Update 7/8/05: Hamish has not had ANY seizures since we stopped using Bio Spot
37 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 feel that my pup Chappelle was an unwilling victim to this product, he is a 10 lb Miniature Pinscher
and after his second dose he has been showing many of the same symptoms. All tell you the story
and you can decide for yourself...
So, we first applied Bio Spot to Chappelle a little over a month ago for the first time and afterwards he didn't show any signs of discomfort or act any different so I assumed that the product was safe. It really didn't seem to be working all that well because he was still getting ticks but my Mom assured me that it didn't stop the ticks from biting but that after they bite the dog they fall off and die. She also admitted that she had inadvertantly given him a bath a week after applying the first dose so that was probably why he was still getting ticks, she also said that you are supposed to bathe your dog prior to applying the Bio Spot so you don't wash it off before a month or so.
Well, it was two days ago and my mother applied the Bio Spot in the evening and then she left with my father and went out for the night. I got home from work about five hours later and normally when I get home Chappelle will bark as to say hi and usually get excited that I'm home, occaisionally he wouldn't bark so I really didn't think anything of it when I got home that night and he didn't bark. I went over and let him out of his cage and he followed me up to my room where I dropped off my car keys and other stuff I had with me and then I took him and my other dog Tegan, a cocker spaniel, outside so they could go potty. Well, when I got outside Chappelle sat down in the grass and just looked at me, that wasn't normal, he's always all about running to the field to chase any rabbit or squirrel that may be in the vicinity. Noticing his odd behaviour I tried coaxing him to come with me on a walk which he NEVER turns down....but Chappelle didn't want to go anywhere, he just gave me this look like, why are we out here?
So I took Chappelle and Tegan inside and proceeded into the Kitchen where the treats are because I always give my dogs a treat after they come from outside and they always run into the Kitchen to get their treats. Well, Tegan was there but Chappelle didn't even come into the Kitchen, so I gave Tegan her treat and then went to go see where Chappelle was and I found him just sitting in front of the door staring off into space...I must have startled him when I walked over to him because he kinda of jumped when I touched him. I knew something wasn't right, my dog is a very hyper dog, anyone that owns a
Min Pin most likely knows what I'm talking about, they always have energy....well Chappelle seemed like he had none, he just wanted to sit or lay down.
Well, my parents got home about ten minutes later and I had my puppy with me in my room and usually, when someone gets home, he needs to inspect the scene to find out what's going on but this time he wasn't the least bit interested, he just sat on my couch and looked at me as if he was saying...well...are you going go look? So I went downstairs and I found my parents and immediately told them that Chappelle was not acting like himself and I explained what he was doing and then I went and brought him downstairs. This whole time I hadn't a clue my mom put the Bio Spot on him, so I brought him down and both of my parents noticed that he wasn't himself and they then started asking me what I did to him. I told them everything that happened that night and told them I didn't do anything to him, I didn't
yell at him and I NEVER physically hit my dogs so I couldn't have possibly have scared him. I asked my parents if they noticed him eating anything outside or doing anything strange or anything different and that's when my mom told me that she had applied the 2nd dose of Bio Spot but she said, how could that cause him to be like this??
Well, my parents took Chappelle with them to bed and around 8 am I was awoken to the sound of my dad yelling at me, asking me what I did to Chappelle. I immediately got angry and said I didn't do anything and then he said, well there is something wrong and it's not like he's sick, it's like he traumautized or very scared and he keeps yelping without anyone touching him. So I finally got really worried about this, I mean, he wasn't vomiting or having seizures but now he's yelping for no reason and his attitude has went from an extremely hyper and upbeat to lethargic and slothlike. I then found your website and after reading a great deal of emails you've received I was convinced that it was the Bio Spot that did it, I mean, how could my dog go from being alert, energetic, and playful before
applying the Bio Spot and then to the lethargic pup that I have now, only a few hours after the application of the Bio Spot, it's just too coincidental for me to brush it off as nothing. I obviously
wasn't going to wait until my pup started foaming at the mouth while experiencing grand mal seizures
before I was going to do anything about it so I immediately told my mom what I found and so we both felt the thing to do was was that useless poison off of him.
