Update 2/6/05: Hamish has not had ANY seizures since we stopped using Bio Spot
32 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 recently read your website article about your experience with your dalmation and the seizures it experienced due to the use of bio-spot. My dog is 2 years old, and has fallen victim to the same product. We followed the advise/suggestion you had on your page with regards to bathing him to
remove the compound, but alas, our dog is still having seizures. Needless to say, me and my family are very concerned and would like to ask how long it took your dog to completely get over the
seizures he was having?
Any information of advise you could give would be greatly appreciated. I love my little bud, and refuse to see him die because some company continues to sell a product that is harmful to dogs.
Chad 10/5/04
Regrettably, we had to put Spookey (My little buddy) down last night as the seizures got worse and worse. They were about 45 minutes a part and we didn't want to see him suffer like that any more. We did wash him thoroughly, but he still continued to have seizures after the fact.
I will be calling those numbers you supplied to me and I thank you for the email. Today is a very sad day for me, cause it feels like I just lost my son.
Chad 10/6/04
This is just an update on how we managed after we had to put our Border Collie, Spookey, down.
Well after many phone calls to BioSpots head office, we did get full reimbursment, right down to the cost of Spookey as a pup from the pet store. I'm glad Biospot took the blame for our baby's death and took the initiative to reimburse us, but it still didn't bring him back. To this day we all still miss him very much and I still weep terribly looking at his photos. The memories of the last 2 days of his life will be etched in my brain forever and I still feel responsible for his death.
We did eventually adopt another dog from a shelter. Her name is Misty, she's a Springer/Spanial/Lab cross and is a very good companion. She's not a replacement, for nothing could replace our little boy, but she sure is a well behaived, lovable, obedient dog. No, we don't use any of the over the counter
flea formulas, what I use is Avon Skin So Soft spray. The fleas don't seem to like it much, but that's the idea, right? I comb Misty every day and twice a week I spray some SSS on her and rub it in. We seem to have the problem under control. I also use Dawn dish soap to bath her maybe once a month, just depends on how much mud she rolls in :)! So I guess what I'm trying to say is that in a big way we are much happier with Misty in our lives, but the memories of Spookey-good and bad-will be in our hearts and minds forever. Thank you for your website and for all the help you've given to all those who visit it.
Sincerely,
Denise 11/12/05
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I am so glad to have found your website and to realize that many others have experienced what we are experiencing right now. I was totally unaware of any effects that products, such as BioSpot, could have on our feline and canine family members.
The other evening I applied a tube of the BioSpot for Cats to my 1-1/2 year old cat and her 15-week-old kitten. I was awoken by a bumping noise around 5:00am the next morning. I found the adult cat, Lucie, having severe tremors, foaming at the mouth profusely and soaking wet from rolling around in her own vomit. The kitten, Pretty Face, was not as severe. She was only having light tremors.
I immediately rushed them to the nearest Emergency Vet and the first thing the tech asked was if any flea preventative had been administered. They immediately bathed them and started IV fluids and muscle relaxers. We stayed there until they closed at 8:00am. I transported them to our vet where the cats were assessed. Lucie was still in very critical condition and Pretty Face was doing surprisingly well. The vet continued treatment throughout the day until his clinic closed at 6:00 pm. Pretty Face was ready for discharge but Lucie still required treatment. We had the option of leaving her unattended at the clinic, transporting her back to the emergency vet or bringing her home for the evening. We had not other option but to bring her home. We refused to leave her unattended, afraid she could take a turn for the worse and no one would be there to notice and we could not afford for her to spend any more time at the overpriced Emergency Vet. My husband picked the cats up and brought them home at 6:00pm. We crated the Lucie in our bedroom and continued the IV fluids throughout the night. The vet was kind enough to send home a dose of Valim for us to administer. When we got up the next morning, she seemed to be much better. She was finally aware of her surroundings but still had noticeable tremors and could not walk more than a step or two before collapsing. We transported her back to the clinic where she spent the entire day receiving more IV fluids and Valium injections. Pretty Face is doing fine and has made a full recovery. Lucie, on the other hand, is still not out of the woods. The vet expects her to recover but may have some nuerologial problems. Depending on the servreity will determine what our next step will be.
I am astounded at the number of cases where pet owners have lost a member of their family by just trying to protect them from fleas, ticks and the other pests that our pets have to deal with. When I first heard of BioSpot and the effectiveness is was guaranteed to have, I was thrilled to find such a product at such a low cost. I had been a user of the high end products and was willing to change to save some money. How wrong was I? Switching to this product nearly killed my cat and cost me money that I didn't have to spend on medical treatment for these special members of our family.
I plan to get reimbursed for my expenses, no matter what measures I have to take. But seeing that poor cat helplessly flopping around will always be in my mind.
Rana 10/6/04
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WE HAD A TWO YEAR OLD CAT. WE USED BIO SPOT FOR CATS LIKE IT SAID AND WE FOUND HIM TWO HOURS LATER HAVING CONVULSIONS AND HE DIED THREE HOURS LATER!!
VICKI 10/8/04
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I have extra supplies of K9 Advantix that I wanted to sell on eBay. I went online to find literature information which I could cut and paste the information for my eBay site. This is where I found your site and read the haunting information.
Thank you for submitting the site. I was not aware of the ingredient, Permethrin could be harmful. Years ago I used Bio-Spot on my three large dogs. They all had skin allergy reactions in the area where Bio-Spot was applied. I also remember the dogs being lethargic, drooling at the mouth. We took them to the vet and many dollars later they appeared to have recovered without any more incidents. We dismissed it as to something they ate in the yard, and never used Bio-Spot again.
The past four months, I switched from Frontline Plus to K9 Advantix because of the added protection to mosquitoes. I have used Advantix for the last three months on my Rottweiler. I do recall my dog
(I currently only have one dog) having the shakes. He would shake as he was having some kind of neurological problem. I brought this to my vet's attention, but of course we don't know why he shakes.
Last month, I purposely skipped on giving him his monthly Advantix dose due to where we now live, there are no fleas. After reading your site, I noticed that my dog has not had severe shakes for some time now. And if I remember correctly, the shakes where about the same time Advantix was given.
THANK YOU!!!!!! YOUR SITE SAVED MY DOG!!!!!!!!! I am throwing away the remainder of the K9 Advantix I have, and spread the warning about Permethrin.
Betty 10/9/04
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I am so glad I came across your web site. I have a yellow lab mix, 2 years old about 45 pounds
and her name is Lucky. She has been perfectly healthy until now, and I think it is from the Bio Spot Shampoo we used on her. She had 2 partial seizures, she would just start shaking and couldn't
stand up for about 3 minutes or so but she was still very alert. The vet did blood work and everything was normal. I wanted to research further before I put her on this phenobarbital? med they perscribed and I think it is the Bio Spot. I am going to call my vet today and I just wanted to thank you for putting out this web site because without that I would never of guessed it might be the shampoo.
Kathy 10/11/04
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I used the Sergeant's Pretect Drops on my cat this week and she died. The vet told me he has
had at least 5 over the summer. This product should be taken off the market. I would appreciate any feedback you might have.
Kathryn 10/16/04
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We recently adopted a dog from the pound (a kill shelter). This dog was a dog that lived in our neighborhood but was kept outside all the time and kept running off. My daughter would keep
catching him and bringing him back to his owners. A couple of months ago he ran away again
and his owners mentioned that if we happened to find him we could keep him, since they knew
my daughter was attached to him. We did find him, in the shelter, and adopted him after treating
him for heartworm disease. We brought him home and he was a great addition to our family of
two kids, one other dog, and one cat.
