Update 1/1/07: 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.
**********************************************************************************
Hello. I came across your website while I was searching the Internet, and trying to decide which flea treatment to use on my dog and my cat. After finding your website, I continued searching for more info,
and was able to find some toxicology study results published on the Internet. I wanted to share what I'd
found (the links are at the end of my email -- this turned out to be a much longer email than I anticipated).
We live in Alaska where, with the exception of mosquitoes, we don't have a big problem with pests like
fleas & ticks. Seasonally, we have a lot of mosquitoes, but heartworm isn't a problem here. My cat picks
up fleas seasonally, because he hunts outside, but fleas have never been a big problem in or around our home. Sporadically over the years, we've applied OTC spot-on flea treatments to our cat, and were
fortunate that he had no adverse reactions. Of course, I never knew that we should be worried about an adverse reaction. Like most people, I assumed that it was safe or it wouldn't be for sale.
I wouldn't have been considering the use of any flea treatments right now, but we recently acquired a new
dog from Missouri. He ended up having fleas and tapeworm. I know that he could've gotten the tapeworm
by eating a flea that was carrying the tapeworm larvae, so I wanted to do something to kill the fleas on him.
I started researching the safety of spot-on treatments, not because I was concerned about my pet's safety. As I mentioned above, I assumed the products wouldn't be available for sale if they weren't safe for my
pets. My concern was that I have a toddler in the house, and anyone who has children knows that anything
in a toddler's environment goes straight from their hands to their mouths. I didn't want my daughter eating
a flea, and getting tapeworm, but I didn't want to put a spot-on treatment on my dog or my cat, have my daughter touch the application site, put her hand in her mouth, and get poisoned. Hence, my Internet
search began.
While I did find some toxicology study results for several spot-on flea treatment ingredients, my findings
also left with me more unanswered questions than answers (toxicology testing on pesticides is woefully inadequate):
- If you apply these spot-on treatments to your pets at regular intervals, is there a cumulative toxic effect
that won't be apparent with the first application -- an adverse reaction that won't appear until after a
certain # of applications when a toxic level of pesticide has accumulated in your pet's body? Some of
the studies appear to have answered this question, but . . . . .
- We know that Collies can have a lethal sensitivity to certain drugs or chemicals, so isn't it reasonable
to assume that other dogs might also have a similar sensitivity, regardless of their breed?
- If the directions tell you to remove contaminated clothing immediately, or to wash your hands in warm,
soapy water for 15 - 20 minutes, or to ensure that your child does not come into contact with the product,
is it really safe for applying to your pet's skin?
Furthermore, you'll see that the majority of test subjects in the studies were rats, and you can't compare
the metabolism of a rat to that of a dog, much less a cat. There were some dogs used in some of the studies, but relatively few (the FDA wouldn't approve a drug for use in humans based on so little
evidence). You can't compare the metabolism of a dog to that of a cat, either. (Laboratory testing
on animals -- that's a subject for another email that I won't even try to discuss here.)
in Frontline Top Spot & Frontline Plus, kills fleas on dogs for up to 3 months, so if you're only treating for fleas, and you apply this monthly, could you be exposing your dog to too much pesticide? If fipronil
doesn't last as long on a cat, why is that? Is it because the cat is licking itself, swallowing its own fur,
and therefore swallowing some of the fipronil, as well?
Speaking of pesticide overdose -- in pets, whose owners suspect an adverse reaction to a spot-on flea treatment, could their pet have had multiple exposures to pesticides that the owner is not aware of or
hasn't considered, such as herbicide or pesticide in their yard or garden, pesticide or herbicide in their neighbor's yard or garden, a neighboring golf course, or a park that they frequent with their pet? Some communities spray pesticides or herbicides, and everyone, animal & human alike, is exposed. Some communities put pesticide in standing water to control mosquito populations by killing their larvae -- pets
may drink from these rancid water sources. Could the the pet have been exposed to additional pesticide through flea bombs or sprays, flea powders, flea dips or baths, etc.? Maybe pets that have an adverse reaction to a spot-on flea treatment had multiple exposures to other pesticides in their environment, and
the spot-on treatment was the "straw that broke the camel's back" -- it's an unknown factor. That leads
to the possibility of other medications that might cause an adverse reaction when combined with a
spot-on treatment. For example, has the pet with an adverse reaction to a spot-on treatment also had vaccinations recently (vaccines have other ingredients besides dead viruses)? Has the pet been given
a heartworm preventive recently? Have they been dewormed recently? Are they taking any other medications? Have they had surgery recently? Are there known health conditions before the application
of the spot-on? Or undiagnosed health conditions before the application of the spot-on? Could the pet
have eaten a poisonous mushroom (they often grow right in your own yard)? As you can see, my research produced a lot more questions than answers.
[Note: Frontline Plus does contain an insert in the box, which states, "For external use only. Do not use
on kittens under 8 weeks of age. Individual sensitivities, while rare, may occur after using any pesticide product. Pets may experience some temporary irritation at the site of product application. If signs persist,
or become more severe within a few days of application, consult a veterinarian immediately. Certain medications can interact with pesticides. Consult a veterinarian before using on medicated, debilitated,
or aged animals. Call 1-800-660-1842 for 24-hour assistance." I don't know if other spot-on products contain similar inserts, but if they do, and if pet owners read these inserts before using the product,
maybe some adverse reactions could be prevented.]
In addition, the manufacturers of such products as Frontline Top Spot, Frontline Plus, Advantage, & K9 Advantix would have us believe that their products are not absorbed into the skin. However, this National Pesticide Telecommunications Network (NPTN) Fipronil Fact Sheet
order of toxicity with respect to ingestion and inhalation in the rat, but appears to be less toxic via skin absorption." [Fipronil is an active ingredient in both Frontline Top Spot & Frontline Plus.] The NPTN Imidacloprid Fact Sheet (http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/imidacloprid.pdf) states, "The technical product (94.0% imidacloprid) has a moderate order of toxicity with respect to ingestion in the rat by appears to be less toxic when absorbed through the skin or when inhaled." [Imidacloprid is an active ingredient in both Advantage & K9 Advantix.] Again, the question of cumulative affects from repeated applications arises,
as well as the question of acute sensitivity in some animals. Some people can have extreme adverse reactions to topical applications of certain substances that don't seem to be harmful to other people,
and no one can explain that, either.
Do some research on the Internet and you'll find that the medical and scientific community still has little knowledge or understanding regarding skin absorption of various chemicals and/or substances. [Note
that the medical and scientific community often likes to refer to skin absorption as percutaneous
with skin absorption -- the health of the human or animal at the time of application, the condition of their
skin, the size of the molecule of the chemical in question (the smaller the molecule, the more readily it
might be absorbed through the skin), for example. Is the skin well-moisturized and healthy? Is it dry, chapped, cracked, & split, or otherwise, prone to skin problems/diseases? Is the skin compromised in
any way -- cuts, scrapes, scratches, punctures (might this include bug bites or vaccination sites, as
well)? If an adverse reaction to a spot-on flea treatment or any other topically applied
chemical/medication is suspected, there can be many other factors that need to be considered.
And while we might assume that there's no way for our pet to ingest any of the product once we've
applied it to their skin, in my opinion, they might still be ingesting some it. The manufacturers tell us that these products collect in our pets' oil glands and are gradually wicked onto their hairs. In the case of a
cat, it licks itself and swallows its own hairs, so doesn't that mean it's swallowing some of the spot-on
flea treatment? Another possibility is that the owner has mistakenly applied the product to an area
where their pet is able to lick the application site. Or, in the case of a dog, he might scratch the
application site, then lick his foot, thereby ingesting some of the product. While that might seem like
too small of an amount to cause an adverse reaction, it brings you right back to the possibility of a
particular animal having an extreme sensitivity to a particular chemical. It also brings you back to the question of cumulative effects -- what if your pet is ingesting small quantities of the stuff after each
monthly application? What are the cumulative effects of that? It also brings up other questions again,
as well. Is the pet ill (known or unknown) at the time of possible ingestion? Has the pet been exposed
to other chemicals/pesticides at the time of possible ingestion (pesticides or herbicides in your yard,
the neighbor's yard, or a local park that you and your pet frequent)? At the time of possible ingestion,
was the pet also given other medications or vaccinations that might have overloaded its body with chemicals? In the case of multiple pet households, one pet might lick the spot-on application site of
another pet. When applying a pesticide to your pet's skin, there's too many variables to consider in
trying to determine whether it's really safe.
In my opinion (I have no facts to base this on), I believe that pharmaceutical companies will sell products
that they know may harm or even kill some people or animals if they think that the profit margin is high enough. Given recent evidence, we also know that the FDA has previously approved drugs that have harmed or killed people (Fen Phen, Vioxx, & Celebrex to name a few). It's just my opinion, but I don't
believe that you can rely on FDA approval to guarantee that you or your pets are safe when using any medications, treatments, chemicals, etc.
Finally, here are the links to the toxicology study results that I found [Fipronil is an active ingredient in
Merial's Frontline Top Spot & Frontline Plus. S-Methoprene is a 2nd active ingredient in Frontline Plus. Permethrin is an active ingredient in Bayer's K9 Advantix & Farnam's Bio Spot for Dogs. (Permethrin
is known to be toxic to cats.) Imidacloprid is an active ingredient found in both Bayer's K9 Advantix & Advantage.]:
I apologize if some of these links contain redundant information.
Fipronil:
Methoprene:
Imidacloprid:
Permethrin:
Last, but certainly not least, what are the so-called "inert/other ingedients" in these spot-on flea
treatments? Such vague package labeling would not be allowed for human-grade topical treatments/medications, so you really have to wonder why all of the ingredients aren't listed on the
spot-on packaging. Unless the manufacturers reveal what the "inert/other ingredients" are in their
spot-on products, I, like everyone else, have no way of knowing what they are, but I did find some
chemicals that *may* be used as synergists in conjunction with some pesticides. If any of these
chemicals are some of the "inert/other ingredients" used in spot-on flea products for pets, it's just
another reason that you might really want to reconsider putting this stuff on your pets. According to
synergize both fipronil & methoprene (the document also discusses piperonyl butoxide's toxicity).
bullet points under the heading "Mechanism") lists other possible pesticide synergists and
describes how when combined with a pesticide, synergists can make a pesticide's effect in
the body more toxic. Something as benign as sesame oil can act as a pesticide synergist.
