Update 6/21/04: Hamish has not had ANY seizures since we stopped using Bio Spot 24 months 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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This was an email I had sent to PetsMart regarding Bio Spot and their response is below it:
Customer's comments:
I have tried numerous of times to contact the home office and I get no return call. I want to inform you that the product Bio Spot almost killed my cat. If I wouldn't have notice as early as I did she would be. There is a web site filled with complaints about this product
(http://www.elversonpuzzle.com/biospotletters.html) there is over 35 pages worth. There have been 12 related cases at my vet's office alone this year. That doesn't include the rest the town. I spent a great deal of money saving my cat and I am contacting my lawyer about this situation. Your company has been notified as well as the manufacturer. This product is killing animals EVERY year and they don't deserve it. You are suppose to be a company saving lives but yet you are helping kill them by keeping this product on your shelf. I have contacted many of the people who have experienced the same as I if not worse and we all plan to do this together if nothing is done.
Jeff 10/14/03
PETSMART RESPONSE
Dear Customer,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us here at PETsMART. At PETsMART we take the health and safety of pets very seriously. We work closely with our suppliers to make sure every product we offer is safe. The Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) regulates all flea and tick prevention products. The EPA does test the products for safety on a quarterly basis.
Like all products, the directions for use must be followed closely to ensure the safety of flea and tick products. It is extremely important that the correct product and type is used for your pet. It is also imperative to read all the instructions and use only as directed and contact a veterinarian with any questions.
In addition, like many other medications, supplements or pet foods, they too can cause an allergic reaction. We strongly recommend that our customers, who want to use these products read the labels carefully and research what is best for your pet. We encourage our customers who have questions to call the manufacturer as well as consult with their veterinarian.
Thank you for your time and concern.
Regards,
PETsMART Customer Service
It's true that many adverse reactions to flea control products are the result of a failure to follow the instructions and caution statements on the label (which are often in fine print). These statements often contradict the statements from companies that sell it (i.e. "Safe - for your pet, family, and the environment! As veterinarians, we recommend only products that are safe."). Animals can develop allergies to pesticides (and the other ingredients which are not required to be disclosed on the packaging), but only AFTER being exposed to them. However, many adverse reactions occur even when the instructions are followed, and are caused by the inherent toxicity of the pesticides. It's important to remember that these products are designed to kill organisms.
The companies that manufacture and sell these products often blame the victim by asserting that adverse reactions are caused either by the failure of the consumer to follow directions or a chemical allergy (meaning that the genetic individuality of the animal, and not the product, is the cause of the adverse reaction).
James TerBush
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I wish I researched this product before using it. I used Bio Spot on my chocolate lab "Cisco" and my (outdoor) cat "Enkydo" about a week ago. Thiswas the second time I used the product. Cisco seemed fine but the cat freaked out a little. I only used about 2 drops of Bio Spot (*for cats*) on the cat and he jumped off the counter. He shook himself off like water had been spilled on him and wanted to go outside. I didn't think much about it and let him out. He'd been gone for a few days which isn't that uncommon for him. Today I got a call from a neighbor who found Enky DEAD behind his garden and had the county animal control take Enky away. As soon as I heard it happened in a backyard and not on a road I immediately became suspicious of the Bio Spot. Your site has convinced me that I poisoned my little Enkydo. Thank you for posting this information and let's hope more and more people find it before it's too late.
Sam 10/22/2003
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I had also used Biospot on my 3 cats - 2 adults and 1 kitten (8 months old). This was
the first time I had used this product and had just about everyone tell me how good the product worked. I had applied it to all 3 of my cats around 11:00pm then went to bed. Around 2:30am I was awaken to my kitten howling and hissing. So when I went in to see what was wrong she was on the floor thrashing around and I had thought she had swallowed something and it had gotten stuck in her airway. I just held her and loved on her then she started having seizures. So I had called a vet and he told me to rush her in. Before I was getting ready to leave my other 2 cats started the same thing.
I was NEVER so scared in all my life. Needless to say after I got my cats to the vet an hour after we left my kitten had died and the other 2 wasnt looking very well. My other 2 cats did make a recovery after 3 days in a coma. My cats are home now but still "twitch" every once in a while. I am so upset and hurt that I lost one of my cats and a product like this one can be on the market. I know it wont do any good to contact the company and get them to be responsible for their product but I do believe that it should be taken off the market. I am happy my cats are alive but dont know if it will affect their system forever. I am also glad to hear your dog made it through his terrible ordeal.
Mary 10/24/03
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I was relieved to see your information. I was starting to think that I was crazy. I nearly put my dog to sleep this morning because she has been so ill. She is geriatric as it stands and was recently treated with biospot. I thought her problems were due to her age, but I could just not accept that the rate of her decline was due to her old age.
She has been on a 90 mph downward spiral for 3 weeks. I was supposed to Euthanize her at 11:00 am today and all weekend I begged for some kind of signs to make sure I was doing the right thing.
Just last Tuesday after being kenneled at the vet she was bathed before I picked her up. Every day since her bath her condition (bloated stomach, leg paralysis, shaking, tremors, no appetite) had started to decline and she began to seem better.
I was confused and continued to watch her throughout the week. As she improved I became more confused and felt as if euthanisation might be the wrong thing at the time. But I could not explain how she seemed to be improving from her geriatric condition.
Last night at about midnight I was racking my brain and thinking about the timeline of her rapid decline and realized that her downward spiral began just about three to four days after we treated her with biospot.
Ever since that bath on Tuesday Nov 11th she has been getting better. And then it started to make sense. The biospot had been washed off and she had 5 days without the poison on her body. Five days to show me it wasn't time for her to be put to sleep.
I has scheduled her euthanisation just last Friday for today (Monday 17th) and had the good fortune of witnessing her dramatic improvement over the weekend. I was so unsure as what to do and whether or not I was doing the right thing by putting her to sleep. I was asking God for a sign or something to tell me that I was doing the right thing.....
I gave Isabelle, our dog, another bath last night. I felt like the least I could do was send her to her death bathed and clean. After I showered her with affection and poured my heart out to her I came downstairs and sat in the dark. And that is when it all started coming to me. The Biospot, the paralysis, she has been poisoned.
I called my vet first thing this morning to ask if it was possible that the biospot paralized her hind quarters on and off and she said it was a possibility. Needless to say I cancelled her being put to sleep and did a complete 180 degree turnaround.
Isabelle continues to show improvement, especially since the second bath she had last night. She is 150% better than she was when I picked her up from the vet last Tuesday when she was also bathed.
I know in my gut that the Biospot almost killed my dog and I nearly followed it up by doing it myself. I am beside myself that this product was made available to me and was so dangerous to her.
I want you to know that tonight when I found your website it confirmed my suspicions. Thank you for posting it. I know that my dog will continue to improve as she has been, now that the biospot is off of her.
I am sorry that I did not write a more well edited e-mail to you but I am so anxious to get this message to you. If you want me to rewrite my story so that you can post it along with your web information I would be happy to . More pet owners need to know about this. Please feel free to contact me.
