Update 9/11/04: Hamish has not had ANY seizures since we stopped using Bio Spot 27 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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I used Advantix on my 6 1/2 yr old Shih Tzu on a Tuesday night. She became very ill and started vomiting and had serious, foul smelling diarrhea. It just got worse, so I took her to my vet on thursday, the vomiting stopped but my girl was not eating or drinking anything and so I took her to the Univ of PA Vet Hosp on Friday. She started to drink water there in the emergency room and they thought she would be okay and told me to take her home. The "runs" got worse and she still consumed no food and almost no water. I took her back to the Univ of PA on Sunday and she had to stay there until Tuesday. This just happened and she is still iffy. I have spent $2,200 so far. She may still need an endoscopy. DO NOT USE ADVANTIX!!!!!. I had a very happy, healthy dog on Tuesday and a very sick one on Wednesday just 12 hours after the initial application of Advantix. It did not affect my Jack Russell Terrier. I believe additional 50+% weight difference may be why she was not affected in the same manner. I called Bayer and got the "non systemic" mantra read to me three times.
Donna 6/22/04
I submitted copies of my pet's medical records to Bayer. After much delay, they finally said that they wouldn't reimburse me as their findings are that my pet's illness was coincidental to the application of Advantix. I am going to get info on small claims court and may take that step next to get reimbursement. Just wanted to follow up an let you know their reaction.
Donna 9/15/04
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I wanted to write to you concerning a terrible accident that happened to us last night. Altough not the fault of BioSpot it has me rethinking the use of this product. I have 4 cats and 5 dogs. All are different in sizes. I was applying BioSpot to the animals. I had some leftover tubes of Revolution [3tubes] for cats, Frontline for cats [2 tubes] and 1 BioSpot for large dogs. # of the 4 cats got the revolution applied. I thought that I had picked up one of the Frontline tubes, and applied it to the 4th cat. Upon checking I noticed that I had applied the single large tube of BioSpot. The cat was jumping around Like she was on fire. I immediately wiped the product off wife tissues, and then scrubbed the area with a wet wash cloth. She seemed Ok and we went to bed. 1 of our dogs started barking about 3:30 in the morning. When we investigated, we found our kitty thrashing aroundon the floor. Since she was fine earlier we thought it must have something to do with the BioSpot. We called the Vet, who had us bring her in immediately. On the way, she began to siezure. We had also called the number on BioSpot and only got a busy signal. We also called Poison Control, who had no imformation on BioSpot. Our vet washed her, and gave her carcoal, and valium and IV fluids. Late in that afternoon I went to visit at the vet to see her and make a desision on wether i would have her put to sleep.The vet had told me that she had not responded to the treatment so far and was still haveing siezures and constantly violently shaking.After spending some time with her, I decided to wait untill morning to make a desision on what I would do. During my visit she held my finger with her paw which made me feel that on some level she new I was there. This morning she was quit a bit better, when I visited. She was somewhat responsive, Wanted her ears scratched. She was still not able to get up, but the trembleing has stopped. She still was not eating. I called this evening and the vet told me that she was better, but only wanted to lick that spot where the Bio Spot was applied.The vet said that she sedated her and again scrubbed her back, this time using Iodine scrub for surgery. So as it stands at this time, I will see how she is doing in the morning. She is a really tuff little fighter, and we are hoping that she will survive this. She has come back from the brink of death before. We got her that way . she had been abused, and almost starved to death.,full of worms and ear mites.It makes me cry to see what she is going trough because of my mistake, but it also scares me wondering what the long turm affects of this product will be to her, should she survive this and also what this stuff could have done on the long turn to my dogs. I know I will never buy this product again, and I know I will bemore careful in useing any piosin like this. I think the warning label on this product was not adequate, and the tubes were made to look like the more expensive brand.
Sandra 6/29/04
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Add us to the list of regretful numbskulls who tried to save a few bucks on Frontline by buying Biospot over the counter. We treated a Golden Retriever and three cats (using the feline-specific product on them). One of our cats has been DRAMATICALLY and TRAGICALLY effected by this poison. She is (was?) the most loveable and affectionate 4 year old cat you could imagine. About a day after treatment she began yowling, almost as if she were in heat (she was spayed when she was one year old, immediately following a heat cycle). The yowling was accompanied by drooling, a far away look in her eyes, and a loss of balance. After a day or so, and after her "bouts" got significantly worse -- including loss of bladdeer control -- we finally put it together that she was having seizures, and that it may have come from the bio-spot treatment. We took her to the 24 hour animal hospital, where she was put on valium, bathed, and kept over night for observation. On Monday moring we took her to our regular vet, who kept her all week. She's back home, but is no where near her normal self. She wanders aimlessly, is eating constatntly (she's gone from a normal, svelt domestic kitty to looking distinctly chubby in about 4 days), and is generally "out of it." We can only hope that with a lot of love and time she'll come back.
I cannot believe that this product is allowed on the market. Though I despise the litigous nature of our society, I must say that this is -- and should be -- a class action suit waiting to happen. This company should be taken to the cleaners, and this product MUST be taken off the market. THIS IS CRIMINAL!!!!!!!!!
Mike 6/29/04
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I found your e-mail on the web after a trip to my Vets for adverse reactions to Hartz Control One Spot. I applied it according to directions on the package to my 7 pound male Chihuahua Paco. Within hours he was showing seizure activity as well as other symptoms. I rushed him into the Vets. There he was bathed, placed in an incubator and watched. He was released and send home with medication to control the muscle movements. I've emailed the EPA and shall call them tomorrow
AM. Is there any recourse I can take to aid in removing this product from the market?
Betty 7/1/04
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My puppy has been having seizures since he was around 9/10 months of age. We never
associated that it could be due to his generic version of flea control, Bio-Spot. Buster has had
bio-spot three times, when it was too expensive to purchase advantage from the vet. I work at PETsMART in their call center and never have heard of any complaints about Bio-Spot from
co-workers or customers. Buster hasn't had an adverse reaction immediately after applying
Bio-Spot, which is why we never considered it to be the cause of his seizures. When he first had
it when he was a puppy, we do remember that he was very lethargic all the time. He did have an upset stomach at one point and wouldn't lay down on it and would whine when he did. He also
had some vomiting. We took him to the vet and they said he was fine but probably has a stomach
infection. Since he wasn't eating either they had me blanche his food and only feed him boiled chicken and rice for almost a week. The alternative to antibiotics because they were too expensive for me to afford. We did that and he appeared to get better. I am unsure when we gave him his
2nd dose of biospot but remember that he weighed more than the weight range on the packaging. He is a Neopolitan Mastiff/Cane Corso and sure did grow quick. Weighing over 80 lbs when he was neutured in dec. 03. at 7 months. He started to have seizures this past march 04. At first we didn't know he was having a seizure because it took place when he was sleeping on the floor. He just started paddling with his feet and it looked like he was having a very intense doggy dream.
However, when he finally came out of it he was very disoriented and did not recognize our voices.
It looked like he saw right through us rather that at us. He snarled and growled and backed away as far as he could, eventually hiding in the bathroom still growling. I finally stuck my hand in there and
right up to his nose and then he smelled me and you saw relief wash over him. He came running into my arms and just had me hold him for about 10 minutes. He was fine after that. He didn't have another episode for about 2 to 3 weeks later. The same thing happened all over again. We called the vet and they said it sounded like he was having seizures. I brought him in and they did some bloodwork on him and everything came back normal. As he continued to have these episodes over the next month, he had my vet and I stumped. At first we thought may be he was having sleep apnea induced seizures. We did everything to make sure his head was elevated and air ways elongated while he slept, hoping that would stop the seizures. It didn't work. We then thought maybe it was allergies to his food. That wasn't the case either. My vet then thought maybe it was epilepsy but she thought it strange he would be exhibiting signs at such a young age, saying most dogs dont show signs till 2 to 5 years of age and not at less than a year. Busters seizures kept getting worse
and more frequent, then he started having cluster seizures. My vet decided it was time to put him
on Phenobarbitol. His dosage had to be adjusted several times until he was taking 7 64mg pills a day. We tested his Phenobarbitol levels and they showed to be on the high end of the therapeutic range. My vet was confident he shouldn't have any more seizures. We were wrong. At the
beginning of May he had 3 cluster seizures. Around May 9th I gave him Bio-Spot because my vet
no longer sold Advantage individually but in 6 packs that were over $70. A few days later I was calling the vet because Buster had some vomiting, including this bright yellow liquid foamy stuff. It was bile. He stopped eating and lost about 5-10 pounds in a week. About a week after that he was having cluster seizures again, only 2 this time. Another week after that and he had 3 cluster seizures. This past June 7th, he had 5 seizures in a row. The vet ordered Potassium Bromide in for him. I gave Buster a bath on June 9th. Since he is mostly an indoor dog, the last time he had had a bath was in late January. He gets dry skin from over bathing which we found out when he was a puppy. Buster has not had any seizures since June 7th and did not start his potassium bromide until June 11th. He is taking 2 1000mg pills a day of that in addition to his 7 64mg pills of Phenobarbitol. We just decreased his phenobarbitol by one pill last week. I spoke with the breeder
I got him from and they informed me that they can not use spot-on flea controls on their dog. I spoke with the breeder that Buster's mother came from and they informed me one of their dogs had an allergic reaction to Frontline that caused it to have seizures. I informed my vet of that information and also that I used Bio-Spot when not using Advantage and she said to stop using it because it
has been known to cause seizures. From reading all of the testimonials on your website, I think it may be the Bio-Spot that is causing it. He does appear to have weakness in his hips all the time and seems wobbly at times also. He is not always like this though and we thought it was from his
medicine but it seems to worsen after he has had Bio-Spot. I am unsure whether his father also has allergic reactions to spot-on flea control but was told he doesn't. I wonder if that is why it takes a week for seizures to occur rather than happening immediately after. I am saving money currently to
have a CT scan done on him so they can diagnose whether it is epilepsy that is causing it or not.
