked up K-9 Advantix for the dogs (due to hearing it advertised on tv, and trusting the Bayer brand name).
Trusty had no reaction, but Copper developed an open wound on the base of his skull, and down his neck where the flea product had dripped... he became very listless, lost fur, developed ear problems and weepy eyes that also became infected (the bad thing is I never suspected the flea product until now).
I also was changing food and attributed this to a food allergy. Copper was seen by a vet, she put him on duck and potatoe dog food, antibiotics and vitamin supplements. I also needed to bathe him regularly with
a medicated shampoo due to his secondary skin infections. He is improving.
The next flea treatment is due the 21st, I am NOT going to apply it. I think I have found the source of the problem. As I said he is improving, and as he was not interested in the new dog food, we gradually went back to his 'regular' food. He is playful and seems to be a happy dog but I am not interested in putting the Advantix on him again 'just to see'... Copper has a check-up on the 16th, I will mention to the vet my suspicions of what actually caused the initial problem.
Rita 9/9/06
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I got i little chiuhauha/ jack russell mix given to me by a friend he was only 2 lbs the runt nobody wanted him so i took him in he was so small that you had to watch your step but he had the heart of a great dane and we named him jaws because he loved to get hold of your finger. as with every pet they get fleas so thinking i was saving a trip to the vet (my vet is far from my house) i saw a product i thought was similar to frontline called bio spot now standing in the store i read the whole package and knew i had to wait until he was 12 weeks or older and the package says that it was 0-15lbs so i could us it on some one so small. i put it on him on a thursday and he seemed fine by friday he was showing signs of tiredness i never thought for i minute it was this product then come friday he had diarrea then the tremors and when i got him to the vet he was barely moving, when i talked to the vet i just casually mentioned that i had used that flea treatment she said that biospot was so toxic that it should never be used on animals! after four horrible days jaws had a seziure and died in my arms.
please never use this product the extra trip or expense is worth it !!!!!!!!
Anonymous 9/12/06
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I have a 3-year old Beagle, Hunter, who has been on K-9 Advantix for at least 2 years now. When he
turned 13 months old, he has his first grand mal seizure and it has been an ongoing struggle ever since
to try to get his seizures under control. We had every test possible (we thought) done on this little guy
from MRI to spinal tap, and blood work to try to uncover a cause or disease. The bottom line (after
seeing many doctors and specialists and many $'s later) was epilepsy since everything else was ruled
out. He was prescribed Phenobarbital, and shortly thereafter Potassium Bromide along with thyroid medication all of which have been increased over the months as he kept having seizures (at least a
couple per month) with no real success. Other symptoms would be lethargic and stumbling, panting, drooling, glazed eyes and restricted motor skills. He has just recently seen a new vet who tends to
lean towards the more "natural" healing processes and tested virtually all of his food, medications, etc.
Her first recommendation after seeing the adverse reaction he had to the Advantix flea medication was
to STOP IT IMMEDIATELY and she also suggested less vaccinations, as well as lowered some of his seizure medications. We stopped giving Hunter Advantix for the past two months and he has not had a seizure (so far) since that time. I hope his good streak continues and if it does, I can only believe that
taking him off of this medication has something to do with it. I just wanted to share this with somebody
who might be experiencing the same problems and thank you so much for your web site with so much
helpful information!
Donna and Hunter 9/14/06
I am NOT a vet, but ALL of the symptoms that you described are symptoms of pesticide poisoning. Did any of your doctors or specialists ever suspect that Hunter's seizures may be the result of pesticide poisoning from a flea control product? If not, I think that speaks volumes about the quality of veterinary care in this country.
Please contact Bayer and let them know what happened. They will try to tell you that K9 Advantix does not cause seizures, but they say the same thing to everyone who calls. If your dog continues to be free of seizures, Bayer should reimburse you for all of your vet expenses related to the seizures.
James TerBush
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I wish I would have ran across your website sooner - I like many of those who posted messages found out to late the dangers of pesticides used to control fleas.
In October 2005 I had 5 cats - a five year old, two six year olds and two seven year olds. They were all spayed, nuetered and had been strictly indoor cats. I prided myself on them and their being "safe" indoor cats - little did I know I would bring into our home something that would corrupt the safety and sanctity of my fur-babies home.