April 11/18/03
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MY HUSBAND PURCHASED ZODIAC FLEATROL AT PETCO AFTER HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH AN EMPLOYEE. THE EMPLOYEE TOLD HIM TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR POODLE HAD PLENTY OF WATER BECAUSE THE PRODUCT COULD CAUSE THE DOG TO BECOME THIRSTY. SHE ASSURED HIM THAT IT WAS SAFE. I APPLIED THE PRODUCT TO MY 7LB 2OZ TOY POODLE AFTER CAREFULLY READING WHERE IT SHOULD BE PUT ON HIM. SHORTLY AFTER APPLICATION, MY POODLE BECAME VERY THURSTY AND HE SEEMED TO HAVE WEAKNESS IN HIS LEGS BY THE NEXT DAY. BY THE NEXT DAY I NOTICED HE WAS ONLY DRINKING AND NOT EATING. I TRIED TO TAKE HIM FOR A WALK THE THIRD DAY AND HE STARTED TO FALL OVER WHEN HE TRIED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. I HAD NOTICED THAT HE HAD LOST ALOT OF WEIGHT AND WHEN I PETTED HIM I WAS ABLE TO FEEL THE BONES ON HIS BACK AND THE RIB AREA. I CALLED THE VET THE NEXT MORNING AND TOLD HIM THAT MY POODLE WAS LOOSING A LOT OF WEIGHT VERY QUICKLY AND WAS NOT DRINKING WELL BY NOW AND TOLD HIM I WAS WORRIED BECAUSE THE GIRL AT PETCO SAID HE NEEDED TO DRINK A LOT. I FELT THAT HE WAS DEHYDRATING AND NEEDED HELP QUICKLY. HE WAS GETTING THINNER BY THE HOUR AND FALLING ON HIS SIDE WHEN HE STOOD UP. I ALSO NOTICED DIFFICULTY WITH BREATHING AND HIS PILLOW WAS SOAKING WET THE PAST TWO MORNINGS. I ALSO NOTICED THAT HE HAD A VERY STRONG PULSE IN HIS FRONT LEGS THAT YOU COULD SEE FROM ACROSS THE ROOM. I RUSHED HIM TO THE VET TELLING HIM THAT I THINK THIS MEDICINE MAY HAVE DEHYDRATED HIM BECAUSE HE STOPPED DRINKING THE DAY BEFORE. CODY HAD TESTS DONE AND WAS PUT ON MEDS AND AN IV TO HELP WITH HIS FLUIDS. HE WAS HAVING LIVER AND KIDNEY FAILURE AND THE VET GAVE HIM A FIFTY FIFTY CHANCE OF SURVIVING. OF COARSE I SAID DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET HIM BETTER. I ALSO FORGOT TO INCLUDE THAT MY POODLES WEIGHT WENT FROM 7LB 2OZ TO 5LB 8OZ IN FOUR DAYS. AFTER 1 WEEK IN THE HOSPITAL, HIS KIDNEY LEVEL WENT BACK TO NORMAL ACCORDING TO THE BLOOD TEST. I WAS ABLE TO TAKE CODY HOME AND FOLLOW THE VETS DIRECTIONS TO FORCE FEED HIM,GIVE WATER THRU A DROPPER,AND GIVE MEDS AS DIRECTED. HE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS STILL VERY SICK AND STILL NOT OUT OF DANGER. AFTER ALL MY LOVE AND CARE OVER THE NENT TWO DAYS, I HAD TO RETURN MY POODLE TO THE VET. I WAS SO SCARED FOR HIM, HE WAS ALWAYS SO HEALTHY. 5 MINUTES AFTER ARRIVING AT THE VETS, MY CODY TOOK A SEIZURE ON THE TABLE. MY 9 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER STARTED TO SCREAM AND THE DOCTOR RUSHED CODY TO THE BACK ROOM. TEN MINUTES LATER, MY DAUGHTER AND I WERE ABLE TO GO BACK AND SEE HIM. I WAS TOLD THAT HE NOW ONLY WEIGHED 4LBS AND I ASKED IF HE WAS SUFFERING. THE DOCTOR TOLD ME YES AND HE COULD NOT SEE HIM GETTING BETTER. I LOOKED AT MY LITTLE DAUGHTER AND TOLD HER THAT WE HAD TO MAKE A DECISION. I TOLD HER THAT WE DID OUR BEST AND THE DOCTOR TRIED TO MAKE HIM BETTER. WE BOTH KNEW THAT OUR VERY ENERGETIC POODLE COULD NOT LIVE LIKE THIS. MY DAUGHTER LEFT THE ROOM CRYING AND A STAYED WITH CODY FOR THE NEXT 15 MINUTES. AS HE LAID ON THE TABLE WITH AN IV AND OXYGEN MASK ON HIM, HE LOOKED SO SAD. I TOLD HIM I WAS SO SORRY FOR PUTTING THAT MEDICINE ON HIM AND IF I HAD KNOWN, I NEVER WOULD HAVE. I TOLD HIM HOW MUCH I LOVED HIM AND I HUGGED HIM AS HE LOOKED AT ME WITH HIS EYES. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO LEAVE THE ROOM AND LET THEM COME IN AND PUT HIM TO SLEEP. I FINALLY LEFT THE ROOM AND A FEW MINUTES LATER I WAS GIVEN A SMALL BOX WITH MY POODLE AND HIS BLANKET. MY DAUGHTER A I HAD TO KEEP LOOKING AT HIM AND TELLING HIM WE WERE SORRY. WE BURIED HIM THE NEXT MORNING. THAT WAS 6 DAYS AGO AND I STILL FEEL LIKE I DECIDED WHEN MY DOG WAS TO DIE. I FEEL SO GUILTY AND I FEEL AS IF I KILLED HIM. I KNOW IN TIME I WILL REALIZE THAT I DID THE RIGHT THING. WHEN GIVEN A FIFTY FIFTY CHANCE, I TOOK IT. MY VET BILL WAS 1300.00, BUT AT LEAST WE KNOW WE DID OUR BEST. AS FAR AS THIS ZODIAC FLEATROL, I SAY THAT IF YOU WANT TO LIVE WITH THE GRIEF AND GUILT OF BEING THE ONE THAT APPLIES IT TO YOUR ANIMAL, IT'S NOT EASY. I WISH THAT I WENT TO YOUR WEB SITE FIRST. I WOULD HAVE REALIZED THAT PERMETHRIN WAS A DANGEROUS INGREDIENT, 45 PERCENT. IN MEMORY OF CODY 02/18/91 11/13/03 REST IN PEACE.
JOAN 11/19/03
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Thank you for your site. It was very helpful to review the experiences of other pet owners. We have two healthy black labs and seasonally used Bio Spot to help combat fleas and ticks. Just recently we've been able to associate the use of Bio Spot with several problems in our dogs. One of our labs vomited hours after we administered the Bio Spot. Our other lab suffered several seizures 24 hours after we administered Bio Spot. We called our vet and it was recommended that we bathe them immediately. So far, this has alleviated the problem. However, I decided to research this product online (by which I found your site) and am very disturbed to learn that numerous other pet owners have experienced similar if not more severe problems with this product. Additionally, it's quite troubling to discover that in many cases Farnum Pet Products has reimbursed familes for vet bills accrued as a result of the use of Bio Spot. In my mind, it is evident to the manufacturer that this product is dangerous to pets.
Please let me know if there are other steps that we can take to get this product off the market or at the very least, ensure that the warning labels offer information about the serious effects this product may have on pets. I did send an email to the National Pesticide Information Center.
Stephanie 12/1/03
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A week ago, I purchased Bio Spot for Cats and Ferrets from Critter Hut in Narragansett, RI. I carefully read the instructions and applied the product to my cat. Within a half-hour, my cat had a nasty chemical burn where I had applied the Bio Spot to the back of her neck. With the help of my roommate, I washed the chemical from the cat and took her to the vet the following evening. I was rather surprised when the vet said I was lucky she was still alive. He gave her a shot to detoxify the permethian. Earlier that morning, I had returned the product to the owner of Critter Hut. He refunded the money but refused to pay for the associated vet bill or remove the product from his shelves.
Please get this product off the market. Dangerous pesticides should not be allowed on the market when there are clearly safer alternatives.
Heather 12/31/03
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I accidentally put a very small amount of dog Biospot on our wonderful, pregnant cat - Snickerdoodle. Within a very short time we found her hiding under a coffee table...having grand mal seizures. She was shaking severely and had lost all bowel and bladder control. We immediately tried to wash all the Biospot off of her, but that did not help either.
The next two hours were a nightmare. She was in a continuous state of seizures. I just held her and tried everything to calm the seizures. She was bleeding severely from the mouth as the seizures continued non-stop. From time to time she would cry out as if in pain. Only later did I see that the box said - in small print - not to use on cats. It did not say that seizures and death was a possibility.
We called the vet and realized shortly that there was nothing they could do either, so we took her out to a friend's country home and 'put her down' to end her horrible nightmare. She was only 4 years old and was due to have a beautiful calico litter in about two weeks.
I am sick about it. I feel so guilty. I do not know how I am going to tell my 19 year old daughter who is away at school that her beloved little one died today from a violent death due to Biospot.
Caroline 1/18/04
American Red Cross Pet First Aid Instructor !!
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Thank you for posting your report on Spot on the internet. Yesterday (2/7/04) we had a similar incident with our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Charlie. She work up at 5:45 a.m. vomiting and thrashing. We rushed her to an emergency vet hospital and they treated her with valium and diazapan. The vet did not know of any adverse reactions to Bayer's K-9 Advantix. We called the Bayer medical hotline and discovered that her symptoms were identical to a toxic reaction to this product. We were fortunate that she was in our bed when the incident occurred and that we were able to get her immediate medical attention. We brought her home after a 9 hour stay at the hospital. She is now on Valium for 72 hours and under a constant watch. So far, all is well. I hope that Hamish is doing fine and that there are no residual effects. I reported this to the EPA and our vet.
Donna 2/8/04
Bayer agreed to reimburse (almost $500.00). I gave her the K-9 Advantix the a.m. before the reaction, about 20 hours before she had the seizure. The vet bathed her in Dawn, or some degreasing shampoo. She seems fine.
Donna 2/10/04
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I saw your website today about your dog and the problems you had with BioSpot. You requested that we contact you if we also have problems. As you did, we have been using Frontline and decided to try Bio Spot since it was less expensive. However, within minutes of applying the medicine, my pet had a reaction. It has now been two days since application and my pet is still having difficulties. I have contacted the EPA and Bio Spot. Thank you for posting your information and letting the world know what a horrible pesticide this product really is and should never be used on our animals.
Pam 2/9/04
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Thanks so much for the information you placed on the website. I have two cocker spaniels I bought the summer of 2002. I bought the female first, and when she was old enough, treated her with Advantage. I have a repusion for ticks and was determined she would not bring them in my house. About two weeks later, she started having seizures. We took her to the emergency vet and $2,000 later found nothing wrong. They diagnosed epilepsy, which is common for cockers, but not that young. She continued to have seizures for a couple of months as we treated her with pheno barbitol, which made me unhappy. I took her off the medicine after six months because she seemed to be seizure free. Meanwhile, we purchased her brother and decided not to use the Advantage anymore. We diligently picked ticks off, which grossed me out. The next warm season I decided to try Advantix, which deters mosquitoes also, a huge problem in our area. It worked very well and no seizures until this past December. She only had one, not violent, but still scary. This winter I haven't been using anything and am facing spring and a dilemma. I guess you haven't found any solutions either. Someone said wash your dog in tea oil and put herbs in their bed area. (Their bed area is my bed area. I don't want to smell like an Italian dish.) I just wanted to share this info with you for what it's worth. Thanks again for yours.