Our other dog had been given Frontline by our vet but he developed an allergy to it so we were
in between medicines and had not decided on an alternative preventative for fleas and ticks for
him or this new dog. While at the pet store picking up supplies for the new dog, my daughter
insisted on picking up some over-the-counter treatment for both of them. We looked them over
and settled on BioSpot for both of them.
On a Saturday afternoon my daughter applied BioSpot to both of them as indicated on the instructions. The next day she decided Samson (the new dog) needed a bath so she went ahead
and bathed both of the dogs. On Monday night Samson started shaking, foaming at the mouth, seizing, just as you described it for your dog. We called the emergency animal clinic as our vet
was closed. They said that if the seizures were back-to-back we should bring him in. He had
another one while we were on the phone. He also defecated in the middle of the seizure and
became very disoriented as he came out of it and ran into walls. We grabbed him and rushed
him to the clinic. This was about 9:30 p.m.
At the clinic they took him right away and gave him Valium. That seemed to settle him down but
he did have another seizure while we were still there. We left him for overnight observation and
blood work. When we left him at 10:30 he was better and we were to come back early in the
morning and take him to our vet for an examination. They said we could call in an hour for the
results of the blood work.
When I talked to them at midnight his blood work was back and they could not find anything
abnormal, other than his white blood cell count was a little high, which they could attribute to the
stress of the seizures. But he was doing better.
We got the call at 1:45 a.m. that he was in the middle of another seizure that started at 1 a.m.
and they had not been able to control, despite very high doses of the drug of choice, plus a muscle relaxer. They were afraid that at this point he had already suffered from brain damage and asked
if we wanted to have him euthenized. Since we did not want him to suffer any longer, we gave them permission to do this.
The vet could not say for certain that it was the BioSpot that caused his death, but she did not have anything good to say about these OTC treatments. I feel very bad for my daughter, who is blaming herself. Our other dog, Mason, has not shown any adverse effects from BioSpot. Maybe the bath washed most of it away for him, but the bath did not help Samson (who is about 40 lbs smaller).
We spent over $500 treating Samson, only to lose him.
Why are these products still on the market? What can we do to get rid of these products? If there's anything we can do to help prevent more suffering and heartbreak for pets and their families, please let me know.
Marissa 10/22/04
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Do you conclusively know that Bio Spot caused the problems with your dogs? As you know, the two main active ingredients in Bio Spot are Permethin (for killing fleas) and Nylar (an IGR). The Humane Society actually recommends both products on their website.
A search on hsus.org for Permethin found that they recommend it as a mosquito repellant to help prevent pets and other animals from contracting the West Nile Virus. Nylar is recommended as an effective IGR in their section on flea medications.
How can the Humane Society recommend the key ingredients in a product when people say that a product which contains these ingredients is dangerous and unsafe?
I found no evidence of any mention of Bio Spot on the Humane Society website, positive or negative.
James 10/22/04
I do not know conclusively that Bio Spot caused my dog's seizures. However, I do know that pesticides (including permethrin) are capable of causing adverse reactions such as lethargy, loss
of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, incoordination, excessive salivation, seizures, and in some cases, death. I also know that my dog never had seizures before we applied Bio Spot on him, and he has
not had any seizures since we stopped using it two years ago. I believe there is sufficient circumstantial evidence that Bio Spot caused my dog's seizures. Farnam (makers of Bio Spot) apparently reached the same conclusion because they reimbursed my dog's veterinary expenses.
The Humane Society of the United States does NOT recommend using permethrin on dogs. The
only mention of permethrin on their website is from the CDC, which recommends using permethrin
on your clothing as a means to protect yourself from mosquitos. According to the CDC's website, permethrin should NOT be applied to exposed skin.
The Humane Society's website has two pages regarding the risks of over-the-counter flea products:
I believe it is important for everyone to know the risks of using flea control products that contain pesticides. Otherwise, it is impossible to make an informed decision on whether to use them or not.
James TerBush 10/24/04
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I bought BioSpot for Cats on Saturday night since I was out of Frontline and my cats seemed to be overrun with fleas. I put it on Maxwell, my 3 year old Siamese, and Domino, my 3 month old kitten. Maxwell had no problems putting it on, but Domino fought and fought when she felt it on her skin. I didn't think anything about it; I figured that she was mad because she hates taking medicine. I didn't notice anything odd and we all went to bed.
Sunday was a different story. Domino seemed exhausted and laid on my bed all day long. Being a kitten, this was very unusual for her. She wouldn't even get up to eat or drink or use the litterbox. I also noticed her back legs were shaking. She was still covered in fleas so I decided to bathe her with some mild shampoo. After that, she went back to bed and stayed there.
I knew something was up, so I searched on the Internet for BioSpot and found your site. I couldn't believe what I was reading about this horrible product. Luckily she hadn't had any seizures, just listless and slight shaking at times. I gave the poor girl another bath, this time in Dawn dish soap, as many people had indicated on your site.
After a long, but luckily uneventful night, Domino went to the vet this morning. As suspected, she had a toxic reaction to the BioSpot, essentially she had been poisoned. She also had a temperature of 106. The vet gave her an antidote and something to bring down her temperature. He said the 2 baths are probably what saved her life.
Domino is at home now, isolated and resting. She is already showing signs of improvement, walking around and showing interest in her food. Maxwell, my Siamese, has not shown any signs of poisoning, but he'll be getting a bath also.
I am so grateful that I found your site. It saved my baby and hopefully she will be just fine. BioSpot should be removed from the market, or at least have MUCH stronger warnings on its labels.
Erica 10/25/2004
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I treated my kitten of about 16 weeks with bio spot about 2 weeks ago..and he has now lost all of his
fur on his ears, above his eyes, and on his back where I put the crappy product. I talked to Farnam
about this issue and they told me to give him a bath and that it should be ok it would take about 6 weeks to grow the hair back though. However after reading the posts on your site I see that this is a
bunch of bull. MR. Poindexter looks horrible. He seems to be feeling ok but I have noticed a black spot on his nose now. I thought that it was blood but when I bathed him to get this stuff off that would not come clean. I am really worried about Mr. Poindexter as he is my first and only cat. Are there any suggestions as to something else that I could do to help him recover. We have a vet appointment for him but are living on a tight budget and would rather do something to help him that is not going to cost me a fortune if I don't have to. Any suggestions that you may have, or that anyone may have would be
greatly appreciated. Anyone can reach me at ohhlalababy@yahoo.com. Someone please help ease my nerves. Thank you.
Sarina 10/27/04
P.S. I wish I would have known about this chemical before I bought this stuff.
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My cat Judas almost died from BioSpot. He is in love with one of my dogs. I put the BioSpot on her. He must have rubbed up against her or something, we're not sure exactly what. He started having seizures. Small at first, but then got increasingly worse. We took him to the emergency vet. They washed him and put an IV in him. He kept having seizures. They gave him some kitty valium, and it seemed to help. He came home with us. He looked dead b/c of how much valium they had to give him. His eyes were shaking back and forth and he was just laying there, tongue hanging out. That
was a rough night. Each day he got better and is perfectly fine now. I wrote BioSpot and all they told me is that the package says "not for cats" and refunded me my purchase price! That was it!