After his bath he perked up a bit and seemed to gain a bit more energy, even though he wasn't jumping on me and tearing around the house like usual, he definately improved. I am emailing you as of the early morning the next day and all I can say is that he's still very lethargic and isn't as hyper as usual but he appears to be making progress rather than getting worse. I am going to keep a close eye on him over the next day and if he doesn't go back to his regular hyper self, I will be taking him to the vet to get him checked out for any possible liver problems or other issues. All I know is I can't go through him sufferring any kind of illness or injury again, it has only been 2 months since he got back from surgery after breaking his knee after jumping from a foot and half up which was really strange seeing he is a jumpy dog and that wasn't anything compared to what he has done but it was just the way he jumped but I cried like a little girl when I found out that it wasn't just a dislocation and an actual break and to top it off a break on the joint...he had to have a screw put in his leg. He's been doing great ever since the day he got back from the hospital, he made a quick recovery and hasn't shown any signs of further problems until this last couple days. I'm sure skeptics and people who think that owner abuse/negligence will say that my dog's leg is probably the problem but I know that's bull...he doesn't limp and he has only yelped twice after being touched and that was when I touched by his ear and mid back, no where near the break and every other time he yelped on his own and never limped or
showed any sign of the leg being the problem.
I just know that it's the Bio Spot that caused my dogs condition and I come to that conclusion because of 2 reasons. One reason being the hundreds of emails to you that I have seen posted on your site and my second reason is the close proximity of time betweek the application of the poison and my dogs complete and utter personality change. I am just praying to God that Chappelle gets better and doesn't have any more complications from the Bio Spot and I will NEVER use ANY topical Flea and Tick control products seeing they all tend to use the same poison that is causing these effects and then
some don't take responsibility for their mistakes which come at the cost of a lot of good people's beloved pets, their not just pets to us, they're family members. I treat my pup Chappelle like he's my son and I know I'd be absolutely crushed if anything were to happen to him....he means soo much to
me and doesn't deserve to go through this. I just hope that other's get this information prior to using
any of those products, I sure wish I would have. I also want to thank you for this website and the information here because if I hadn't seen it, who knows how long it would have been before I would have washed the stuff off of him, it may have been too late but I am hoping not.
Derek 6/12/05
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Currently we have 8 dogs; 6 Alaskan Malamutes, 1 Samoyed and a Malamute/Husky mix. Over the past 11 years I have used both Frontline and Bio Spot. Our dogs are healthy, active (run about 3 to 5 miles per day), eat the right mix of food supplimented with fresh veggies and fruit and get semi-annual vet checks. None of my dogs have suffered any adverse reactions to either Frontline or Bio Spot.
Currently we use Bio Spot because it seems to provide better protection against ticks. We have talked to our vet about both products. He felt that either product could be dangerous in overweight inactive dogs or if there are other underlying conditions which can only be diagnosed by a thorough examination by a vet.
I would urge anyone considering either of the these products to take their dog in for a complete physical before product application. And ask specifically if your dog has any medical problems which can be irritated by either product.
Robin 6/12/05
I agree that it's important to talk with your vet (and read as much as possible) before using anything
for flea and tick control, but why are adverse reactions occurring in animals that are getting their flea control products from vets? Are some vets prescribing these so-called medications to animals that
are not well enough for it?
James TerBush
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I wish I had read your article eariler! I had to rush 5 cats to the vet after using BioSpot. We took them last night and after receiving fluids and shots; three were able to return home (still having small tremors); two are still receiving fluids to hopefully flush out this poison! One of the two is very serious and might not make it. This is VERY much my fault because I purchased the very small dog formula for my cats because they are 15-18lb cats. I have two daughters in college and was trying to save $130 because it usually cost me $170 at the vet for Frontline. I never dreamed this product could be so dangerous! I thought the formula would be the same for cats and dogs...STUPID on my part...I admit!! But a product this toxic should not be sold over the counter. I was reasured by my vet that they had treated tons of animals that received the correct dose and that it might not have made much difference. I am heart broken that I have put my babies through this. I also purchased BioSpot for my Yorkie and two labs...THANK GOD I never got around to putting it on them!!! I keep telling myself I didn't intend on harming my animals but it doesn't seem to be helping. I am sick with guilt.
Anonymous 6/12/05
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I wish I would have found your website a week ago. Last Friday I used Frontline Plus (the drops you
put on the back of the neck.) on my miniature Yorkshire. I used the appropriate dosage for her size.