We never had a problem with fleas until last fall (2005). Wanting to restore the comfort of home I purchased Advantage at the advice of our vet. I put it on all the cat as prescribed and the nightmare has not yet ceased. With in a couple of days, one of my females was salivating and displaying laboured breathing. At the time I never made any connection between these problems and the Advantage.
Within a couple of days I found one of my girls crying non-stop in obvious serious distress - we rushed her to a emergency clinic at 5:00 am in the morning -she was having seizures convulsing - according to the vet had hypothermia - could not walk due to the loss of use of her front limbs - she cried constantly - they gave her valium atropine oxegyn you name iv fluids etc. At 8:00 am we had to transport her to a non emergency clinic as the clinic was only open all night and not into the days.
Being caught up in the stress of the situation we never really stopped to think what happened - we were in auto pilot mode to try and save her. That night we went to visit her she was heavily sedated and did not even seem to know we were there - she was still crying - its been a year and I can not stop crying - she died the following morning. The vet had called to let me know she made it through the night - I was getting ready to see her and bring her her blanket and the vet called again to tell us she just died.
It has been a year and all I have to show for that fatal day I bought Advantage is a 1000.00 vet bill her ashes - I don't know for sure but another one of my cats is dying of kidney failure we have to give hime iv therapy every night - his little body is so ravaged but he still is fighting for his life - one year ago we had five healthy happy cats my husband and I do not have any children - we have our furbabies.
Sometimes I feel like I am going to go insane with grief - people tell me I need professional help because I am still so grief sticken- I don't know but I do know my heart is broken and it does not seem to want to mend - I had done everything I can with Bayer - phone, write, email over and over again and they just ignore me or as in one instance hang up on me - I don't know where to go for help Bayer keeps denying their product has ever hurt anything - I don't know how they get away with what they do.
With my other cat sick - I feel like the nightmare is never going to end - if there is anyone with any suggestions I am open to almost anything - I really would like to see some justice for all the innocent animals that die at the hand of these big drug companies - for now I will listen please anyone I am open to any and
all suggestions
still grieving
CJ 9/19/06
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I want to take a minute to say that I put this horrendous product [Bio Spot] on my 14 year old cat last night (whom I've had since she was a kitten of 6 weeks). My husband woke me up at 6:00 this morning telling me that Gizmo is having a "seizure." We took her to the Vet Clinic & the very first question we were asked was if we'd given her a flea treatment. It is now 12:30, & the "seizure" has been going on non-stop since who knows what time.
I called Jungle Jim's (where we bought the product) & left a voicemail message for Michelle, letting her know the "adverse effects of this so-called treatment." She called me back roughly 20 minutes later & when I explained what the effects of Permethrin are (not only to animals, but to humans), she was completely horrified & said that she was in the process of pulling all containers of Bio-Spot off the shelf & notified the other stores what has happened & would be talking to their buyer in order to find a "safe" alternative to carry.
I will be stopping by Jungle Jim's today (just to verify that she wasn't trying to get me off the phone). As it stands now, they've given Gizmo a 50-50 chance of surviving this. The guilt & mental beating I'm giving myself is absolutely awful!!!! Had I know even a TINY portion of all of this, I would have never, EVER
bought the lousy product!!!!
Ruth 9/19/06
Cincinnati, Ohio
I'm sorry I didn't make myself clear. I did use BioSpot for Dogs on my cat by mistake (although, thankfully, I hate the way their fur feels after treatments, so I only put what I thought was a little dot on them). The only damn warning was "Serious harmful effect." Seizures & death to me are just a bit more than a "Serious harmful effect." I have the package as well as the receipt, however, I cannot see them reimbursing me one penny since it says in "big red letters" on the package not to use on cats & it was my own stupidity.
I will say that I have sent an email to every single person I know along with a link to your website so they can read the horror stories themselves that this "flea treatment" has caused people to endure over & over & over again & in an effort to keep my firends & family from making the same mistake.