Michele 10/29/04
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I have a 1 1/2 year old French Brittany 19 inches tall, about 35 pounds. She has been given Revolution. Within 2 hours, she was being driven crazy trying to scratch her back, unable to sit still even for one minute. We bathed that off immediately.
The following spring, our vet talked me into trying Advantix. The first treatment seemed okay. There was some back discomfort with the next treatment. I waited an extra month or so before I tried it third time. I used a half dose and spread it out as much as I could. Gradually her back swelled from the neck line, midway to the tail. The skin was soft, puffy, swollen 2 to 3 inches above her normal shoulder line. She looked like a Brahma bull. Upon further examination, everywhere I had placed a drop,
there was a hole in her skin. No more revolution or advantix! I'll try natural flea and tick repellants.
I wish dogs had a "watchdog" group assuring the safety of medications and food. No wonder our
four footed-friends are dying younger. We are loving them to death.
Signed
Disappointed by manufacturers' "greed" 10/30/04
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I applied Bio Spot to both of my dogs. one is having an adverse skin reaction to the area the product was applied. she is constantly trying to scratch the area and when you touch it, her skin literally crawls and she turns into your hand and tries to scratch. I tried washing the product off but that did not lessen her discomfort. I called Farnham and they said to try giving her a bath with Dawn Dishwashing liquid.
I called my vet and he also suggested using some cortaid on the area.
Windy 11/2/04
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At the end of September my Husband was layed off from his job and I was trying to save us money,
so I went to our local Wal-Mart store and bought {Zodiac - Flea and tick} Spot On to treat all 6 of my inside cats. After applying it to all six cats - 2 hours later I found one of the cats in the middle of my dinning room floor having a seizure. I called my Vet. and he suggested that I wash the cat and if that did not help to take it to the Animal Hospital because it was a Sunday afternoon. She did not stop
her seizures so we drove 1 hour to the nearest Animal Hospital. They said that she would have to
stay over night for observation and more medication. We left her there and drove 1 hour back home to find that the other 5 cats were now having seizures. We had to drive back again 1 hour to the Animal Hospital with the remaining 5 cats. All had to stay over night and the vet bill was over $800.00 and I was trying to save us money, but for a product that cost $4.00 it cost us $800.00 and almost
lost all 6 cats.
The animal hospital took blood samples, hair samples and the containers of Zodiac and sent them to the poison control. I have spoke to Zodiac and they do not want to pay for the vet bills. Their reasons were - that they have no records of this ever happening and that it could not have been their product that caused this. They also said that since I did not follow the directions on the back of the box and used a full tube of their product on each cat that I have broken a federal law and they will not pay for it. I was to use a full tube of their product on each cat. My cats are very small cats and I have never used a full dosages of anything on them. All your stories will help us in our fight against this company. All our cats lived through this, but we have one that will never be the same. Her days are spent just sitting and looking as if she has no idea where she is. She has trouble with walking. This is a fight that I will fight to the end. I never will buy anything for my cats from a chain store again. We are fighting with Zodiac now and will not give up until something is done.
Mrs. F 11/2/04
Well it has been several weeks and we finally spoke to Zodiac and they are not going to pay our vet bills. They did their testing and found Pyrithoid in the tubs and also in the hair samples. They are saying that it did not come from their product, that they also tested the lot that the product came from and there were no traces of Pyrithoid in that lot, but yet their test results show it in the cats hair and the tubes that were sent to their test labs. (They are trying to say that we were the ones that put the wrong product on all 6 of our cats that we love) . They are not going to take any responsibility and basiclly are saying that the Pyrithoid did not come from their company and that it had to come from another source - poss. our home or the animal clinic. That is the only other places the product was at besides their own lab where the testing was done. It has been a big mess and we don't know where to go from here. I guess that were are just out the $800.00 and have to deal with one of the cats that will never be the same. Again, Zodiac just got away with it!! We can't afford to get a Lawyer, because my husband was layed off from his job (which is why I went to Walmart and purchased the Zodiac product, to save us money) and I only have a part time job, which is just paying our bills with the unemployment checks. I just want to tell everyone I can "PLEASE do not use over the counter products on your cats or dogs!!!!" Go to the vet and get Frontline. I have always used Frontline and have never had a problem.
Mrs. F 11/29/04
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Do you have an phone number where you can reach Farnam inc? I used it on my little maltese, Sammy, before reading your website. He had the shakes, was running around the house and
seemed very high strung. I washed it off before I went to bed, and he seems a little better today,
but he's just laying around, not too active and still a little shaky. I want to contact the company
and will contact the EPA. I feel terrible......
Jill 11/5/04
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I read your information regarding Bio Spot. I went to a well supplied Pet Store and they only sold
Bio Spot for Cats, they did not carry any other kind.
I am sad to say that my pretty cat became very ill after using this product and I had to put her to
sleep yesterday.
I trusted the pet store to provide quality products, but once again it shows that you cannot trust
anyone. These companies are only interested in making money.
Karen 11/5/04
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WE HAVE A LITTLE CHIWAWAUGH DOG WEIGHING ABOUT 2 POUNDS . I NOTICED AFTER
I PUT BIO SPOT FLEA KILLER ON HER AS PRESCRIBED SHE BEGAN TO RUN AROUND SCRUBBING ON THE FLOOR TRYING TO GET IT OFF OF HER. THEN IN 10 MINUTES SHE BEGAN TO HAVE UNCONTROLLABLE TWITCHING IN HER LEGS AND EARS. THEN SHE BECAME DESPONDENT AND HER EYES GOT GLASSY LOOKING. I KNEW IF I DID NOT GET
IT OFF HER SHE WAS GOING TO DIE. SO I WASHED HER IN DAWN A COUPLE OF TIMES IN ABOUT AN HOUR SHE BEGAN TO COME BACK TO HER SELF. NEEDLESS TO SAY IT WAS A SCARRY TIME FOR TWO DAYS. THE NEXT DAY WE CALLED THE VET AND SHE STATED SHE HATED THAT STUFF AND HAS OR NEVER RECOMMEND USING IT ON ANY DOG.
MASON 11/7/04
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My 2.5 year old male miniature schnauzer had a very severe almost fatal allergic reaction to Advantix. It was only after reading the messages posted on your web site that we realized what was going on. We had an almost identical experience to that described by another person. We would like to thank you both for the details which were really helpful to us.
We were switched from Frontline to Advantix when we went to the vets office for a refill. We were told that it was more effective. We did not notice any reaction after the first application. The second
application was accidentally washed off almost immediately by my daughter because she thought the dog needed a bath. The real trouble happened after the third application. Soon after the product was
applied the dog seemed 'tired' and 'not himself'. After several days we noticed several large bumps down the center of his back (where you apply the product !) and the dog started itching furiously and badly scratched his nose. We took him to the vet who did a blood exam to discover that his white blood (neutrophil) count was slightly elevated and so prescribed antibiotic. It was likely that the lesion on his nose had become infected. He commented that he wasn't sure what the bumps were and that
it may have something to do with allergies but opted not to do anything about that possibility. He also had a few smaller 'bumps' appearing on his body. That night his whole body was covered with
'small bumps' and the bumps on his back had grown in size and looked like large blisters ranging
from 1-3 inches in diameter. He was also becoming rapidly more listless. We took him to the emergency room and they told us he had hives which were particularly bad on his face and ears.