My vet doesn't think it is the Bio-Spot because he doesn't have a seizure immediately afterward. I am making a point of directing her to this website to read some of the testimonials and see what she thinks then. I will keep you informed whether it is truely Epilepsy or if it is being caused by something else, hopefully the Bio-Spot. Thank you for letting me share this with others.
Jaime 7/1/04
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i put bio -spot on my cat yesturday and woke up this morning and she was out of it stumbleing around like she is drunk meowing very loudly it really scared me i got mad and thru it away tried to comfort my cat i love very much and cried and then prayed over her, now were waiting to see if she gets alright , i thought about trying front-line i use it on my dog and she seems to be ok . so ill see how she gets and figure something out to help her but i love her so much i pray she gets better.
Linda 7/1/04
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I bought Bio Spot 3 days ago at Petco for my 5 year old healthy Yorkie Terrier, Pookie. I thought I would try to save some money instead of buying Advantage. I bathed Pookie and applied one tube as directed, and I noticed a few hours later she was not herself at all, very lazy no energy barely moving around. I read the packaging and I saw the word pesticide! I didn't know Bio Spot contained that. I went home to check on her and she still the same condition lethargic and acting totally out of it. She has lots of goop and drainage (more than normal) in her eyes that I keep wiping away, and I'm really worried. I found your web page and read everything!!! I'm completely appalled. I called her vet and they told me to bring her in immediately.
I'm leaving work now, but I am interested in class action lawsuit or doing something to make people aware of this dangerous product and to get this crap off the market!!
Christina 7/2/04
Thanks for your response. I took Pookie to her vet Friday afternoon. The vet washed her thoroughly with Dawn and lots of water since the Biospot is oil based Dawn liquid soap was safe to use. The vet wasn't surprised about Pookie's condition when I told her that I used Bio Spot on her. She said she has seen a lot of this adverse reactions with flea medications that contain pesticides and that some dogs don't tolerate it well, like poor little Pookie and that there was nothing more she could do at at time since Pookie was not vomiting or going into seizures. She told me to watch her closely over the weekend and the side effects should subside. When I left she gave me a free sample of Frontline, that is what she uses on all of her dogs.
I plan on writing and calling Farnam Pet and letting them know what happened. Maybe they will reimburse me for the vet visit. I will let you know. I also plan on returning the unused portion to Petco and warning them about this product.
Christina 7/7/04
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On Friday evening I mistakenly applied my dog's Bio Spot to my cat, thinking it was the cats frontline. I didn't realize my deadly mistake until the next morning when my dog woke me up to show me that the cat wasn't right. He was right!! I put the cat in the bath to try and get rid of some of the poison still left on her cold skin and then bundled her up and rushed to our vet, who started fluids and an anecdocte. She was really bad... They then moved her to a 24 hour care facility, which added oxygen and different fluids. Now, Sunday evening she is responding well. Hopefully we can bring
her home tomorrow, with a couple thousand less in our wallet.
Lisa 7/5/04
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I found your website right after bringing my Maltese home from the emergency hospital from seizures. It started 2 days after using Advantix. She's 5 years old & the vet still can't find out what caused them
(she had 10 seizures in 2 days). Bayer refuses to consider any fault whatsoever (no surprise), but I'm convinced it was the Advantix. She's on Phenobarbital now & hasn't seized in 15 days. I hope I can find a way to find the cause. Your website was very disturbing, but eye opening.
Robert 7/6/04
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Late Monday night July 05, 2004 I placed Bio Spot flea med on my cat, and we all went to bed.
By 9 am 07/06/04 my cat Andrew was in a prolonged and constant state of Grand Mal Seizures.
I immediately rushed him to the veterinarian, and was advised that they had seen this many times before with this product. He was immediately bathed from head to toe, to remove any of the excess chemicals that might still be lingering on his coat/skin, placed on IV fluids, and injected with Valium to try to get the seizures stabilized and under control. We were told that his prognosis was not very good, and that they were not sure if he would survive or not. Luck would have it that he did survive,
and will be able to come home from the hospital this evening. The word is that he seems perfectly normal at this time, and that his liver panels that were completed every few hours while an inpatient appear Okay at this time as well, but the long term affect cannot be determined. Will he have brain damage, liver damage, or damage to any of his other vital organs? Will it in fact shorten his life span? Are seizures going to be a problem in the future? Needless to say, I will be contacting the manufacturer of Bio Spot Flea medication and putting them on notice that they will in fact be responsible for his medical care, and any testing that he may need in the future due to this product. And heaven forbid he has any long term effects from this product, they could find themselves in a full blown law suit, because there was no warning that made me aware of any problems w/this product.
Debbie 7/7/04
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I've just returned from my vet's office where I left my 2 cats after using Biospot. The first cat was taken this morning after being treated last night. We found her on the floor having seizures. The other cat seemed fine. After returning home the other cat started twitching and having seizures so I went back to the vet's. I am very disheartened as I feel like I've killed or almost killed my cats (they are still at the vet's and I don't know if they will make it or not). Neither cat showed signs immediately after treatment of sensitivity as the box states. It took all night. If I didn't check on them they definitely
would have died. I will never use another flea product that kills for a month on either my dog or my cats again (if they make it). I think after reading your site that Biospot should be pulled from the market!!
Patricia 7/8/04
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I just want to thank you for your web site and the information you are relaying to the public about this HORRIBLE PRODUCT. I recently relocated and found that I needed a flea product. I bought BioSpot.
My dog Abby became lethargic and not aware of her surroundings about 5 days after the application. Abby never get ill so I knew that something was very wrong. We took her and all of her records to the local vet who suspected that it was the BioSPot!! After giving her fluids, he instructed me to bath her as quickly as possible.
She is doing better but it has been a very long day!! I am still concerned about other effects this product could have on her. Something needs to be done to get this product off the market!! I am also sending this e-mail to the pesticide Control Center as well as PetSmart.
Cheryl 7/8/04
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I would like to add my experiences with Bio Spot purchased from the beloved Foster's and Smith Catalog. After several months of closely monitoring my lab dog Alabaster's activity, eating, sleeping, and routine activities. I was able to contribute his seizure activity to Bio Spot. Reading your account of your dog's reaction to the med was shockingly familiar. When I first noticed the reaction, I was slow to link the reaction to the med. I assumed that because he was so oxygen starved at the time that perhaps he had swallowed a bone from the trash. I was drawn to the conclusion that his previous owner who had abused him must have tried to drown him causing this oxygen deficit to his brain causing the seizures....To my horror, I was the one causing them by putting this poison on him. And because my other dog never had such a violent reaction I continued medicating her with the Bio Spot. I notified my vet who stated that the ingredients in some flea treatments can cause diverse reactions in pets. She gave me a sample of Advantage which is not supposed to have the same ingredients!
Thank you for your web site. I am sorry 4 volumes of people have had this reaction.
Melissa 7/10/04
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Frontline is also poison and should be taken off the market. My dog Max a coker spaniel was sprayed with the frontline product and he started acting strange. He moaned and groaned had troulbe get up and down,his eyes were watering and then he bite my girlfriend in the face and her son on his hand. My girlfriend had to go the emergency room, she was missing part of her upper lip. She needed a plastic surgeon to put her lip back to somewhat normal manner. I took Max to the vet because he was throwing up blood and had diarrhea and blood in his stool, he spent a week at the vet because there were many other complications. I asked the vet if he needed to be put to sleep and he said no there was nothing wrong with this dog, he's a normal cocker Spaniel. I am sure
there many more stories about these flea and tick products. I was reading that they are equally unsafe for childen too and I'm sure if a death occured these companies would keep it quiet. Not only did I have the vet bills, I also had my homeowners payout $295,000 for the damage this product caused my girlfriend. Never mind the stress it has caused me to have when anybody approaches
my dog. I always say don't put your hand out , he could bite. Class Action suit maybe the only way
to get these products off the market. Has anybody heard of any suits filed??? If they are paying off vet bills , I'm sure the company is paying off people who really have serious problems like injury or
deaths.
Darlene 7/11/04
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Just wanted to share my experience with Bio-spot. I had started using it last year on my Yellow Lab name Meadow ( now 2 1/2 years old ). I thought, she seemed to act a little funny, but I had only used it for a few months so I didnt really pick up on it, until I started using it this year. I noticed a pattern this year when after we would apply it to her, she would act very skittish and jumpy, this would then be followed by her being completely exhausted, and pretty much out cold tired. I thought this seemed strange, and also the fact that when my husband applied it last month, she was fighting him on applying it, as soon as she smelled it. That same nite we applied it, I felt that this was a pattern, and had him look up the side effects.
He didnt even want to read me all the stuff he had started reading and was horrified after the first couple of stories. We immediately started washing it off of her, and continued each day washing her, and keeping a close eye on her. I am so thankful that we found this website before it was too late, I was sick for days knowing I had been poisoning my beautiful baby each month and not knowing it. My heart goes out to all the dog and cat owners that lost their pets, and how sick some of these poor animals got, and how much they suffered. I can't believe that this stuff is even still sold. My sister in law had also been using Advantix on her Pug, and she noticed the same thing,
but he would be completely out cold after she would give him the Advantix, to the point where she would have to literally pick hm up and carry him to his crate. She also didnt link it to Advantix, and just thought it was strange that he was so tired until I filled her in on my findings.
Does anyone know anything safe we can use ? I am afraid to use anything on her, but since she
got lyme disease last year, I am afraid not to use anything either. thank you for this website, I have spread the word to all my dog and cat lovers to be ware of these products.
Kathy, Kurt and Meadow 7/13/04
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It wasn't until my dog had a bad reaction to BioSpot and I was unable to find any warning on the package that such reactions could occur that I decided to check it out on the internet. Fortunately, my dog seems to be OK now but having read what others have said about delayed reactions I can just watch and wait.
This was the second time I used BioSpot on my three-year-old mixed breed. He weighs about 50 pounds. He didn't like it the first time (about two months ago) but I thought it was simply the acrid sweet orange perfume that irritated him. So I took him outside to apply the streak down his back, thinking the odor would be less offensive to him there. He took off as soon as I released him,
pacing around without stopping as though he had to keep moving. That was unusual. After we got home he took a big drink of water and gobbled up all his dinner. That was unusual, too, since he's usually very picky. He paced from room to room, flopping here and there only to jump to his feet and take off a few seconds later. I figured the orange perfume was really getting to him. Then I noticed that his breathing was very rapid and very shallow, and realized that perfume couldn't cause that. I took him to the kitchen sink and in 30 seconds had drenched his back with cold soapy water, then I took him outside and hosed his back. That done, he was finally able to relax somewhat, though his breathing isn't yet back to normal.
I did a Google search on the active ingredients in Bio Spot -- Permethrin and Pyriproxyfen -- and came across an interesting article titled "Are 'Spot-On' Flea Killers Safe?" in The Whole Dog Journal of February 2002. Absolutely not, says the author (Kathleen Dudley) who explains why in great detail. A chart shows what toxic effects various ingredients can cause, including those in BioSpot, Advantage, Adams Spot-on, Defend, Frontline and Zodiac. There's a lot in the article about problems caused by Bio Spot including pruritis, hair loss, elephantiasis, chronic itching, depression, lethargy and "symptoms concomitant with aggravated liver toxicity." If only Farnam had printed a warning on the package advising dog owners to wash out the BioSpot at the first signs of adverse reaction, and listed them.
I notified the EPA and complained to Farnam. We should also let the retailers know about problems so that they can be held accountable if it ever comes to a class action suit. It would be very dumb of PetSmart to risk the threat of toxic publicity just to continue selling toxic products.
Good health to you and your pets, and thanks for your help.
Anonymous 7/13/04
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I am so happy to say my dog survived! I have been doing a lot of research and have contacted so many organizations and made it my mission to inform people about the dangers of these products. Most were already aware that these flea products are lethal but are powerless against the multi billion dollar pet industry. I am disgusted with the manufacture and the many company's (petco, petmart, centinella, etc.) that continue to sell these products with full knowledge of the pain hey have caused pets and humans. I want to inform others about how Zodiac (Wellmark International) manufactures have treated me and the issue I have with their product. They first try to blame me! They interviewed me for 15 minutes and tried to get me to confess "user error." The manufactures are total LIARS! I did not fall for their rhetoric and now they avoid me hoping I will just go away. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!! The fact is it is all about $$$$. After doing research I found most pet products are owned by just one or two main companies. They try to disguise that they are all connected! The
manufacture told me that most people who complain or claim their dog had a terrible reaction are paranoid, mentally ill and are blaming their dogs illness or old age on the product because they are irrational and can't cope with reality. I think we know our dogs better than them. I want to do something about this!
As many of us know our pets are more like our children and this is very important to us! Think about all the cases that go unreported or owners that have trust in these liars because they have a "title." I am willing to organize action and will do anything needed (legally) to ensure we are heard. Lets face it, nothing is happening to stop the sale of these products. Our letters and phone calls are not enough. These products are not going anywhere as long as we stay quite and they bring money.
Please feel free to have anyone email me who is willing to take more drastic actions. There is power in numbers and we must be heard.
Kelli 7/14/04
I wanted to tell you Wellmark International the maker of Zodiac Flea spot on sent me a check for the product and my dogs vet bill. I agree that getting them to admit fault and hitting them where it counts (pocketbook $) is best! On the back of the check there is stamped a statement that I release them from responsibility etc. I did sign the check but will not stop warning people. I have received at least four emails from people who saw my post on your site so I imagine this is a full time job for you. I wrote the department of pesticide regulation and they responded saying that I am the first complaint they have ever had regarding this. Can this be true? Are we/consumers complaining but not being heard? I was just wondering in you view, is this a waste of time?? It seems like either nobody is
listening or nobody really cares! The DPR is responsible for allowing pesticides to go on the market. They allow the maker to present their own case for safety and don't do their own investigation! That's CRAZY! If the manufacture can "prove" their product is safe they can sell it! I just want to know if you have seen any changes regarding this poison or if anybody in authority has at least contacted you?
Kelli 7/28/04
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Bathing the dog with Dawn liquid detergent and then spraying the dog (keep away from eyes) and the bedding area with Avon Skin-So-Soft. That's all I have ever used. The skin-so-soft is an emollient and smothers the flea eggs so that prevents more from hatching and because it coats the skin, the flea can't attach themselves. After the first infestation, I sprayed my entire house (using a spray bottle) and then vacuumed using a new bag. You would be surprised at all the dead fleas that I found when I opened the bag outdoors. Since then, they don't like my house.
Bobbi 7/16/04
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My Standard Poodle is about one year old. She is a very healthy, active dog. Over the course of the last few months I have given her three Bio-Spot treatments.
The first two were uneventful. Immediately after the third treatment, she began running around the house, acting very agitated, and would not settle down. I just thought she didn't like the smell of the product. The next day she was normal, and has not repeated her strange behavior since.
Today I was going to shop for a flea and tick control for my dog, and I ran across your website. After
reading about your and other's experiences, I cannot help but wonder if I narrowly escaped disaster with that last application of Bio-Spot.
Thank you for providing a forum for review and discussion of this dubious product.
Will 7/20/04
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I can't thank you enough for having this website!!
Both my friend and I were just surfing the web looking for flea/tick/mosquito products for our dogs (she has one and I have three) when I ran into this great comparison chart on 1800petmeds.com In looking at the chart, it seemed Bio Spot was the way to go and then when we saw the price - we were sold! Thankfully though, I like to compare prices and in looking online, I ran across your site.
Reading these stories brought tears to my eyes - I can't even imagine the incredible agony your writers have gone through. I have no doubt that your website has saved us & our dogs from Bio-Hell (as one writer so perfectly wrote)!! How this product continues to be sold, completely baffles and
amazed me! Hopefully, more animals will be saved from this poison through your website and others.
Heather 7/20/04
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My husband and I used "Frontline" on our 87 lb Golden Retriever(Bandit) for almost 10 years. One day, we decided to try K-9 Advantix JUST ONCE. The next day our dog developed a red sore on the same exact spot that the K-9 Advantix was applied. Gradually, he started itching a lot and losing a lot of hair. The sore that developed on the spot where we applied the K-9 Advantix never healed. We thought he developed an allergy and the first 3 vets we saw thought it was an allergy to something until they finally referred us to a Dermatology Vet Specialist. She did a biopsy on one of the sores on his skin and he was diagnosed with "Lymphosarcoma". Our beautiful Golden Retriever ended up
losing almost ALL of his hair and his skin was covered in bloody, crusty tumors. Chemotherapy was not an option since this type of rare cancer does not respond well to chemo. Bandit was placed on a raw food diet, transfer factor, probiotics, etc. He died of "Skin Lymphoma" 7 weeks later , the week before Thanksgiving in 2003. Lymphoma is a very common cancer in dogs, however, only 5%
of dogs that get lymphoma get it in the skin. Upon further research, it shows that Frontline and K-9 Advantix have very different ingredients. One of the main ingredients in K-9 Advantix is Permethrin which was also in the BioSpot that has hurt many other dogs. Has anyone else out there lost a dog to
Permethrin? Bandit was definitely regarded as a family member and my husband and I would like to know if we have any recourse to take against the makers of K-9 Advantix (Bayer Pharmaceuticals) Our lives were shattered when we had to watch our dog die slowly before our eyes. We also spent hundreds of dollars on supplements, clothes for Bandit, Vet visits, tests, etc…We now have a new
Golden Retriever and we were wondering are there other alternatives then to put poison on our dog? You can see a picture of Bandit at: http://www.angelfire.com/nh/maddogs/cancer20.html (he is the 3rd dog down and there are 3 pictures of him. Two are when he was healthy and the last one is a picture of him just before he died. There is also a picture of the collage I made for us to remember him forever.) Coincidence or did K-9 Advantix kill my dog?
Thank you for listening,
Denise 7/20/04
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On Sunday morning, 7/18/04, about 4 a.m., we put Bio Spot for cats on our 8-month old kitten, Cholo. By 11:00 p.m. that night, he was in convulsions, foaming at the mouth, totally helpless. The Animal Emergency clinic told us to bathe him in Dawn detergent and if that didn't help, to bring him in.
Within 15 minutes, we were on our way across Tulsa to the Emergency Clinic, where he spent the next 16 hours on IVs, Valium and an antidote to the poison contained in Bio Spot. It cost $253.60 and nearly cost Cholo his life. The vets at the Emergency Clinic said they see 3-4 of these a week
because people don't know they will kill their pet using this stuff. I am going to contact Farnam and expect to be reimbursed for this, or I'll sue them.
Betty 7/21/04
Just a note to let you know that I received a check from Farnum yesterday for the full amount of my vet bill for Cholo, $251.50. No letter, just a check with a statement that this pays in full all vet bills. Since that's all I wanted them to do, I'm thankful they did pay it. It took me a long time to find the actual receipt for the BioSpot, but I did finally find it and sent it to them in July.
Please post this on your website as one more incident of Farnum paying bills, but refusing to acknowledge that they are in any way at fault. They told me in a letter in July, that they had a "fund" to reimburse pet medical bills. That, to me, was enough to know that they know exactly what is going on, but aren't going to do anything more than reimburse "reasonable" vet bills.
Thank you once again, for your care and concern and for keeping your website open. This is the only way people will ever know what to do when it happens to them and their pets.
Betty 8/24/04
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I put Biospot on my 10 year old Doberman and my 2 year old Golden. My Doberman has problems, he's three legged, but otherwise healthy. Immediately he started to act as if the Biospotted area was burning. Within 10 minutes he started drooling and foaming at the mouth, pacing and acting
generally uncomfortable. I tried calling the vet but there was a problem with the after hours service
so I was unable to reach him. I washed the area to remove as much Biospot as possible and hoped for the best. When the vet finally reached me the following day, he told me to feed him canned dog
food, as it pulls toxins out faster and to give him Benedryl for three days. This is day two of the Benedryl and he seems to be better. The vet told me that the Biospot can effect his kidneys.
In the past I have washed my dogs with Murphy's Oil Soap to control fleas. It works great. It kills the fleas, leaves enough oil on their skin to prevent if from drying out and is non-toxic so even if you don't rinse it all off, it doesn't hurt the dogs. My Doberman hates water so I haven't been using that method. I will go back to it.
I think my Doberman will be OK but I truly regret using Biospot. I liked the idea that it also killed mosquitos and some of the other products do not. I'll deal with the mosquitoes some other way from now on.
Melanie 7/24/04
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I recently bought farnams bio spot for cats. I had to rush my cat to the emergency room on a Saturday night because she was having seizures, drooling at the mouth and could not walk. That was the same day that I used it. While I was at the Emergency Clinic the Manager of the Clinic told me that they see at least one case a week due to this product and did everything he could to inform the public of the damage it can cause and to have it removed from the shelf.
I then turned around and called the pet store that suggested that I buy it. They also admitted to the fact that they are aware of animals of dying from this product. The store manager himself told me that he would like to remove it from the shelf. I called and reported the product to the EPA and was told it
has a low toxicity level. How low of a level can it be if it almost killed my cat? Regardless I told them that if 1 out of a 1000 cats died due to the use of this product that it should no longer be on the shelf.
Now, over a $10.00 flea product, I have almost a $600.00 vet bill, all to save my family pet. Such a small number to the millions of dollars this company is making. Not to mention the heartache that the family and the pet have to endure.
Cheryl 7/25/04
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I recently treated my two cats with a Hartz 4-in-1 flea preventative. It contains 85% phenothrin. I was using Advantage for flea control, but I ran out, and when I came across this product at the pet store, I thought it would do the same thing. After treating our two cats according to the instructions, they had severe irritation at the treatment site (the neck). Within a few hours, they were visibly mentally impaired - one of my cats had trouble hopping up on the sink, a problem he has never had before. We attempted to wash off the medicine, which helped a bit. The next day, we took them both to the vet and had them thoroughly washed. I hope they will be ok.
Even a cursory search of the internet would have shown me that this product was dangerous. However, who would think to check out a product that is widely available in pet stores? The method
of application is the same as Advantage as well. It is very misleading. This product is dangerous
and should be pulled off the shelves. I have complained to the EPA.
Carrie 7/26/04
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My husband heard about bio spot on the radio. We decided to look it up on the net. We Have 2 Basset Hounds, 1 Cat use to have 2 other cats that are no longer with us. I use Frontline spray For my older Basset bc he is allergic to fleas. I have also tried Adams flea control drops on him which caused a real nasty sore where I applied it. So I did not use it again. When I took him to the vet for a allergic reaction to fleas they put Revolution on him. It cause him to lose most of his hair. He wouldn't eat right and also he acted sick I couldn't believe the vet put that on him. Now that I have read your site I realize what was wrong with him. Thank you for making me aware of the poison.
The 2 cats that are no longer with us died 1 year ago. This site just made me realize I killed my own cats. They were in-door/out-door cats. I applied bio spot to all 3 of my cats.The first day with my 3 cats I did not see any problems. Scizo went outside soon after I applied it and never saw him again. My second kitty clypto he had no side affects with the first month. The next month I applied it and he went outside and I couldn't find him the next day some kids found him and when I looked at him it was terrible it looked as if he was gasping for air and also looked poisoned. I never dreamed or thought that bio spot caused his death. They sell it, it must be safe. WRONG. I wished I would have looked up this product back then.
I use Garlic pills that seem to work real well and also give my dogs baths in Murphy oil soap. That kills the fleas. I looked up using Murphys oil soap for my dog and the wierd thing is that it is ph balanced for dogs. This is the only soap/shampoo my dog's skin will handle.
Tammy 7/28/04
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We just got a new kitten who had fleas, my sister-in-law has always used Bio-spot and I normally use advantage but had just done all my animals so I used her Bio-spot on the kitten til I took her in to get advantage. Well within an hour she was siezuring and foaming at the mouth. Immediatly went and washed her with dish soap and called the vet to find out what to do and they said bring her in, but
they were closing so I drove an hour to the emergency vet who was waiting at the door for us and
took the kitten back, they thought she had a 70% chance of making it when I left last night, an hour later she was gone. At the same time I was at the vets with this kitten a dog came in that had been
given Bio-spot and was also siezuring and his whole muzzle was swollen up. I am disgusted that a product that is easily gotten, you don't even buy it from the vet but it is in EVERY store that carries dog/cat products is SO dangerous. The vet cost 250.00.
Buffie 7/28/04
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We are not certain as to the cause of our dog's strange behavior, but after reading this today I will bring her to the vet ASAP.
Ever since the first application of Bio Spot a couple of weeks ago she continuously bites at the air as if trying to catch a fly but there is nothing there! The smaller dogs have acted a bit strange and their coats have been in terrible shape but the very odd behavior is limited to our Drahthaar. Because this breed is a versatile hunting dog, we laughed at first but know this is now something that does not seem right.
I appreciate this site and will update you on what our vet says.
Mary Beth 7/28/04
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Today, July 29, a sweet black and white cat was euthanized. I work for an int'l animal welfare group
and we frequently help destitute families provide care for their pets. This cat came in yesterday and got a flea bath then was annointed with BioSpot. She was fine for about 30 hours. Today she was scheduled to stay for another night while we bombed her guardian's home for fleas. I went to visit her in our quarantine room and she had urinated on herself and was trembling. I immediately got my supervisor. Within that one minute, the cat was having severe seizures, suffering immensely, and
had to be euthanized. Everyone knows there is a risk when using any medication, but I never have seen it happen.
Sarabell 7/29/04
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We didn't know how horrible this Bio Spot product was!!! I bought this product through a very popular veterinary catalog, Drs. Foster and Smith. Since this magazine is so popular, and is suppose to be "pet friendly", we wouldn't have thought that such a deadly product would be sold through them.
We applied this Bio Spot flea treatment for "cats and ferrets" to three of our cats since our new kitten had fleas. After approximately 2 hours, our pets started twitching, and one started having a grand mal seizure. Thank God we have just a wonderful veterinarian!!!! He knew exactly what was happening to my pets, and he didn't hesitate on treating them.
Three days have passed since this occurred to my fun and energetic animals, and they are still not the same. All of them are extremely sensitive to light or any type of sound, and one in particular is horribly nervous!!! I truly hope all their symptoms go away!!! BIO SPOT SHOULD STOP MAKING THIS ATROCIOUS PRODUCT!!! Cats and dogs are not just "animals", they are companions, our friends, they are the ones that bring us happiness and make us laugh, when we truly need it. We have raised them, took care of them, and just because the Bio Spot manufacturer doesn't want to stop making this product in order to make a dishonest profit from it, our pets have to be harmed or even die!!! This is ridiculous! After this incident, there will be no more store bought treatments in my house.
Michelle 7/30/04
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my beloved, seemingly healthy cat, wiggy, died yesterday. the night before i'd given him a spot flea treatment, the kind you get from the vet, advantage i think was the name of it. and at the same time, i put some ear mite medicine, which i'd never used, in his ears. i gave these two treatments to all my cats that night. the next morning my baby wiggie was dead on the carport and i was devastated, and feeling i'd killed him with the treatments. i immediately took him to my vet and he thought blunt
head trauma, but referred me to clemson university's vet. research lab. they said he had two heart worms, one in his pulmonary artery and this killed him.
it might be coincidence, but i think the treatments brought on his death. have you heard anything about this happening to other people's pets? my other pets appear ok, but lethargic, and one has rapid, shallow breathing. she is at the vet now to see why.
Novella 7/30/04
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We put a half dose of Bio Spot on our one year old beagle. Within 5 hours of the application he began walking around the house. He then started what became 2 days of seizures, 2 days and nights in the emergency vet hospital as well as our regular vets office. Over a 48 hour period the dog had over 30 seizures. We spent $500 to save his life.
Do Not use Bio Spot and pass the word on to the stores that sell that poison.
Randy 8/2/04
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We lost our 2 year old pit bull, Jesse, last summer to grand mal seizures I'm sure were brought on by Advantage.
The summer before, when she was 1 year old, we had a flea problem, as we do every summer. I purchased Advantage for both dogs. The next day, I came home to find my husband very upset and an extremely ill dog. She had started having continuous grand mal and petit mal seizures - one would stop and she wouldn't even have time to recover and another would start. She bit into her tongue so many times it was like raw meat. I rushed her to the vet, and he gave her a couple of shots to stop the seizures. He had to give her double the normal dose of phenobarb, and also something else. We finally got it stopped and he sent her home with phenobarb pills. Her tongue was so torn up she ended up losing a quarter sized chunk from one side and it was irregularly shaped from then on.
The vet said it could be epilepsy, although she was young for it to be developing. We called the breeder, but no other dogs from them had had this problem. I was looking for a cause, but this is a country vet that basically treats the symptoms. I took her to another vet, who did blood tests to see if it could be anything else. Everything came back fine, so she said it was probably epilepsy, just showing up early. She proposed much more testing, but since the dog hadn't had another problem at that time, and the cost was very high (and we'd already spent quite a bit), we decided to wait and see if she stopped or if the phenobarb controlled the seizures.
A month after this, I applied the Advantage again, having no clue the side effects that were possible. I just assumed the dog had developed epilepsy like the vet said. The next day, she started seizing again, but not as bad as the first time. I got out my pet first aid book and started researching epilipsy, to familiarize myself with what we were in for. There I saw a list of things that cause seizures, and Advantage was listed. Once I thought about it and put it together, I realized that both episodes had followed an application of Advantage by about a day. We quit using it, and kept adjusting the dose of phenobarb to try to keep Jesse from having any more seizures. When I asked the vet about the Advantage, he said he'd heard of that happening, but never seen it personally (they sold the product to me). He said that's what probably started it, though, with the timing being more than coincedence. He also said that some animals, once they've started having seizures from a reaction to something, continue to have them their whole life. It's like their brain "learns" how to have a seizure and just keeps on doing it.
I guess the damage had already been done, because about once a month she would have a cluster of grand mal seizures, usually 5 - 7, losing consciousness and bladder control and slobbering this thick, ropy saliva that stuck to everything in the house. We tried increasing the phenobarb to the highest recommended dosage, with no luck. She'd be fine for 3 - 4 weeks, then have a group of seizures which would take her a day or two to recover from. In the meantime, the phenobarb was making her constantly hungry and she'd put on weight.
And, either the seizures were taking their toll or the phenobarb had "dulling" effects, because she became mentally slower and slower. She was never the smartest dog to begin with, but after several months of this cycle, she was approaching plain stupid. At one point after a cluster, she did not even recognize us or the other dogs for a couple of days - that was scary, as she was so fearful of everything, I was afraid we'd get bitten. I ended up chaining her out for a day or two (it was late summer, and warm out) to the doghouse we had and just leaving her alone, because even approaching her would scare her. After a couple of days, she slowly came to her senses, and was back to mostly normal.
This went on for about a year with no improvement. We tried different medications, and were never able to effect the seizures at all. The vet said to try taking her off of everything and see what happened, so we could see if the meds were having any effect at all. This was last summer. At about the same time frame as usual, she started seizing. I put her outside so she wouldn't mess up the house and kept an eye on her. She'd been off her meds for about 3 weeks by then. I saw her recover from one seizure, like usual, and then fall over and start seizing again. A few minutes later, I saw her laying in the yard, and thought nothing of it, as she would usually lay in the same place for a bit, recovering, before slowly staggering to her feet. This had been going on for a year with such predicability it had become commonplace to us, and it didn't really even concern us any more. A bit later I saw her laying in the same place, and I noticed she was more still than usual (she would usually breathe hard for quite a while after a seizure). I went to check on her, and found she had died.
The Advantage may not have technically killed her, but it did start a cycle of seizures that would probably not have happened otherwise, and these seizures did kill her.
Tara 8/2/04
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It is 5:00 A.M. I have had heck of a night. I am recovering (still itching all over) from an allergic reaction. It was the first one I have ever had. I awoke about 2:30 restless not knowing why I couldn't sleep I just felt nervous and jittery. I went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. When I layed back
down my palms were tingly then itched. Soon the soles of my feet also itched I wanted to claw my skin off. I got up out of bed when my wife asked me if I was o.k. i told her my body was itching all over. I went up stairs to sit in my recliner and see if I was going to die or not. I couldn't grasp why i felt this
way. Then I started to wheeze, when I breathed, and coughed on the exhale. By now I was wondering if I was going crazy. I am in great shape, I run I workout, but now my face starts swelling like the way it feels when you get a shot at the dentist. O.K. I figure this is what a stroke feels like. I am dying time
to wake the wife because now I am scared. I can't say my A.B.C.'s without difficulty. Penny met me in the kitchen, "are you o.k.?", " Iyum shcared my fash iyus numm" . Penny flipped on the light and took a hard look at me "oh God". "Your lips are huge". I said ," I think I am having a stroke or an allergic
reaction". So we went over every thing I had done or eaten in the last 8 hours. Guess what? I had petted my dog that had a brand new treatment of Biospot on his coat, and had not washed my hands. It was the last thing I had done before going to bed. Penny told me to take a shower. When I took my clothes off I had welps all over my body. Pretty weird stuff. I feel a lot better after the shower and the benadryl. My lips are almost back down to normal size, so much for the Mick Jagger look. Any way, no one else I read about on your site had a reaction themselves. Just their dogs or cats. My dog is doing pretty well with the Biospot. I will not put it back on him. It is too potent for my liking.
Anonymous 8/3/04
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Yesterday while shopping I picked up some of this Bio Spot to use on my five dogs. After using this product one of my dogs Diezel our jack russell started to acted pretty unusual, very lethargic (highly unsual to have no energy) wouldn't move, would go for his back end and wine, when put outside to do his duties he would just stand there and not move except every nerve under his skin you could see crawling. That night I bathed him immediately using puppy shampoo (thinking it would be gentle enough and cause no more problems) something inside of me told me it must be the flea stuff, that was the only other thing that was out of the ordinary for the day. The next day he was scheduled to be neutered when I got there I immediately told them what was going on with him and as soon as I told them what I had used on Diezel they told me they were happy that I mentioned it to them. If they would have went through with the operation he could have died and told me I should go home and wash
him and my other dogs with dawn dish soap and to keep my eye on them all and if I should have any problems to come down there right away or to go to the Vet ER that is open 24hrs. Here you think you are doing good for your animals and it turns out you are doing more harm because of companies like this one that don't list the really worse things that go wrong when using their product all they want is money they don't care if they are killing or cause serious health problems on family's beloved pets (family members).
Sonya 8/3/04
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I used this product two days ago. My dog was in extreme pain after application and went stiff with minor seizures. I will never use this product again.
Lynne 8/5/04
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Could it be that the dog that was adopted was already having seizures??? We adopted a dog a couple of years ago and took it to the vet, gave it advantix and everything was fine for a few months and then she got a couple of seizures. She's had some about every 2 to 5 months since then. Could it have been the advantix? Maybe she was already having seizures? Who knows but it is unfair to publish an article based on an ADOPTED dog's symptoms to God knows what. Maybe that's why the dog was let go by the original owner...because they didn't want to take care of it. All pest controls have disclaimers on them anyway. They're all dangerous-they kill! You're taking a chance with any pest control product, even Raid!
Gabriel 8/8/04
Is it possible that Bio Spot did not cause my dog's seizures? Yes, but given the fact that he never
had a seizure during the six months we owned him prior to using Bio Spot, and he never had a seizure prior to that when my cousin owned him, and he has not had any seizures since we stopped using Bio Spot over two years ago, and given the fact that grand mal seizures are one of the symptoms of severe pesticide poisoning, and his seizures occurred immediately after application, and given the fact that many dogs and cats have experienced similar symptoms after using Bio Spot (and similar products), I don't believe it is unfair for me to speculate that the Bio Spot caused my dog's seizures.
I agree that all flea products containing pesticides are dangerous. If the directions had stated that
Bio Spot may cause severe adverse reactions, including seizures, I would have looked for a safer alternative.
James TerBush 8/8/04
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I am in the same boat as all of you. I put bio-spot on my two kittens last night (August 7, 2004) and by 3:00 am EST; my cats acted like they got electrocuted. I rushed them both to the vet. As soon as I told the vet about the bio-spot he automatically knew what the problem was. As we speak right now they are both being hospitalized and this will cost me over $2,000 for both of them to stay for 4 days. They have to be intravenously feed them and they have a 50/50 chance of survival, not to mention what kind of neurological damage it may have caused them for their future. They are only 4 & 5 months old. This has to be stopped, they have to be stopped. So I think as a group that we should make them pay for this and sew this company. I just printed a name of an Attorney named Isabelle R. Stratuss who handles cases for animal rights. I think if we get enough people complaining and
interested we can bring this company down and they will never hurt any more animals.
Erin 8/4/04
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Pet owners....do not use any Zodiac product on your pet. I used the flea and tick shampoo, recommended by Pet Smart, on Chu-Che on Sunday. She was a perfectly healthy, twelve year old lab,shar pei mix. She never had a sick day in her life. Today is Sunday, one week later, and we are mourning the loss of our precious dog. She died Thursday after having 14 Grand Mal seizures.
Anonymous 8/8/04
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My husband and I live in Stuart, Florida. Our dog Duke, a Jack Russell Terrier was euthanized last Friday after having six grand-mal seizures in 24 hours.
Although Duke had just survived an attack by a large dog and surgery to repair the damage done, he had made a full recovery and was back to enjoying his life again...running and playing, chasing balls and squirrels, barking his head off at the excitement of dinner time.
But after a visit from our exterminator, who has been coming here for years and knows we have dogs, he grew restless and started having violent seizures. Each seizure seemed worse, leaving him almost blind and combative.
On a hunch, I called the exterminator and asked what he had done. He told me there were two chemicals he had used that day: Bifenthrin (known to cause tremors in dogs if ingested) and Permethin.
As you know, if ingested, Permethin can cause grand mal seizures and neurological damage.
I am devistated at the loss of Duke, especially after all he had recently been through and survived. I hope your informtion on this terrible product/chemical reaches all pet owners. And I thank you for caring enough to spread the word and warning.
Allison 8/10/04
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I am witnessing as I write first hand what Bio Spot can do...I too, tried it on my dogs as it was cheaper than Frontline....after rubbing it on my 5 dogs, I commence to pet my cat....duh!....that was last night, this is the next day...I feel like a fool as I have poisoned her and she has undergone 3 grand mal seizures thus far. She is very weak and very shaky and is not at all herself...she did however, just finish about 1 tablespoon of tunafish.....I am just waiting and praying for her that she is young enough to pull through. It will never be purchased by me again and as V. Pres. of Friends of Animals here in our local area, it will be spread like wildfire that it is hazardous to everyone's health....stay clear of it feeling like a fool,
Debra 8/10/04
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Farnum flea drops killed my cat and the other one is still in the hospital.
Vickie 8/12/04
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Could you please help me find more information about the Advantix problem?? My dog had his first and hopefully last seizure shortly after the vet changed his flea and tick from Frontline to Advantix.
Tara 8/14/04
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I am trying to spread the word about using K9 Advantix on your dog. My husband and I were given this product from our vet a few months ago. We have a ten month Golden Retriever that weighs 55lbs. The first two doses were fine. Shortly after the third dose we noticed that she began breaking out in sores on her face and along her neck. We were switching dog foods at the time and thought this might be the cause (since she had no prior reactions the first two administrations). We brought her to our vet who diagnosed her with a secondary skin infection. She said it could be an allergy to anything- most likely something in her new food. She gave us a round of antibiotics and never even suggested it could be due to the Advantix. One month later we put the Advantix on again. This time it was far worse- as though her body just could not tolerate this again. Within 36 hours we had to bring her to the vet. Our's was on vacation so we called around to others in the area. After describing her symptoms (severe scratching at the ears, leaking of puss behind the ears and swelling along the throat and neck) they asked if we had given her Advantix recently. We said yes and we were old to bring her in immediately. She was having a severe reaction to this and she almost died. They had to sedate her and they shaved around her ears and neck to expose the affected area. We were shocked at what we saw. In addition to her neck being about five times its normal size, her skin was literally burned from the Advantix. You could see where we had administered the Advantix at the base of the skull because there was a burn hole. Then you could see the path that the liquid took down both sides of her face down to her neck and throat. It had literally burned her skin right off. She had a major infection in these areas that had also crept into her ears and her right eye.
The next 24 hours were awful. We stayed up with her all night and were not sure she was going to make it. It has been about a week now and she is almost fully recovered. The company that manufactures this drug will only acknowledge that in rare occasions, some dogs do have a "sensitivity" to this. (Although, they gave us little resistance to reimbursing for our vet bills. We also learned, via a middle of the night phone call to our emergency vet clinic, that there was another dog going through this very experience in our same area- they thought we were the same people).
Since then, I have been reading other people's experiences with Advantix on various message boards. It does not appear that these reactions are as "rare" as the company claims them to be. (I also think they have a very distorted version of what a "sensitivity" or "minor reaction" really is).
I am writing this because had we known that this was even a possibility- we never would have put one drop of this on our dog. Our hope, since the company takes no formal responsibility in better communicating the risks associated with Advantix that someone may read this and spare themselves and their dog, the agony of this experience.
I am definitely willing to participate in any way I can if there is to be a class action law suit against these companies. It is wrong what they are doing for the almighty dollar.
Anjulee 8/17/04
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Zodiac Flea Trol KILLS
Re: reg..N/N D ENR 26496 P.C.P. ACT/LOI P.A
We HAD two cats. One 12 years old Tosha and the other 6 years old Toussia. We decided because of the summer flea season to buy them a product to apply to them against fleas. At the Pet Value store in Galleria Shopping Centre, located at 1245 Dupont Str. Toronto, ON M6H 2A6 (416)536-4282 the salesperson recommended Zodiac FleaTrol Spot On as "very good and effective". In good faith after reading the instructions on the box and listening to the salesperson we bought this product. Little did we know we were about to KILL our own cats.
Within 4 days of applying Zodiac FleaTrol Spot On our oldest cat became very lethargic, stopped eating or drinking and had trouble waking. He died two days later. The following day we noticed that the younger one started with the same symptoms. By the time we had a vet come over to the house it was too late. We explained that we had applied Zodiac FleaTrol Spot On but never in our wildest dreams did we know that we had poisoned our cats with this deadly TOXIC poison:
There is nothing like watching your pets die in front of you both within 4 days!!! Why are these people allowed to sell this poison?! The vet Ahmad Badri, DVM (416) 284-4610 said that the toxin goes through their skin and attacks their internal organs - liver, kidney etc. This product should be recalled immediately, there are a lot of testimonies like this, and Wellmark International Company will add ours as well. Zodiac FleaTrol should be banned from all the stores. Shame on you, Wellmark International for producing and selling this poison all for the "mighty buck!"
We reported this to U.S EPA, consumers should be aware of the real danger.
Andrei 8/19/04
We used Zodiac flea/troll drops on our two cats, they had never been exposed to any other chemicals. Unfortunately, I hadn't done my research before we put this poison on our cats. We would never experiment with a product if there was a risk to kill a pet or put them through adverse affect of the product. Nobody tells you at the store that you run such risk, nothing on the package as well.
Wellmark International Inc doesn't want to take responsibility, and never admit that Zodiac Flea troll (drops) could be dangerous. After 3 weeks of ignoring our e-mails we sent a letter to the company with the package of Zodiac Flea troll. Wellmark International Inc. responded to us with the letter from DVM Jordan Siegal (head of consumer relation department) that the symptoms are very similar to other diseases and Zodiac flea troll has nothing to do with the death of our cats. Our cats were never exposed to any other chemicals and the letter contained a lot of scientific stuff no one can make sense of any way. They even didn't bother to offer a refund to "unsatisfied customers" even though it was not about money from our part. In order to prove our case to them we have to dig out our cats from the backyard and do the autopsy, and than what? Hire a lawyer to fight Wellmark International
Inc. They will get away with it any way, this is multi billion dollars industry. They have all the bases covered.
We have wrote letters anywhere we could - NPIC, Veterinarian Collage, Humane Society and private web sites to make people aware of the danger of Zodiac products. I wish we could do more. We can mail a copy of Wellmark Inc response if anyone is interested.
Please post my response on the web site to warn pet owners and again thank you for your support.
Andrei 11/23/04
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Thank you for publishing your web site regarding the ill-effects of bio spot. We wrote you about our cat Binky who had been treated with bio spot back in June and started having seizures that night. I am writing for two reasons:
1. Our cat has still not recovered. She is on 30 mg of Phenobarbital a day to control seizures, but she seems to have neurological damage and has not used her litter box since then. It's as if she doesn't recognize the need to go. I must express her bladder every morning. Are you familiar with this condition and do you (or anyone) have suggestions on what your vet used to detoxify their cat? Our vet attempted to treat her with Bethanechol to help her recognize her bladder, but it hasn't worked. He has now told us that there is nothing more that he can do and we must make a decision. I have an appointment with a veterinary clinic which specializes in alternative care next week, but anything you know would be helpful.
2.) I have been frustrated with the response I have gotten from Farnam (bio spot), the EPA and Petco regarding this product. Are you aware of anyone who has filed a class action lawsuit. I realize this would be a huge investment of time and resources, but I really feel this product should not be on the market.
Thank you for your help in spreading the word,
Janet 8/20/04
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I can't believe I've never heard that Bio Spot was such a dangerous medication for animals. We
used it on four of our cats and our dog... We have used Bio Spot before with no problems...NEVER AGAIN !!!! One of the cats ended up having severe muscle tremors and had to be taken to an emergency vet at 5:30 am....After being bathed, pumped full of IV fluids to flush his system..given valium and (riblofloxin?) He is doing 90% better. It has been one full day so far...The vet told us that she sees numerous cats come into her office with the same problems from Hartz and Bio Spot or any over the counter medications containing concentrated amounts of permethrins...She suggested we use Advantage from now on...I'm too scared to even try any flea or tick medications at this point... There definitely should be something done about this horrible medicine. I'm all for a class action suit...Anyone know how to start one??? Synmyngrl00@aol.com
We will be reporting this to the EPA and everyone else we can find...Just hoping that the word on this medication will spread...Thank you for your wonderful web page and your concern.
Willa 8/20/04
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I just came across your Web site describing how Bio Spot nearly killed your dog, and I want to share my own experience with you and others who see your site.
I have used Bio Spot on my dog, a 98-pound male Rhodesian Ridgeback, for several years. Like
you, I started using it because it was so much cheaper than Frontline, which I had been using before. In addition, Farnham claims that Bio Spot protects against a wider range of insects than Frontline.
Each time my husband or I applied a dose of Bio Spot to our dog, he would start to rub his face in
the carpet as though he was itching terribly. We kept using it, though, because we figured that the benefits outweighed a little temporary itchiness.
Our dog is 8 years old now, and we had noticed lately that he seemed to be slowing down a lot. We figured he was just getting old. He didn’t like to run as much as he used to, he slept much more, he wasn’t as playful, and he didn’t like to be touched. It never occurred to us that any of these were symptoms of Bio Spot poisoning.
I subscribe to a monthly publication called Whole Dog Journal (which I recommend highly), and from time to time, I had seen articles there about the dangers of spot-on pesticides such as Bio Spot and Frontline. I started to have misgivings, but my husband wasn’t convinced. So we compromised – instead of monthly, we started applying Bio Spot every five or six weeks.
Then last month, I was out of town when his Bio Spot treatment was due, and my husband (who was home with the dog) and I both forgot about it. When I got back, we realized we had missed the regular treatment by a couple of weeks, but we didn’t hurry to apply it. Meanwhile, we noticed an amazing change in our dog’s behavior – he was like a puppy again, running, playing, full of energy and enjoying physical contact with us. We immediately made the connection – Bio Spot seemed to have been draining him slowly of his vigor, and as soon as we stopped using it, he was back to normal.
One other thing: For years, our dog had been prone to get lumps and frequently had surgery to remove them. Sometimes they were diagnosed as benign, but several were precancerous. He had a couple of lumps – one on and the other very close to his back, where the Bio Spot application always went – that we had decided, with our vet’s concurrence, to leave alone and just watch to make sure they didn’t get any bigger. We really didn’t want to subject him to the misery of surgery yet again. Our vet never could figure out why he got so many lumps; his diet is excellent (we feed him Wellness Super 5 Mix, one of the best, most-natural kibbles on the market, supplemented with fresh, raw fruits and vegetables), and nothing else seemed to explain it. Anyway, since we stopped using Bio Spot, those two lumps have gotten markedly smaller. I’m optimistic that they’ll disappear completely within
a few months, and I’m now convinced the Bio Spot was responsible for them as well.
Anonymous 8/25/04
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We also made the terrible mistake of having bio spot in our home. We have a 15 lb poodle and a young cat, 'Salem'. Normally, we use Frontline.but, to say a few dollars, we purchased Bio Spot. The packaging looks so identical (frontline and bio spot) that without a magnifying glass, who can read
the 4 point type "for Dogs 15 lbs. & under".
Well, this nasty product ended up on our cat. We went about our day..and, about 6 hours later heard thumping on the wood floors. We found the cat in the closet, beating his head against the floor, drooling, extremely hot, andhis heart racing like he was on the verge of a heart attack. We rushed
him to the Saturday night emergency room that. And, he end up spending a week at the vets. The bill came to over $700.00.
I feel this product should be off the market. And, I also feel, that the flea and tick products should redesign their packages. The vials which contain the product/chemicals need to come in the shape of the animal it is intended to be applied to. It would save so many animals lives and the grief of losing our best friend. After so many animals and owners dealing with this issue...my question, "is why is this so hard for these companies to do????" Animal crackers have to molds down to a science.
Sharon 8/26/04
That's an EXCELLENT idea!!! Why hasn't it been done yet? The manufacturers of these over-the -counter products want their vials to look like the more expensive products available through vets.
James TerBush
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I just talked to my sister-in-law who had used Bio Spot on one of her cats. They put it on her last
night and found her seizuring this morning at 6:30a.m.. They took her to their vet who did everything humanly possible to calm the seizure activity with no avail. They had to have Squirt put to sleep. She was the mother of a recent litter. They're not going to tell the kids until Friday after school due to how upsetting it will be for them. She was so upset because the label said nothing of possible seizure activity. They had used it on their dog and previously on the other cats and had no seizure reaction. Their vet told them it had been the fourth case they've had. The product should be pulled from the shelves. It angers me so much that this can keep occurring. I hope you can continue to spread the message. I'm just sorry, I didn't know about the cases before so I could have given warning.
Kay 8/26/04
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I have been using Bio Spot for several years on my oldest Belgian Sheep Dog, now 16 years old
with no apparent ill effects.
However, my youngest dog (2 year old) has always shown mild signs of distress after application, rubbing his head, neck, body on anything to try to remove the application. A good run outdoors
usually settled him down.
However, yesterday morning I applied his usual dose - actually - a little less than I normally do - it
was pretty warm outside but I took him for our usual romp to the soccer fields at a local college where he likes to chase after the retrievers while they fetch their balls - he seemed fine - but we didn't go
straight home and ran errands for a while. Although he drank water right after the morning romp, he had not had much until we got home around lunch time.
I believe the heat and some dehydration caused the BioSpot to quickly move through dilated blood vessels and become more toxic during the morning exercise. By afternoon his hind quarters were stiff, so was his lower spine and he was walking erratically, back legs stiff and collapsing into a sitting
position every few yards - awhich, in turn, caused great anxiety. I suspected the nervous system has been compromised by the pesticide and washed him twice as thoroughly as I could.
I hoped by morning there would be improvement, but I have seen little so far. I am pushing liquids, have adminsitered Rescue Remedy (3 doses over a 4 hour period) and have now given him a a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory which I use for my oldest Belgian's bouts with arthritis. He is eating and drinking fine which is a good sign. He's also his usual alert self. But he does not want to move from the couch. He knows something is not quite right with him.
If there is no improvement by morning I will take him to the vet. And Bio Spot will pay the bill.
Jane 8/29/04
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Two weeks ago, our 2-yr old cat was given one dose of Revolution on the back of her neck. I had taken her into the vet to look at some spots on her face which the vet thought could be flea bites.
They put Revolution on the back of her neck for it. The next day, I awoke to find her half dead and
with a sky high fever. She can't seem to walk well on her hind legs, she can't jump up, she has a cloudy look in her eyes, she won't eat on her own, and she has a weird cough. I took her back to the vet's immediately and they did every test imaginable. No heart worm, no heart problems, kidneys fine, etc. They finally sent me home with her with Prednisone and saying she had arthritis. How
does a perfectly healthy cat come down with arthritis in ONE day?? I know better. It was the Revolution. It's been 2 weeks and I am still force feeding her. She seems to really want to live, because she is letting me syringe feed her, and she keeps hugging on me and laying next to me instead of hiding like she was the first week. We see a holistic vet next week who thinks he can
help her detox from the Revolution. Please warn people about Revolution also.
Daryl 9/2/04
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We have a 25 pound Finnish Spitz Dog, named Kaija, and we applied BioSpot this week. By Wednesday afternoon she was totally out of it. She threw up everything she at on wednesday night, we brought her to the vet on thursday. They could not find anything particularly wrong. (she had totally destroyed her pillow, so we thought she was getting sick because she ate some of the pillow... turns out she was probably reacting to the treatment, and didn't know what to do.) Unfortunately, we didn't know what was going on, and didn't even consider that it could have been the flea and tick medicine. She seemed to be ok by Thursday evening, but still rather lethargic. Friday morning, she had thrown up all over again, and had diarrhea. We didn't know what to do, so we called the vet, and we scheduled an appointment to have a barium x-ray done, to see if there was some intestinal blockage. On Friday evening, she kept vomiting up frothy white liquid, that looked similar to a large patch of drool. She could not keep any food down, and could not drink water. She would stand up, and look completely dazed, unmoving, like she was in total pain with every motion. Her eyes were very glossed
over, and she was not herself at all. We were so worried. It was then that I thought, I wonder if it is the BioSpot. I read the package, and it warns against using the product on a cat that "self-cleans" well,
our dog does indeed self clean. We immediately brought her down to the tub, and washed her off with puppy shampoo. Low and behold, two hours later, she is almost like herself again. I am just so glad that we realized what was going on before it had progressed further to seizures or some of the other horrible things that I have now found out about. I can't believe that this product is still on the market.
Jan 9/4/04
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I bought some over the counter flea drops and used them on my 6 month old cat,apparently I used
one for dogs, I fell so horrible that I could have done this to her, She began twitching about 6 hours after the application, I tried to phone the vet and there are no emergency clinics in this area. A few hours after the twitching began, she seemed to be doing better, playing and eating, etc...but when I woke up this am she was back at it, she now is not twitching nearly as bad, but is walking funny and has some twitching, she will not let me put her down, is there anything I can do for her without having
a vet. It is labor day weekend and will be another two days before their office is open. Is there a chance of her survival without any long term nervous system effects? I was able to get in touch with
an emergency 800 number, and all they could tell me is that she would need treatment with atropine, an anticonvulsant. Without a vet within hours, this is not even within my means. Any suggestions, I have had cried all day and desperately need help.
Cheryl 9/5/04
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Two weeks ago i purchased the flea control for my two cats, flea collars never worked for Sarge he always got his jaw stuck around them trying to get them off. So I found what seemed to be the perfect solution. I applied it to both Sarge and Tickle's (Sarge's little sister) back, followed the directions perfectly. 20 minutes later Tickle was picking on Sarge while he lay on the floor. We noticed he started acting funny he was running around the house flopping around, then he just dropped he started meowing and hissing then his mouth was opened wide and his tounge was hanging out, twitching, breathing heavy and his eyes glazed over.
I called the emergency vet since it was late at night. My boyfriend was trying to calm me down when the vet was telling me he was about to start having seizures and possibly die. I dont have a vehicle and couldn't take him in she told me the only thing i could do at home is wash it off off him and hope for the best. Half an hour later he was fine, shaken up but fine.
What scared me the most was the vet acted like it happened all the time, I didn't even get to finish telling them the name of the product and she knew what was going on. She told me cats have been having bad reactions to the stuff and many of them have died. But when I called the company and told them, they acted completly suprised and said they have never had a problem and they use they seem ingredients as the vets flea control. They kindly offered my money back but I dont want that, there are no warnings on the box what so ever thats what I want, Sarge is my baby he barely survived when he was a kitten. I got him and he was malnurished and dehidrated 9 weeks and less than 1lb. I had to force feed him baby food and coffee cream for the first month I had him, I saved his life and the people I got him from denied there was anything wrong with him, he was "healthy". I became horribly attached to him and if anything would happen to him I would be lost.
Diann 9/6/04
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Twenty hours after using Hartz Flea & Tick Drops Plus+ for the first time, my 12 year old Border Collie had a seizure and died a couple of hours later Sunday Sept 5th 2004.
Tom 9/7/04
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Last week we applied BioSpot (for cats and ferrets) to our two cats: a 2-yr old, 11 lb adult and a 5-mo old, 4 1/2 lb kitten. Both had severe reactions. About an hour after treatment, the kitten began having tremors, fast pulse, then lethargy, and then, soon after we got him to the emergency vet, he stopped breathing. The adult cat was agitated, fast pulse and breathing, kept trying to lick the spot on her shoulders where we applied the product.
To make a long, painful story very brief. The kitten was treated for three days and the adult was treated for two days. Both survived and are normal now -- a week later. It was a very emotional experience. My wife, a Registered Nurse, applied the product (with my help) but felt personally responsible for causing our animals all this pain. The only reason the kitten survived was because of the great support of the vets and their clinical team. It was an agonizing three days.
During this experience we talked to vets at three different clinics. Every one of them knew about this stuff. They have seen it, they know how to treat it (thank goodness), why it causes the problems, and they have reported their experiences. This was not an isolated incident.
To anyone who is skeptical, please note that our case was with two cats, different sizes, different ages, not related, who were acting normally before the treatment but began having severe reactions an hour or so after treatment. Also, this resulted from one package of treatment that was "shared" between the two cats. (Our intention was to treat each cat with one of the two tubes in the package we bought, but it was evident afterwards that only one tube had been used and the second tube had not been opened.) As history and contrast, the adult cat had six months of treatments (i.e., six treatments) with Front Line last year with no reaction. According to the records, the kitten was treated with Advantage before we got him and the person we got him from, said there was no reaction before.
I talked to the company and they agreed to pay the vet bills. But I would like to know more about how this happened and why.
Mike 9/7/04
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2 nights ago I put biospot on my 7 mo puppy. We had used it for 2 months prior with no incident
but this time my baby acted like he was nuts rubbing his head on the carpet and outside on the grass and driveway. Once we gave him a bath and washed that crap off of him he was fine. My husband and I didn't sleep a wink that night we were so worried we thought we were going to loose him. That medication should be taken off the market. I'd like to put that company out of business. What
they're doing is criminal in my book!!
Lily 9/8/04
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I'm setting here writing this with tears running down my face. Last night I treated my 2 year-old cat
with Sargents Spot treatment. This morning, I rushed her to the vet. We woke up to find our baby having trouble walking, almost as if she was drunk. Within minutes, Gracie was having a seizure.
We gave her a bath to remove the pesticide and called the vet. She told us to bring her in right
away. The vet told us Gracie would have to spend the next few days at the vets office to have an
IV drip of atrophine and antibiotics . He didn't know if it would help or not. He said alot of animals
are affected this way. He said that she could come home and "just drop dead." Something has to
be done. There were no warnings on the label that said anything like this could happen. I have
wrote the company already this morning. I hope to hear from them soon.
Having worked in the pest control industry for 7 years, I know that pesticides can be fatal if used wrong, I didn't use it wrong. I will be getting in touch with the EPA and the SC Department of Pesticide Regulations. Something has to change to protect our beloved pets from suffering the
way Gracie did this morning. If it was a human affected this way, the products would be pulled off
the market. My Gracie deserves the same rights.
Paula 9/11/04
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I've have 2 labs. This is the second month I've applied Biospot to the dogs. After applying Biospot to my yellow lab, I noticed my black lab become very agitated, I literally had to chase him down to apply the Biospot. After applying the Biospot to the black lab he began pacing from room to room, his breathing became erratic and he could not keep still. I went to your website and read the reactions,
I immediately bathed him with mild soap and he seems to be doing a little better but he is still very agitated, he's been rolling around outside in the grass on his back as if the Biospot is burning him.
I WILL NEVER USE THIS PRODUCT ON MY ANIMALS AGAIN!!!! BIOSPOT needs to list these "adverse" reactions to their product. I was sorry to read about some of the other animals that have had the same experience or worse. I'm so happy that you posted this website warning consumers... and helping out the little guys that can't speak for themselves. :-)
Kris 9/13/04
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Let me tell you my story & maybe you could help me & tell me your experience with Bio Spot.
On a Thursday afternoon August 26, 2004 around 5:00pm, I went ahead & put some flea product (made by Bio Spot) on my 2 kitties Swirly & Sid who I love very dear. Went back to work & arrive home around 9:30'ish pm. I saw one of my kitties lying on the coach which was very typical of her but there one looked like she was very uncomfortable were she lay or even sitting. We notice Sid was winking her eyes a lot & all of the sudden she started to drool from her mouth. While we are seeing this, I was talking to my mother wondering what was wrong with Sid & we both put our heads together & it was the flea product we gave her. We bathed Sid but no results. It was getting worse. We saw Swirly but she didn't look like she was in pain or acting like Sid. We jumped into the car & went to the North Peninsula Emergency Clinic. When I arrived Sid was already seizuring. Hospital took her in. Gave her some muscle relaxers; insert an IV, & some other medicine. Mom & I were very scared that we might loose her. Doctor requested for Sid to be in the hospital then pick her up before 8am & take her to her regular vet. We left from the hospital quite, wondering, & in shock. I finally pulled over to a liquor store to get some baby Johnson shampoo. I thought if Sid has this problem maybe Swirly may get it.
We got home calling Swirly from the back yard & there was no response. We thought she is ok. So I turned on the lights of my bedroom, & I saw Swirly on her back seizuring & white foam coming out from her mouth. I screamed from my lungs calling my mother & brother. I picked up Swirly took her to the kitchen & mom took her to the sink & bathe her, see if her seizuring would go away or her shakes. I lost it right then & there. I was asking my brother & mother crying what should we do? I was afraid to go back to the emergency vet that we went for Sid. Since we didn't mention that we also insert some flea product on Swirly. So I went to the San Francisco emergency vet. It was a quick 10 minutes but for me it was forever to get there. Doctors took Swirly in, & they did the same thing with Sid at the other emergency clinic.
We finally went home try to sleep so we could pick up Swirly & Sid up the next day. Of course any of us couldn't sleep. Next morning I picked up Swirly in San Francisco & mom picked up Sid in San Mateo. We right away went to our regular vet in Burlingame. Who he said try to fight with the company.
So I am here on CL asking for your help if you have any bad experiences with the product BIO SPOT. My goal is to have this product out of pet stores, or any grocery stores. I really don't care if I get my money back. I don't want to see another person to go through what I went through. Please help me.
Heidi 9/15/04
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Please tell the viewers of your site that Advantage can cause the same problems. Earlier this evening, I gave my toy poodle a bath, she was happy and playing. I then put the Advantage drops on her and right away she started acting funny. She started pacing around, would not lay down with me, and finally went and lay in a chair. She just kept stairing at me with blank eyes. Everytime I picked her up, she would want to get away from me and go somewhere else. I think she knows I did this to her.
I suspected it was the flea drops, and out of desperation looked up side effects from flea drops and found your site. After reading the site, I knew it was the drops for sure. I quickly washed off the drops, but, they had been on her for a few hours, and I am afraid she will have lasting harm. Thank your for caring enough to keep up this site, if it saves even one beloved pet, it is worth your time. I am scared to death she will have lasting effects or even die. It is 4 AM here and I am praying that I can find a vet willing to see her on Sunday. I am afraid to wait until Monday. She is only 2 years old and still acts like a pup. She is my baby and I couldn't live with the guilt if she has any lasting problems from what I
did to her. I am writing this with tears running down my face because I am so afraid
of what I have done to her.
The makers of these products must be stopped. Again, please warn your readers that even Advantage is not safe. I will never use a pestiside on her again. By the way, I bought this from my vet. They gave me a tube from a large box, it had no directions or warnings at all on it, just the name and
nothing else. I thought I could trust my vet!! I am praying that my little Jasmine will be alright.
Linda 9/19/04
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I was just reading your article about insecticides. My dog Dude got fleas a few times and I used regular flea shampoos on him. He would have tremors when he was sleeping, but I thought it was normal because all dogs shake when they sleep. This time he invited in a flea army so I used a citronella flea shampoo. It worked well but the fleas kept coming back because I did not treat his bedding. I put drops of Peppermint Oil all over my house and did the boric acid thing and they helped. I had read a few things about flea combs but figured they wouldn't help. When I finally gave
up and bought one, it actually worked. Dude does not have seizures when he sleeps. I know flea medications cause seizures becauce he has not had any since I have stopped using Pyrethrin products.
Dave 9/27/04
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I purchased Biospot from Petsmart. I put one vial on my Shit zu and he immediately started running around trying to get it off. He had never done that with Frontline. After about an hour, I noticed he had become very quiet. Not long after this he started vomiting. He vomited twice that night and started diarrhea. He was lethargic the next day and vomited again. I called the vet and he told me to give him Pepto Bismol and watch him closely since he was so busy and the other vet was not there.
I waited until the next morning and the vomiting still had not stopped. I had already bathed him in my kitchen sink with dish detergent and it did not help. I took him to the vet the next morning at 9:00. He vomited in the back seat and had quit going to potty. He had not pottied in over 24 hours. My vet worked us in and by the time he saw us, my dog was extremely ill. He said he had to keep him in the hospital. I handed over my 4 year old dog, having no idea that it would be the last time I would see him alive. My vet called the next morning to tell me he was in kidney failure and that it was due to some toxic substance. He had to put my dog to sleep and we lost him at 10:30, two days after having used Biospot. I have absolutely no doubt that Biospot caused my perfectly healthy four year old dog's death. My doctor kept the bills as low as possible but with the x-rays, BUN's, IV's and blood work it came out to 326.00. This is what I paid to pick up my dog's body and bring him home to bury him.
I will demand Biospot reimburse me for this amount. They should be taken off the market. My neighbor used this on her cat and he seized for 24 hours before finally coming around.
Please do not use Biospot.
Vicki 9/26/04
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I recently ordered and used bio spot and it did not work at all!!!! I live in the country and have a battle with the fleas every year. I own 2 English Bulldogs and would have been devastated if something similar to your situation happened. I feel lucky and express my sympathy to you and your experience. I am trying to find a way to contact the makers of the product for I have a few things I wish to discuss with them. Fortunately I took my new bulldog (she is just 4 months old) and my vet explained why I should not use bio spot even though he knows I have no intention of doing so again. I feel they need
to better explain how it works and the risk involved. Actually, I believe the product should not be available at all!!!!
Lori 9/28/04
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We had a great 11 year old Queensland Heeler who died of kidney failure on August 1st. It was a tragic loss for our family considering she was perfectly healthy days before. I had used advantage on her a couple times before and noticed that she seemed a bit lethargic days following, but nothing of any real concern. I mentioned this to the vet and they did not seemed concerned. We live in the mountains and have lots of ticks so this summer I thought that I would try out the Frontline because one the vet recommended it, and it controlled both ticks and fleas. We put it on her Tuesday night. The next day she seemed to be feeling a bit down , but not to the point of concern. Thursday she got worse and by Thursday night she wasn't eating. First thing in the AM took her to the Vet where they said she was experiencing Kidney failure. I expressed that I gave her frontline a few days before and could that be the problem?! They said surely "No". She was taken to another vet clinic for the weekend where they continued to give her antibiotics and IV. She died on Sunday. There is not a doubt in my mind that it was the Frontline.
Is there something that we could have done once we saw that she had a reaction? Is there an antidote? We are truly sad about our loss, and at this point want to share our story so that no one
else has to go through it!
Tina 10/1/04
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omg my cats have been shaking thier back legs and when I called the vet he said that it was caused by the biomed flea spray. I am furious they would sell such a product and would like to find a way to get this product pulled from the shelves.
Anonymous 10/3/04
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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.