I too will be filing a report with the EPA. I wish I'd known all of this 24 hours ago. I would have gladly stuck to just giving both cats & both dogs baths & flea-combing them out twice a day.
Thank you,
Ruth 9/19/06
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First off, I want to say how sorry I am for everyone's poor animals and thank you very much for this site.
Last night I used Zodiac Flea and Tick Sponge-On For Dogs and Cats. I intended to use it for my 8 year-old cat's ear mites (he is medium-sized and was perfectly healthy except for the mites), since the bottle says that it can also be used for mites (it reads "kills fleas and ticks, lice and ear mites"). It contains Pyrethrins, one of its main ingredients, which I have since read can cause seizures and death in cats. I mixed it up with water to the correct dilution and followed the directions on the bottle to "lightly sponge inside of the ears, do not rinse, towel dry." Between 3 and 4 hours later I was playing with my cat (thank God) when he very suddenly backed up oddly, fell over on his side as he lost control of his muscles, got a weird far-away look on his face and in his eyes (like when animals are coming out of general anethesthetic) and started to convulse terribly with all four of his legs jerking back and forth and his head bobbing about. I was absolutely
shocked and horrified and for a few seconds, completely stunned. Luckily, the whole thing only lasted about 10 or 15 seconds at the most and then he suddenly came out of it, though he seemed a bit dazed at first. It was like a miracle that it stopped. I bolted and grabbed a kitchen towel and got it wet with water and the nearest soap (which also luckily was the dish detergent) and I scrubbed out and rinsed his ears many, many times and the area around his ears. This had never happened to him before, I'm sure it was from the pesticide. I have since watched him like a hawk and he has been fine and back to normal, though I will continue to watch him very closely. My cat was much luckier than most people's it seems, at least so far. I don't know why he popped out of his seizure so quickly. I kept expecting it to happen again. God, if I have damaged his organs.... I don't ever want to use chemicals on him again - seeing his convulsions was one of the scariest moments of my life. Don't ever use this crap on your animals!! I'm going to write some reviews on internet shopping sites selling this stuff to see if they will post it and if they do, how long it actually stays up. Ha - not long, I bet! I wish I had seen this website before I used this crap, but I thought it would be safe since I bought it at a reputable pet store. Foolish me. Now it is time to research natural remedies.
Shame on Wellmark International (makers of Zodiac Flea and Tick Sponge-On for Dogs and Cats)!! My cat was one of the lucky ones, but I've read about all of the animals your company has killed!
Patty 9/19/06
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My two cats were exposed to Bio Spot. I actually split one tube between two cats. $2,700.00 dollars later and the emotional rollercoaster of almost losing them has me so furious. I walked into the emergency vet clinic (which is not cheap), the woman at the front desk looked at the two cats and immediately blurted out, "Bio Spot". How come some people are aware of it and the hazards it is causing, most resulting in death, and yet it is still being sold on shelves in various drug stores and pet stores. The vet informed me that it doesn't even work on fleas. We are lucky our cats are recovering (slowly) and shouldn't have any permanent damage. I can't imagine the poor families that didn't seek immediate help and lost their pets because of this obvious poison that is being sold. What can we do? What are our rights against this manufacturer? Does anyone know? Please send me any info you can! I am pleading with internet users to send me their horror stories so I can take a stand against this billion dollar company!
Regards,
Sandra 9/24/06
Wyandotte, MI
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I have recently become a dedicated reader of your website because unfortunately my husband and I just went through our own horrific experience with K9 Advantix. I just wanted to send you a note telling you about our situation. We recently retained a lawyer and have instituted legal action against Bayer. I cannot send you copies of our lawyer's letter but I am attaching to this email a copy of my Memo/Complaint to Bayer containing a complete history and timeline of events. I thought you would be interested in reading this and/or posting it on your website:
On June 23, 2006, I purchased your product, K9 Advantix, for dogs weighing 11-20lbs, from Drs. FosterSmith.com. We own a three year old male Maltese weighing approximately 11 lbs. I received my order on Thursday, June 30, 2006. After thoroughly reading the instructions supplied with your product I applied it to my dog the same day. Immediately my dog jumped up and down and began scratching the area where I applied the product.