Following that information, is the statement, "Small animal poisonings occurs principally in
cats." Some synergists that might be used with a pesticide can also be toxic as a stand-alone
product.
[One final note -- the search phrase "toxicology studies for ____________" yielded the best results
when searching for published clinical studies on the Internet regarding the safety of these chemicals.
The same search phrase would probably yield good results for other chemicals, as well.]
Thank you for your website. I hope that some of this information will help other pet owners. Feel free
to use any or all of this information on your website. Please do not include my name or email address
in anything that is posted to your website. I don't want a lot of email or spam following this. I did this
research for my own peace of mind, and wanted to share my findings with you after having seen your website. Thank you for taking the time to read all of this.
Anonymous 11/8/06
Thanks for your reply. I wanted to share with you a story involving my husband and daily use of Deet,
another supposedly safe pesticide As we were discussing it this morning, it also raised more
questions about possible unconsidered multiple pesticide exposures in pets (and people).
When my husband first moved to Alaska at the age of 18, he worked in construction. As I mentioned
before, we have an abundance of several species of mosquitoes here spring through fall. The
mosquito populations vary from year to year. Some years, it seems that we can't step outside the
house without being swarmed by hundreds of them. One summer, I opened the garage door and
swept out the garage.
I didn't use any mosquito repellent. I was outside for 30 minutes, slapping at the mosquitoes all the
while. When I came back inside, I had about 20 new mosquito bites! So, there are times here, when
you don't ever want to step outside without some sort of protection from mosquitoes. We have the little
no-see-ums, which people in the lower 48 often think are a myth (they are small, but you can actually
see a no-see-um if you're really paying attention). My husband often wore a hat after he first came to
Alaska, and once received so many no-see-um bites along his hairline where the hat exposed his
forehead that his eyes swole shut. The mosquitoes here are, apparently, so tough that they appear
before break-up, and the last survivors are still hanging around after the first several frosts -- strange
to see the first snow and still have a few mosquitoes flying about. Anyway, he was working on HUD
houses in native villages after his arrival here. The mosquito populations in villages are the worst, so
he started using Deet every day. After a couple of months of daily use, not only did he start to feel
physically ill, he started to get chemical burns on his skin. Needless to say, he had to stop using Deet immediately, and started dressing in protective layers instead. To this day, his skin still has a
sensitivity to certain chemicals and substances. I'm so glad that I didn't use any Deet during my
pregnancy. I don't even want to know how this stuff might affect a developing fetus. (Another
"interesting" tidbit that my husband shared with me -- if you have Deet on your hands and touch
something plastic, the plastic begins to "melt.") So, a couple of months of daily use of Deet or
approximately 60 daily applications caused chemical burns to my husband's skin and made him
feel physically ill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 years of monthly applications of spot-on flea treatments to your
pet's skin is the equivalent of 60 applications of pesticide, and our pets (and small children) tend to
be even more sensitive to such chemicals than us, not to mention that your use of Deet or a similar
product on yourself, plus the use of a spot-on flea treatment on your pet, does indeed expose your
pet to multiple pesticides. And that brings me to another possibility of a pet's exposure to multiple pesticides. A little research, and you'll find that Frontline Top Spot or Frontline Plus can repel fleas
on your dog for up to 3 months. That clearly indicates that after 1 month, your dog still has fipronil
residue (the active ingredient in both products), which also points to fipronil build-up as a result of
monthly applications. I noticed that some people on your website mentioned switching from Frontline
to Bio-Spot. So, if the dog in question had an application of Frontline spot-on 30 days ago (as
described above, he still has some fipronil residue on his skin or in his system), and you then apply
another product like Bio-Spot, you've just combined multiple pesticides on your pet creating an
unknown synergistic effect (fipronil, permethrin, pyriproxyfen [aka Nylar, an insect growth regulator],
s-methoprene [another IGR], if Frontline Plus was used, and "inert/other ingredients" of unknown
toxicity and synergistic effects). The toxic, synergistic effect of multiple so-called safe pesticides
is only just beginning to be recognized and discussed by a few people in the medical and scientific community. I think I followed one link on your website regarding the subject. Here's just one web link
for a document discussing the toxic, synergistic effects of exposure to multiple pesticides (a little
Internet searching and you'll find many more):
And here's just one article (more can be found) on the dangers of those "inert/other ingredients" in pesticides:
This is a bit off the subject, but if 60 days of repeated exposure to Deet could cause the effects
that my husband experienced, then imagine what exposure to multiple pesticides could have done to
Gulf War Veterans. Just a couple of documents that discuss this topic:
Again, please feel free to use any or all of this information on your website.
Simply,
Concerned Alaskan mom and pet owner
You have provided a wealth of information, and have raised many excellent questions. I think anyone
who takes the time to look into how pesticide products are approved for sale by the U.S. EPA will soon
come to realize that the entire process is totally inadequate. Business interests often trump health
concerns. Products are registered based on incomplete data and wrong assumptions. As a result,
the health of the public (especially infants and children) is put at risk.
James TerBush
***********************************************************************************
We thought our 7-year-old English Setter had developed seasonal
allergies. From spring to fall, she would have episodes of severe
itching, especially around her tail and vulva. She would groom
obsessively and her eyes were dull and runny. We would take her to
the vet and come home with Tritop, Benadryl, and occasionally,
prednisone. She would improve temporarily.
She just experienced a flare-up again this weekend. It didn't make
sense. We've had several hard frosts here in Minnesota. Also, since
my husband and I have had bad colds, our dog hasn't been running in
the dog park for several days.
About 5 a.m. today, I had an epiphany. We had just applied K-9
Advantix to her the day before this flare-up began. My husband
expects to take her pheasant hunting the day after Thanksgiving, and
he wanted to be sure she was protected from any remaining ticks.
I began researching adverse reactions to Advantix immediately and
came across your web site. I am stunned to realize that we've been
causing our sweet Sidekick a miserable reaction for the past few
years. I am thankful that her reaction was not life-threatening.
I am calling our vet as soon as the office opens and filing a report
with the EPA today.
Thank you for the information.
Susan 11/14/06
***********************************************************************************
I found your website by searching for 'allergic reaction to Advantix'. I was amazed to see how many responses you have gotten. My dog most probably is another who has experienced an allergic reaction
to Advantix.
Since September 2001, I used Frontline or Frontline Plus on my Maltese to control both fleas and
ticks. Never had any problem with any product or medication until March of this year. In March 2006
Gigi began obsessively licking her paw pads, between her toes and scratching her chin. All signs of
an allergy but to what? The only thing I was sure of was a skin irritation from a leishmaniasis collar
(Scalibor. We live between Spain and Turkey where this mosquito-born disease is endemic, rampant
and very serious). Following the onset of constant paw licking plus skin flushing where the collar was,
I permanently removed it in April. That relieved the skin reaction but the paw licking continued
throughout the summer. She also had for the first time ever 2 ear infections, another common accompaniment of allergies.
On October 9 of this year I switched from Frontline Plus to Advantix. I thought maybe her undefined
allergy and paw chewing was a reaction to Frontline Plus, so I decided to try Advantix. The first
application of Advantix caused no adverse reaction. It always takes 2 exposures to an allergen
before an allergy develops, so it is rare to see a reaction on the first exposure.
On November 9 I applied Advantix for the 2nd time. Some of it ran down on the fur on her right side
(very oily, messy product). The next day she developed a neurologic tremor/quiver and extreme skin sensitivity directly in the area where Advantix ran down her side. If I touch her anywhere in the area
where the Advantix was absorbed, her rib muscles contract so strongly that it pulls her head around
and she literally does a right curve.
This is a neurologic problem or an allergic reaction. It is either the onset of White Dog Shaker
syndrome or an allergy to Advantix. Because I previously observed a skin reaction to the
leishmaniasis collar (different ingredient), and an earlier reaction to Merial's rabies vaccine, I believe
there is a strong possibility that her localized quivering is a reaction to Advantix.
On the Bayer website they provide an email address to ask their vet a question. I have written to him on November 12 and described the circumstances and the reaction but as yet have not had a response.
Even if my dog -- or your dog -- has an allergy to any given product, that does not mean that it is bad for
every dog. I'm sure that the vast majority of dogs suffer no adverse consequences to these products. However, I'm also beginning to think that accumulations of pesticides and vaccines can together favor adverse reactions, particularly in sensitive dogs.
Where I live there is no vet who can do allergy testing or who is versed in determining and treating
allergies, let alone diagnose something as esoteric as White Dog Shaker syndrome. I am going to
wash my dog and observe her for a few more days in the belief that if Advantix is responsible, the
reaction will subside as the product strength weakens. That will tell me a lot if the quivering stops. If
it doesn't, I will try a low dose of prednisolone. Wish me luck!
Keep up the good website!
Carole 11/14/06
***********************************************************************************
This product almost killed my cat! My cat, Eek is a 6 1/2 pound tortoise shell cat who suffered a
severe central nervous system reaction to the pyrethrin in this product. She suffered from ataxia (loss of coordination), was barely able to walk... Her ears had a mild tremor as well. The veterinarian said this
is not an isolated case, she treats animals with poisoning from this and similar products on a regular
basis. Eek had to spend 24 hours in the hospital hooked up to an IV and was washed with Dove 3 times
to get the toxin off her. She came home and was still having severe gait problems. A few days later she
is almost back to normal, however she still has residual central nervous system problems. I am furious
with this company and fully intend on getting my money back from them, informing the EPA and every
person I know who is a pet owner. Please, take the warnings you read seriously, my cat is still not fully
out of the woods. I don't want anyone to suffer the same trauma we've endured.