Jonnie 2/23/04
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As with many of the cases I have read my family was using Frontline on all three of our cats and both dogs, when one day shopping we noticed a product called BioSpot. We decided to try it. My animals have never had a reaction to any product in the past! At 5 o'clock on Monday, March 8 we applied BioSpot flea treatment to all three of my cats. Everything seemed fine throughout the night, we went to bed around the normal time, and to our horror we woke the next morning to all three cats in seizors! Before I could get to the phone to call my vet one of my cats turned blue, stopped breathing and passed away!! Thank God we were able to save the other two from death, but now they are not mentally the same!! I am disgusted with the product and the fact that there is nothing being done to stop it from being sold! How do you expect to make a profit when it kills the animals it is put on? I am begging you to do something about this before others are forced to endure the loss my family has!!!!!!!!!!
Cara 3/12/04
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My 3 yr. old gray tiger Toby (one of her names) is twitching but asleep on my boyfriend's lap b/c I found her early this a.m. at 6 to walk our Husky. When I came back, I found my little one in full fledged seizures. We had used Advantix on our other cat and our dog, but not on Pointy (Toby.)
We flew out the door as her 7 lb. body spasmed and twitched. No Vets were open, as it was between 'Emergency Room' shifts and regular office hours, so we drove for an hour and a half looking for someplace, any place to take her. (That in itself was a trip, b/c there is a Cat Hospital or Veterinarian Office in every other shopping center down here. but none open.)
Finally, Office hours were starting and we got her in in time for the Vet to flush her on a catheter and give her Valium for the seizures - from what the Vet said was poisoning from the deadly flea killer pet killer. We are keeping a vigil with her and her muscle relaxants tonight. They were going to keep her overnight in the $$E.R.$$, but the Vet agreed she was good to go home if we wached her and brought her to the E.R. nearby our home if anything different from the neuro symptoms she explained manifested. We are so lucky to have escaped this tragedy.
It's unacceptable that peoples' hearts are being broken every day due to the negligence in packaging and the dangerous toxins in the products' formulas. How can I help to protest this? (Not
to mention the Internet sellers who give advice on application of these when they have no idea what they are talking about.)
Does anyone know how to get restitution for bills incurred in this nightmare? Also, I fear the seizures may cause brain damage. Any anecdotal evidence of this? Please pray w/me that 'Pointy' (Toby) makes it.
Melissa 3/12/04
P.S. The fleas are still alive on our Husky.
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I have 4 dogs (my only children), 2 shih Tzu's, a Pomeranian and a poodle. On Wednesday, March 17, 2004 I put Zodiac Spot Treatment on all 4 dogs to prevent them from getting Fleas and Ticks in a friends very large yard. On Thursday March 18, 2004, my poodle began acting weird by not wanting to walk and only staying on the sofa. Thinking the only thing that I have changed with the dogs was the Flea medication, I washed her and got her to the Vet ASAP. I had $450.00 worth of tests done and everything was negative.
Today, Friday March 19 one of my Shih Tzu's is acting the same way. After locating this website, I rushed home from work and washed all 4 dogs with dish detergent and again contacted the vet. According to the Vet, this treatment can cause bad reactions in pets. I was told to wash them, which I did, and watch for vomiting, seizures and diarrhea. Hopefully, they will be okay in a few days but I am extremely nervous and stressed about this. I was trying to prevent a problem before it happened and I may have killed my babies. THIS PRODUCT MUST BE TAKEN OFF THE MARKET.
Karen 3/19/04
Just to follow up on my 3/19/04 post with my two dogs having bad reactions to Zodiac. After reading this website and bathing all 4 dogs in dish soap they became much better day by day - I washed them all twice with dish soap. I pursued the company that sells this poison and after an interview and records sent to the company they have reimbursed me for my vet bill.
Thanks for all of your help - somehow we need publicize the dangers BEFORE people use these products on their pets.
Karen 4/8/04
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I have a 5 year old female Shepard Chow mix, Karo, who I applied Bio-Spot to last Thursday night. By Saturday, she started showing strange symtoms. By Saturday night, she was erratic, hiding, moving about and uncomfortable. She could not move or lift her tail, and her hind legs didn't move right. She stopped drinking and became dehydrated. She lost control of urination and her rectum was dilolated. We took her to an animal hospital on Sunday morning, where they administered an IV and muscle relaxers. She came home late that night. Her spirits were good but she still had no bladder control. She was constipated until Tuesday, but then lost control of bowel movements too. She was hospitalized overnight again last night when she didn't seem to improve any. We are at $1100 in vet bills with no end in sight and this is money that just doesn't even exist. She is on antibiotics, anti-inflamitories, and anti-diarhea medications, as well as special food and water. I would pray to be in contact with the woman who signed her letter "banchee's mom 8/10/03" since her problem was similar, she is local and the specialists she saw may be able to save Karo.
Tom 3/27/04
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Thank you for the wonderful and informative website you posted. I have a 1 1/2 year old Vizsla and a 2 year old Lab/SharPei mix that I just rescued from a shelter. I have been using the BioSpot on my Vizsla since I brought him home last year. I can't really say I had a problem with him. I brought home the Lab mix a month and a half ago (which was being treated for heartworm) and about a week after I brought him home, applied the BioSpot. His joints became very painful and he had fever. It got so bad that if you tried to run your hand down his body to comfort him he would cry in pain. I took him to the Vet and they could not find anything. Four x-rays, tons of blood work and all kinds of test showed nothing wrong. His white blood cell count, however, was very high indicating a bad infection. They kept him in the hospital and treated him intravenously with Baytril (antibiotic). He is much better. Unfortunately, we are no closer to knowing what was wrong. I was getting ready to order my supply of BioSpot when I decided to check the Internet for any articles comparing it to Frontline Plus. I stumbled on your site and boy am I glad I did. Over a thousand dollars in Vet care later, I don't want to take any chances. I don't know if it was the BioSpot, but I'm not going to take any chances. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Betsy 3/30/04
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We used Advantix last year for 6 months with no success for fleas. There was West Nile in this county in SC and we thought to protect our 1 year old Scotty from the mosquitos. Not sure how much good it did for them but it surely did not work at all on the fleas. Our vet is not using/recommending/selling that product this year at all. What do you know about Revolution for heart worm, flea, tick and mosquito control?
Mrs. Ferguson 3/31/04
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I have just sent this email to the EPA.
Bio Spot - take this medication off the market. I used it on my 8 lb. Australian terrier and have been in and out of the vet's office all day. About 5 hrs. after using, he began vomiting and walking in a haunched position. The vet said he is reacting to the Bio Spot.
A urine sample indicted an elevation of Billirubin. Blood will be drawn tomorrow and sent to a lab to determine if there has been permanent damage to the liver.
My vet said she has seen numerous serious problems where Bio Spot has been applied to dogs and cats. One dog died as a result. She has reported these problems to the company and yet, it continues to be sold. She also said she is seeing similar problems with Zodiac.
Gay 3/31/04
The ALT test was abnormal but the ALK was normal. Another test will be run on Monday to see if the abnormality still exist. The vet said it could be that the liver is working overtime to rid the body of the toxins.
I printed all the letters on your website to pass on to my sister's vet. She has a mini-doberman who became ill shortly after being given Bio Spot. She called the vet and asked if this could be the problem? He assured her it was not. He sells Bio Spot in
his clinic.
I think most cases go unreported because the owner doesn't connect the Bio Spot to the dog's illness and never tells the vet that he applied the Bio Spot. We are so stupid at times. We believe that if a product is approved that it is safe. This isn't true in human medicines or animal medicines.
I will keep you updated. Thank you for your website. I hope thousands read the comments before purchasing these products.
Gay 4/2/04
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Our beloved dog was recently hit by a car and my 8 year old daughter wanted to adopt another dog from the local animal shelter, which we did. Gidget was a 20 lb. terrier mix that was 4 months old. My daughter picked her out of 400 homeless dogs in our area off he Internet. When we got her home she was loaded with fleas and ticks. I bathed her in Hartz Flea and Tick control shampoo and applied Seargents drops. By 5 am the following morning she had a severe seizure and was foaming at the mouth. We rushed her to a 24 hr vet who washed her and told me she did not think it was from the shampoo/drops but from distemper. She was put on antibiotics and sent home as she seemed to perk up after the bath. I was told if she got worse to assume it was distemper. She seemed fine
most of the day, good appetite and all. However that evening the seizures started again, getting closer and closer together. She then started acting very agitated and throwing herself against walls and furniture and foaming at the mouth. After she setteled down her hind legs continued to tremble. I started to worry that it could be rabies, and my daughter was hysterical seeing her that way. I finally called animal control who came and felt she needed to be put down, which I did. I initially suspected poisioning and feel horrible that maybe it wasn't distemper after all. After reading these accounts maybe I acted to hastily. I would never have used any of these products had I known. My daughter is so afraid to love another animal after losing two in one week....
Wendi 4/2/04
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Well I found your site four days too late. I put Bio-spot on my 7 year old Kieshound Sadie, and the next day she was jumpy, in pain and had trouble moving. Muscle spasms. We have been treating her with a bath everyday, soft food, Pedialite and Aleve for the pain. Still we have yet to see any improvement. My vet is going to see her on Monday but I think the neurological damage is permanent. I'm so angry and riddled with guilt. My hubby lost his job so we were trying to save money. We normally use Frontline but we were just broke. It was sooooo NOT worth it! I wish I would have looked this up first.
Carmen 4/3/04
Thank you for your kindness and help, but Sadie had a seizure early this morning and passed away. I've E-mailed everyone, Farnam as well, but Sadie never made it to the vet (only spoke to emergency vet on Saturady) so I doubt they will do anything. I just hope more people learn of this danger before it's to late. And I plan on telling everyone I know! Thank you again.