On Friday, July 1, 2006, at approximately 3 p.m., about 24 hours later, my dog starting becoming very agitated and was acting very erratic. He was furiously scratching at the area behind his neck. I immediately called my private veterinarian, Dr. David Croman, Dog, Cat & Bird Clinic, Nutley, New Jersey. Dr. Croman advised me that his office does not sell nor use your product and suggested that I call the hotline number on the product box.
I called the medical emergency number located on the back of the K9 Advantix box on July 1, 2006. I spoke to an on call veterinarian from K9 Advantix/Bayer. I explained to the vet that my dog had become extremely agitated, he was panting excessively, attempting to bite at the area, scratching profusely and was starting to whimper. The vet very casually advised me that K9 Advantix can sometimes cause irritation to a dog after application and that a dog can sometimes have either a numbing sensation or “creepy crawly” sensation in the area where the product was applied and that would cause the dog to become erratic. The Vet from K9 Advantix/Bayer further advised me to purchase Vitamin E capsules, puncture a hole in them and squeeze out the contents onto the dog’s back. We followed his instructions. I specifically asked the K9 Advantix/Bayer Vet about washing my dog and giving him some Benadryl. The vet advised me that washing my dog would probably do no good since the product is an oil based product and it had probably soaked into his skin by then. I find that very interesting since the back of your product’s box under the category “First Aid” which I can only assume pertains to humans, states “If on skin or clothing: Take off contaminated clothing. Rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15-20 minutes, etc.” I found out later from Dr. Gerald Buchoff that if I had washed my dog immediately after he starting shows signs of discomfort that the burn on his back probably would not have occurred.
The K9 Advantix Vet further advised me that since he was “sure” that my dog was not having an allergic reaction. He also told me that Benadryl would do no good because Benadryl is an antihistamine and an antihistamine would only be effective for an allergic reaction.
As Friday night (7/1/06) progressed my dog became much worse. He was running from one end of the house to the other, throwing himself on the floor and yelping out in pain. His front and hind legs were spasming uncontrollably. He was also having a very hard time breathing. My husband and I could not
even touch him. At that point we decided to give him the Benadryl hoping that it would at least calm him down enough so he could sleep. Needless to say it did no good at that point.
My dog was in so much pain that he, my husband and I did not sleep the entire night. He cried, he scratched and he hid in the corner of the bathroom. He could not drink or eat anything.
On Saturday morning (7/2/06) at about 8:00 a.m., we called our private veterinarian Dr. David Croman again for an emergency appointment. I gave Dr. Croman the complete history and he advised that he had to run a full series of blood work and urinalysis to find out what was wrong. He also had to shave my dog’s back to see what kind of condition his skin was in. He advised us that our dog had suffered an allergic reaction to the K9 Advantix. He gave the dog a shot of Vetalog, which is an extremely strong steroid, to sooth my dog temporarily. He further advised us to keep giving him the Benadryl and to bathe him immediately to try to extract some of the product from the dog’s skin. This completely contradicts the advice the K9 Advantix/Bayer Emergency Vet gave to me.
We followed Dr. Croman’s instructions but as the night progressed my dog’s health continued to deteriorate.
We spent much of the night trying to comfort our dog. He was still in so much pain that we had to bring him to the Animal Emergency Room located in Fairfield, New Jersey. My dog was treated by Dr. R. Christian Hurst.
I spent the better part of early Sunday morning, July 3, 2006, in the ER with my dog. The doctor had to inject my dog with Butorphanol, which is sedative/pain killer, just to calm him down. He also prescribed pain killers to be used at home. He also gave us Lidocaine, a topical powder to try to sooth the pain. Dr. Hurst also told me to continue giving him liquid children’s Benadryl every 8 hours.
We spent most of Sunday following the doctors’ orders and just trying to alleviate our dog’s pain as much as possible.
Then on Monday, July 4, 2006, 5 days after I applied your product a large sore developed on my dog’s back in the exact location where I had applied the K9 Advantix.