His face was swollen and could barely see out through his eyelids. He also had a fever. They gave him benadryl to take for the hives. They also took a sample from one of the bumps on his back and it
seemed 'clean' i.e. no obvious bacterial infection. The following day the dog seemed even more listless and just wanted to lay in a corner and hide. His breathing seemed labored so we took him back to the emergency room and they then gave him predisone. During both visits to the emergency room, the vets told us that he was having a severe allergic reaction to something but had no ideal what it could be. Interestingly, no one seemed to ask if we had applied any product to his skin !. It was at that time that I found your web site and then called the emergency room to say that I thought the problem was Advantix. Since the product had been applied before and the problem started apparently after several days they were not totally convinced that this was the answer. The other possibility that was discussed was skin carcinoma. This seemed unlikely since all this trouble had happened within 48 hours. The vet in the emergency room suggested I call Bayer to report the problem which I did. The consumer representative said that I could not be sure that it was the product although a small number of animals are sensitive to the drug, just as they could be sensitive to any other thing. I then received 2 follow up calls from Bayer for an update on the dog. Each time they seemed to focus on the lesions on his ears and face which were hives rather that the large 'blisters'
on his back. I was told by a Bayer representative that antibiotics, benadryl and predisone were the best treatment.
The dog was listless for more than one week. We were convinced that he was not going to survive and none of the vets seemed to know that either. We had more blood work and urine analysis done which were all normal, except again a higher white blood cell count likely from the wound on his nose being infected. After trying to sustain the dog with food and water for more than a week, he finally started eating and drinking voluntarily. Each day small improvements were made and he then started behaving more normally. The large blisters eventually dried up and fell off. The hives also cleared up and his skin was dry and flakey there. He has lost a lot of hair especially on the large bumps on his
back and also on his face, around his eyes where the hives were worst and also on his nose and tail where he had attempted to itch and injured badly. We are now almost 3 weeks after this whole ordeal started. He had some trouble with the extended course of antibiotics and started vomiting for a few days. That seems to have stopped now after the antibiotics were stopped. We took him to the vet who was pleased with the improvements in his skin - obviously not skin carcinoma after all. We are
not sure if the hair will return.
I complained to Bayer about the toxicity of their product and all the trauma to the dog and to our family that it caused, not to mention the hundreds in dollars that we paid in visits to the emergency room and
tests. They were reluctant to admit that their product was the problem again mentioning the lesions on the ears and nose which seemed more indicative of autoimmunity !!! I am not sure at this point if I want to push this any further by sending reports from all the visits to the vets office and emergency room. I am also reluctant to put any other tick product on my dog.
I did mention to the Bayer representative that I had seen reports on the internet which documented adverse reactions to Advantix. The response I got was "you can find reports of alien sightings on the internet too..."
Tilde 11/7/04
Seems most vets are either not aware of these issues or are reluctant to accept them. At least 4
different veterinarians have examined our dog and admit that the location of the lesions on his back are uncanny but still feel that reaction to Advantix is unlikely because of the extensive use and no
similar adverse reactions.
Tilde 11/8/04
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Last night an adopter called me in a panic; she had applied Bio-Spot (flea control) to her 8 month
cat. After 20 minutes, "Layla" went into what appeared to be convultions. A call to the vet gave the suggestion to wash the product off the cat. She improved for a few minutes and then again went into
convulsions and began vomiting.
Layla was rushed to an Emergency Vet Service. They explained that Layla was having muscle spams that she could not control. They gave her a muscle relaxer and several injections. They suggested keeping her overnight but the adopter - who is disabled and unemployed - was unable to afford the extra charge. Layla will see her regular vet today.
What is most disturbing is that the vet at Emergency told the adopter that they have at least 10 cases a week like this, the result of Bio-Spot and Hartz products. They advised the adopter to contact Bio-Spot and submit all of her vet bills for reimbursement.
Jennifer 11/8/04
Paws and Claws Society
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Yesterday (Sun. Nov. 7, 2004) I noticed my rotty, Cody, was itching so I put Bio-Spot on him. I had used it over the summer months and he had a slight reaction to it, but nothing of concern. This time he acted very strangely. Within 1/2 hr. of putting the Bio-Spot on him he began running around the house, up and down the steps and seemed not to be able to get comfortable. This morning, my husband was off of work. He called me at work to say he was taking Cody to the vet because now kept shaking his head and would not allow my husband to touch his ears. The vet looked in his ears and said they were a bit red, but didn't seem to have an infection. They really couldn't find anything wrong with him so they took blood tests and also wanted to take x-rays, but my husband said no to the x-rays. I called the vet back and told them it was not Frontline that I used, but Bio-Spot and they said well that's the problem. Do not use this product again. It is not FDA approved. I will be getting in touch with Farnam about
this terrible product.
Trish 11/8/04
I did get in touch with Farnam and they have no problem with reimbursing me the veterinary expenses. They told me if I have any future bills to also send them to Farnam for reimbursement. They have been very cooperative and very concerned.
When I got up this morning, Cody was back to normal, thank goodness.
Trish 11/9/04
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I have a long haired kitten who had received Advantage flea treatment from the vet, and when it was time to treat him again, I decided to go the inexpensive route - BioSpot. I bought the appropriate product for kittens, read the instructions, and applied it as directed. Almost immediately, he hid under a piece of furniture and wouldn't come out. Later that day he wouldn't eat or drink, and was shaking and trembling. I couldn't tell if he was afraid, sick, in pain, or about to have a seizure. Fortunately, I
talked with a friend who runs a cat rescue and she told me to give him a bath immediately. I did, and although it took him 2 days to get back to normal, he began to eat again. Now, 10 days later, he has what looks like burn marks where the BioSpot was applied, and the fur has fallen out in that area. I am furious with myself for having trusted BioSpot, but I am even more angry at the producers of BioSpot for putting this product on the market. If my friend had not told me to bathe my kitten, he probably would be dead by now. This is a very bad product.
Diane 11/9/04
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My 12 year old Laso/Maltese had a seizure about a month ago as a matter of fact she had 3 within
4 hours. The vet could find nothing wrong with her. Thank you for this info because now I know what caused it. I found the Bio Spot at Pet Supermarket and thought I would give it a try since it seemed
the fleas were immune to Frontline. I have used it only once since her original seizure and she had another one last week. The vet still has nothing.
Tracee 11/10/04
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I had a Dalmatian that had a severe illness which came on quickly and mysteriously a year and a half ago. His back legs went completely paralyzed, and he couldn't move. He just laid on a blanket and was urinating all over himself to boot. He couldn't even get up to eat or drink. He was completely out of it.
I think I have discovered what happened now thanks to your site. I had bathed him and put the
Bio-Spot on him a mere 2 hours before his illness began. Just as the pet lovers on your site stated,
I had no idea what was wrong with Barkley beings as he was as healthy as a horse previous to this. Upon taking him to the emergency vet for blood work, etc, they also found NOTHING to provoke his paralysis. He was given some meds, and returned to normal within 24 hours, thank God. I am certain now that I have found the answer almost a year and a half later thanks to you! After his reaction and illness, he had no bathing with anything other than baby shampoo, as I was afraid that I had inadvertently done something to poison him by getting the shampoo in his face.
After finding your site tonight, and putting 2 and 2 together, I now realize it was the Bio-Spot that I had tried to save money on and used after being given a one dose "vial" by a friend of mine. After that episode and his emergency visit to the vet, I purchased his usual pack of Advantage and never had
another problem. I am going to email everyone I know who has a dog or cat and let them know about the hazards of Bio-Spot.
Unfortunately, I lost Barkley to a house fire last November and miss him with all my heart. But my new Dalmatian, Maggie, will NEVER have that product given to her. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the information!! You just may have saved me from loosing another child...