Carmen 4/5/04
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Our Lab/Aussie Shepherd used biospot last season with no ill effects. Last night we started the new season with a single dose and she wanted to rub it off immediately. This morning she was listless, would not eat,and was trembling. She is two weeks post-op from TPLO and has been recovering beautifully. Last night she was full of energy; this morning she will not move and is unresponsive.
The vet said to wash off what we could of the biospot, which we did. She is not salvating or having seizures so he said no antidote can be safely administered. After the bath she ate some buttered toast after that (we usually do not feed her people food). Can you please tell me whether we can expect her to continue to worsen over the next few days or hopefully get better? Is there more we
can do?
Needless to say, we will never use BioSpot again. Your web site has certainly been useful, especially since we have a cat too.
Jane 4/5/04
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I wanted to thank-you for having this notification out there for concerned pet owners to read. Our English Bulldog, Spud, uncharacteristically enjoys romping through the woods and ends up covered in ticks. He turns one year old today. And coming into the Spring, we want to get him the best protection possible.
My husband and I were weighing our options between Frontline (which I had gotten rave reviews from other dog owners) and Bio-Spot which we saw in a pet catalogue. After reading these articles and emails from other owners, I now completely understand why Bio-Spot is so much cheaper. It astounds me that a product like this is on the market, and also recommended by the catalogue Dr. Fosters & Smith. Needless to say I called my vet for an opinion, who upon my mention of Bio-Spot, said, "No, definitely not." Bulldogs can have many health problems, and thanks to this site, I am able to avoid another potential one. My heart goes out to those who have had tragic and near tragic experiences with this shameful product.
Bethany 4/5/04
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I just stumbled across the website about the damage Biospot has done to many dogs. We just applied biospot to our miniature schnauzer with horrible reactions. He seemed to be going crazy, running from room to room, digging on our hard wood floors, very, very distressed. We feel so bad that we even put it on him, but we pulled 10 ticks off him the other day and felt we were helping him. Little did we know we had poisoned him. We have bathed him twice and he seems to be doing better, do you think we should take him to the Vet? Is there anything they can do? Thank you for the information you posted.
Anonymous 4/5/04
To update you, No my dog is not getting better, he is getting worse. Paced, ran from room to room, very very agitated. He is on his way to the Vet to be observed for the day. It's awful. It has been four days. We are going crazy dealing with all of this.
Anonymous 4/8/04
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I just found this site today. I too purchased the Bio Spot for Cats. I applied it to our older cat Sunday night. She freaked out a bit but then calmed down. Monday night we applied it to our 7 month old kitten. She was acting very strange rolling around the floor etc. I gave her a bath like the directions said. We went to bed and my daughter woke us up. Dolly was having seizures and died! I called my vet who wanted me to report this and I called Bio Spot who asked me to return all of the product I used on the animals and they would reimburse me. How can that help the guilt I feel by putting this on my pet!
Patty 4/7/04
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I wish I had found your site two days earlier. After a successful first use of bio-spot on my Chihuahua (1/3 a tube for the 15lb and under dogs), all went well and there didn't seem to be any distress.
Well, this summer I decided to try it again and the tube spilled out more than intended and even after washing the excess off my dog is pacing, licking the floor (unusual for her), drinking excessive amounts of water (but urinating still), and has a general malaise about her. She can sit still on my lap, however, on her own she can't keep still.
I wanted to let you know that everyone who has posted here should post their comments on ripoffreport.com.
If the reports are filed separately but as a group, we might be able to get this poison with a nifty name off the darn market. I am so angry right now, I can't tell you. The packaging is very misleading as to side effects and the packages themselves are easy to accidentally over dose an animal because the weight distribution is crucial to the level of side effects.
I don't give my dog a rabies shot because of this very problem with weight distribution. The original breeder never gave her one either because these vaccines are made in one size fits all capacities. A 3 lb Chihuahua and a 150 pound Mastiff get the same sized dose.
Anyway, I'm putting this pup in the bath right now even after washing it off with a towel....
Put info on your site about ripoffreport.com. You won't regret it. Many companies have been forced to deal with the negative publicity on that site. They can only answer the claims and will never be able to erase them.
Stacy 4/11/04
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I found your website while doing a search for adverse reactions to frontline. I am sorry for what you have gone through with Hamish, and am so happy he has recovered.
I am curious though, you wrote that you settled with Farnham. Didn't they put a gag order on you?
The reason I ask is that my sweet angel augie had an adverse reaction from a ProHeart 6 injection last spring and though we fought hard, he died of thrombocytopenia on my birthday in august, he missed his 5th birthday by 3 wks. In order to do everything possible to save him I agreed to take a settlement from ft dodge but in return I had to sign a contract that was in essence a gag order.
My heart is broken and I don't think I will ever be the same. We have a little yahoo listserv to support each other and provide info on this dangerous killing drug that fort dodge has been watching. They have given the list and site owner a lot of grief and to that end she had to redesign and rename the website and name of the list. This company is serious, but so are we, as many of us have lost something dear to our hearts. The link to the website is below if you are interested, and here is
one more u might like to look at.
Please help spread the word, Proheart 6 by Fort Dodge/Weyth is a killer. Those sneaky SOB's have started airing radio spots giving only an 800 number or the advice to ask you vet about the 6 month heartworm preventative not naming it. WHY? Because of all the bad press out there. Many big city news shows have started airing segments (there are links on the site) about the controversy of this drug.
Meri 4/11/04
Wee Ree
Luke CGC,AKC/ASCA CD,FD,FDX,FDCH
Augie CGC,FD,FDX,FDCH,FM,FMX,FMCH
We miss you Augie, forever in our hearts
If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I'd walk right up
to heaven and bring you home again
My settlement with Farnam was not negotiated, and did not include a silencing provision. They simply sent me a check to reimburse my veterinarian expenses and included on the back of it, "FULL AND FINAL SETTLEMENT FOR THE ALLEGED ADVERSE REACTION TO BIO SPOT." By accepting it, I forfeited my rights to sue. At first, I told Farnam that I would not accept it because
I wanted them to either pull the product from the market or at least disclose the possibility of severe adverse reactions on their packaging. However, when it became apparent that they were not going to do either, I decided to accept their settlement and create my Bio Spot website.
I commend you for alerting people to the risks of using ProHeart 6. It's a shame that such products are allowed to be sold BEFORE they are proven safe, and the only way to get them removed from the market is to prove they are unsafe. If the FDA and EPA will not protect the public from these products, then we as individuals have to find ways to inform one another of these dangers and protect ourselves. If that is not covered by free speech, then there is something fundamentally
wrong with the law.
James TerBush
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I have an 11 month old Shih Tsu named Isabella (Bella for short). We finished a basic training class at PetSmart a few weeks ago and the trainer there highly recommended Bio-spot. After taking classes over 8 weeks with the trainer, I trusted her advice. I put the Bio-spot on my puppy Sunday
morning. Within an hour, she was trying to hide and tucking her back legs up under her as if they burned. I knew that it had to be the Bio-spot so we gave her a bath immediately trying to wash off the stuff. She continued to try to hide and could only be comforted by one of us holding her. She was unable to sleep at all Sunday night and started panting. I took her to the vet on Monday. The
vet did an exam but couldn't really find anything other than full anal glands. He said that the bath was the right thing to do after her reaction to the Bio-spot but he thought it was the anal glands causing her hind area to be so sensitive. He gave me some cream for her hind end and sent me home. I had a friend stay with the dog while I went to my office for a few hours. When I came home, she was panting more and still sort of scooting around, pulling her back legs up. She either wanted to be
held or tried to hide in corners or under furniture. I put her right in the car and drove back to the vet's office. The doctor (a different one from the morning visit) gave me an antihistimine with a steroid
in it to help give her some relief with what they felt was severe itching from the Bio-spot. We spent another pretty much sleepless night last night but she still seems to be suffering with the same symptoms. This morning I noticed that she is losing her hair around her tail and hind quarters. This is really upsetting as I have kept her hair long and groom her almost daily. She is drinking water and eating which is a good sign. I just don't know what to do for her to make her feel better and after reading all these other stories, I am really worried about permanent damage.
I do want to make a formal complaint to the company putting these poisens on the market and to PetSmart for pushing the sale of them in their training classes.
I hope my puppy survives my error in using this unsafe product.
Lizanne 4/13/04
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(This message was just sent to the National Pesticide Information Center)
Please remove this product from the market immediately. How many more pets need to suffer?
I am speaking of Hartz Control One Spot. I "treated" my Shi-Poo with this yesterday as a method of flea prevention. After a few hours, she began to whine and try to scratch the application area. I bathed her to remove as much of the product as possible. However, it is now in her blood stream
and may very well have caused neurological damage. She shakes uncontrollably, is extremely lethargic (very out of character for her) and has difficulty manouvering her hindquarters. She is only
3 years old. We spent a long scary night with her last night as she struggled to breathe thoughout
the night. I am bringing her into the vet shortly and hope I removed enough of the product in time.
I looked up this and other similar products on the internet and am astonished to see how common the poisoning of animals is. What will it take for this dangerous product to be removed from the shelves? Permethrin should be banned. The package also does not provide adequate warning
nor does it include any literature in how to treat adverse reactions!
Please act on this before other animals suffer needlessly!!!
I would appreciate hearing back from you as to what will happen as a result of this type of complaint filed.