I then took our dog to see another Vet, Dr. Gerald M. Buchoff, on a friend’s recommendation. Dr. Buchoff immediately diagnosed the sore as an extremely bad burn and prescribed a topical wound cleaner to be applied 4 times a day. Our dog was also given a treatment of Nux Vomica at Dr. Buchoff’s office. Nux Vomica is an extremely strong detoxification remedy to eliminate any poisons or toxins that could potentially exist in the dog’s blood stream.
On Tuesday, July 5, 2006, 6 days after I applied K9 Advantix to my dog and he was still very ill. He was extremely lethargic, he would not eat and he was still scratching the affected area constantly. The burn on his back looked horrible and was still causing him a lot of pain.
If your product had the proper warnings on the box for DOGS, not humans and cats, then this catastrophe could have been avoided. For example, there is no warning that if the application causes irritation that you should bathe the dog immediately. Furthermore, your so called house Vet has no idea what he is talking about. My investigation revealed at least 20 other cases of people who called your hotline and in each case they were given the same exact advice, “apply Vitamin E Oil” . Vitamin E Oil is not a cure all and it certainly does not help a dog that is having a severe allergic reaction to the pesticide contained in K9
Advantix . I also find it interesting that your Vet prescribed the same exact remedy to each person whose dogs experienced different kind of complications.
If your product contained a warning that it could case irritations to my dog’s skin or cause him to suffer
burns I would have never used this product.
Our dog’s reaction to your product is by no means an isolated one. I have found numerous other dog owners that have gone through the same horrible ordeal. I have attached a print out from www.eversonpuzzle.com, a website dedicated to owner’s of animals that had suffered through the same ordeal as my husband and I. This print out only contains a couple of stories pertaining to dog’s being poisoned by K9 Advantix treatments. These stories are eerily similar to my own. The symptoms are the same and the physical damage to the dogs are the same. There are hundreds of other cases involving
K9 Advantix poisoning. This website alone contains 12 Volumes that date back to the year 2002.
Not only has your product caused my dog great pain and suffering it has also caused my family great distress over the injury to our much loved family pet, not to mention the hundreds of dollars in medical bills.
Very truly yours,
ShawnMarie 9/27/06
Just wanted to give you an update. After our lawyer sent all of our dog's medical records and the photographs showing the burn my dog suffered due to K9 Advantix, we finally received a reply today.
While they are not willing to settle for any substantial amount of money, which we did not expect, they have offered to reimburse my husband and I for all our veterinarian bills, that are almost $500.00. Of course they will not admit any liability. However I am satisfied for now that they have at least acknowledged some fault.
I do intend on trying to make more people aware of this product and will continue my efforts to make these companies responsible for their products.
Just wanted to let you know about the good news.
ShawnMarie 10/11/06
It's a shame that Bayer would not reimburse your vet expenses without the help of your lawyer.
James TerBush
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I found my dog this morning unable to get up from the ground. She did pick up her head when I called
out her name but it quickly fell back down. We picked her up and brought her into the house. She was unresponsive, but had a heart rate and was breathing. We immediately called the vet, but was able to
get her seen for another hour and half, due to traffic. We had no ideal what was going on with her, but figured she had been poisoned. She was also cold. 95.1F rectally. The Vet started an IV on Ringers Lactate, gave her some dextrose, by IV push and some kind of steroid. He also drew blood. My dog
is vomiting occasionally a greenish/black color. Now when I got home and search the back yard for any thing she could have digest, we came up with nothing. I then got on the Internet to see if I could find out
any thing else, and I see where other pet owners have had similar problems with Zodiac Flea and Tick Shampoo. My dog was just bathed with this a couple of days ago. I called the Vet and told the
receptionist to please let him know about this. She (my dog) is still unresponsive, but breathing, had
vomit once again since I left her there, 4 1/2 hrs ago. God I hope and pray she pulls out of this.