Deby 11/10/04
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I need to know if the latest "Frontline Plus" for dogs is ok to use on my Yellow Lab? She had been using this type and brand for 7 years but, recently with my latest "Frontline Plus" flea & tick controler, Haley has had 2 seizures within less than 30 days, is always sleepy (Much more than usual), and druels some now but, never had before! This new "Frontline Plus" has "fipronil" & "(S)-methoprene"
in it as active ingredients. What should I do? Should I try garlic pills or drops? If so, how much? or
what else? Please help me figure out what to do for Haley!
John 11/12/04
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I used Bio Spot on my cat. She is 15 years old & 2 days later my Fiance' found her visibly shaking & "twitching" on the floor. Barely unable to get up to use the bathroom. He watched over her most of the afternoon until I came home & we immediately raced her to the Emergency Vet. She was placed on IV's & is being monitored as I type this. The think she has a good chance of surviving, 400.00 later!!
I will never use this stuff on any of my animals again. I will stick to the tried & true - Advantage! It is worth the extra money not to fork out 400.00 for emergency bills when this happens to another pet
on mine because this product isn't tested or regulated properly. I hope anyone reading this will think twice before buying this product for their family pet because it is "cheaper" than the other products tested by the FDA.
Anabel 11/12/04
Advantage is NOT regulated by the FDA, it's regulated by the EPA. Many vets believe that products like Advantage and Frontline are safer than the over-the-counter flea products, which may be true, but they still contain pesticide and can cause severe adverse reactions (especially in older pets).
James TerBush
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I was looking for possible reasons why my cat died and found your information. I wish I had seen it before I had applied BioSpot to may cat. I was out of town for a funeral and my daughter was watching my cats. She applied BioSpot to my cats, Lucky and Gizmo. Lucky was a Russian Blue and small for her age, only 4.5 lbs. Gizmo is a 9 month old Manx and weighs 10 lbs. When my daughter went to feed them the next day after she had applied the BioSpot, Lucky was dead on the floor. This is appalling. There are no warnings on the label that say BioSpot may kill your pet. She can't be replaced.
I had Lucky from the time she was a small kitten. I miss her very much. And if you really must know, the BioSpot did not kill all the fleas on Gizmo. I am afraid to put anything on him. I have been giving him baths with tea tree shampoo and combing the fleas out. Each time there are fewer, but I will check the other websites for a natural deterrent for fleas.
Thank you for your website and information. BioSpot needs to be taken off the market.
Janet 11/13/04
I have an 18 month old dog named "Fat Daddy". I went to a pet store and asked an employee what she recommended for fleas. She wasn't for sure so we went to the Groomer and she recommended Bio Spot. So I thought I would give Bio Spot a try. Fat Daddy's first treatment went fine. When it was time for his next treatment I done everything the same as before. Shortly after I applied Bio Spot my dog started to shake and run around the house continuously. I really didn't think anything of it. I just thought he was nervous on how the treatment was feeling on this coat. This was around 10:30pm. So I went to bed. I woke around 3:30am. Fat Daddy was by my door. I went to make sure everything was OK and noticed that he could not walk right. I called his name and he was very different on responding. At first I thought maybe he hurt himself running around. Not until my husband woke up 1 hour later that he said it looks like his hind legs are asleep. He read the package to check the adverse affects. I logged onto Bio Spot alert website. The first thing I read was about the Dalmatian. I got as far as bathing the animal. I immediately got Fat Daddy in the tub and washed his fur with my shampoo and plenty of water. This seemed to help a little.
I kept my daughters home from school that day so my dog would not be alone. Around noon my daughter called and informed me that he was still walking a bit funny. I left work and took him to the vet. My vet just heard the word Bio Spot and shook his head. I asked have you heard of this. He informed me that he had just recently had 4 other cases of this and some of the other animals were not as lucky as mine. My vet told me that Bio Spot is a pesticide. It gets into the bloodstream and does severe damage. He also told me that I was lucky to find out what to do on the website. I believe this website saved my dog. I find it hard to believe that this product is still on the shelves.
I want to Thank You for informing everyone out there about these kind of things. Some people out there have animals that don't care. I for one treat Fat Daddy very well.
Margaret 11/13/04
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When I got my puppy he was covered in fleas, but was far too young for flea killer of any kind. I gave him a bath, and rinsed him in vinegar, gave a last rinse, brushed him off and the fleas were nearly gone. After 14 days, the life cycle of the flea, there were no signs of them anywhere in my house. Instead of using a new vacuum bag every time you vacuum, so expensive, put moth balls in your vacuum bag. It also kills fleas, and they are a lot cheaper then vacuum bags. The idea to use vinegar was given to me by my step mom who grew up on a ranch, and her parents used the vinegar
because it got too expensive to use commercial products on all of the animals.
Put a little white vinegar in the water bowl everyday, it works on cats and dogs. The vinegar makes the sweat smell really bad to all blood sucking bugs, fleas, ticks, mosquitoes. You can also put 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water in a spray bottle and spray your dog, his bedding, your floors-anything he comes into contact with. Spray everyday for 14 days, then once or twice a week after that. The vinegar not only repels the bugs, it kills all puppy smells. The vinegar smell goes away after half an hour or
so. You can also use it if your dog has an accident on your floor. The vinegar deodorizes and cleans away all sign of the mistake. It also makes their coat very shiny.
I'm glad that I haven't had any problems like the people on your web site. I wouldn't go the class action law suit route, the lawyers will make more then you, and it won't replace your dogs. However, start contacting the media, consumer groups, and dog associations. If you can provide people with the
information the news will spread and trust me some one will take notice. You can also try writing to the presidents of the companies, those who make it and those who carry it, on brightly colored paper, never white. You can't miss neon orange on a desk covered in white papers.
I hope this has been of some help to you and others. I hope that this will stop soon, and they begin to take responsibility for the actions of their products.
Cherie 11/15/04
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This is a copy of the letter I have sent to the EPA. I wish I had found your website sooner and
THANK YOU for publishing it! I have called my vet and she is giving me a letter of documentation
as I plan to contact BioSpot and request reimbursement for the vet bill. I live on a very limited
income due to a disability so IF they reimburse me it will be a blessing.
"In August, according to the directions on the package, I
used BioSpot for Cats on my 2 cats. Within a day I noticed
they were acting funny, didn't want to be petted, held or
touched and were not eating. Then came the excessive
drooling, they became lethargic, vomited, and were meowing
and carrying on. Next thing I know Dolly had an approximately
4" spot as bald as a baby's behind! The area was red and
hot to the touch, it looked like a toxic burn. Something told me
to bath them, an impossible feat but I managed to give each
of them a "sponge bath" and it probably saved their lives.
The next day they had not improved so Icalled the vet and
was told it was probably a reaction to the BioSpot so I
immediately loaded them in the car and took them in.
They were at the vet all day and it ended up costing me
$162 for the anti-inflammatory injections, topical treatment
and bathing. Fortunately the vet was kind enough to set me
up on a payment plan. Much to my amazement she also told
me about the toxicity of BioSpot and told me I was very
fortunate because the next thing would have been seizures
and probably death.
I have had Scooter for 5 years and Dolly for 2.5 years, they
have been my constant companions and are like my children.
You can not even imagine the anguish this ordeal put me
thru nor the physical pain my cats endured.