Thank You
Sandra 4/16/04
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In the interest of saving money I decided to try BioSpot especially after reading that Dr. Foster & Smith recommended it. I had previously used Advantix for two months on my 2-year-old shelter-rescued 46 lb. American Eskimo and had seen no side effects. I read everything on the package and the side effects didn't sound that menacing. Maybe some irritation on the skin. Boy, is that an understatement. Immediately after I put on the BioSpot, she began acting crazy and running around trying to hide under the bed, closet, etc. There was no doubt in my mind what caused this so I grabbed her and put her in the tub to rinse the stuff off. This is usually a two-person process, but my husband was cutting the grass outside and I didn't want to wait another minute so I tried to do it myself. Well, she struggled mightily and slipped a couple times. Since it was such a traumatic experience I thought she was just being aloof afterwards. We only have had her for six months. But when she just laid in one spot and didn't respond to food, I knew something was wrong. It might have been a coincidence, but after I gave her a charcoal tablet, she definitely improved. Charcoal is supposed to absorb toxins.
I went to the Internet and found your Web site. It was heartbreaking to read all those postings. So far
I think I was one of the lucky ones. It has been about 20 hours later now and she has perked up, but still hunches over when she walks, holds her tail to the side, cries sometimes and clearly has a
problem with her back legs. I am sick with worry that this won't go away and the worst part of it is knowing I did this to her.
I will never use any of those topical insecticides again. It used to be when a dog had fleas, you would give them a flea dip, treat the house and be done with it. I am suspicious of this topical poison used every month as a new way for vets to make money.
Thanks for "listening."
Renee 4/18/04
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I was glad to find your site. I thought our experience was unusual, now it is a problem with the product. We learned about Biospot from our puppy training instructor at Petsmart. Because it was less expensive than other products we decided to give it a try on our two Bijon Frise 6 month old puppies. We applied the first treatment at 10 pm and after waiting a while to see that they were OK, went to bed. At 3 AM we awoke to the puppies whining which was very unusual, so I went to let them
out. They ran outside and started rolling and scratching in agony. Their backs were already very red. I gave them a bath to wash off the Biospot, but they were still going crazy with itching. One puppy was even bleeding at the application site. The next morning we gave the puppies another bath, but they were still itching and scratching. They ended up with large scabs on their backs which took a long time to heal. We are thankful the reaction was not more severe as some of your readers
described, but we have still learned a lesson. Our vet recommends Advantage. Does anyone
know if dogs that have reactions to Biospot also have problems with Advantage?
Vivianna 4/19/04
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We have four German Shepard/ Husky mixes, Mom (Jo-Jo) Dad (RO) and two 1 yr. old pups Houdini and Huck.A week ago last Monday (4/12/04) the parent dogs were treated with front-line and the two pups with Bio-Spot...Big Mistake! with in two days Jo-Jo and Houdie were sick, not eating nor drinking, and acting out of character, they also began running very high temps above 105*.
My wife took them to the local vet where they were treated with antibiotics, on Thursday and again on Friday. Their condition worsened and by Saturday both dogs were having trouble walking, acting drunk! Houdie developed a twitch on one eyebrow. We took them to a larger animal hospital that evening, up to that point we were clues-less to what might be wrong with our kids. Talking with the Vet. on call that night Bio-spot came up and his knee jerk reaction was very telling. But Jo-Jo had been treated with Front-line,only the Pups had the Bio-Spot! Then My wife remembered that the other pup Huck had been wet behind the neck the day we had put the stuff on them, we now suspect the other two dogs had ingested the poison during their frequent hearty play sessions, only Jo-Jo and the pups play like this, the old man "RO" is 12 yrs. old and is content to watch these activities.
They came home today with Jo-Jo showing marked improvement, more active and eating again, not so for Houdini, very lethargic, will not eat, has drank some water tonight. but still has trouble walking. I got on the Internet and shortly got with my wife to give Houdie a bath with dish soap, we surmised that Jo-Jo only ingested some of it from Huck, as did Houdie, but Houdini had also been treated with Bio-Death.......We go to sleep tonight praying that we haven't done permanent damage to our baby.
Sheldon 4/21/04
I thought I'd send an update on JoJo and Houdini, JoJo has made marked improvements everyday she's been home, and other than her loss of weight and still low energy level, she is doing very well.
Houdini ate yesterday for the first time in over a week, (7 of his favorite Dog Cookies) he was 100+lbs before this began and weighed 81lbs. when we brought him home from their stay at the Vet's 3 days ago. He ate another half-dozen Milk Bones today and is keeping them down. He is still having balance problems walking, and is very weak, but a little life reappeared in his eyes today, prior to this it was just a blank empty stare. We are cautiously optimistic that he has turned the corner, and is beginning to recover.
We are about $800.00 bucks into this right now, with an appointment Saturday morning for a follow up at the Vet hospital. I just thank goodness there are some good ones out there, and we found one in time, I believe without this very concerned Vet. who took us seriously Houdie wouldn't have made it. We will be seeking reimbursement for the cost of all this from the Company. I will also follow up on your other suggestions.
Thanks again for putting this information out there, people need to know! I will find a different way to deal with the fleas and ticks, a full 50% of our dogs can not TOLERATE this poison.
Sheldon 4/23/04
I thought I'd send an update on our experience with our dogs and Bio-Spot. It's been about a month now, and I'm glad to report that "JoJo" the 2yr. old female German Shepard, appears to have made a full recovery. Her weight is back and everything seems normal with her.
Our 1yr. old baby Houdini, has made what I consider a remarkable recovery from what that poison we put on him did to him. He too has gained allot of his weight back, and for the most part he's pretty much back to the loving-onery-100 lb.puppy he was before.
Yet, I believe this dog has suffered what I fear is some permanent damage from his bout with Bio-Hell. His head tilts to (his) left all the time. You know how allot of the time, you'll say something to your dog, and they'll kinda tilt their head like they're paying attention to you, well his head is that way all the time now, if he happens to tilt his head to the right while he's trying to pay attention, it's straight up in a "normal" position. We've been hoping one of these mornings we'll wake up and our Houdini will be leveled out. My wife says his world got slightly twisted.
Farnam, after much difficulty has "Very Recently" verbally agreed to pay our $800.00 Vet bill, luckily both the Vets. that took care of our dogs were willing to write supporting letters of our claims. I have yet to receive reimbursement from them.
Thanks again for providing this site, I truly believe finding it, when i did, helped our babies get through this scary and very unnecessary ( if they'd take this crap off the shelf ) poisoning.
Sheldon 5/24/04
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I also was using Biospot on my miniature pincher, Baxter, who just turned 3. We used it on him all last summer with no problems so we decided to use it again this year. I put it on him for the first time this year in the beginning of April. Almost instantly, he started to act funny. He just laid around, not playing, it took all his energy away. We just figured it was because of the strong citrus smell. Then today when I put it on him he started to act the same way. I decided to look it up online and found this site. Within an hour of putting it on him I had my husband give him a bath. Thankfully he has his spunk back and is acting fine. We were lucky that it didn¹t have the hazardous affect as did some of the others. We only used Biospot to save a few dollars, but it is not worth it. If you love your animal you will stop using it now.
Susan 5/5/04
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My cat Jax is currently at the vet hospital after his owners used Bio Spot on him. Jax became overly excited, was jumping all over the place, he started foaming at the mouth and he started having jerky movements. My name is Kristine and Jax has been a part of our family since he was a little fluffy kitten, now he is struggling for his life after becoming poisoned by this stuff. We had used it once before on him and he showed no reaction so last night before we went to bed we used it on him for a 2nd time. Right after we put it down his back I noticed his behavior start to change. He started to dart all over the house, jumping up on the furniture, wanting to go outside then come back inside, he just wasn't acting himself. After I had gone to bed Jax kept jumping up into bed with me and he'd lay quietly next to me for a little while before he began to bite at himself, he kept this up for about 30 minutes until I could take no more. I finally had my husband give him a bath, he washed him down with warm water and scrubbed him good. It was too late, the poison had already gotten into Jax's system and this was only hours later.
The next morning after I had left for work @ 3:30am, my husband noticed jax wasn't around anywhere, and he is always around for his morning belly rub but this morning he wasn't, so he went looking for him and found him laying lifeless out in the front yard, where he probably laid for hours before he was found. He called out his name but Jax didn't even look up, he couldn't move! He was shaking and trembling and foaming at the mouth, my poor kitty, I cant believe he had to go through something like that just because greedy b*stards want to make money!! My husband rushed him to the vet where he was given an antidote and IV fluids, he is still there tonight, the vet said he is stable and should be okay, it just has to work its way through his system but he knew immediately what was wrong with Jax, and he said he wouldn't recommend this product to any one, He said it shouldn't be on the market, that it is a killer for our animals. They wouldn't let something like this for our children to be put out on the shelves if even one child could be harmed from it, would they? Sure they say that some pet owners have found it to be great, and so did I the first time we used it but what about the second time and the third time, and what about the pet owners who this isnt great for? What are we suppose to do, watch our pets suffer and die for the few who can use it? I say NO!!! and so should all of you!!! We need to do something about this before one more pet owner has to go through what me and all of you have already gone through, our voice needs to be heard loud and clear by everyone!!!!
If anyone knows where we can write to or who we can contact or what else we can do to get this
stuff banned from shelves everywhere please let me know, I will be first in line!! Jax is suppose to
be coming home tomorrow but it sure is lonely tonight without him, not hearing his little jingle from
his collar and tags as he plays with his toys, bouncing from room to room, he's all alone right now
in a pet hospital all because of someone else's greed.