Laura 11/15/06
Below is email that Laura sent to the EPA:
Dear EPA,
It is imperative you are aware of the adverse reaction my Tortoise Shell cat, Eek had to the product,
Zodiac Spot On Flea Control. After CORRECTLY applying this product to my cat (I did not use the dog treatment and I diligently followed the directions), my cat was soon ataxic, walking as though she was inebriated with a clumsy gait and her ears were quivering. She took refuse under a bed and was barely
able to move, despite any coaxing we did. I immediately took her to my trusted veterinarian and reported
to her that I’d used this Zodiac Spot On product. She informed me Eek displayed the signs of Methoprene poisoning and that she would need to stay in the clinic for 24 hours to cleanse her system. She was
bathed with Dawn, lathered 3 times and hooked up to an IV to rid her body of this toxin.
Eek is a small cat, only 6.5 pounds as a full-grown cat. The same flea treatment was given to my other
2 cats with no adverse effects, both of these cats are twice the weight of Eek. My veterinarian theorizes
that Eek's ill response was due to her low weight, however nowhere in the precautions does Zodiac
address the potential risk for small cats. Wellmark only warns that this Zodiac Spot On treatment
should not be given to kittens less than 12 weeks old.
My veterinarian assured me this is NOT an isolated case of this Methoprene poisoning and that her
toxicity is NOT my fault. She sees cats with similar reactions to methoprene regularly. I followed the directions, I read the entire package from beginning to end and my cat became very ill. She is better
today, but still suffering some lingering ataxia.
I hope you will consider Eek’s poisoning as a valuable example of not putting weight restrictions on the packaging and the potential risks of this over the counter insecticide. I do not want this to happen to any
other family with a beloved pet.
Sincerely,
Laura [deleted]
I spent quite a bit of time on the phone yesterday to Wellmark International and EPA's Animal Products Safety Service. Per your recommendation, I called Wellmark and left a message with Sherri Pike. She
then forwarded my complaint to a very helpful woman named Kelly Cook. She asked a lot of questions
about my experience with Zodiac's Spot On Flea Control... She wanted to ascertain that I'd applied it correctly (I reassured her I had) and wanted to know if there are any other pets in my house and whether
or not they'd become ill. I told her my two bigger cats were fine (my cat that was poisoned is only 6 1/2 pounds). My dogs were also just fine.
She explained that the active ingredient in this Zodiac Spot On Flea Treatment for cats is called
methoprene and that it is a growth inhibitor for fleas and does not attack the central nervous system of
cats. However, the active ingredient in the dog Zodiac Spot On Flea Treatment is Pyrethrin, which
according to the company is not toxic to dogs, but VERY toxic to cats. She theorized that my cat, Eek inadvertently rubbed up against one of the dogs and was thereby poisoned with the Pyrethrin in the
dog product. I told her there should be a very strong warning on the packaging that households with
cats should either not apply this dog product, or there needs to be some isolation procedures in place
to avoid unintentional transmittal onto the cat. I mean, let's face it, lots of households have cats and dogs. She asked me what the total was for the product plus the veterinary bills I accrued. The total is: $302.63. She gave me the address of the company and asked me to send her 4 items: 1) an itemized vet bill,
2) a copy of the receipt from PetSmart, 3) a copy of my cat's case notes and 4) a piece of paper with my name, address and phone number for verification purposes. I am to mail all of this to:
Wellmark International
Attention: Consumer Relations
1501 E. Woodfield Rd, Suite 200W
Schaumburg, Il 60173
Wellmark's fax number for such complaints is: 847-330-5391
My wonderful veterinarian is also writing a letter to Wellmark to not only vouch for Eek's poisoning, but to
tell them she's dealing with similar cases on a regular basis.
By law, Wellmark is required to report this to the EPA. I was transferred by Zodiac to the EPA's Animal Products and Safety Service to a DVM named Dr. Zolder. Her number is: 888-299-2973. She agreed
that Eek suffered from Pyrethrin poisoning from the transfer of the dog Zodiac Spot On Flea Control and stated this is not an isolated incident. She, too would like to see improved warnings on the packaging
and encouraged me to pursue this further (as I have). She was very helpful, I highly recommend her as
a valuable contact.
I will let you know if Wellmark Int. does indeed reimburse me for my costs.
Sincerely,
Laura 11/18/06
***********************************************************************************
Has anyone had any luck in getting compensation or any understanding from Merial? My dog Casey
a Cavalier had his last seizure August 5, 2006. Since not using the product [Frontline Top Spot] he has
been seizure free. Merial called my Vet and he told them that he did not think they were the cause.
What is it with these Vets. Are they brainwashed in Vet school? I am not so interested in money but
my boy has been through so much for two years including high doses of Phenobarbital and suffering
from pancreatitis. He is such a happy dog now without all the drugs. At least they should admit some problems with some animals and put warnings on their packages.
Anonymous 11/15/06
***********************************************************************************
I applied this product to my 3 poodles from a Petsmart employee's recommendation. I am so unhappy
with the fact that the baby poodle still has sores on his back. The day after I applied it to them, I gave them
a good bath to try and rid their bodies of the poison that you are offering to everyone who has pets. I
just regret putting it on my baby's to try and rid them of fleas. Never again will I purchase crap like this.
Jean 11/20/06
***********************************************************************************
A little over a week ago I took one of my cats and my dog to the vet. The dog is an old dog and is a flea magnet. The cat had some fleas and was scratching herself to the point of bleeding in one spot. The vet recommended Revolution for them both and gave me some for my other cat. Fortunately, the dog seems
fine.
Even though my cat had some fleas she had a good appetite, was very active, etc even though she is
13 years old. Within a couple of hours of Revolution being applied she became lethargic and lost her appetite. Thank goodness I hadn't given it to my other cat yet. I took her to the emergency vet. The vet
found some abdominal inflammation. There had been no inflamation prior to this being applied - it states
so on the vet's report. The emergency vet said that her reaction was most likely due to fleas. She was not lethargic and had a good appetite prior to this being applied. I called Pfizer and told them what was going
on with my cat. They did say the lethargy and loss of appetite are rare side effects that should dissipate within a couple of days. They asked my permission to call my vet and emergency vet. They also told me
that they are required to report adverse reaction to the FDA. They told me that this goes into the blood stream and once it is there there is no way to get it out. According to them it takes 8 days for half of it to
be eliminated by the body and then it takes another 8 days to eliminate the half that remains and so on.
The emergency vet and my vet both told Pfizer that the cat's reaction was most likely was due to her
having fleas. It makes me wonder how many adverse reactions caused by products such as these are attributed to something else. Also, it makes me wonder whether the side effects really are that rare.
I took my cat to a third vet. My cat has inflamed kidneys. She was treated with subcutaneous fluids. Also,
she was put on some antibiotics. Its been 9 days since Revolution was applied. She has perked up a little. She is eating. However, she is eating very little. She wasn't eating at all before. Some of her playfulness
has returned. I am hoping that she pulls through this. I suppose, it is possible that she had some condition prior to Revolution being applied. It is possible that Revolution triggered something. Fleas did not turn my
cat into a zombie - Revolution did.
I will never apply such a product to an animal again. I had some success with using the holistic approach
a few years ago. I will go back to that.
Nina 11/20/06
I will call Pfizer next week after I have a better idea of how my cat is doing.
The current vet is starting to beleive that this was caused by Revolution. I brought her the report from the emergency vet that I went to a day after the Revolution was applied. Blood work was done at the emergency vet. Three days after I went to the emergency vet, I went to my current vet because the cat didn't seem to be improving. Blood work was done there too. The blood work done three days earlier showed no indication
of kidney problems. Three days later blood work indicated kidney problems. Kidneys clean the blood. I beleive and the vet is less reluctant to believe it too that my cat's kidneys are trying to eliminate this from
her system. The vet says that this would be hard to prove. She did give the cat another shot of
subcutanceous fluids. She said it would help remove the Revolution from her blood faster. Her kidneys
are less inflamed and less painful now. Some more blood work was done. I am awaiting the results.
I have had a conversation with a Holistic Vet and a breeder. Both people told me that cats do not tolerate Revolution well.
I will let you know what happens with Pfizer.
Nina 11/22/06
I called Pfizer again. Their response was that this doesn't happen with Revolution. Meanwhile the vet recommended that my cat be on subcutaneous fluid twice a day for several days to bring her kidney
values down. One of the values (creatine(sp)) went down. The Bun value is still high. That is why the
vet recommended the fluid injections.
My recommendation for anyone considering putting anything like this on their pets is - DONT. If you must
use something use something that is least toxic and doesn't absorb into the blood stream. Think twice
before applying anything to your pet.
Nina 11/27/06
Thank you for the update. When you called Pfizer the first time and described the symptoms that your
cat was experiencing (loss of appetite and lethargy), they told you that these are "rare side effects" of Revolution. If you go to Pfizer's website for Revolution:
Under "Adverse Reactions - Pre-approval clinical trials", it says,
"Other signs observed rarely (?0.5% of 1743 treated cats and dogs) included vomiting, loose stool or diarrhea with or
without blood, anorexia, lethargy, salivation, rapid breathing, and muscle tremors.
Post-approval experience
In addition to the aforementioned clinical signs that were reported in pre-approval clinical trials, there have been
reports of pruritis, urticaria, erythema, ataxia, fever, and rare reports of death. There have also been rare reports of
seizures in dogs (see WARNINGS)."
If Pfizer tries to tell you that Revolution does not cause adverse reactions like loss of appetite or lethargy,
let them know what the Pfizer representative told you when you first called to report the adverse reaction,
and let them know that these symptoms are listed on Pfizer's own website as possible side effects of Revolution.
I would ask your vet to contact Pfizer on your behalf and seek reimbursement of the vet expenses for you. Your vet should be willing to do that if she believes that your cat MOST LIKELY had an adverse reaction to the toxins in Revolution. If your vet does NOT believe that, I doubt that she would be attempting to flush the toxins from your cat's system with subcutaneous fluids.
James TerBush
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I have a 5 year old male black pug. We only apply frontline as needed, 2 years ago, we applied it, and
about 12 hours afterwards, my pug had a seizure, (my other dog, a chihuahua was fine). I only witnessed a minute of it, stumbling around, and then recovering and walking sore for 2 days. I brought him to the vet for the "soreness" I hadn't thought seizure. I also didn't connect the episode. This past summer, we applied Frontline plus to all (now 3) of my dogs. 12 hours later almost exactly, my pug had a seizure that I actually
got to witness the whole thing. The foaming at the mouth, legs kicking, on his back, he urinated and defecated himself, cried. It was awful. When he could finally stand up, he stumbled around looking dizzy.