It's been 3 months and both cats have very thin hair around
their ears and eyes. Neither of them, but especially Scooter,
have the same personality as before this incident. Scooter
still does not look healthy, his coat is dull and he has become
very anti-social. Dolly is doing much better and her bald spot
is finally filling in."
Sue 11/18/04
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Just last night my 1 year old rescue had a horrible reaction to Bio Spot. The reaction was not as severe as Hamish's but still very traumatic for me and the dog. After applying the flea preventative about 2 minutes elapsed and Gracie's body was swollen and covered with hives. I tried to wipe it off and then wash it off. But, I couldn't stop the allergic reaction fast enough, so I called the veterinarian and ran over there. Luckily, she didn't have any other serious reactions. She was given two shots of steroids and given a thorough bath. Finally, an hour later and $120.00 lighter we went home. I'm a fortunate pet owner to have just a mild response to this medication. My heart goes out to you and all other "mom's" and "dad's" who go through this kind of ordeal.
Morgan 11/23/04
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I wish I would have found this site a year ago... I had used Bio Spot for 5 years. Never had any problems with my 2 dogs and they never had a flea on them. I thought this product was so great. It worked great and I didn't have to spend a fortune. Then one day about a year ago, my five year old Husky/Lab mix fell to the ground. His legs were kicking, eyes wide open and he was foaming at the mouth. My husband tried to calm him by stroking his fur and talking to him but Nikki started to growl. Nikki is the sweetest dog and has never ever growled at anyone before. I was at work and unable
to come home. I felt awful because he is my big baby and he has chosen me to be his favorite.
When I got home from work 4 hours later he was completely fine but we took him to the vet so they could check him out. They did the blood test and told us that he seemed fine. The vet said there
were so many things that could trigger a seizure.
It took me a few months to put two and two together. Once a month I applied Bio Spot to my 2 dogs. My husky seemed to have a seizure once a month but my other dog who is a Terrier/Bassett Hound mix never had a problem. I just thought it was Nikki, and for some reason, after never having any problems until he turned 5 years old, he was now having the terrible seizures.
Then, one day my husband was watching the news and he said that they reported something about
a flea killing product maybe giving dogs seizures. He didn't catch the whole story and I watched the news later to see if they reported the information again, but they did not. Well, just the little bit of info
I did get made me start to wonder... This stuff I am putting on my dogs is a chemical. How healthy could that be. I always wore gloves when putting it on my pets. If I don't want it on me, why would
I put it on them?
At that minute, I threw away the other 4 packets that I had left. I will never use any type of chemical
on my pets again. Luckily I have a small yard and I am going to find another alternative to control the flea problem. I feel horrible for doing this to my big baby Nikki.
April 11/27/04
P.S. I did not mention that my Nikki stop having his seizures right after trashing the Bio Spot...
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I stumbled across your web site while searching for anything I could do to try to help my poor cat Lucy who is having a reaction to Hartz Advanced Care Brand Flea & Tick Drops + 4 in 1. Aproximately 10 hours after applying the product strictly according to package directions she started with lethargy rapidly progressing to fine chilling like tremors then to gross tremors, poor motor control and rear quarters falling to one side when attempting to walk. I am an RN and immediately recognized these symptoms as being consistent with pesticide poisoning. I quickly washed her thoroughly with Dawn dish soap took measures to keep her warm and decrease shock symptoms and within 30 mins she has begun to show signs of improvement. I am however cautiously optimistic at best and will continue close assessment and appropriate interventions. I should like those who read this to be very aware that this was the SECOND time I have used the same product on the same cat. I had applied the first dose 46 days before. She showed no symptoms at all the first use which is common. These things are many times a cummulative affect. Meaning if the minor signs are ignored and the product is continued to be used, even if in accordance to package directions, the next dosage will result in significantly more severe reaction and higher liklihood of mortality. I will never be using these types of products on my pets again. Not even the Frontline prescribed by my vet for our 2 dogs. I will research and use only holistic methods of pest control from now on. I am also very concerned of the hazardous implications for humans coming into contact with animals treated with these products especially young children and the elderly. How many seizure disorders do we see in children that are covertly caused by contact with such products. What about those children treated for lice by applying prescribed or over the counter medications containing permethrin? A pesticide applied directly to their head thus brain! I'm sick just thinking about it all.
Johnna 11/28/04
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Below is email that I received from the U.S. EPA (Office of Pesticides Program). It emphasizes the importance of reporting all adverse reactions from flea control products to them.
James TerBush 12/1/04
Thank you for contacting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with
your concerns about Bio-spot and other flea control products. I am
sorry to hear about the adverse reaction that your dog experienced
two-years ago and hope that he has recovered. EPA's Pesticide Program
is responsible for registering pesticides in the United States and
ensuring that their use does not pose unreasonable risks to human
health, animal health, or the environment, so we share your concerns.
EPA bases its pesticide registrations on the best available scientific
data, and we constantly review new data to ensure that our
registrations reflect current health and safety standards. All
registered pesticides also bear labels that, as you are probably aware,
are intended to provide clear directions for effective product
performance while minimizing risks to human and animal health or the
environment. All label language must be approved by EPA before a
pesticide can be sold or distributed in the United States, and the
courts consider a label to be a legal document. If necessary, EPA may
at any time take action to revise labels or product registrations in
order to ensure health and environmental safety protection.
We have visited your Web site, and we also receive emails and letters
from pet owners whose pets have experienced adverse reactions after
being exposed to flea control products. We forward copies of these
emails to EPA's incident database manager for inclusion in our incident
database. The incident database includes the date and location of the
incident, the type and magnitude of effects observed in various
species, and the use of pesticides contributing to the incident. We
use information from this database in support of regulatory action on
pesticides.
EPA is currently monitoring a number of pet products, using incident
reports and other data to determine what further regulatory action may
be warranted.
Again, thank you for contacting us. I can assure you that the
protection of humans and animals from the potentially negative effects
of chemical products is among our topmost priorities, and we appreciate
having this opportunity to respond to your concerns. Should you have
further comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us
again.
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I recently had bought Bio Spot for my 3 labs this past October, 2004. We had put it on all 3 dogs
and our youngest one had been licking the back of the other 2 on & off throughout the day. We tried
to keep her from doing it, but they are inside dogs and lay & play together. Later that day, she had started to have a seizure and it lasted for about ½ hour. She is over 2 years old and has never had any problems like this before & I wasn't sure what would have caused it at first until I learned of her licking the backs of the other dogs.
I called Bio Spot & asked if this could have been caused by the drug and was never told a "yes" answer. She had said that it was possible she had too much in her system since it was on her back plus licking it off the back of the other dogs. Although she was very helpful and told me to wash it
off of her and refunded my money for the product, I'm still wondering if my dog will suffer any more seizures due to being exposed to the biospot. So far, she has been ok, thank God..and my other
2 dogs seemed fine. I won't be using that product again.
Kelly 12/7/04
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Thank you for administering this site, I regret to have found it under such horrific conditions. Below is
a letter I sent to the EPA email address you so kindly provided on your message board.
Dear Sir/Madam;
As I sit here, my beautiful 1 year old Devon Rex cat, Macy, is currently at the Vet's office suffering from a horrible adverse reaction to Hartz Advance Care Fleas and Tick Drops Plus. I applied the drops, AS DIRECTED, last night. We awoke this morning to find her in full seizure on the bathroom floor. I immediately picked her up and rushed her to the vet. They are treating her and will have to stay overnight, we have no clue if she'll make it or not or even if she does, it may take weeks to determine if she's back to normal or not. The odds are not good. Since returning home from the vet's office I have done extensive research on this product, tracking the hundreds - possibly thousands of complaints lodged against this company and many others like it. I am utterly disgusted that this product is still on the market.