Jax's momma, kristine 5/5/04
Thank you for your response! And the valuable information you gave me. Jax made a complete recovery from his Bio Spot poisoning, thank the Lord. The vet had to shave a 3" by 12" strip of his fur from his back to remove the remaining poisoning, he said that stuff should never be used and should be banned from all store shelves! The vet said he was surprised at Jax's fast recovery usually cats have had to stay longer , he only had to stay one night, and the vet bill only came to $200.00, which I am thankful for but it was a $200.00 lesson worth learning, one which I'd rather not have had to go through, nor Jax. He came home and was a little wobbly from the sedation and he showed a little bit of agiatation for a day or so but I believe the fact that we took him straight to the vet instead of waiting to see if it would work its way through his system saved his life, the vet said if we would have waited he would not have made it.
I am contacting this company first thing in the morning. I will ask for my vet bill to be reimbursed and
I will contact the National Peticide INformation center and every other center there is to contact! This needs to be stopped or they need to put warnings on their label thatstates this stuff kills our pets not just 'may cause a sensitivity" some sensitivity!! I will help make that happen if it takes 10 years to do so. If you know of any way I can help please let me know.
Thanks James for your time and help. I hope your pet is still thriving and doing well?
Kristine 5/10/04
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Thanks for your website. By reading it, I got one more week with my dog Annie. Annie was a 65 pound lab & shephard mix, 8 years old. Ticks are bad this year and for the first time in her life, I put on a tick repellant, Bio-Spot. Within 12 hours she was lethargic and wouldn't stand up. I called the vet and checked the web and with the advice of both, gave Annie a bath. Immediately she opened her eyes more and was peppier. As the next week went by, she seemed to be back to normal. However, this morning, 9 days since giving her Bio-spot she is dead. She had what appeared to be a seizure and trouble breathing. Within 15 minutes, she was dead. We took her body to the vet and with the speed of her death, he believes it was cardiac arrest, that he says may or may not have been caused by the Bio-Spot. But I wanted to post this message, as I firmly believe the Bio-Spot killed her as 9 days before she was a healthy dog. Unfortunately, I am afraid most people won't seek the information out until "after" administering the Bio-Spot, and then it is too late. But even if it saves another pet lover from this anguish, it will be worth it.
Sue 5/7/04
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We purchased Bio Spot for the same reason as most people. It apeared to be the same as Advantage, what we used before, but was cheaper. Well little did we know that within 12 hours our boxer's face would swell up and her eyes would swell up so bad they were almost closed. We rushed her to the vet as soon as we noticed it, which was as soon as we woke up. They looked at her and listened to her heart and lungs. The vet said everything appeared ok and it was probably an allergic reaction to something. It was like a light went on, my wife and I remembered we had just applied Bio Spot late the night before. He told us to use Benadryl 3 times a day for 3 days and keep an eye on her. I am so glad her reaction was a little swelling and nothing worse.
I will NEVER again use Bio Spot OR recommend it.
Charles 5/8/04
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My friend's dog died from the use of Biospot. The owner put it on as instructed but the dog, a 5 yr old German Shephard started vomiting, so bad indeed her intestines twisted (which I understand is common to larger dogs). My friend thought it would be as good as that at the vets, and it saved her $8. The dog stayed alive for a week (at the vets), came home for Saturday and Sunday. Sunday evening she got worse and went back to the vets ....Tuesday morning my friend got a call that Ellie had died along with a bill of $1500.
I don't understand why Hartz is still being sold..they have had 2 large lawsuits (with many plaintiffs); one lawsuit for blockade paid out $75,000 yet the product is still on the shelves. Apparently the settlement included posting a note to the container about the dangers of this product.
G. Black 5/16/04
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Thursday night, I used Bio-Spot on my cat and she has been at the Vets ever since. We will be bringing her home today and with any luck at all she will be fine. If we had waited any longer to bring her to the vets she would not have survived. She has been hooked up to I.V.s all weekend.
I have been reading all the information that was sent to you from other pet owners and I can feel their pain. I too felt so bad for using this product just to save a few bucks. My cat is worth so much more that than the few bucks that I thought I was saving. I almost lost my cat due to Bio-Spot and cannot believe that someone hasn't done something to get this removed from the market. How many more pets need to suffer this way?
I will be contacting Bio-Spot directly just to let them know how frustrated that I am with their company.
I wanted to thank you for setting up this site.
Donna 5/18/04
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I am the proud parent of an 11 yr. old, 15 lb. male jack russell and a 3yr. old, 10 lb. female jack. I have just gotten back from the vets with my little girl "Z". You see on Monday evening at approx. 9 pm. I gave her a dose of Bio-Spot between her shoulder blades and then my husband took them both for their usual 20 minute stroll. I noticed immediately after I put the Bio-Spot on her she became quite aggitated and trying to rub it off. When my husband got back with them from their walk she just wasn't her usual self. She was very latargic,irregular heartbeat,labored and erratic breathing, and salivating alot. I immediately put her in our laundry sink and started to wash the area where I placed the Bio Spot. She then began running around like a wild waman. (More that usual for this jack.) At 11:00 I called our vet, in the meantime I placed her in our bathtub which has a hand held sprayer. I lathered her up 3 times and constantly kept water running on the applied area. In the meantime the vet spoke with my husband telling him what I was doing was the best thing that we could do. I sat with her wrapped in a heavy blanket til 3 in the morning trying to get her to stop shaking. She constantly kept licking her mouth. Finally when she would fall asleep she would jerk and raise her head then lay back down. On Tues. she was slightly better, I returned to work and my 19 yr. old son was with her. When I got home she greeted me from the back of the couch as usual but her eyes were kind of hazy. She chased our older jack and then lied down like it had really taken it out of her. She went outside right before bed as she usually does and her bowels moved, nothing but stringy bloody mucous. She did this 2x and in between vomited up a frothy white. I collected her stool and once again at 11 pm. placed a call to our vet. She said get some pepto bismol in her and bring her in to the office tomorrow.
Well, like I said we just got back and the good news after $102 vet bill (small price to pay!!) it looks like she is on the mend. Just let me tell you though I took along the container that came with the Bio Spot and the vet called the 800 number and the only thing they did was say call poison control. Well, poison control will not give any info without your credit card with the debit for $45. That is sad. Bio Spot should be made to foot the cost after everything that I have read about this stuff. Which I wish I would have done before. She is on limited water and special science diet food and and anti-nausea,diarrhea medcine.
I failed to tell you that the reason that my older jack did not have a reaction is because I gave him the last treatment of Frontline that I had and while shopping at PetSmart for toys the other day saw this product and decided to try it on the advice of my neighbor who uses it on all 5 of her dogs.
Well, thank you for letting me vent my anger and frustration my next letter will be to the manufacuters of BioSpot.
Sue 5/19/04
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I am writing to you because I am sick thinking that I may have caused my wonderful dog harm.
I have a 14 month old Vizsla who is the light of my life. I have been using K9 Advantix on him since he was a puppy (on the recommendation from our vet). He has been through hell over the last six months, in and out of the hospital with digestive problems (vomiting/diarrhea/severe weight loss) and he just had surgery to remove two histiocytomas from his skin. He has been recovering nicely, finally (but only after many sleepless nights and a huge drain on my bank account) and during his recovery period we did not apply the K9 Advantix and he did not have any problems -- no more vomiting, etc.
Since he was "all better" and he is outside a lot more now that it is summer here, I applied K9 Advantix once again, never thinking that it may have been harmful in the first place. Now my boy is vomiting, is lethargic, and does not have the same appetite as he did a week or so ago (before
I applied it). I bathed him today but I don't think that it helped. I am going out of my mind thinking
that I did this to him and what if all the problems he had all along were the result of applying this supposedly "safe" topical medication. I know most of the articles and posts on your site dealt
with "Biospot", but I believe that K9 Advantix has many of the same ingredients and properties.
Please let me know if you have any specific information regarding this product, and if you have any ideas on where to go from here. I can't afford to lose the most beautiful, loving, and intelligent dog
I have ever seen in my life.
J. May 5/20/04
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I'm thankful this site is up, I only wish I had looked for it prior to applying Biospot to my 5 year old cat Peaches. Like many of these stories, mine begins with Petco. I did not buy the Biospot from the store, but ordered it online, opting for the cheaper product. It will be a mistake I'll regret for the rest
of my life. Yesterday I applied the flea drops to my two cats. The first cat, Dot, had no problems with the medication, but less than an hour after application Peaches became irritable. I assumed she
was just angry at me (she wasn't named Princess Peaches for nothing). I didn't notice a real problem until this morning. I was laying in bed, petting her, when she suddenly developed tremors. The vet's office was not open yet and I was in a panic to find out what I could do. I washed her
with soap and water, hoping to get that horrid poison off her skin. About an hour later Peaches had a seizure. She lost all control of her limbs and was unable to walk. I called the vet as soon as they opened and warned them that I was bringing her in. My story does not have a happy ending, they
were unable to save my cat and we had to have her put to sleep. I wish I could say they were surprised, that it must have been some fluke of nature, a rare reaction to flea medication, but it wasn't. I was told story after story about these horrific drops..Hartz...Biospot...it didn't matter, they
all had one thing in common..and it had killed my cat.
Amy 5/21/04
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We have two pampered and spoiled 2 and 2-1/2 year old pugs and travel with them whenever we go places. Four days ago I administered to both of them the K9 Advantix prescribed by our vet. The youngest has showed no reaction at all to this product. The oldest (approximately 2-1/2 years old) almost immediately started sliding his head over his bedding like he was trying to get it off. He's a spoiled rascal and my husband and I just considered it more of his antics. I was horrified early the next morning when I awoke to find Buster standing underneath one of our chairs, almost comotose, his tail completely down, staring into space. He could barely move! I called the vet immediately and they said give him a bath as it could be the Advantix. I did. He has not gotten better. I''ve had him at the vet three times. His primary symptoms are profound physical weakness. He can barely get off his bead. He also exhibits a lack of interest in food and water, as well as interacting with our other pug, who has been his big buddy for a long time. He walks a few steps and just stares like he is confused. Now my vet says he could have pug encephalitis. It may be true that he has this, but if he does, it was brought on by the Advantix because it started within an hour after I administered it to him. I am just sick. I can only pray that through some miracle he can get over it. May I say that two days before I put this stuff on him he was at the vet, with blood tests, and the vet had pronounced him a perfect, healthy pug. Now I think he may not make it. If he lives, I will never, never put anything like that on him again. One last thing, if this helps anyone else. We were in the process of taking a trip. Within two days Buster had his rabies, kennel cough and other vaccinations, was given a worm pill, and then given Advantix. Whether it all was too much or it was just the Advantix, I'll never know. I'll write back to tell you how it goes.
Donna 5/23/04
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Thanks for your website. It certainly clears up what has happened to our poodle. The summer is approaching so we put on Zodiac spot on flea control. A few hours later she would not walk. She is having pain in her hind quarters and moans in pain. The vet checked her out and ran tests, but was
unclear what it was. We suspected the flea control, but now we have proof. We just do not know
what to do now, hopefully it clear up. My wife is washing her as we speak.
Carl 5/24/04
I contacted Zodiac and they already had a consumer hotline set up that goes directly to the ASPCA and I talked to a doctor there. One recommendation other than bathing is to rub vitamin E on the affected area and cold compresses can relieve the pain as well. Maybe you can pass this along to others that will have this problem. I also made my Vet aware of the issue and will be calling Petco, where I bought the stuff, and inform them as well as the EPA.
One question, Do you know of any clinical studies that have shown the harmful effects on dogs. I would like to present something more scientific to my vet that anedotal evidence. Thanks!
Carl 5/25/04
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On 5/23/04 my healthy 6 year old Weimaraner had a grand-mal seizure (she has never had a seizure before). We used K-9 Advantix on her just one day before on 5/22/04. During the seizure she was seemingly paralyzed. She could not lift her head or limbs- her limbs were fixed in a straight position and locked. Her mouth was open with excessive drooling and her breathing was rapid and labored- we thought she would die. She spent the night in the emergency veterinary clinic. It took several hours for her to regain her ability to walk and she is still not herself. Our vet did mention that the chemical in the K-9 Advantix could cause neurological problems and after reading the information posted on the site I am convinced that the K-9 Advantix is responsible for her seizure. Now we are told that she will spend the remainder of her life on anti-seizure drugs. These products should be taken off the market and a class-action lawsuit should be put together to protect our animals.
Jenean 5/26/04
Thanks for your comments. I have already contacted Bayer by phone and of course was told that the product is safe. I have emailed Bayer's CEO in Germany- Werner Wenning (his email is: werner.wenning.ww@bayer-ag.de), and have also contacted EPA, CNN, and Petsmart (where we purchased the product). I am still not sure about whether Belle should be on the anti-seizure meds or not- don't really know what to do about this.
Please contact CNN yourself about this if you have the time-, I sent them an email by locating the "News Tips" box on the website. I would also encourage others to do the same as public awareness is the only way to get these products off the market.
Jenean 5/26/04
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I am sitting here frantically trying to find a web site to help me, help my daughter's cat Fizzy! She has just had her second siezure and we are all freaking out right now!!! Her eyes are completely black, she's sitting about three inches facing the wall and shaking with her back to us. At about 5:00 I put Bio Spot behind her neck and thought nothing else about it. About 9:00 my daughter came in my room, I was talking on the phone and hadn't even noticed that Fizzy had come up and was laying
on the bed with me. My daughter went to pet her and told me she was blinking and shaking. I hung up and thought maybe she had gotten some of the medication in her eyes, so I dropped saline solution in her eyes and bathed her in the bath tub. I thought she was OK. I had NO IDEA she would have such a reation! A little while later she started acting REALLY WIERD!!! I called the only emergency vet clinic that was open to get directions, they basically said if I didn't have $400-$500+ cash or
credit card I should borrow the money or not bother to bring her in, I asked if they would let me make installments and they insisted I should try and borrow the money.....so my next step was FIND HELP on the web....and here I am and it's now 1:30 a.m.....and I'm scared to death...according to this site most animals do make it through this...or maybe that's the letters I wanted to remember, that way I still have hope....I feel terrible!!!! Just terrible!!!! We're giving her water with an eye dropper as much as we can...and we're praying for her...she can't walk but she keeps trying so hard, this is the worst thing I've ever seen...I put the vegetable oil behind her neck after reading one letter from a lady, I'm not sure that anything is going to help her so I'm pretty much hating myself at this minute, also the vet clinic and Bio Spot but mostly me....I hope if anyone knows ANYTHING about what to do in this situation, that they will post it here and maybe they can help someone help their pet who has been turned down by the vet.
She's still spazing...I gotta go...
Rhonda 5/30/04
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I bought Zodiac® Spot On® for my beloved afghan hounds. My groomer recommended it and since she is a very "natural" type (not big on drugs, hormones, etc.), I took her advice.
On Monday, I put the stuff on according to the directions - very carefully. Luckily, I am really bad
at getting this stuff on, and it usually sits on top of their fur more than going to their skin. I took a paper towel and sponged off the excess (the stuff that didn't make it down to the skin). Another
lucky thing.
Today is Sunday and I have been watching one of my dogs experience problems all week. I found this site tonight and immediately washed her with Dawn® dish soap. Here's what has been happening:
She started limping on her left, front leg/foot. I carefully checked her from shoulder to toenail and she
does not even flinch when I rub or squeeze her foot/leg. She is shaky, lethargic and started to vomit
at least once a day - always right after eating.
I called the product hotline to see what line of bull they might be handing out. I got the usual: That's not consistent with the product. Go to your vet.
You folks all know how it is - you KNOW that there is something wrong with your pet. This was a perfectly happy/healthy dog who is now feeling poorly. Thankfully, she has not had the severe reactions that most of your lovely pets have suffered. This may be a mild case of poisoning, but I
am confident that this is exactly what it is. It just all adds up.
Tomorrow is Memorial Day, so unless I can find the money for an emergency vet visit, I will be waiting until Tuesday. It is sad that we have to dictate our beloved pets health by what we can afford.
Best wishes to you all and my deepest sympathies to those who have lost their furry children. 'Tis a sad world indeed, sometimes.
JR 5/30/04
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I used Frontline TopSpot on my cat earlier this year. From reading your message board I would say that the action described by the manufacturer (Merial, part of Aventis) is similar to that of Bio Spot. The capsule contains drops which are put on the back of the cats neck between the shoulder blades to eliminate fleas.
Within a few hours he was in distress, anxious, trembling, salivating and in a crouched position. His eyes could not tolerate light. Within two days a fine white film developed over one eye which passed off within 48 hours, only for it to happen with the other eye, then both eyes at the same time. The area where Frontline Top Spot was applied lost all its hair and hair loss became apparent along the spine as the Top Spot spread throughout his coat. His skin started scaling off like an extreme case of dandruff and his fur became very thin. At every opportunity he crept into my lap for comfort and felt the need to be close. It is not possible to wash this stuff off and the manufacturer has stated there is no antidote. The problem with his eyes has come and gone in waves and became worse after he lay in the sun. He became very nervous and appeared to find being picked up painful. Although now, four months later his eyes seem to have stablised, they remaining slightly filmy. If he survives, I can only wonder whether he will eventually become blind. He has lost a great deal of weight and become very thin. He is now unable to tolerate many foods which he used to eat with relish. The food he does eat passes through his body too quickly for him to be able to utilise the nutrients. He has trouble with his gait - his back legs have become very weak.
From speaking to others it is obvious that there is much under-reporting of adverse reactions and much misdiagnosis. This is serious for owners as they don't get to hear of the dangers inherent in using these products and the animal concerned suffers terribly.
Sally 6/6/04
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I applied Bio Spot on my Great Danes last week, on June 1. My son was lying with the dogs on Friday morning, June 4. As the morning progressed my son's face swelled up and got very red, hot and splotchy looking. I washed his face with soap and water and decided to just see what happened as the day progressed. His breathing was normal, the swelling did not increase nor did any other symptoms show up. On Sat. am his face was even more swollen so we took him to the doctor. He was treated for a severe chemical burn on his face. The swelling has gone down, but the redness still remains. The only thing he touched that had anything to do with chemicals were our dogs.
Over the last two days I've noticed that my male Dane is now losing hair close to where I applied the Bio Spot.
I was so excited to find a product that covered fleas and ticks at a reasonable price. Now I am very disappointed on how this is turning out.
Heidi 6/7/04
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Just wanted to let you know that my dog also had a severe reaction to Kiltix (prior version of K9 Advantix) that I had gotten through our vet. After the first application, she had a mild seizure, was unable to stand and started panting heavily. Unfortunately, I didn't connect the episode to the Kiltix. I didn't know what was wrong. I gave her a second application over a month later. She had a major seizure three days after applying the product according to the instructions. Symptoms included unable to support herself, eyes rolling back, panting, etc. It was very scary. We ended up taking her to an urgent care center. They did a full blood panel and physical on her and could find nothing wrong. To be on the safe side, the vet administers an antibiotic and an antihistime. Luckily, she recovered fairly quickly.
After researching the product on the web, I believe the Kiltix caused the seizures. I reported the incident to Bayer and they had the nerve to tell me that they don't see cases like this! I was very disappointed with my conversation with them, there seemed to be a complete lack of responsiblity on their part. I never would have used the product had I known what could happen.
Thanks for getting the word out on how harmful these products can be.
Anonymous 6/8/04
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Thanks for your website!! Oh I wish I would have found it sooner. I am sitting here thinking about
how I may have killed or hurt my best friend by using this crap. I am devasted that this is still being sold. I am soooo livid. He was acting irractic all night and the people at the hotline said that is not
possible. When I told them about all the web pages they said people are paranoid!!!! My poor
shih tzu is twitching and can't sleep or sit still for a second. I am sooo sad.
Kelli 6/10/04
He is in the hospital now! I bathed him, 3 times. The company is Zodiac but it is the same ingredients as bio spot. He is on muscle relaxers and antihistamine. The company is totally doing what you said. They say it is not a common reaction but I have talked to many many people and vets that say that is bull. I am going on a mission to inform people about these products. What do you use on your dog now? I am thinking about wholistic medicine. UGH!!! I am soooooooo mad.
How did your dog recover? How long did it take? George thank you so much. You are doing an awesome service.
Kelli 6/11/04
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I am trying to find info regarding Bio Spot. I used it last month on my dog and I have noticed her hair isn't growing back in the spots it was on. Have you heard of this? Now that I am thinking about it her behavior was really strange for a few weeks last month. My husband thought she was losing her mind. She is now back to her self but still waiting for fur to come back. Any info would be great.
Gina 6/10/04
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My cat just had a reaction to Hartz flea and tick control for cats ten pounds and over. She is at the emergency vet as we speak. I stumbled across your website while I was trying to find out what was wrong with her....she was shaking and twitching uncontrollably and had problems with walking. She is getting IV therapy as well as muscle relaxors so that her temperature doesn't increase from all the shaking. This bill is going to cost us around $500.00. Is there any way the company will pay for this?
We have given her this med. before with no reaction...I don't understand what happend this time.
Aimee 6/12/04
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After reading most of the emails posted on your site, I am convinced my Sharpei/German Shepard mix Duke is dying from an adverse reaction to these chemicals. Last weekend Duke escaped from my backyard and was picked up by the pound. I picked Duke up from the pound and gave him, along with my beagle and cocker, baths in flea and tick shampoo and then applied the Hartz flea and tick drops. Then I got to thinking the pound may have already treated Duke with something. I called the pound and they said they gave him Frontline. This means he had a double dose within a 2 days. The pound conviced me he should be fine. I went out of town for business on Thursday and when I returned I noticed Duke wasn't his normal energetic self. On Sunday Duke wouldn't eat at all not even his treats and I really became concerned. He was hiding under the bed and wouldn't get up when normally he is chasing birds and very energetic. He wouldn't eat a thing when normally he eats everything in sight. He looked like he was dying. I took him to the emergency room. I told them about the tick drops but they didnt really seemed that concerned about the drops. The vet took blood and started Duke on fluids. Duke took almost a liter of fluids since he was severely dehydrated! The bloodwork came back normal. The vet didnt know what to do. I kept pushing the idea of Duke being poisioned by the drops. She looked up Frontline in her medical book and it said that there were no reported cases of dogs or cats having adverse reactions even after been given 5 times the recommended dose. So the vet ruled that out. She recommended easy digestion dog food and said if he begins to eat to give him the Metronidazole (antibiotic) she prescribed. He has tried to eat today but vomited it up about an hour later. He still is hibernating under the bed. I dont know if I should bother bathing him with dish soap since he had the treatment one week ago, it is probably absorbed in his system. So far $250 in vet bills. Duke was already underweight due to digestive disorders. Now he is wasting away, even his muscles are detriorating. He is starving to death. I dont know what to do. This is definately something more than his digestive disorder.
Any recommendations?
Rachel 6/14/04
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My two pets had a bad reaction from bio-spot. However, it took a while for me to figure out what their problems were. My small dog became disoriented, weak and dizzy and then a week later had a seizure. My bigger dog itches like crazy and has developed a rash.
Jackie 6/17/04
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I used Biospot (33-66 lb. dose) on my 66 lb. keshound/german shepard mix last Sunday and got
the scare of my life as my dog started howling in pain, salivating, and hiding under the dining room table. By Monday he was having difficulty walking and his hind legs were not functioning normally.
My vet rolled his eyes when I advised him what I had done. He advised me biospot uses a toxic concentrated organophosphate Permethrin which most fleas and ticks have already developed resistance to since the product has been around for almost 20 years!! Foster & Smith (the retailer from whom I brought the product) claims this product is safe!! I googled biospot toxicity and
found thousands of dogs and cats have died or suffered serious toxicity to this product!! I have
e-mailed Foster & Smith urging them to drop this product immediately!! Luckily, after washing Ramsis 2x with Dawn dishwashing liquid and giving him the Prednisone and Robaxin my vet prescribed he made a full recovery!!
Joseph 6/20/04
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My cat, Casper, had been treated with Bio-Spot for Cats one time with no ill effects, at least none that I noticed. Last night, within minutes of being treated, Casper started to twitch and blink uncontrollably. He seemed to be having numerous seizures. The vet told me that he was certain it was the Bio-Spot and highly recommended I do not use it on either my cat or my dog. He said that studies have shown that as many as 1 in 20 cats cannot tolerate this chemical. Casper will be in the
hospital for several days, being treated with medications to control the toxic effects and being given IV fluids and watched closely. It will cost me between $300-$350 dollars, and hopefully, he will recover.
Needless to say, I am very unhappy with Drs. Foster and Smith, which highly recommended the product in their catalog. When I called them they apologized, but informed me that they get many calls from people who love the product. I told them that I felt they had no business selling this product and that I wanted my complaint on record. I will never use it again, and I will make sure everyone I talk with knows of my experience.
Thank you for all your efforts. This product should be removed from the market, and hopefully, your website will help to get the word around.
Becky 6/22/04
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Last week i treated a horse with a spot on permethrin product, a couple days later i noticed the signs of her scratching or rubbing her face and then noticed round flat ulcers on her lips the only thing different that was done, was the spot on treatment, also i think she may have got some on her face as she jumped around a bit when i put it on. we have not had the vet out yet as it is very early in the a.m. (her temp is normal) one vet i called thought it didnt sound like an emergency but to have it looked at, also three other horses treated the same day with the same product are fine, but for certain the others did not get any of the product on face.. this product is freedom 45 spot on fly killer. has anyone else had a problem like this?
Sheila 6/23/04
hi sheila again, my regular vet called a couple hours after the first one and after hearing the symptoms (this is horse rubbing face and neck and with ulcer type sores on her lips, one week after using freedom 45 spot-on fly killer/repeller ) said it was the 2nd CASE THIS WEEK!... same thing permethrin 45% he said to wash her immediatly and if the sores were not better in two days she would probably need cortisone and anti-histamine shots....and i trusted a store to use this product....also i tried to call the company, who makes this and no 800 or regular number! The website they gave had only product info but no contact number. (pretty scary) thank you very much for your web-site it is what prompted me to call another vet after the first one said dont worry about it.
Sheila and "Tirawa" 6/23/04
I went to the Star Horse Products website (www.starhorseproducts.com) and was SHOCKED that there is no corporate address or phone number listed!!! Is there an address on the packaging? The EPA requires manufacturers to put their name and address on the packaging. Companies that make similar products often include a phone number for reporting adverse reactions to them, and will reimburse your vet expenses if their product is suspected of causing an adverse reaction.
I found it interesting that the directions for Freedom Spot-On 45 state "Do not use on horses intended for food use. Caution: Harmful if swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing." It's considered safe to put it on the skin of horses as long as you don't eat them!!! I guess the EPA believes it's safe to put high concentrations of pesticides on dogs as long as you don't intend to eat them.
James TerBush
hi james thanks so much for writing! every address you mentioned for Star Horse Products is different from the pkg. AND another one the epa, nat. pesticide center has. they could not find a phone no. directly to the co. but gave me a number for their rep. who handles this product and many others, he said his firm had tests for the dog flea products but they had NEVER looked into the products for horses! and yes isnt it scary what the label says about not getting it on your skin but your supposed to put it on an animal. he did agree that the label should be changed, especially to consider that horses in a pasture will always touch each other, it is their nature....so isnt this also what is happening to dogs and cats? no matter how carefully you put on these products animals can get these products on each other in their mouths etc. and what is it doing to us! what kind of down the road illness' are we going have come up for us humans as well as our animals! Now i have a second horse who is losing hair in his face, and the 1st horse is maybe improved a tiny bit we will watch them closely and probably have a vet out on monday unless there is a big change.
Sheila 6/26/04
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I bought a pitbull puppy about two months old a week ago she had fleas pretty bad so i bought the Fleatrol drops and applied to back of her neck the next day she became extremely thirsty and acted real sick the next morning her skin started opening up and and became infected i immediately took her to the vet were she still is were there treating her with medicated baths and anticeptics. Fleatrol should definitely be took off the market.
James 6/26/04
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I found your website and I hope you can offer some help. As we speak, my dog is in the hospital from chemical burns from BioSpot. The skin down his entire back was so severely burned that is literally falling off. The doctor wanted to keep him boarded to watch for secondary infection and to keep him lightly sedated to ease the pain. I am so furious at this company that I don't know what
to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Keith 6/26/04
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How do I report an adverse reaction to a flea control product?
Please contact the U.S. EPA by telephoning 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.
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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.