Roberta 9/27/06
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On Sept. 22, 2006, my cat Gizmo had a very serious reaction to Bio Spot. She almost passed away, but thankfully she did not. I just do not understand why a product like this is still on the market? My own vet says it is very dangerous to animals. She also has flyers in her office warning people about these products now she says she has had so many cases lately from Bio Spot toxic poisioning
Anonymous 9/28/06
This is my story. A while back my mom and I went to L & M Pets in Hudson New York looking for medicine to put on my ferrets because we saw fleas on them after we went to TN. We had brought them with us. They then recommended Bio Spot to us saying that it was a good product and it works on Ferrets also. We looked around but the only thing that was there for ferrets was the Bio Spot. And it was for Cats and Ferrets. So to us that was great because we definitely weren't thinking that it would cause anything bad to occur. We then used it on our ferrets and a couple days later we noticed that our ferrets lost so much weight, wouldn't eat, and were just pretty much dieing. We didn't think anything of the Bio Spot. But we didn't know how they got sick. We brought them straight to the Copake Vet once we noticed. He couldn't figure out what had caused it. He gave us some medicine hoping that it would help save our ferrets. And it did.
About a week ago the dogs were let loose by someone from our backyard and once we found them they were covered in fleas. They gave it to the rest of the animals in the house. I kept forgetting to ask my boss at the Humane Society for medicine to fix the flea problem. Now on Monday September 25th 2006 we noticed that we had another package of that Bio Spot left from before. And we looked to see if there was an expiration date on it and there wasn't. So we thought well to help the cats out and now make them suffer anymore we could use it on them to get rid of there fleas. We had 3 cats. Jasmine, a little kitten that I had recently got, wasn’t even a year old. Esmerelda, which is about 2 or 3 years old. And Bagheera, a cat of 13 years. I put the Bio Spot on all 3 for them around 4 in the afternoon. In the order of, I put the medicine on Jasmine, Esmerelda, and then Bagheera last.
Around 11:30pm, my dad yelled up to me to come down stairs. And Jasmine was going crazy. She was shaking, could barely walk, drooling all over, and was burning up. She could hardly keep her eyes open. She was blinking very rapidly. So I grabbed her and brought her upstairs to go show my mom but before I got all the way upstairs my dad called me down again. This time he said Esmerelda is trying to jump up on the radiator and she keeps falling. So I ran back downstairs. She was on the floor shaking and blinking really fast. She also felt a little warm but not as bad. So I was sitting down with both of them and my dad went to go wake my mom. When he did that she came downstairs and sat with the cats with me. Then not even 5 minutes later my dad yells again. I ran up the stairs and likely to find Bagheera was going crazy as well. She was shaking, drooling, and again was blinking so fast. We brought them all downstairs with us. Right then we knew it was the Bio Spot cause there
was no way it could be anything else. We called the number on the box to see what we should do and they wouldn't do anything for us. So I called my vet at Mountain View. And since by then it was almost a quarter till midnight we got the answering machine that told us to call the emergency vet in Kingston. So we did and as soon as I told them that we used Bio Spot, they said you have to bring them in right away. So we put all the cats in laundry baskets because we didn't have carriers at the time. We stopped at my job and grabbed 3 to use. Then made our way to Kingston. The whole time Bagheera was having seizers and drooling. Once we got to the vet we saw the cats in the light. Bagheera looked dead. She was laying there with her mouth wide open, white foam all around her mouth, with her eyes barely open, and completely stiff. The doctor didn't even say anything and came out and grabbed her hooking her up to IVs and everything else. Then came back to get the other two. They
all got baths there. Then were treated. With valiums and other muscle relaxers. Bagheera and Jasmine were put on IVs. They had to stay overnight but Esmerelda was able to come home. And did shake all night. But the next day we went to pick up Jasmine and Bagheera to bring them to Mountain View. Jasmine ended up being fine just drowsy and couldn't walk so we brought her home. But Bagheera still shaking and having violent seizers all the time had to stay there. All day we called and called to see how she was doing. But there was no change. Every time they took her off the IV to see if she was getting any better she would have another seizer. The next morning on Wednesday September 27th my mom got a call from our vet saying that she passed away.
Now this was all over flea medicine by Bio Spot! We were trying to help our cats and look what it did. There is no reason for that its just plain unfair!