I got it from our Vet. Before we used the Frontline Plus, she was fine, acting perfectly normal. That
same day she started breathing fast & short breaths. But we didn't think too much about it. Over the weekend, it got gradually worse, she also wouldn't eat her food. She didn't even want her treats. She was laying around sleeping alot more than usual. Even while she was sleeping she was breathing
short fast breaths. Tonight, which is Sunday, her breathing was alot worse, almost like she was
having an asthma attack. I gave her a bath, thinking it might be from the Frontline. We work the night shift, and I was going to stay home with her, because I was worried about her. I was going to take
her to the Vet in the morning. Tonight she quit breathing a couple of times, and I gave her CPR and brought her back to life. I called the emergency number for the Vet, and we took her in. But she quit breathing all together on the way there. It was too late. The Vet said she had a hard mass in her stomach. So she could have had something else wrong with her. I'm wondering if it was from the
Frontline Plus tho. She didn't have any convulsions or rash like all the other stories on this website.
I only seen one email from a lady that had used Frontline on her cat. She said the cat had shortness
of breath too, and eventually died also. The cat also had a hard mass on its chest. Has anyone
else had any bad reactions from Frontline? If so, please contact me at CathyApponyi@yahoo.com Our Vet is going to do some tests on Emily in the morning, so I guess I will know for sure then. We
sure are going to miss her. I feel so bad, because I feel like it was my fault. We just lost our other
dog, Marcy, (Emily's sister) to Cancer of the mouth a couple months ago. She died a horrible death. Now I don't have any dogs. My babies are gone. It makes me so sad. They were 10 & 12 yrs. old. I
had both of them since they were puppies. They will both be deeply missed.
Cathy 6/12/05
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I have a 12 lb. Boston Terrier with whom I have used Advantage for many years with little reaction, beyond thirstiness, slight sleepiness and sometimes loose stools right after application. But last time, two months ago, she had little seizures: her front leg would stiffen or her throat would tighten up. I would rub the muscle until it relaxed and she was okay. Finally, I realized I needed to wash the stuff off of her. Reading your other stories, I'm terrified that something much worse could have happened and that I didn't wash it off right away.
Now my question is, what are people using for flea control? I have an infant son, and need something safe. I prefer not using powders on the dog or the carpet, as I'm afraid he'll inhale it. Any ideas?
Sandelle 6/14/05
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I wish I had known about this poison before last Sunday. Thanks to Bio Spot for Cats, my cat, Sophie has been in the hospital since Sunday night. She may never recover. I found her thrashing about in
the yard, having wild jerking seizures and salivating really bad. It was horrible. Only hours before, I had applied the Bio Spot for Cats on her according to package instructions. Now the vet says she may be brain damaged. She can't eat, she does not respond to my voice. She can barely stand up. Her eyes are glazed over like she can't see. Her face is constantly twitching. She is on IV fluids now but there is not much hope of a recovery. It's heartbreaking to see. If I just could get her to eat, I would have some
hope that she may recover from this terrible reaction to a product I thought was safe for cats. I soon
may be faced with a decision every pet owner dreads. I pray that she starts to drink and eat, even a
little would give me some hope. I feel that I have to let everyone know about this product. It must come
off the shelves! Trusting pet owners are using this product and unknowingly poisoning their pets. I contacted the Farnam Corp. and was told to send in the package and the tube that was used along
with the itemized vet bill and vet records for this incident and they would review it for reimbursement. This was their policy. If they have to have a policy for this, there must be lots of other people out there who have had pets with terrible reactions to this product. I would like to hear from others, especially
cat owners who used Bio Spot for Cats.