I expect that the EPA will join the effort to remove this product and others like it from the market.
Amy 12/10/04
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My daughters colourpoint persian cat died yesterday, Friday, from breathing difficulties after she sprayed him on Wednesday evening with Frontline. She was advised to do this by her vet because
the cat had lost some fur from his neck. He had been given a steroid injection one week earlier to calm down his skin. He was an indoor cat and has never been troubled by fleas in the past. By Thursday evening he was off his legs and incontinent. The vet gave him an injection and antibiotics.
On Friday morning we returned again to the vets, the cat looked as if he was dying.
The vets were not able to get a firm diagnosis of what was wrong with him before he passed away,
but it seemed to be that all of his organs just failed one by one. the symptoms that he had were severe breathing difficulties, loss of bladder control, a mass on his chest that didn't respond to a needle test to draw off fluid, but looked like a severe attack of asthma. His windpipe was being crushed upwards and it was so rapid that we are all in shock. In the end he died on the table as the vet was trying to do an ultrasound of his heart. He simply died of heart failure the Frontline was in date but was near to the
end of it's shelf life. 01/05 I am convinced that the cat had an allergic reaction to the spray but now it
is too late to prove it. As a family we are heartbroken.
Christine 12/11/04
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The other day, I went to treat my cats and dog with Frontline. I only had enough Frontline for the dog and 2 of the cats. The third cat received BioSpot because the pet store was out of Frontline and said this was just as effective without the cost. So far, that small tube of BioSpot has cost me $600 and he's probably not done with medical bills. About an hour after receiving the BioSpot, he began to tremor and then having seizures. I rushed him to a vet hospital (this was on Saturday of course) and they began treatment right away. He spent 2 days there and so far 1 day at the vet's. He will probably spend at least one more day at the vet's office. What sickens me is that the warning label says nothing of this. My cat's medical info states directly on it "BioSpot" toxicity. In talking with different vet workers, apparently this is something they see often; "hundreds of cats per year" was the figure given to me. That $600 really burns me, but I wasn't about to let him die. My four children were horrified at the seizure and it's a shame it had to happen at all. Talk about a Christmas present.
Simone 12/13/04
I contacted Farnam and the receptionist was quite friendly. But of course they need proof of my purchase, even though the vet stated directly on the admission paper 'BioSpot toxicity'. My problem is I no longer have the receipt (I've been looking, but I had no reason to keep it). I also went to the pet store to try to get another receipt to no avail. I also don't have the original box. My kids threw all that away that same afternoon because of what happened to Simba. So I guess I'm out $600.
Simone 1/26/05
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We are writing concerning the use and availability of Bio-Spot. We bought Bio Spot: Flea & Tick
Mist for Cats (Product Code 3004379, EPA Regf. No. 270-307), at our local Petco because it was cheaper than the more expensive flea treatment. We have a 3 yr. old strictly in-door female cat. We noticed a few fleas on her this last month, and she began to scratch constantly. How she got fleas,
we have no idea, but we just wanted to end her misery. We normally bathe her a few times a year, so this was no big deal to simply spray the product on her - it's supposed to last for 3 months. Following directions on the label, we applied the product, and proceeded to let her air dry. Within a few minutes the kids noticed she was drooling, and after 1/2 hour, she began to throw up and have bowel movements on the floor. This is very unlike her, and decided to immediately give her an oatmeal
bath. While the Bio Spot most decidedly got rid of the fleas, it almost killed our cat. She was listless for days following, and she seemed depressed. We thought it might be an allergic reaction to the product, but thought she would have had a similar reaction if we used a different type of flea product. This was not the case. Hating to waste the product, we decided to spray it on the carpet, as directed on the product bottle. Within minutes of this, she started drolling, vomiting, and having loose stools. We immediately gave her a bath, and cleaned the carpets. Please take this product off the market! We have spoke to other pet owners who purchased and used the same product and had similar results. Please take this dangerous product off the shelf. We have contacted the epa and our local Petco about this product.
Anonymous 12/16/04
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Some time ago, we had one of the pest control companies coming in regularly. The residue was
very heavy around the kitchen cabinets. You could see it. Both dogs developed seizures after a few months. We finally figured it might be the spray and asked them to spray only once a month or less. (we get large cockroaches). They refused., saying we needed it every week. We stopped the spray
as both dogs were getting worse. One was having seizures almost every day. After 6 months spray free, the seizures decreased and finally after about a year, were down to one every 4 months or so. After 2 years, no more in either dog. Both dogs lived out their lives seizure free, one living to the
ripe old age of 18.
Carl 12/19/04
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I was having flea problems even though I was using advantage on my Shitzu so decided to try
Bio-Spot after talking to my dog's groomer . She was groomed on the 23rd of Dec. 2004 and on
Dec. 25th she started acting funny. She acted as if she was in pain and could not get comfortable. Everytime she laid down her little back end would jump. She would cry and whine, jump up and run from one spot to another, never staying still and always whinning. I called the vet Sunday night. We had been out of town and they told me to give her some bendaryl that it would help until I could get her to a vet Monday. She went to the vet and he thought she might have allergies. He gave her a shot
and she came home. All that night she done the same as the day before. I called him back Tuesday morning and took her back in. She stayed all day at the vet's office and he was still puzzled as to what was wrong with her. Told me to watch her close and bring her back Wednesday A.M. and to give him specifics on what she was doing. I video taped her that night all the running and restlessness. I told
the vet that she had Bio-Spot put on the 23rd of the month and he became concerned with that. Took her and the tape back to the vet Wednesday. She then had blood in her stool he kept her again to run some test. She was dehydrated and the vet feels now that all her problems are stemming from the
Bio-Spot. He checked her liver, kidneys and that checked out fine. Her blood sugar was elevated
and he thinks that it's from the Bio-Spot. They sent her home with pain medicine to take twice a day and she has to be bathed everyday to try and wash this Bio-Spot away and I was told to watch her carefully.
And for using this product on my little Shitzu I had a vet bill of 175.68. She is worth the money but I feel that I should be reimbursed for this. She is still very uncomfortable running from place to place and whinning. I guess she will be this way until all of the Bio-Spot is gone. My vet told me that he has had two of his patients die after using this product - one of them within a few hours. This product needs to be removed from shelves everywhere.
Mrs. Y 12/29/04
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Two days after applying Bio Spot for Cats and Ferrets we had to take our eight year old cat to the
vet. He has been home since yesterday and seems to be recovering. The vet was fully aware of the dangers of this and similar products. We plan to try to get back some of the $741.00 we spent to
save his life from the company. I'm also interested in doing more than alerting the EPA, which apparently, people have been doing for some time. Is there a possiblity of a class action suit to get them to, at the very least, label these products more accurately? The pet store employee who recommended the Bio Spot had no idea, I'm sure, of the possible dangers.
Denise 12/31/04
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I have a female Rottweiler and I gave her BioSpot all summer with no problems. Just recently I took her to the groomers because I thought she had mud caked on her hair. Here it was scabbing to the point of her hair falling out and exposing her skin. Her skin was just peeled off looking so sore and
painful. I was so upset I just couldn't figure out what it could be. Then I thought about how I put the
flea treatment on her and well each empty patch of hair is in the same path I administered the BioSpot. I plan on taking her to the vet on Monday with my concerns but after reading all these complaints I strongly agree that my sweet Rottweiler is suffering due to the flea treatments of BioSpot.