This is when I connected it to the previous episode. I called the vet. It was 3:30am. They told me it could
wait until morning, so I called them at 8 am. I explained to them the connection I thought it had with frontline. They told me Frontline was about the safest thing on the market, it NEVER causes adverse reactions. I insisted. They contacted Frontline, and told me that they would be contacting me for "statistical purposes"
in case the frontline had anything to do with it. Needless to say Frontline obviously wasn't interested in speaking to me. They never called me. I no longer use Frontline. Prolonged exposure to any pesticide
can cause any reaction, but I use this so RARELY. I was going to use Frontline at the beginning of next summer, as I hadn't found this website, and monitor him, thinking I could be wrong. Thank God I found
this site.
Jessica 11/21/06
Vermont
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I originally posted on your website on 8/01/06 regarding my cat Chauncey. After I applied Sergeant Silver topical flea product at the beginning of July, Chauncey was ill for three weeks, and we had to have him euthanized on July 26. This is an update to his case.
I contacted the Coordinator of Consumer Affairs at Sergeant's. They sent me a Product Adverse Reaction Report which I completed and returned to them, along with a 3-page letter detailing day-by-day what happened to Chauncey and requesting payment for my vet expenses. They also sent my veterinarian a
questionnaire, which he returned to them. The hearing on my case was in October, and the Coordinator called and told me that the panel agreed that Chauncey had suffered a reaction to their product, but
because the package states on the back to consult a veterinarian before applying to aged animals, they would only pay half of the vet bill. I accepted that and signed a release form.
Today, I received a check in the mail for the agreed amount, but along with the check, they sent a letter
and cat treats. In the letter, they state, "We have also enclosed some treats for Chauncey, and we hope
that he will enjoy them." I couldn't believe it!! The letter was signed by the Coordinator who I had been dealing with!! Does she have so many similar cases that she can't keep them straight? I called and left
a message on her phone, stating this was adding insult to injury. Every time I see anyone with pets, I
warn them to be very careful of these flea products.
Norene 11/25/06
Congratulations, Sergeant's. You have just been inducted into my Flea Product Hall of Shame. Instead of advising your customers to "consult a veterinarian before using on aged animals", and burying the message on the back of the package in fine print, you should have a black box warning on your packaging which states, "DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT ON AGED OR DEBILITATED ANIMALS."
James TerBush
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I had to rush my little Shih Tzu Susie Q to the emergency vet last night at 10:00pm. That was Sunday November 26, 2006. On Friday night around 11 pm or so, I applied the Frontline Plus Flea product. Last night {Sunday} she started vomiting and then extremely salivating. She spent the night at the Emergency
Vet to the tune of $650.00 and I picked her up this morning. She is still very lethargic but did eat a little food. I called Frontline and spoke to a very nice person and she said that sometimes dogs may have a reaction from licking the area,but,it was on the back of her neck. She took my name and gave me a Case # and address to get a refund for the Frontline. I asked her about a refund for the Veternary care and she said I could submit the bill for a review. If she isn't better by later today, I will have to bring her to her regular vet for observation. Anyway..what should I do from here? Can anyone do anything about this? Losing anyone's beloved pet is not worth putting them through this or even taking the chance that this could happen. Thanks for listening to my Vent!
Rose-Marie 11/27/06
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I wish I had good news regarding an update on Hunter. I sent a message back in September regarding
our Beagle, Hunter, and the fact that the most recent vet who cared for him immediately took him off of K-9 Advantix. He had been diagnosed with epilepsy after everything else was ruled out. Well, we just ended
our more than two-year battle trying to get him seizure free and since he had been off of Advantix - his seizures disappeared and he was almost completely weaned off of his medications. It was finally good news. Now the bad news - we just had to have our boy put to sleep as he developed severe liver damage
as a result of the high dosages of medications he had to be on over the past two years namely Pheno
Barbital and Potassium Bromide. Please let others know that if they are experiencing seizures with their
dog or if they have gotten a diagnosis of epilepsy and are still applying these toxic flea and tick medications
to their animals, they should discontinue its use before other damaging things can happen over time. It is hard to get the companies and even vets to attest that these products can lead to such trauma but in my
heart I feel that if I had known this in his early stages, we could have stopped applying this poison monthly and might still have had some real quality time to spend with our boy. I still feel grateful to have found
your website even if just to have been able to give him a few good months or so seizure free. Thanks for
your kindness and even though Hunter has now gone to a better place, I will still continue to visit your web
site and let anyone know that I can about the horrendous effects of these products.
Donna 12/1/06
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WHAT ABOUT THE EFFECTS ON HUMANS FROM FRONTLINE PLUS? I GOT SOME OF IT ON
MY HAND AND HAD TO BE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. IT STARTS OUT WITH A DRY MOUTH AND NOT BE ABLE TO FOCUS, THEN I COULDNT BREATH. I WAS RELEASED A COUPLE HOURS
LATER BUT FELT REALLY BAD FOR OVER A MONTH. TOO MANY SYMPTOMS TO LIST. TWO
YEARS PRIOR TO THIS I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR A WEEK AND THE DOCTOR HAD NO CLUE.
IT WASNT UNTIL I GOT IT ON MY HAND THAT I REALIZED WHAT CAUSED THIS. DO NOT USE FRONTLINE. EVEN WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS OK, I PET THE DOGS AND GOT SICK AGAIN. I
NEVER HAD A SEIZURE BEFORE, BUT I REALLY FELT LIKE I WAS GOING TO HAVE ONE. JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM OR FELT A LITTLE STRANGE
AFTER APPLYING IT TO YOUR DOG.
JIM 12/6/06
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On Christmas eve I could not obtain frontline or advantage, so I purchased Bio Spot thinking it would be
less effective but give my dog some relief until after the holidays. When I treat my animals I purchase the
dog product and as per my vet place 1 drop on each cat and the rest on my dog. I did this with Bio Spot,
my animals all became ill within a couple of hours, my dog was vomiting, and my cats had neurologic symptoms from staggering to seizing. I transported all the cats to an emergency treatment center where
2 were hospitalized. My oldest cat needed to stay for 2 nights and the other 1 night. It was the worst thing
that could happen to us. I did nothing but cry on Christmas thinking I killed my cats. What if I had a small
child that touched my treated dog. The vet told me there is a class action lawsuit against Bio Spot, why
is this still allowed to be sold on the market?
Cindy 12/31/06
Barnegat NJ
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We have a cross collie aged 7 years, she was a fit and active dog until November 06. We bought frontline spot flea treatment after we suspected she had fleas, prior to this we had never used anything. About a few days later we noticed she was retching and seemed to have breathing difficulties. We took her to the vet
and he prescribed antibiotics. She never picked up and generally deteoriated, she wasn't eating, looked depressed and was lethargic. We took her back to the vet and he prescribed more antibiotics and did a chest x ray which he said was okay. It is now about 10 weeks since she had the flea treatment and she
has lost a lot of weight, my hub and I went on the internet and found your website, we think she has had an adverse reaction to the flea treatment. The vet never mentioned she could have had a reaction, we couldn't understand why she wasn't getting any better. We shall be taking her back tomorrow to see what he
thinks. Thanks for the information, we will let you know how we get on.
Lauraine 1/3/07
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I had five indoor cats and never had any flea problems until the fall of 2005 following my having brought a rescue (cat) into my home. I purchased Advantage through a veterinarian - one of my cats suffered a most horrible death following my using Advantage. She went into seizures, hypersalavation and other gruesome side affects. I rushed her to an emergency clinic than a regular animal hospital - I got a $1000 vet bill, the cold shoulder from Bayer (In all my years as a consumer I have never come into contact with such a cold hearted rude bunch of individuals) and her handed back to me in a jar. I am still haunted by the images of
her passing and grieve her so. To this day there has been no resolve or closure as Bayer refuses to admit their product has ever caused any problems. I have found web sites relating my experience and other
Bayer horrors - but they continue on as they did during the Third Reich (they had their own slave labor/concentration camps) doing whatever they please to who ever they please.
Cindy 1/12/07
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I have 3 dogs, Max a Golden-Retriever Collie mix, Jake a Cairn Terrior and Milo a Chihuahua. We have never had flea problems in my house or with any of my dogs until Milo. He would sometimes have one or
two fleas on him. I would give him a flea bath with Sergeant's flea shampoo. It would kill the fleas on him
but not for long. He never had any reactions to the flea bath. This went on for awhile, fleas. bath. fleas bath. He sleeps in my room, since I bought him and my other dogs sleep downstairs, which are my parents. I noticed I was getting bug bites, even in the winter.
I had enough. I headed to Petco on Thursday January 11th and decided to try something different to help
with the fleas. I purchased Zodiac Capret Powder and Bio Spot flea and Tick Treatment for 15-33 pound dogs. I came home and put some of the powder on my carpet, then I read that it said leave on for 60
minutes or even 24 hours. This stuff smelt horrible. I vacuumed it up right away and put febreze on my rug
to get rid of the smell. Opened all the windows since I have 3 parakeets that also live in my room. (the birds were out of my room before I put the Zodiac down) I then decided if I already put some down, I might as
well do the whole rug.
After I powdered the carpet I gave Milo a bath with the Sergeant's combined with dish soap. Later that
night around 11 I put the Bio Spot on him. It smelled awful. I went to bed.
The next day when I came home from work I noticed he was scratching and rolling and rubbing everywhere, every 2 minutes. I was really nervous, given the warning my parents gave me on using these products. I only thought it was because they are very healthy, all natural type or people.
Soon he began rolling on his back and whimpering, crying. I decided to give him a bath and get it off of him.
I then went searching about Bio Spot. I came across your website and heard all the awful stories, I wiped
Milo down with a wet washcloth again and put some lotion on his back for the itching. He is still eating and drinking and not showing any other signs besides the itching, scratching and biting.
I am going to keep a close eye on him and give him another bath tomorrow. He will be sleeping right next
to me tonight and I will have the 24 hour vet's number next to my bed. I am so upset that I didnt research
this product and its potential dangers before I used it. I will NEVER use any of these products EVER
again. I am spreading the word as we speak. Its only been 20 hours since I put the Bio Spot on and then
took it off. Hopefully he will be alright.