Teresa 6/16/05
Just an update on my cat, Sophie and Bio Spot Farnam Corp. My latest email from Bio Spot was
that they were going to reimburse my vet bills and the check was sent out yesterday. My cat is now
blind and her personality is not the same. She doesn't want to associate with us much. She comes
out to eat and sometimes at night she may go in my daughter's room and lay on her bed, but most of
the time she just stays in my son's room where she liked to hang out before this anyway. Of course
she can't go outside anymore and we are having to deal with litter box training. For some reason she started going upstairs and jumping in the bathtub and using that as her litter box instead of the one I
put in my son's room. So I had to put the litter box in my bathtub and she uses that. Weird, but at least she does not go on the carpet. She makes her way around the house ok and the reason we know she
can't see or at least can't see very well is that she does not follow a string or anything when you dangle
it in front of her face and sometimes she steps in her food bowl. She doesn't play anymore either. She hates to be carried and gets aggrivated when we pick her up. She looses her bearings and gets confused when we do that so we try not to pick her up. We only hope that in time she will adjust and maybe with alot of patience and love, she will come around. As soon as I receive my check from Farnam and cash it, I will contact the EPA and NPIC and report this. I still think that this stuff should be pulled off the market or at the very least some warning should be posted on the FRONT of the package. According to the rep from Farnam, only 1% of pets have a bad reaction and that is not enough to take
this poison off the market. Still, I am telling every pet owner that I come in contact with, not to use
Bio Spot and to pass this info along to other pet owners as well. Thanks for listening.
Teresa 8/3/05
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I have a pug that seems to be having trouble since I used Bio Spot, acting very lethargic, trying to
rub the spot where i put it, and very jumpy...very nervous...I am going to take her to the vet tomorrow
if she doesn't get better, but it definitley seemed to start after the application of the biospot....I am
not Happy....
Lori 6/19/05
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I applied Hartz Advanced Care Once-a-Month Flea & Tick Drops (16-30 lbs) to our 14 year old
Sheltie, Miss Kitty, on Saturday, June 11, 2005. Thursday, June 16, 2005, she vomited all day into early Friday morning, June 17, 2005, and refused to eat Friday & yesterday, Saturday, June 18,
2005. Friday & Saturday, she acted incoherent, walking around the house as if "in a daze", with a
glassy look in her eyes. She was also very lethargic; Saturday, she walked as if she had very little control of her hind legs, and even on 2 occassions, just fell over while standing & was unable to
get up.
My wife took her to the emergency vet clinic last nite (early this morning, actually), around midnight.
She is now at the vet's suffering from diagnosed pancreatitis & hepatitis. I also suspect her incoherence, lethargy & inability to walk are due to neurological complications. While her symptoms were not immediate, I feel these problems are due to a negative side-effect of a toxic accumulation
of the Hartz Flea & Tick Drops. I have no current information about her prognosis, but hope to have more information after my wife & I visit her this evening at the vet's.
Thomas 6/19/05
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I am outraged that BioSpot is on the market AND that it lists no warnings about the severe reactions
my dog is having. He has been a mess since 10 minutes after application. I applied biospot at his shoulders, along his back, and at the base of his tail. I am very worried about him! Here's our
nightmare: last night, Wed June 22, 2005 I applied the Biospot for dogs 33-66 lbs. My dog is a tough 58lb Entlebucher with a docked tail. Within 10 minutes he was crying and whining, snapping at his tail and sitting only. Meaning, he would not move, other than to suddenly thrash his head toward his tail. When I sternly commanded him to "come" he would make a distressed sprint to me and immediately and awkwardly sit. He seemed to be in pain and confused. I figured perhaps the biospot was burning his skin a bit, but that I should let it settle in before rinsing it off. An hour later I could not handle his cries of pain and his sitting in one spot even when coaxed to treats or potty time. So totally out of character for him. And if I attempted to look at his tail and bottom, he was terribly ferocious about guarding it
and keeping me away from it.
I put him in the tub and bathed the biospot off with our usual mild conditioning flea shampoo.
TURNS OUT you need to USE DISH SOAP,(but not Palmolive...according to FARNAM supervisor) immediately, diluted first in a bucket or bowl. It cuts through the oils in biospot. I know this because I
called FARNAM first thing this morning after a night of dog crying and dazed behavior and bum and
tail tucking. Our dog was clearly still in great pain. He refuses to potty. When I force him outside he sprints in a frantic manner and suddenly sits, unwilling to move any further. And unwilling to potty. He
must have an extremely full bladder right now.
The supervisor at FARNAM seemed annoyed that I new about this web site and asked me to "calm down" saying that "Dogs do not die from Bio Spot". I won't even bother with her detailed hogwash about "...it's just how this product works, traveling along the hairs to distribute the medicine." She told me to bathe him in diluted dish soap.
After the dish soap bath, today Thursday, he was still in distress over his tail or bottom. I'm not sure exactly where it hurts. My dog is finally asleep after his fierce night, but I'm worried for him and am hoping he is feeling better soon.