I went on the internet looking for information about others that have used Bio Spot. Their stories are the same as mine. MANY people have lost there pets to something that should only be out to help animals. But haven't done anything about it because they don't know what there is to do. My family and I want them out of business. And so does all the vets I know. Our vet said he has seen this happen before and heard about it many times. It should never be out to sell. Oh and get this. The Emergency vet looked on the internet the day that she had the cats and found on vet websites that Bio Spot has a packaging error and when packaging the cat and ferret flea medicine they put in large dog 33+ pound flea medicines. AND NEVER RECALLED THE PROUDUCT! They shouldn't be able to sell such a product. Please help us and sign this petition. It won't help us get our cat back but we are fighting for her and all the other animals out there that suffered from Bio Spot! Help us get them out
of business. Thank you!
PLEASE SIGN MY PETITION AGAINST BIO SPOT!!
WE WANNA DO THE MOST WE CAN!! ANY HELP IS GREAT!! IF YOU WANT TO CONTACT ME SAYIN YOU WILL HELP AND HAVE LOST OR HAVE A CAT THAT WAS HURT FROM THE SAME STUFF chelseanicolehart@yahoo.com just email me or call my cell 518-821-8608! THank you sooo very much!
Chelsea 9/30/06
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As found on the Sergeants website:
EPA Bans Certain Over-the-Counter Flea & Tick Products - Sergeant's Unaffected
On June 3, 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would ban the sale of a number of over-the-counter topical feline flea and tick products containing the active ingredient phenothrin.
Please be assured that Sergeant's Pet Care Products do not contain phenothrin.
Which is utter bullshit because Friday ( September 29, 2006) (unaware of the EPA ban) I bought a Sergeants Dual Action Flea and Tick Collar for Cats at Dollar General which lists phenothrin as an "inert ingredient". I had bought this brand previously, just not the dual action collar. I put the collar on my cat and he had a severe reaction immediately. He started wheezing and his back legs started to tremor. I immediately cut the collar off and called the 24 hour emergency vet. They told me to wash him thoroughly and call back if he didn't improve. Harley only got worse he seemed very disoriented and had no sense of balance whatsoever. I called back and then rushed him to the vet. After not responding to another bath, 3 shots of methocabamol or IV catheter they decided he had to stay overnight. Luckily by lunchtime the next day (and over $300 later) he was ok to go home but he was still kind of out of it for the rest of the day.
Diane 10/1/06
I emailed a bunch of different places, including the Manufacturer, FTC, BBB, EPA and numerous other organizations that deal with pesticides. Claire Gesalman Chief, Communication Services Branch ,Office of Pesticide Programs from the EPA emailed me saying that they are investigating and requested I fax them copies of the front and back of the package.
Also Sergeant's emailed me saying that "We are extremely concerned that one of our flea and tick products may have been associated with an adverse reaction in your cats, and we would like to research this incident as thoroughly as possible. We will be sending an Adverse Reaction Report to you. This paperwork will include 15 questions for you to complete. We also have a set of questions to send to the veterinarian who treated your cat, so if you could please respond to this message with the name of the vet clinic and the address, this would be greatly appreciated".
I also got emails from the FTC and BBB saying they have logged my complaint and if enough people file complaints they will investigate further.
I urge everyone who has a problem with ANY flea product to contact as many agencies as they can ( I found the email address of everyone I sent an email to by searching online) to get the word out! Hopefully if enough people keep complaining they will make safer flea products, and remove unsafe ones from store shelves immediately!
Diane 10/3/06
That's GREAT advice. If adverse reactions are not reported to the EPA, they will never take action to correct a problem. Unfortunately, most adverse reactions are never suspected or reported to anyone, and that's why these same products continue to cause adverse reactions year after year.
I also received email from the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) in response to my complaint against Merial and Bayer for making safety claims on their websites. Here is the what the FTC said:
"Thank you for recent correspondence. The Federal Trade Commission acts in the public interest to stop business practices that violate the laws it enforces. Letters from consumers and businesses are very important to the work of the Commission. They are often the first indication of a problem in the marketplace and may provide the initial evidence to begin an investigation. The Commission does not resolve individual complaints. The Commission can, however, act when it sees a pattern of possible violations developing.
The information you have provided will be recorded in our complaint retention system. This computerized system enables us to identify questionable business practices that are generating numerous complaints and may be in violation of the law.