Thank you for having this website. I will be posting it everywhere.
Amanda 1/13/07.
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Most of these products are not regulated by the FDA or EPA. They are manufactured in Germany and
other foreign countries. The EPA considers them pesticides. My sister's cat recently died from Advantage. Her vet just couldn't believe that this was the cause. Imagine going to the vet with a simple flea problem
and end up with a severely suffering cat who later died the next day. Contact 1-888-FDA-VETS or
1-800-858-7378 to report these terrible reactions. I am throwing all these so-called meds out.
Anonymous 1/13/07
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My husband used Bio Spot on our Airedale terrier 2 years ago. He developed 2nd degree chemical
burns on his back, and his kidneys temporarily failed. He eventually healed with extensive scarring on his
back/spine area. His hair did not grow back. This area on his back is now very sensitive to almost any irritant. Today, he began to blister and bleed again. We are off to the Vet on an emergency basis. If
anyone has any ideas about how to treat my Jazz, so that he doesn't suffer from this malady on a recurring basis, I would appreciate knowing. Thanks.
Frances 1/20/07
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On 1/12/2007 after applying bio-spot stipe flea control for cats on my cat Camille, she became violently
ill with convulsions. I took my cat immediately to the vet where they diagnosed her with a reaction to the
recently applied flea medication. My cat was treated at the vet and transfered to an emergency vet clinic
for over night care. With an already compromised kidney condition lets see how many years this shaves
off her lifetime. I bought this product from Petco, after the manager there claimed it was a safer, more
gentle flea control for cats. HA what a lie. The vet has seen so many of these cases that my cat was diagnosed immediately. It is sick that this company can sell poison to people and it is acceptable. Something must be done! Petco should have put its foot down and said no to selling this known toxin.
Anna 1/23/06
Here [below] is the reaction I received from Sherri Pike. How can we stop this? Call the Governor? The EPA was unimpressed. So we will see where this goes. If I have to I will bring Petco and Farnam in to
small claims. Here in Ca, that would cost them more than I am asking for. Let me know if there is any
letter writing or contacts that I can write to help get this off the shelf.
Camille thankfully is purring on my lap. Thank god for small miracles.
Anna 1/25/06
Dear Ms. [deleted],
We are sorry to learn of your experience and for what Camille has been
through. Please note that there are no ingredients in the Bio Spot
Stripe-On Flea Control for Cats that would cause convulsions. In order
for Farnam to investigate this occurrence and consider reimbursement for
your veterinarian expenses you will need to provide all of the
following.
1. Copy of store receipt for the purchase of the Bio Spot.
2. The package, remaining tube and wipe as well as the empty tube that
was applied.
3. Copy of the "itemized veterinarian bills" from both clinics.
4. Copy of the "Medical records" from both clinics. (These are the
notes taken by the medical staff at the time of treatment).
Please mail all the above to Farnam Companies, Inc. at the address
below, ATTN: RISK MANAGEMENT. They will be reviewed upon receipt.
Again, we are sorry for what you and Camille have been through and do
appreciate you reporting this incident.
Sincerely,
Sherri Pike
Technical Affairs Manager
Farnam Companies, Inc.
P.O. Box 34820
Phoenix, AZ 85067
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I recently discovered that my indoor cat had fleas. It's her first time in 8 years, and I was shocked.
Before purchasing any chemical products, I searched online for side effects and I came across your
website. I think what you're doing is great, and it made me think and ask questions before I used any chemical products. I did end up purchasing Advantage for my cat, after a discussion with the vet of the possible side effects and after reviewing the packaging, as instructed by the EPA, to make sure the
product was not bootlegged. I also put the Advantage on her right before the weekend, so we could
watch her closely for any side effects. Of course, we had to buy a 3-month supply, but I'm determined
only to use it for one month.
Several days after using the Advantage, I noticed that there were still fleas on my cat. I realized that we
also have fleas in our carpets that we need to get rid of, or I would have to continue using Advantage.
For that reason, I started researching non-chemical alternatives for flea control and found some things
that I thought were worth sharing. First, I found some discussions on fleas at www.thriftyfun.com (search
for answers: fleas) where readers from New Zealand and Australia said they add a small amount of white vinegar to their dog's water and give their cats odorless garlic tablets to keep fleas away- they said fleas
find the "flavor" of garlic and vinegar repulsive. I did not try this- I think my cat would reject vinegar or garlic- and before anyone tries it, they should check with their vet. But if it does work and it's not harmful, what a great non-chemical (not to mention cheap) way to keep our pets flea-free! Also, someone from the Spay/Neuter Incentive Project posted a long message with lots of herbal flea and tick remedies- including
an herbal, homemade flea collar and a method of ridding your yard of fleas using diatomaceous earth. Again, I would check with your vet first before trying those remedies, just in case.
What I did try- that I think worked- was misting the carpet with vinegar. Before our flea problem, I had
read somewhere that white distilled vinegar worked as a non-chemical fabric freshener (an alternative to products like Febreeze, etc.). I hadn't tried it, but when I read those discussions about fleas disliking the taste of vinegar, I thought I might try it- for flea purposes as well as freshening purposes. Each day for 3 days, I spritzed the carpets and furniture with vinegar, let it dry, then vacuumed. I was careful to get under furniture like couches and beds. After that, I combed my cat with a flea comb and flushed any fleas that I found down the toilet (I was surprised that I was still finding them 2 weeks after we put the Advantage on,
but I'm guessing they were coming from carpet). I'm happy to say that I think we're flea-free. Our furry girl
isn't scratching anymore, and a week later I haven't found any fleas in the vacuum. The best news is - I
don't have to use another dose of Advantage on her (next week will be one month after her first dose).
(FYI, the vinegar smell only lasts a few hours and it did not discolor the carpet or make it sticky.)
I can't be sure exactly what eradicated the fleas and I certainly can't say that the process I used didn't
require effort, but I think the effort and time I put in was easier on me than the constant worry that my cat
was going to get sick- or worse- from the Advantage.
Thank you again for posting a website with information and stories that make people think and ask
questions before they put poisons on their pets. I sincerely hope that some of the non-chemical
alternatives mentioned above work for other people so they don't have to use pesticides.
Denise 1/26/07
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Eight days ago my husband applied Sergeant's Flea and Tick medicine to the back of our cat's neck. Cailean is five years old, has never been outside, and is extremely loving. (We were using the medicine
as a back-up because we take our dog outside for walks and his groomer recently found some fleas on him
due to the fact that we have had a very mild winter). So the medicine was applied on Wednesday. Friday evening both Cailean and our dog was sleeping in bed with me and she was purring away. Four hours later my husband arrives home from work and we hear this awful noise coming from the kitchen. The cat was
freaking out, growling and hissing at our dog (whom she has been living with now for 5 years). We have two small children so we eventually got her in a crate (after she attempted to bite my husband) and the next day called our vet and brought her in. They gave her a shot of Benadryl and some other medications and said she should be fine within the next few days. It has been six days and last night she started again, growling and hissing, looking very frightened. We have her crated again and are probably going to take her back to the vet on Monday. They told us that we should never buy any of those medications from places like Wal-Mart, PetSmart, etc. They are unsafe and need to be pulled from the market...SO WHY HAVEN'T THEY BEEN?!?!? I am praying that we are able to work through this with Cailean and that here soon the toxins
will be out of her system and she will be ok. Hopefully she doesn't have any permanent neurological problems. I can't believe that a perfectly healthy and very loving cat all of the sudden could turn like that because of flea medicine. We will NEVER use any form of liquid flea medications (or flea collars for that matter) on our animals again!
Cynthia 1/25/07
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Oh vey all these heart breaking stories have gotten me down. :( But I am really glad that your website
exists. I found a number of cases that were the same exact experience I had. The love of my life, a fuzzy
mutt name Kuma, started having seizures from the Frontline Plus. It took me several months to realize the correlation before I cut him off from any pesticide based flea treatment.
One of the remarks on your site from a woman stated: "A cumulative toxic effect that won't be apparent
with the first application." --This makes A LOT of sense to me. For the first 3 years of Kuma's life he lived with me in Hollywood / Los Angeles, and Los Angeles has LOTS of fleas. So, when I was able to afford it,
I would splurge and buy the $50 a box, Advantage to rid his fleas.
But a year or so later, with moving around and in changing careers to work with animals, I switched all the dogs over to Frontline Plus. I don't know the time lapse or the exact periods of time in between, but I do
know that Kuma suddenly started having seizures and IT SCARED ME TO DEATH. All my other dogs
were fine, it was just Kuma who was affected. A perfectly lively & playful, energetic dog that suddenly
started having once monthly seizures, sometimes twice per month, for no known reason. So, I started
taking him to vets and paying lots of money (that I didn't have at the time, for tests.) The tests all came
back clean. He seemed healthy.
The very first love of my life, was a Chihuahua named Misha that I grew up with, who suffered from
severe epilepsy his entire life (for natural reasons not chemicals), and as a child I had to helplessly
endure watching Misha have hundreds of them his entire life. So, seeing Kuma the same way,
rushed all of that pain back into my life.
I don't know how long it took me to put two and two together,before I finally realized the topical flea
treatment was causing them. One day when I woke up and had my light bulb moment, I realized, hmm...
soon after I give Kuma his monthly flea treatment he has seizures. I am sure it wasn't that obvious but
once I realized it, I was sure the Frontline was the reason! When I asked my vet if one caused the other
he said that it couldn't and that Frontline Plus and Advantage were completely safe.
How hard is it NOT to trust a licensed vet who went to medical school for years and years? In comparison,
I was only a life time animal lover but had only two years of college experience, so when a vet did not concur, it was very frustrating and hard to justify that I knew something he didn't!! I even went to a different vet and
he said that the flea treament was "perfectly safe." Well, I decided to stop giving Kuma topical flea treament on my own. And guess what? He has not had a seizure or issue in almost two years! Hmm, what an odd coincidence.
My story isn't any more radical or special than any of the others on your website, although it is as equally concerning. But what makes my case just a tad different is that my dog Kuma, is a highly experienced animal actor in Hollywood. He has been in 4 National TV commercials, over a dozen movie-of-the-week films, 3 studio films, and dozens of professional print ads.
And can you believe that just last week I received a call from another company and they wanted to see if Kuma could "scratch a flea" on cue. And do you know what it was for? A Frontline commercial!! It is one
of the few movie behaviors that Kuma does not have trained on him, but even if he did, I would have passed on it. Sadly, I often work with the animal supplier who does all those cute commercials that feature an itchy Boston Terrier and Pug. It's hard to stay objective in the Entertainment industry, because a lot of situations like this come up when it's about money vs. your morals. But to my own credit, I would rather speak out against the dangers that exist in topical flea treaments then to get paid to promote it.
For starters the product boxes should be seriously modified, and the "other ingredients" should be listed
one by one. And then they should pull all these flea products from the shelves of everyday pet stores. Do you know that I can now run down to my local pet store and purchase Advantage, Frontline Plus, or any
other brand without a vet's approval? They sell this poison over the counter in my city! I just think that is crazy.
Anyway, it is very late. I was up for HOURS reading the stories off of your site and crying from many of
them. If there was a way I could help further, I'd like to be able to. I am throwing around some ideas in my head and hopefully more will come tomorrow once I get some sleep. But perhaps Kuma and I can use his animal actor status to help spread the word about the dangers? Let me know if you might have any ideas
or feedback! Thank you again.
Sarah 1/27/07
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On Jan. 29, 2007 we purchased bio spot for our dogs and cats. We applied it to each of our animals.
While the dogs had no ill effects from it our cats were a different story. Within 4 hours of applying bio spot one of our cats began to stagger around as if drunk. Wasn't too long until she began to shake and have convulsions while foaming at the mouth. We rushed her to our vet. A few hours later we rushed our other cat up to the vet as well. Both cats were sedated to keep them calm. The call came yesterday that our first cat did not make it. She had a heart attack from the chemical in her system. The vet said it was directly related to the bio spot. Our other cat remains at the vet. Today he called and said the the cat was no longer having seizures but was unresponsive to the light he used to check for pupil dialation. The vet was administering stimulants in small doses as well as barbituits (spelling) in order to bring the cat around slowly. So far our baby has not waken up. We are so heartbroken over the loss of our first cat. To lose this one as well will totally devastate us. The vet said the next 12 to 16 hours are crucial to being able to tell if there is any brain/organ damage. He also informed us that he would call if the cat had any changes. So far we have not received that call. We don't hold out much hope. I cannot believe that bio spot is even on the market. I feel
so guilty having given it to my pets. I wish I had known about this product before my vet told me about it. We thought for sure if it was an over the counter med it was safe.
Missing our babies in Pennsylvania,
Ken and Chiryl 1/31/07
Thank you so much for your site. I will most definitely be contacting the bio spot company. We recieved a
call this morning informing us that our other cat has passed away. The vet said he could actually smell the chemical coming from his body after he passed. A black cloud hangs over our home. Our Abbey and Missy were loved very much. While bio spot could reimburse us for our loss, they can never bring back the love
and sunshine our babies brought into our lives. We are crushed!
Again, thank you so much for your concern and your site. We have been telling everyone with or even
thinking about getting pets about the dangers of bio spot. I will begin referring them to your site. Your sites web address is one that I will carry in my purse directly beside my organ donor card. I will hand the web address out to all I know Yes, it is that important for folks to know about the dangers of these products. God bless your site. It was a too late for my pets but if it saves one person the heartache we endured this week
it will be worth it.
Ken and Chiryl 2/1/07
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I'm writing to report a serious problem I'm having with my 1 year old Shitzu. I gave him Advantix for the
very first time on Wed. Jan.24, 2007 and he got very sick. He whines and howls day and night and we both have lost countless hours of sleep. He is in a lot of discomfort and I feel powerless to do anything about it.
I bathed him four times at the suggestion of two vetarnarians and the Advantix Company. This helped minimally as did a cortsone injection, Benedryl and steroids. Eight days after the application he is still yelping. I will be reporting this incident to the agencies you recommended in your site as well as pray that
he recovers from this terrible toxic reaction.
Victoria 2/1/07
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I wrote on 12/6/06 and I was still wondering if there has been anybody who has had any reaction to frontline plus? Just like dogs and cats, I know that some people are highly sensitive or allergic to this product. Take my word on that after many trips to the hospital. It starts out with a funny feeling, dry mouth and its all down
hill after that. Not being able to breath, crying because you think you are going to die because you cant think straight. This stuff works on your nervous system. If you feel the least bit funny, dont make the mistake of petting your dog because I did and it hits you even harder because the fipronil??? is on the dogs fur for atleast a month. I know this stuff can somehow diffuse through your skin. I went to University Hospital's environmental poison center in Cleveland and they said some people have died from ingesting Fipronil in
the past but there is absolutely no test to see if you are exposed. Dont use this pesticide, especially if you have children. I was fortunate with my 3 dogs not having any problems. My vet even talked me into using it
on my indoor cat. Still really dont know why but thats alot of frontline plus in the house. I also have 3 children.
I have been using Brewers Yeast pills from the pet store. I havent had any problems. My mother and two sisters have changed to this and now Im not afraid to pet their dogs anymore.
Once again. If you love your animals and your family do not use FRONTLINE PLUS at all. If anybody has
had a reaction to Fipronil I would like to know. I dont think Im the only one.
Jim 2/6/07
As you can see from the messages posted on my website, MANY people have seen adverse reactions in their pets after using Frontline and Frontline Plus. Merial claims that it only targets the nervous system of insects, but it can have a similar effect on animals and people.
Here is information on a study that was done to determine the amount of fipronil people are exposed to
after treating their pet with Frontline:
The study found that "repeated exposure to such contamination can pose human health risks."
James TerBush
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I'm so glad I found your web pages! I thought it was all in my imagination that the Zodiac product we had
used on our 3-year-old Bichon Frise is causing her symptoms: Severe agitation, almost a paranoid attitude (like she's afraid someone's going to hurt her or feels like she's being injured), very heavy panting, yipping / crying sometimes when she attempts to walk, shivering/shaking, sitting and staring off into space, acting
very "needy" (doesn't want to be left alone, claws her way into our laps, burrows her head into our shoulders, etc.). While her appetite doesn't seem to be affected, she doesn't go running over to the dog dish when we
feed her - we have to bring it to her. Her personality has totally changed. She's not the bouncy, flighty little fluff that we've known and loved these past 3+ years. While all of the symptoms disturb me, it's her pitiful crying that tears at my heart. Thank heaven she doesn't do this continuously! I can tell it's a cry of pain... but I don't know WHERE the pain is - and I can't help her. :(
She started with the heavy panting and the agitation and "neediness" about 3 hours after my husband applied the Zodiac to her neck . I can only thank heaven that for some reason something told to me "wash it off!" - although I didn't give her a complete bath - just heavily shampooed the area on her neck/back where I could smell it. That was three nights ago. Thursday, when she started with the yipping/crying, we took her to the vet and mentioned the Zodiac. The vet didn't seem to think that the Zodiac was the problem - said that Tinkerbell's anal glands were full and needed cleaning (which the vet did), and gave us non-steroid anti-inflammatory pills to administer to Tink once a day. She DID suggest that we bathe both of our dogs (we gave our male Bichon the same Zodiac treatment but see no adverse affects to him, thank heaven!) several times, rinsing well in between each bath.
After reading many of the emails you have posted, I'm convinced beyond a doubt that Tink's symptoms are due to the Zodiac, and I just feel so guilty about doing this to her. I hope that these adverse reactions will subside within the next few days, but if they don't, I'm taking Tink back to the vet.
Last night I gave her half of a Benadryl caplet in the hopes that it would help to alleviate some of her symptoms. She DID seem to have an easier night and she seems to be doing a tad better today (at least
she didn't scrunch up against the garage door and try to hide when we took her outside this morning - she actually walked around the back yard a little bit).
We normally use Frontline Plus on the dogs, but we were out of town for quite a long time and had forgotten to bring the Frontline with us - so I purchased the Zodiac at PetsMart. NEVER again will I use these products on our precious babies!
I'm also going to contact the EPA, the NPIC, and the manufacturer. I think that they need to know what this pesticide is doing to our animals! These poisons MUST be taken off the market!
Judi 2/10/07
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I have a 13 week old Pomeranian who is now in the hospital from 4 seizures within a 12 hour period. 3 of them were Grand Mal and the other was just plain weird. She kept running as fast as she could from room to room like she was lost and would not respond to anything. We had treated all 3 of our dogs with Bio Spot on Wednesday 2-21-07. One of our dogs threw up a day later and had bad diarhea. The other one has been fine.
I dont know what to do. I called the vet today and they said she did go all night without another one, but how do I get rid of the treatment on her now. I gave her a bath Sunday morning because when she had her first seizure she lost all control and went all over herself. This is the first time I havent used Hartz or Advantix and
I had no idea this was happening with so many dogs. Is there anything I can do? Please help!!! The bill is already up to $500 and we can not afford it.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Kelly 2/26/07
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I just left my cat at the emergency [clinic] in convulsions after I gave her biospot yesterday. The vet says they see about 1 animal a month from biospot. I feel terrible and guilty of course but also mad as hell. Is anyone
pursuing a class action suit against the manufacturer? Whether or not my cat survives I'm going to have a
large vet bill. It seems not unreasonable to demand compensation.
Dave 3/5/07
Check the empty tubes (vials) of Bio Spot for Cats that you used and verify the small label says Bio Spot for Cats. I have received email in the past from people who told me that their Bio Spot for Cats package mistakenly contained tubes of Bio Spot for Dogs.
James TerBush
Thank you for responding. It doesn't look good for my cat. I opened a fresh box [of Bio Spot] labeled for cats. The remaining tube is for cats, but I found the empty and it is indeed for dogs. I feel awful. Thanks, for the information.
Dave 3/5/07
My cat is dead. I'm devastated.
Dave 3/5/07
I am deeply sorry, Dave.
If that was the first time Farnam ever put the wrong product in their packaging, I would say Farnam made
a terrible mistake, but I have heard of that problem occurring for a long time. I would like to know if Farnam
has ever issued a recall when it has become aware of that problem, or has ever alerted the public, or has ever taken steps in their factory to make sure that it never happens again.
In my opinion, this ongoing problem is not an accident - it's negligence.
James TerBush
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Our dog, Zack, had a Grand Mal Seizure for the first time in his life at 3 this morning. My wife and I freaked out and tried to resuscitate him as we had no idea what was going on. He eventually came around but for half an hour or so (post ictal phase, we learned) he acted extremely strange - scared and growling at us.
Anyway, we took him to a 24 Hour emergency veterinary hospital right after the incident and the vet and technicians explained to us that Zack had had a seizure. They have run a battery of tests on him and have basically ruled out diabetes, infection, and the like and have referred us to a vet neurologist. They have told us it could be something very scary such as a brain tumor as Zack is 9 years old and not really in the age group to develop Epilepsy - this apparently appears for the first time in younger dogs. Zack has had two more Grand Mal seizures today so they put him on Pheno Barbital and of the last report he hasn't had one since. If he doesn't have another seizure between now and tomorrow morning we will get to bring him home.
My question has to do with K9 Advantix. Zack has been using it for several years - before that he was using Advantage and Frontline. About 18 days ago, Zack had a bath and a treatment with K9 Advantix and since has been itching and scratching to the point where he has developed some nasty sores. Do you have any reports of dogs developing a delayed problem or a delayed-adverse reaction with these products? There are several reports of seizures on your site but mostly the reactions seem to be within a day or so. The vet
technician basically poo-pooed our inquiry in this regard by telling us not to believe everything we read and that Advantix is a very safe product. We are starting to wonder and are a little pissed about the brush off
and very upset about Zack.
By the way, Zack has otherwise been a very healthy dog. He's an SPCA special (we think Whippet and possibly retriever) who weighs in at 35 lbs.
I apologize if this is a little long winded (I did read quite a few of the posts - many of them equally scary) and understand you aren't a vet but any advice, direction or information would be greatly appreciated.
Carl 3/5/07
Virginia Beach, VA
I appreciated your concern with your earlier follow-up so I thought that I'd update you on our dog Zack's situation.
We took Zack to a neurologist after his initial seizures and had a thorough work-up done on him. By the way, we are lucky to even have a vet neurologist in our area as apparently there are only around 200 of them in the world. After the exam, the neurologist suggested that Zack have an MRI as she couldn't be 100% sure that
he had a brain tumor or not even though her exam indicated that he probably did not as he is otherwise very healthy. There are, however, problems with Zack's eyes that made the neurologist somewhat suspicious. Nevertheless, we went to northern Virginia this weekend to the IAM's Imaging center in Vienna where they did an MRI of Zack's brain. Unfortunately, they found a mass on his frontal lobe which indicates that he has
a tumor of some kind. Tomorrow we will learn more as to Zack's prognosis and to his treatment options - needless to say my wife and I are very upset. We will do for him what we can if it looks like treatment will
have a positive impact on his quality and length of life.
Throughout all of this ordeal, we have talked to many veterinarians and, like the concerned pet owners we
are (really more like parents), we have grilled them on possible causes of Zack's seizures. We have heard the opinion (prior to the MRI) that it was possible that the Advantix could have caused the seizures but that it was more likely something else. As we know now, this, unfortunately, is the case. Our primary vet had the opinion that if a dog is to seize from Advantix or some other like product, it will probably happen within the first 24 hours. He believes that the prescription flea medicines are safe but to be careful about the systemic
(i.e., bloodstream) tick control ointments. My wife and I value both our primary vet and the vet neurologist's opinions very highly. They are both extremely kind, competent, and experienced - the kind of people I wished
everyone had looking after their pets.
Best regards and thank you for your time,
Carl 3/25/07
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Last week I took my seven year old Lab, Maverick, in for his yearly check-up and vaccinations. He has a history of having had a couple seizures in the past and the vet inquired about that. Told her that he hadn't
had one in three years so all was well. While there the vet suggested I use Frontline Plus for flea and tick control. Took him home and put the Frontline Plus on both he and our other Lab. Approximately thirty minutes after application he started trembling and acting very scared/disoriented. Our other dog showed
no signs of trouble. This incident didn't look like the rigid type of seizure he's had in the past (that we've attributed to epilepsy). I became quite concerned and called the vet's office. I thought he was having a cluster seizure and became quite concerned about his body temperature too. Needless to say this went
on for about five hours. He was extremely disoriented, trembling, scared and definitely NOT RIGHT! It was
a very frightening experience. I called the Frontline "hotline" today and asked about adverse reactions to their product. Was told that it didn't sound typical. I work in the medical field and pretty much know what
that means. Maybe not typical but certainly not unheard of. I truly believe that my dog had a reaction to the neurotoxin in this product. I also realize how fortunate I am that he didn't die or end up in a very bad state.
I found your site by doing a search on the internet and am amazed at the similar stories. I shudder to think what might happen to a child who runs their hand over the spot where this product has been applied and
then puts their fingers in their mouth! Something definitely needs to be done. Thank you for this site . Now
I know I'm not imagining the correlation between Frontline and Maverick's crisis. I'm very sorry to see how common it appears to be and how many people's pets have had a less fortunate outcome than Maverick.
Toni 3/6/07
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Below is email that I sent on 3/6/07 to Sherri Pike, Technical Affairs Manager of Farnam Companies:
Dear Sherri,
I spoke with you five years ago, after my dog had a near fatal reaction
(grand mal seizures) to Bio Spot. Fortunately, my dog recovered from the
incident and has not had any seizures since I stopped using Bio Spot five
years ago. As you may be aware, I created a website about the incident
and in the last five years, I have received email from thousands of people
whose pets had similar experiences after using Bio Spot and similar flea
control products. If you would like to visit my website, please go to:
I am writing because I received email yesterday from someone whose cat
died a horrible death after applying Bio Spot. Upon examining the outer
packaging and the small label on the empty vial, this person discovered that
the empty vial was actually labeled Bio Spot for Dogs, even though it was
inside of a package labeled Bio Spot for Cats. I was not shocked to hear
that because several other people have written to me about that mistake in
the past.
I would like to know, given the fact that Bio Spot for Dogs is often fatal to
cats, how is it possible for your factory to make that kind of mistake? If your
own employees can't tell the difference between Bio Spot for Dogs and
Bio Spot for Cats, how do you expect consumers to tell the difference?
I do not know why the EPA allows companies like yours to manufacture
and distribute flea control products that are known to kill cats. Yes, your
packaging has a small outline of a cat inside of a circle with a line going
through it on the front, and caution statements buried in small fine print
on the back, but surely you must know that people rarely take the time to
read all of the directions. You must also know that many households have
cats and dogs, and it's very difficult to prevent cats from coming into
contact with treated dogs.
Farnam should not wait for the EPA to ban these products, and should
voluntarily reformulate their flea control products for dogs so that they do
not kill cats. Until that happens, I encourage you to implement additional
measures to let people know that Bio Spot for Dogs is potentially fatal to
cats. These steps could include: 1) Adding a black box warning on the
packaging that says, "DO NOT USE ON CATS. This product may be fatal
if applied to or ingested by cats" 2) Making the vials of Bio Spot for Dogs
look different than the vials of Bio Spot for Cats (different shape, size,
and color plastic vial) 3) Adding a large yellow warning sticker to each
individual vial of Bio Spot for Dogs that says, "DO NOT USE ON CATS".
Additionally, your factory should implement measures that would make it
virtually impossible for Bio Spot for Dogs to end up inside of the Bio Spot
for Cats packaging. If you become aware of a mislabeled batch, it should
be recalled, the media should be notified immediately to warn consumers,
and information about the recall should be posted on your website.
Thank your for taking the time to consider my request.
Sincerely,
James TerBush
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Thank you so much for posting this website. Here is my story which hopefully will help and convince pet owners not to use any flea products. I have an English springer spaniel puppy named Holly. She is 5
months old and a very very active puppy. Over the last few weeks I noticed Holly had some fleas. I called
my vet and they recommended me to use Advantage. She weighed 22lbs. so they gave me the product
for dogs 21lbs to 55lbs.
On Mon. February 27, 2007 I gave her a dose of Advantage at night before she went to bed. That night
she was up all night very anxious. I wasn’t alarmed because she is a very active and hyper puppy and sometimes is up though the night wanting to play or be held. The next morning she seemed more
reserved than normal, I thought she was tired because she hadn’t slept all night. That night she became
very lethargic and her eyes started to roll back in her head and she was drooling excessively.
We took her to the emergency and the vet tested her for Parvo (test came back neg. which it should
because she was up to date with her vaccinations) and ran blood work which looked normal. I mentioned that I had put Advantage on her about 24 hours ago and she said that this had nothing to do with it. Because Holly is energetic and adventurous, we started to wonder what could she have gotten into. That night she slept with me and was miserable, drooling, crying and even urinated on herself, which she never had done. Also she had a terrible smell coming from her.
That morning, February 28th, I took her to her vet. They kept her there and gave her IVs and ended up keeping her overnight. The next day I spoke to the doctor and mentioned the Advantage again, even
though the ER vet said absolutely no. They listened, but concurred with the ER vet that it wasn’t that
because her blood work looked good, but still gave her multiple baths just in case. I wish the ER vet
would have considered it to be Advantage because we would have bathed her then, almost 36 hours
before she finally got washed.
Each day she kept getting worse until they referred me to a neurologist vet. They preformed a spinal tap
on her and after many tests and thousands of $ later, still no answer. Today is March 9th (1 ½ weeks after the application of Advantage) and Holly can’t walk and has no control of her muscles. She is still lethargic and cries because she wants to do things but can’t. She is on valium and antibiotics along with prednisone to hopefully reduce the swelling in her brain. It is a waiting game to see if she will recover. It is so sad to think that a product like that can suck the life out of animals like this. Even though I was told that it couldn’t
be the Advantage, I know in my heart that it is and fortunately because of your web page and all the horrible stories I know I’m not going crazy. It was too coincidental. Also within the last 3 days I have come down
with a rash which is spreading all over my body with red spots and the itching is constant. This sounds similar to one of the stories on your webpage. My doctor believes that I am having an allergic reaction
and it could very well be from the Advantage because I held her after it was applied. Anyone who reads
this, PLEASE DO NOT use any of these products on your pets.
Diana and Holly 3/9/07
West Hills, CA
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I just found your website...I just had an experience like so many others I read on your site. My cat is still
in the animal hospital and they are not sure if she will make it. I cant believe that this product is still for sale.
I spent all night blaming myself. I still cannot believe the horror I went thru last night. I do not even know
what to do with myself today, just waiting to hear if she is going to make it. I live paycheck to paycheck and have no extra money to be able to afford the bills I am going to receive. I would do anything to save her so
its not that...its just this should have never happened in the first place. I am going to make sure I voice this
as much as I can. Im going to put flyers up. I have already contact my local newspaper in hopes they can
run an article. I had no idea, just like the many others, until they learn the hard way. Thanks for posting your experience. I really thought I was the only one going thru this. The food scare is going on now for most people, which I also had given my dogs...but still show no effect. This was instant and I knew exactly what caused it. She was acting funny shortly after I put it on but I thought it was just cause it was wet and felt
funny. Later that night is when I woke up to her seizures and convultions. If you could give me a contact for someone I would appreciate it. I know your story was years ago, so information may have changed. I went
to the site and sent a email to the generic email link they had, but Im not confident anyone will receive it. Even if they do, will they even care. I'm so sorry you had to go thru this too. Thank you so much again for posting your experience, I hope to spread the word as well as much as I can. If my Roxy doenst live I hope
to atleast save the life of someone's else's family.
Lisa 3/21/07
Powhatan, VA
I am very sorry to hear about your cat. Which product did you use? If it was Bio Spot, did you use
Bio Spot for Cats, or did you mistakenly use Bio Spot for Dogs? Many people make the mistake of
putting Bio Spot for Dogs on their cats because the packaging looks similar.
James TerBush
Yep, thats what I did. My only reason for doing it was I use to use frontline and the vet always told me I
could take a little bit from the one for my dogs and put on my cat, instead of buying a whole seperate application. Well I applied that same philosophy to Bio Spot...its just the result was much different. The
only reason I even purchased Bio Spot is because Frontline was not working on my dogs anymore, I was
still having fleas. So the vet gave me Advantix, which my dog had an allergic reaction to, nothing like this
one, but still a vet visit for a shot. I ran out of options at the vet so I thought I would try something over the counter. I do blame myself, because I should not have used it on the cat. I just figured if you could do that with Frontline you could with Bio Spot too, since they do make BioSpot for cats too. I see now on their website that they have started putting them in more apparent packaging to distinguish the two. I can see
how it would have been easily mistaken. I had thrown away the carton and just had the applicator, it says
for dogs in small print. Never again, I rather have fleas then go thru that again. The Dr just called and said her heartrate is back to normal which is a good sign but she is still not out of the woods... From what I understand in your situation and as in others you used the BioSpot (for dogs) for your dog and had the
same reaction. So not sure I guess how the BioSpot for cats is any safer. Or how this makes it any less partially their fault.
Lisa 3/21/07
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WE USED BIO SPOT ON OUR 4YR OLF AKITA FOR 3 SUMMERS. IN OCTOBER 0F 06 WE FOUND
HIM IN A POOL OF BLOOD. HE WAS BLEEDING OUT OF HIS NOSE. WE RUSHED HIM TO THE EMERGENCY VET AND 5 DAYS IN THE HOSPITAL AND TWO TRANSFUSIONS HE CAME HOME.
HE IS STILL ON PREDNISONE AND IMURAN. HE HAS HAD TWO SEVERE URINARY INFECTIONS.
MY TOTAL VET BILLS SO FAR ARE WELL OVER 4,000 DOLLARS. NOT TO MENTION THIS DOG SEEMED TO HAVE SENSITIVE SKIN AND BLEEDING ISSUES THAT WE NEVER CONNECTED TO THE PRODUCT. ALSO WE BELIEVED BIO SPOT KILLED OUR 7 YEAR OLD SAMOYED. HE HAD
A MASSIVE SEIZURE AND WAS DEAD IN 23 HOURS. THIS IS A HORRIBLE PRODUCT. PLEASE
DO NOT USE IT.
ROBIN 3/24/07
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Thank-you so much for your site. I had not heard before about the danger of these flea topicals. Once
before I had put a tube on our pet Tucker, a 12 pound Shih Tzu/Poodle, and he had an immediate reaction.
I do not remember the brand. I immediately washed it off and threw the other 2 tubes away. It had been several months since then and since it is now getting to be Spring and the fleas will be starting up I thought
I should start the monthly preventative meds. I bought Adams and put it on Tucker Thursday morning before
I went to work. Thursday evening we notice that Tucker was behaving strangely. I noticed he seemed to be breathing heavier than usual and seemed agitated. Since there is also the concern over the dog food contamination, I was afraid that maybe the media had missed our brand of dog food and that my be part of the problem. I also remembered the last time I had put a topical on him. Then Tucker started jerking and could not lie still. He would jerk and jump up and run around and then try to lie down put jerk some more.
I thought of a seizure but not sure how a dog with a seizure would behave. I just knew that it was not normal.
I put Tucker in the tub and soaped him up and rinsed him off twice. He was still having a jerking problem
but had calmed down a little. We thought that he may have a skin irritation from the Adams so I tried putting some Hydrocortizone on his back where the topical had been. After about 10 minutes he relaxed and fell asleep beside me. In the middle of the night he started twitching again so I again applied some cortizone which again seemed to help. In the morning I rinsed him off again--this time with just lots of water. He
seemed better. I notice him twitching a little last night but over all he seems much better. I looked up the Adams package this morning and saw that it is made bu the same company as Bio Spot with the same ingredients. I also had an old package of Hartz and Zodiac. All are going in the garbage and I have told all
my friends and family about your site and what topicals can do. My sister uses these on her cats and has
told me that they are sick with either kidney or liver conditions. I have called her and informed her what the cause may be.
I thank you for your valuable information and I know Tucker does too. Also I am sure that our cats Princess and Brooke do to, not only for their own health but that of their buddy Tucker.
Mary Ann 3/24/07
Lowell, IN
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I have a 5 year chihuahua. We used to use Revolution when she was younger. At one point we noticed that she became lethargic and didn't want to move very much which lasted several days. At the time I thought it had to do with her knees (she has luxating patellas). We stopped using Revolution due to cost (added more dogs to the family). Later she was given some Heartgard and had the same reaction to the Heartgard, lethargic, didn't want to move and wasn't eating. It took two doses (with reactions both times) for me to realize that it was the same reaction that she had on the Revolution (which she doesn't do when she isn't
on either chemical). She can't take selemectin (Revolution) or Ivermectin (Heartgard).
Karen 3/28/07
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I have a shihtzu named Max, and he is in good health, (Thanks to God). A few weeks ago, I applied Hartz Advance Care. Max started having this problem with his breathing. It's almost like a seizure. Max has to try very hard to get air in his system. This is not the first time that this has happened. However, the other times that this may have happened to him could have possibly been linked to my applying one of these 4 in 1 Flea and Tick Drops. I have an appt. scheduled with Max's vet, but I'm wondering if the problem is do to the chemicals in the product? Just in case I'm giving all of my dogs a good bath today with lots of fresh water. What do you think? Thank you for any input.
Max's Mom 3/29/07
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I have been using Bio Spot (successfully) for over 2 yrs. on my female Bichon. Because my supply was
low (1 month left) I went searching for more. Much to my surprise I found that Farnam has changed the ingredients. Now use methoprene (S-methoprene), don't know what other (if any) ingredients. Why?
I asked. Was told because they bought the company that makes the product! Or words to that effect.
So, the question is this:
Is the NEW product safer than the "old"?
Has anyone wrote to you that has used the NEW formula?
When did the new formula come out?
Thank You for a GREAT informative web site.
Judy & Nikki .... my lovable adopted- rescued dog 3/29/07
Thank you for taking the time to write. I wasn't aware that Farnam had a new Bio Spot for Dogs formula,
and do not know if anyone has written to me about it yet. Now that the weather is getting warmer, people
we begin using these products again.
I just went to their website, and it looks like they replaced the insect growth regulator Nylar with methoprene, but it still contains 45% permethrin, so I would not consider it any safer than the old formula. Any flea control product that contains 45% permethrin (including K9 Advantix which is sold by vets) has the potential to
cause severe adverse reactions. I am glad that you have been using Bio Spot for over 2 years without any problems.
The individual applicator tubes of the new Bio Spot for Dogs are now labeled "DOG", and they also look different than the tubes of Bio Spot for Cats, so hopefully people will not use it on their cats by mistake
(which was a common problem with the old packaging). The text warning about using it on cats is also
more prominent on the back of the new packaging, however, the warning on the front of the new packaging
(the cat inside of a red circle with a line going through it) is NOT PROMINENT ENOUGH.
It should also be noted that the new Bio Spot for Dogs is labeled "for dogs only, 6 months or older." The
old Bio Spot for Dogs was labeled "not for use on puppies under 12 weeks of age." This may indicate
that the new Bio Spot for Dogs is even MORE toxic than the old version.
James TerBush
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I just got a pupp from the animal shelter. We brought her home and then we gave her a bath in Sergeants SKIP-FLEA AND TICK SHAMPOO and she seemed fine. The next day we noticed that she wasn't eating,
so we took her to the vet and they did a parvo test. Thank God it came back negative, however the vet said
that she would not rule it out. Then she gave her a shot in the neck and some antibiotics. Over the next 2 days she still wasn't eating so we went for a second opinion. This vet said that she did not have parvo and then he asked what we fed her, and if the water she was drinking was clean. It was then we mentioned that we gave her a bath in this dog shampoo. He said that this was what was probably making her sick with diaherra and vomiting. He told us to keep giving her the medicine and feed her raw eggs. If she didn't get better then we should bring her on in and then he will give her a shot. If anyone knows anything that could
Anonymous 3/30/07
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How do I report an adverse reaction to a flea control product?
Please contact the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) at 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 email them 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.
I would also report it directly to the U.S. EPA by contacting:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pesticide Programs (Mail Code 7509C)
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20460
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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.