I'm wondering if his docked tail has something to do with this severity, because of the scar tissue at
the tip. I will review the other postings to see which breeds had specific symptoms with the tail ducking, sitting, no potty etc.
If only I'd checked online BEFORE application. Oh yes, like other testimonies, this was his second treatment. The first treatment, a few months ago wasn't nearly as bad, but now I'm putting two and two together and realizing the BioSpot is why he crinked his tail to the side for a week after his first application.
I will take him to the vet if he's not better tomorrow morning. FARNAM said it takes 24 hours to run its course. This product should not be on the market!!
Catherine 6/23/05
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I read all of the stories about pet owners' experiences with Biospot. I have one too. We found some fleas on Rocky about a week and a half ago, so I had my Son Dan take him to Petsmart for a flea bath. When he bought him home, he was stumbling on the steps and walking into things. Rocky is a 14lb Sheltie/American eskimo. When he did'nt get up in the morning as usual, I knew something was wrong. I waited one more day to see if he would improve, but he only got worse. I took him to the vet, and the Doc said that it was the fleabath and to wash him real good. But he did'nt get any better. We took him back a few days later, and he gave him an injection. It took a couple more days, but he is finally getting back to normal. Petsmart has offered to pay all vet bills, but how can they even use this stuff without some kind of warning???? I spent days in tears over this! I know that some day, I will have to say goodbye to my little shadow, but this would have been tragic had he not recovered! We would have all felt so guilty about letting this happen to our trusting little dog. The word needs to get out there about
this product. I've already emailed every one I know...
Thanks for caring.
Holly 6/23/05
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This evening I purchased the product and used it on my dog who is appoximately 125 pounds but I
also have a kitten that is about 4 pounds and even though it was not used on her, she was exposed to
it from the dog, who she thinks of as her Mom. Within an hour or so, her behavior became strange
and she was being paralyzed by the bio spot.
She is currently at the vet and hopefully will survive her exposure to bio spot.
I cannot believe a product is allowed OTC with such horrendous consequences.
Susan 6/24/05
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I used Bio spot on my 8 year old pug and within hours she became agitated and tried to scratch
the spot of application. I was concerned and bathed and rinsed her thoroughly about 6 hours after application. 2 days after application she developed a half dollar sized sore at the spot of application. We took her to the vet and he prescribed Gentamicin topical spray. It is now 9 days since application and the dog is experiencing digestive problems and is off her food.
Bill 6/25/05
P.S. We have used advantage many times with no problems and only tried Bio spot because PetCo didn't have advantage.
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Thankyou for your interesting website. A note of warning to all who use outdoor ant sand to combat ants. Just returned from the vet after two days and a sleepless night of worry. Our siberian husky consumed 2 teaspoons of ant sand and immediately began to have grand mal seizures, salivation, panting, tremors and inability to move. The bifenthrin in ant sand is very toxic to animals. It is a concentrated form of pyrethrin and even a small amount can cause harm. My husband put some down on the pavers and before he could return to brush it in between the pavers, unknown to us, our dog consumed less than two teaspoons worth. The ant sand is now in the bin, never to be used again and this lesson has been a very traumatic one. Apart from the $480.00 we had to pay for overnight vet care, blood tests etc. we could have lost a member of our family. It is not worth having any products harmful to animals around your home. We will live with the ants if it means keeping our dog safe.
Hope this helps someone else who loves their pets as much as we do.
Jennie 6/26/05
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On Monday, June 27, 2005, I applied BioSpot Flea/Tick for dogs under 15lbs. to my 11lb Chihuahua. There seemed to be no immediate reaction. Yesterday, when I got home from work, Jazz was panting very hard, her heart rate was racing and she was "flipping" all over the house. She even hid under the couch. This is very out of character for her. I thought she may be suffering from the heat, so I took her
to my vet. He took her temperature and was normal. I then told him that the only different thing I did
was put BioSpot on her the night before. I had never put this on her before. He gave her a shot to counteract the BioSpot and she eventually was able to leave the vet's office. After coming home, she vomited and eventually she seemed to stop panting and "flipping". I bathed her to wash off the product. This morning, she was panting a little, but acting more like herself. My vet gave me advantage and I
am afraid to put it on her. My other chihuahua (7lbs) seems to be fine, but I am shampooing her as
well. Hopefully someone will come up with a natural product that won't harm our precious pets.