Thank you for providing information that may be used to develop or support Commission enforcement initiatives."
James TerBush
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Thursday night my daughter (age 20) put BioSpot for dogs on our 2 dogs and BioSpot for cats on our two cats. Late Sunday night our cat began acting sick and died early Monday morning. We thought he had been poisoned and started looking for symptoms of poisoning in cats on the Internet. That’s where I came across your site and I’m so glad I did. I was just about to start confronting neighbors about whether they had put out some sort of rat poison that the cat had gotten into. Now I think it was the BioSpot. All the symptoms match what I read about reactions cats have had to BioSpot. I’m just sick…
Shelley 10/2/06
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It's not just Bio Spot!!! I bought two Seargents flea collars for my two cats, Jo Jo and Nimo. I put the collars on them and they both, of course, hated having something on their necks as they don't usually wear collars but them seemed fine healthwise. Within minutes, Jo Jo began racing through the house frantically, running into walls and furniture seemingly terrified. I tried to catch him but couldn't, he then began losing his bowel and bladder everywhere, he was foaming at the mouth and drooling uncontrolably. My son caught him and we looked at his face only to find one pupil completely dialated and the other so small you could barely see it. He began to have seizures and to purr then hiss then purr again. The other cat, Nimo, never had a single
reaction. We took Jo Jo to the emergency clinic and were told that the flea collar contained a toxic chemical that was poisoning my cat and that he had seen this sort of thing many times before. Jo Jo needed to be bathed, got a shot, and had to take activated charcoal to counteract the poison. All of these symptoms happened in a span of only fifteen minutes. I am thankful the vet had the sense about him to tell us when
we first called them to remove the collar. We took the collar to the vet with us and he pulled out a book of poisons to show us, the main ingredient on the package for the collar was a known hazard to many animals but because it does not hurt all animals, its use is not prohibited. There isn't even a warning on the package to watch for symptoms after putting this thing on your pet so, like many, if you put it on them and leave or go to bed, you could come back or wake up to a dead animal. Seargents needs to be pro-active about these situations and post very clearly in or on their packaging that people should watch there animals for these symptoms after applying the medicine or collar so they can help their pets if the symptoms begin. If I had been warned of what to watch for I could have immediately, at first sign, taken the collar off of Jo Jo and bathed him so he didn't have to suffer such horrible symptoms. Seargents lack of information and warning to the customer is INHUMANE.
Joanna 10/2/06
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HI, we have always used Frontline, but decided to try something easier to come by since my ol' girl doesn't like to ride any more. I should input that my "ol girl" is an 80 lb, 10 yr. old female chocolate lab named Jesse. She has arthritis that makes it hard for her to get in the car to go to the vets, so having seen Zodiac Spot On at PetSmart, we decided to give it a try and save our girl the pain of a car ride.
Within 24 hours of application, she had an open weepy would above her tail that actually looked like we'd poured battery acid on her skin. It got to be about a 6 inch diameter wound. She lost the hair there, has scaring on the skin and is still so infested with fleas it's not funny. I'm afraid to treat her with anything now..and we have another lab and 2 cats in the house...we're overrun with fleas and no control in sight..I can't let another pet go through this damage.
I've read that if you mix dish soap and eucalyptus oil together and make a shampoo that it will kill the fleas on your dog..and you just have to be dilligent about keeping their bedding clean, vaccum floors well and make sure you vaccum along walls, register vents and anywhere a flea egg may float to. My poor girls are pretty well hairless due to biting and itching on their hind quarters and I know we're miserable, but I can't take the chance that this will happen again.
Jo in Michigan
10/02/06
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(Below is email that I sent to the National Pesticide Information Center on 10/4/06)
To whom it may concern,
I would like to bring to your attention a problem that exists on your fipronil fact sheet:
It states:
How will fipronil flea and tick products affect my pet?
Fipronil pet products carry the signal word "Caution." These formulated products are not absorbed through the skin, but may cause some skin irritation at the application site. They have low toxicity if ingested (5,6).
The above statement is contrary to the findings of the Irish Medicines Board in regards to Frontline Spot On for Dogs: