Update 2/25/08: Hamish has not had ANY seizures since we stopped using Bio Spot
over 5 YEARS AGO, and appears to have made a full recovery. We are thankful for each
day that he is with us.
Farnam reimbursed us for Hamish's medical expenses, provided that we accept it as
"FULL AND FINAL SETTLEMENT FOR THE ALLEGED ADVERSE REACTION TO BIOSPOT."
Here are some of the e-mail messages that I have received from others whose dogs and cats experienced adverse reactions after using flea control products. I have no way of knowing
if the information in these messages is factual, or if the products they used were the actual
cause of the adverse reactions.
CAUTION: This information is provided for educational purposes only. It is not intended to
replace professional veterinary advice. Please consult with your veterinarian before giving
any treatment to your animals.
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Just an FYI for those of you wanting to try Promeris. I raise pomeranians, I too have found the lack of effectiness with Frontline Plus. I tried the Promeris on a couple of my dogs, they did fine, then I applied to about 6 of them, and one had a bad reaction about 24 hours later, emergency vet visit and still he is not himself. He lost his mobility and ability to urinate and deficate. I myself will not use this product again, I do not know the long term effects this will have on my baby...but I would rather use Frontline Plus then something that is going to be fatal
to one of my babies.
The hotline for Promeris just took my information, and suggested that this dog must have licked another one,
this I know for a fact did not happen. Also was told that it should not have affected his ability to urinate and deficate. Another vet I use told me that it affected the nervous system to the point that he could not stand, walk, or eat, that he did not know when he needed to use the bathroom...that it supressed his ability to know to do
this. I think Promeris needs to take the product off the market and do more research, and reimburse those that have vet bills due to their product.
I am now wondering what long term affects this will have on my baby....and did it damage any organs?
Patricia 3/30/08
Thanks for the reply, I surely do not recommend it after what I have been through. My vet said he could have died.
This product is fairly new and I dont' think there is enough study out there yet on old and young, etc. This is a chemical, just like all others. I normally use Frontline and Advantage...without problems...and thought this to be safe... but when I first tried it, my vet said to watch the puppy really close, because he was not familar with the product and the reactions. Well the puppy did fine, so I bought more and applied it to my other dogs, then this happened, it happened 24 hours later, it was not something instant... He was at the vet clinic at 1am in the morning then back again that day for another shot to reverse the conditions.
Please post and warn others, it might not happen to others, but it is highly likely it will. I am not a vet either but
I am very experienced when it comes to dogs and medication, etc. I have been a small hobby breeder for a
very long time, and have tried alot of stuff over years and have had good results till now.
Patricia 3/31/08
Prior to registration, flea control products are tested only on a small number of young, healthy animals. Once these products are approved by the EPA, it is almost impossible to get them removed from the market.
In my opinion, the ProMeris website is very misleading. Here is their website:
Here is an excerpt:
"For years we've used insecticides to control fleas on pets and in the environment. Many
of these chemicals have been around for decades. Perhaps we’ve relied upon these older chemistries for too long and are in need of something new."
If one didn't know any better, they might assume that ProMeris didn't contain insecticide, and therefore it
might be safer than other flea control products. The truth is ProMeris contains two insecticides and poses the same risks to people and pets as any other flea control product.
James TerBush
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Advantix kills.
I wish the true information was available on the package, I never would have bought it! I applied it to my two wonderful dogs on a wednesday and friday night my 9 1/2 yr. old lab/beagle mix ,Toby died. He suffered because I thought I was doing something good, keeping fleas and ticks off of him.I found this site after he died,too late for him but not too late for his 6 yr.old lab love Hannah. Friday night he refused to eat and
started vomiting a white foam,became very weak unable to walk and was followed by vomiting blood. He
died on the way to the emergency room.It all happened so fast.My plan is to tell everyone I know and contact
the media and hopefully save lives. God help us,help them.
Thank you & God Bless,
Dawn 3/31/08
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ZODIAC SPOT ON FLEA PRODUCT KILLED MY KITTEN, ASHLEY.
The saddest part is that the vets have no real idea what caused her illness and death. I spent a small fortune trying to save this little kitten. They did about every test they could think of and everything came back normal
or negative or at least within acceptable parameters. They couldn't find any concrete physical cause for what happened to her. And believe me, it was not an easy illness and death.
Starting on Friday, 3/21, Ashley had difficulty walking and couldn't jump from the floor to the cabinet where
I usually fed her. By Saturday afternoon, she couldn't stand at all. Sunday was Easter, so my regular vet was closed. I took her to them on Monday, 3/24. They hadn't a clue, and immediately told me I should take her to
a veterinary neurologist, at a nearby vet specialty clinic. So, I took her there on Tuesday. She had been unable
to walk since Sat afternoon, but was still eating, drinking and eliminating pretty normally.
The neurologist did a raft of blood tests and urinalysis and what have you. They had to anesthetize her to do some of the testing procedures; when she awoke from the anesthesia, she got up and started walking. This
was very strange, to say the least. So I brought Ashley home, still ambulatory, and thinking maybe she would
be okay.
By 11pm, she was again unable to walk. And rapidly went down hill from that point. By Wednesday, she
started having full body muscle spasms at fairly regular intervals. Not seizures, but like full body muscle
cramps. It must have hurt, as she would cry out each time one took her. I sat up all Wednesday night, holding Ashley in my lap, rocking her and trying to comfort her after each spasm, which were coming at about 20-30 minute intervals. I took her back to the vet clinic on Thursday, and they admitted her. In the meantime, most
of the test results were back and looked okay, so the vet is really puzzled as to what is causing the muscle spasms and paralysis.
Long story short, Ashley never came home again, was in ICU Thursday, Friday, Saturday and into Sunday. Saturday night she spiked an extremely high fever. The vets literally packed her in ice to bring it back
down. But she was pretty much in a coma from that point on. When I went to the vet clinic Sunday, she was unresponsive to me calling her. The body was still breathing, but my little kitten wasn't there anymore. It
was more than time to set her free. So I told them to do it. She died in my arms, but I don't think she knew
I was there.
So, I paid almost $3000 to the vet, and still lost my baby and no one knows why/what killed her. However
I have my suspicions. On Monday 3/17, I had put a topical flea product on all the cats but the 2 oldest. This
stuff doesn't kill the adult fleas per se, but instead is a hormonal growth inhibitor, which prevent larva from maturing and eggs from hatching, thereby interrupting the flea lifecycle. It was supposed to be safe for
"kittens and cats older than 12 weeks" but did say not to use on health compromised or very geriatric
animals. About 8-10 years ago, I had a cat that had a severe adverse reaction to a different spot on flea product. She had gone into convulsions, and required vet care for several days. Although she did survive,
the product's manufacturer pretty much admitted poisoning her, and paid my vet bills. They pulled that
product off the market a few months later.
When I researched the product I used (Zodiac, fyi) and its active ingredient, I found numerous anecdotal
stories online on the toxicity and adverse effects of this stuff. Many of the cats had symptoms similar to
Ashley. Most of them died from this shit. Of course the manufacturer maintains that it is perfectly safe,
and denies that it could cause problems. Bull; one of my other cats has lost all the fur off the spot where
I applied this stuff. Luckily, he is much larger than Ashley, or would probably be gone now too. The
product doesn't have any weight divisions, just the age warning about kittens under 12 weeks.
The vet is doing a post-mortem (and not charging for it) to see if they can figure out what went wrong
with my little girl. I hope we can prove that it had something to do with the flea product, because I really
would like to ask the manufacturer to reimburse me for the vet bills. And maybe apologize for killing
my kitten. Chances of this happening are slim to none, but I can hope.
This stuff is supposed to be regulated by the USDA and the EPA, but they don't care. The same chemical
in the flea product is used to kill insects in water sources used for drinking, and for a number of other applications in agriculture. Think we are ingesting it? Oh hell yes. It is supposedly safe. But why does the packaging instruct you to wash thoroughly and rinse well if it comes in contact with your skin or clothing?
It also says to contact "authorities" if adverse reactions occur, but doesn't say what those reactions
might be. And deny any responsibility when they are contacted.
I know, just another example of why the world is such a frakked up mess. Sorry for the rant, but I am very,
very upset over this whole thing. I feel like I am ultimately the reason Ashley died a horrible, painful death,
if only because I was the one to put the flea product on her. The real guilty party won't admit culpability.
Bet on it. And even if they did, it sure won't bring my sweet, little baby cat back to life.
Jill 4/2/08
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Thank you for your site, and all the information you supplied. Please feel free to publish this post as written, including my name and email address.
You asked if any humans have had an adverse reaction to a flea treatment for dogs.
I (human) an adult woman had a reaction to the Frontline + dog flea treatment for 45-88 lbs. we use on my
medic alert Service Dog. It was bought from my vet.
I snuggled with him about 15 hrs after my husband applied it. I had woken and we were still in bed I was fine, watched part of the morning news program. Then I petted him and snuggled near where it had been applied about 15 hrs earlier.
I immediately got stuffy, and felt my face tighten. a few minutes later felt a slight headache, I got up and my right eye, nose and cheek were swollen. Confusion started. Did a quick check of my activities, and realized the only thing I touched was my dog. Then thought of the flea medication.
I have severe allergic reactions, and multiple chemical sensitivities so I had some experience with reactions before and had plenty of emergency medications on hand. I took benedryl, and Epinephrine.. it helped some, then I became very nauseated. I did the Epinephrine again, with zyrtec (an antihistamine). I felt pressure in my ear .... also caused dizziness. I continued throughout the entire day treating swelling, nausea, headache, bodyaches, & dizziness with medications. I was easily agitated too.
I had my husband bathe the dog, and washed everything. I needed another dose of Epinephrine in the evening.
It wasn't safe for me to go to the hospital because of my severe environmental allergies & sensitivities. I ended up staying in bed all day. I just stayed as quiet as possible. Even the light bothered me. I ended up very restless, I couldn't lay still so it was a miserable night, benedryl helped some with the restlessness I finally fell asleep around 3am. I was much better Monday, 24 hrs later - still a bit stiff and achy, some congestion & hypersensitivity. I have been in touch with my doctors.
Study shows the chemical levels of pesticide "fipronil" transferred to gloves from petting the application site are still highest 24 hours after application and diminish to none over 5 weeks on exposing adverse reactions to humans using frontline on pets
I called the poison hotline - they said it was safe, all that has been reported was a tingling or skin irritation, they couldn't even give me the complete ingredients list. The person was a pharmacologist - he had an attitude. Stating it wasn't the cause. I just said I wasn't asking him to detirmine if I was exposed, I knew I was - I just needed information to make sure I covered all the bases. I did insist on him giving me a case number.
I also called the company that maufactures Frontline+ . It's Merial Limited at 1-800-660-1842 and spoke to their adverse reaction dept for humans. I reported it, they had an RN taking the calls and got a case number. They recorded my symptoms, and took the EPA Reg No.on the back of the box I used. In order to get the list of inert ingredients I have to have my physician contact them. They are going to call me back to let me know who they report to, or if they report any adverse reaction to a government agency. Interesting point is that if it's so safe why is there a nurse on call to take reports on reactions to humans?
I also personally reported it to the appropriate government agency - Nat'l Pesticide Info Ctr (NPIC) agency and recieved a log number. They work jointly with the EPA and share adverse reports. http://npic.orst.edu/ at
1-800-858-7378
I was also told by the NPIC that Merial Limited company is required to report any adverse reaction to the EPA under Section 6A2 of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
NPIC read the symptoms of a fipronil toxic exposure, they corresponded with my symptoms. See their Fact Sheets: http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/fiptech.pdf. I still don't know what all the inert ingredients are because of trade secrets.
After reading the posts about the adverse effects to pets I realized my Service Dog would bite at his paws and skin as if he was having an allergic reaction. I believe it's related to the Frontline+. Needless to say I will not be using any of these chemical type products again.
Ora 4/8/08
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Hello, I have just come by some information on this website concerning the side effects of flea and tick control for dogs and cats. I have been beside myself since yesterday ( April 7th, 2008 ) since I took my four month old miniature schnauzer for flea preventative. I had previously asked My vet about starting " Abby" on Frontline, but instead My vet said she would start her on Pro Meris. I paid rather alot for the remaining two vials to be given once a month. After I came home with Abby, she immediately started acting strange, she whimpered, and would walk real slowly around the house, she is definitely not herself. Abby will eat, but not like she is really hungry, her energy is gone, she would run around the house chasing my kids every evening, but for the last two days now, the change in her is like night and day.
I called my Vet on the 8th, and she did not think it had anything to do with Pro Meris. Abby has been healthy and happy up till Monday Morning when I took her to the vets. I feel very upset that I have given this to my dog, is there any more information on Pro Meris? and are there anymore similar cases like mine using this fairly new product?
Lisa 4/8/08
Oklahoma
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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.