Jule 1/9/05
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My 6 year old boxer who has the playful attitude of a 2-3 year old has been acting sluggish and
will no longer run back to the house after a walk. He has been acting lethargic and vomiting occasionally too. I brought him to the Vet today 1/27/05 and the Vet scolded me for using
K-9 Advantix telling me that it was 4 times more toxic than necessary to repel fleas, ticks and mosquitoes from dogs... He attributed my Boxer's behavior to the use of K-9 Advantix and
advised me to bathe him a.s.a.p. and to stop using it right way. I had NO idea. Why is this
stuff still on the market?!?!?!?
My Vet used to sell K-9 Advantix but after seeing the adverse reaction in so many animals he
has stopped and actually refuses to sell it even on request. I did not purchase it from his office,
I purchased it on-line at petvetdirect.com. Thank you so much for all of the helpful information.
I will let you know what happened!
Christine 1/27/05
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I just read alot of horrible things about Bio-Spot and Hartz products and just wanted to let you know what just happened to me. I have two Shih-Tzu and live in the woods in Alabama so I have to fight fleas almost on a everyday basis. I decided just this once I would try Hartz flea shampoo after already hearing some bad things I did it anyway. Both of them chewed their hair off their backs to the point they just bled - it was awful. It is better now and they seem ok. I threw all that crap in the trash. And that is what that product should say - your dog wont have fleas, they will just chew all their hair off and bleed..I would rather they just have fleas.
Mandy 2/1/05
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I was in tears reading your website last night!!! I got a new puppy on Sunday Jan 30..I have
a 17 month old yorkie as well. About an hour after I got him home I realized he had fleas..
I immediately sent my husband to get product, and he returned with Hartz 2 and 1 Flea and
Tick Powder and Hartz 2 and 1 Flea and tick Collar (7 month).. So I treated only new dog,
we have never had fleas so felt it wasnt necessary to go any further. Monday I woke up at
4:30am just to check on new dog and he seemed ok but still scratching.. I then look at my
17 month old and he had a flea!!!!! I powdered him, vaccummed entire house washed all
bedding and called vet..I was advised to treat house with spray or powder and consider
Advantage.. Because the dogs were scratching I assumed the powder may be drying skin
so I bathed them with a gentle water based shampoo.. I took pups to vet at 6:00pm and
they were given Advantage.. I wasn't advised not to wash the dogs and I couldn't stand
the thought of eggs being shed, flea feces, and dander so I bathed them in Hartz
Conditioning Flea and Tick shampoo. I bought Hartz Home Flea and Tick Killer, which
upon research on ingredients contained what I thought was the gentlest pesticide
Permerthrin although it was synthectically made only to make it less soluable to water,
light, and air...and IGR methroprene. so I felt confident I did my homework, soon to
discover I just looked at active ingredients, not considering inert ingridients which I
now know act synergistically with active and can cause huge reactions.... so I sprayed
at 11pm the front of house and went to bed..
When I woke up my puppy was looking really good, and no scratching. My oldest dog
was horrible, didn't want to move, and favored his hind legs (he received rabies vac at
visit) and no appetite, I assumed of course its just vac because puppy is okay.
THEN I STARTED TO DEVELOP A RASH...... My hands were red, my feet were as
well and both were stinging, tingling, and itching....I call poison control and they advised
normal irritant nothing can be systematically absorbed (complete lie I might add). I took
some benedryl and went to sleep.. Over the last two days I have developed sore throat,
thick mucus plug in broncho, and off and on fever....I evidentally inhaled the fumes and
must now be on the look out for aspiration pneumonia!!!!!!! so i had allergic reaction
resulting in bronchospasm...Thank God my husband and two toddlers weren't affected..
My oldest dog is doing better after I bathed both in palmolive dish shop and used baby
shampoo on face..Of course my house is still treated with this fatal pesticide which I
found out is a neurotoxin and is absorbed systematically.. I am closley watching myself
and my oldest dog who still has watery eyes, and sneezing...
Was it the shampoo, the powder, the spray??? Probably all!!!! Hartz is a misleading,
unconciousable company and I plan to notify EPA, Petsmart, Walmart, Hartz, Vet, and
Poision Control (which obviously needs to evaluate their reps knowledge or update
ingredient toxic properties), and all those I love of this incident... I feel as if I endangered
my entire family and did. I even thought I did a thorough job in evaluating ingredients
(which lets not forget Permethrin has many names and it is listed as Alltherin on the
shampoo, which I would have never directly put on my dogs as I intended it only for
the carpet)... I will write to local news media...
Thank you for this website and please let everyone know this effect humans as well. I am
lucky to have my pets still and will now live with the thought of chronic and/or future medical complications from Hartz products not only in my pets, but my children, Husband and self...
Anonymous 2/3/05
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We have been treating my 3 dogs with bio spot for quite some time. We just recently got a kitten, his name is Simon, and he has grown into a beautiful cat. Yesterday, 2/5/05, my husband treated Simon with Bio Spot and we left to go shopping. Upon our return, we found Simon thrashing on the ground and gasping for air. We swept him up and took him to an emergency veternary hospital. Immediately, the vet asked if we had treated the cat with any flea medication. We told him yes and he began to tell us how many cats he treats a week for this very same thing. Something in the medicine is tolerated by dogs, but not so easily by cats. I really wish that we had look into this before using it. Simon is still in the hospital and has not fully regained consciousness. They hooked him up to an IV containing Valium to control the seizure and it did not work. They turned to a stronger drug and managed to stop the seizure but they have not been able to wake him up. It is not yet known whether he will be normal
when he wakes. He should be able to come home tomorrow and we hope for the best.
Lisa 2/6/05
Thanks for writing back. We did use Bio Spot for Cats. We get it at a local store where we buy our horse feed. I will definately try and make them reimburse our vet fees. It ended up costing 400.00, but it was worth it to save his life. He is the coolest cat. I tell everyone that he is just like Garfield. We got him home this morning. He is still very drugged and has quite the spaghetti legs, but he seems happy to be home. He has alot of energy but is having trouble controlling his movements. I think he is going to be fine once he gets all of the drugs out of his system.
Thank you so much for all of the information and contacts. I will give the EPA a call in the morning. I am also going to talk to the lady that runs the hardware store and tell her what happened. She will probably pull the stuff off of the shelf. She has a cat that stays in the store, and I will bet you that she uses the stuff as well. I really don't know how they can deny that the medicine does this. The doctor said he treats 4 to 5 cats per week for the same thing. He says he wishes that they would not be allowed to sell it either.
Thanks for your thoughts and I promise to keep you updated.
Lisa 2/8/05
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I applied the correct dosage of the flea killer "advantage" to my dog around 6pm last week and went to bed with her around 9:30. She typically sleeps near my face and that night was no different. I woke up at feeling aware of a chemical smell and oilyness on my face. I did not get out of bed due to my deep
state of slumber but rather wiped my face with a sheet. I woke up to caustic, probably scarring burns on my forehead and under my eye. Now I know why she acts so dramatic when I apply it to her back.
Anonymous 2/7/05
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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.
If you would prefer to report it directly to the U.S. EPA, please contact:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pesticide Programs (Mail Code 7509C)
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20460
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If your dog had a severe adverse reaction to Bio Spot Flea & Tick
Control (or any similar product), or if you have found a safer way to
control fleas & ticks, please let me know.