Tammy 6/29/05
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I TOO HAVE BEEN A VICTIM OF BIO SPOT. I PUT IT ON BOTH MY OUTDOOR CATS. ONE OF THEM I FOUND THE NEXT MORNING WHEN I CAME OUT AND IMMEDIATELY TOOK HER TO
THE VET, WHERE THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HER BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE HAD BROUGHT THEIR PETS IN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. SHE STAYED AT THE VET FOR 2 DAYS AND I HAD A 125.00 VET BILL. LUCKILY SHE IS OK NOW.
MY OTHER CAT HAS VANISHED. I FIGURE HE HAS GONE SOMEWHERE AND DIED. I JUST EMAILED FARNAM BUT I DOUBT THEY WILL ANSWER ME.
I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY CAN KEEP THIS ITEM ON THE MARKET.
CONNIE 6/30/05
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I administered BioSpot that I had ordered for my cats through PetCareRx, to my cats. In about an hour one of my cats started running through the house, ripping at door facing and destroying them. He began rolling around on the floor and thrashing about as if he were in extreme pain. I tried to pick him
up to examine him, and he left deep wounds on my hands and arms. So, I grabbed a thick towel and swaddled him in it. I took him to the bathroom and shut the door so he could not escape, and wet a washcloth and put antibacterial soap on it. I washed the area where I had applied the BioSpot and
then rinsed several times with warm washcloths. I looked at the spot where I applied the BioSpot and the treatment had taken the hide off his skin. It took him hours afterward to completely calm down, but
I kept him in the room with me, where I could see him. He panted like a wild animal and acted like
one. Each time I tried to pet or touch him, he struck out at me as if I was attempting to hurt him. He looked at me constantly as if he didn't know me, like a wild animal would, trying to find the smallest corner to hide in. He is doing much better now, and is letting me at least pet him. I snuck some
antibiotic ointment on my finger and applied it to the area that was raw without him knowing, while I
was pretending to just pet him. He quickly figured it out and ran away again, but at least it was on
there. I was very lucky that a Pixie Bob of 22 lbs. was able to survive this, just think what it would have done to a smaller weight cat. I have a thousand dollars easily into this cat, and would have been very upset if I had lost him. Much less, the emotional pain that it would have left me with the rest of my
life. An after thought is that since my other two Pixie Bobs are all right, that probably this one had a reaction. But, no one warned me that this could happen, that the treatment had Permethrin in it, or
that my cat could suffer, or die. Firstly, I was worried about losing my cat. But, now, secondly, I think
these people should lose their ability to manufacture and distribute this stuff, or at least have the crap sued out of them!
Be very, very careful! If your cats start to act funny, wash the area immediately and then find your vet, day or night. Don't take the chance like I did, and hope for the best. I am not a vet, but I have had to treat this problem before, when we didn't have the animal flea and tick products we have today. As a last note, I have used Advantage on my cats and dogs since the product hit the market, and have not had one incident!
Rebecca 7/1/05
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I put Bio Spot on my 6 month old American Bulldog on Monday this past week (he weighs 65 pounds so far). He kept licking and scratching at his legs, hind end -- I looked carefully he had over 100 pimple like sores on his legs, belly and groin area - the soft skin area with no real hair ... I called Bio Spot directly they suggested bathing him all over in dishwashing detergent and rinse well in cool water. The vet said to give him an appropriate dose of Benadryl 2x a day. By Thursday he was much improved -
hopefully we will have no further adverse affects! I'm headed to the health food store to see a natural approach to flea control - forever!
Sandi 7/2/05
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Normally I use fresh garlic. How much I give depends on the size of the dog. Do not give garlic to
cats. I have two dogs that I'm constantly hiking in the wood with. I have had very good luck with garlic. Recently I slacked off the garlic and used Bio Spot Flea & Tick, not realizing the side affects. I have been having a problem with my poodle in the past two weeks he gets these severe muscle cramps in his hind legs, he comes over sits down then lays down and can't support himself. Today he did this
and I thought he was having some kind of a seizure just the way his body was acting. Then in a short time he is up and ready to go. Last week I put Bio Spot on him didn't think anything about it. I think it could be the Bio Spot causing this problem. My poodle loves the water and swims almost everyday. Now thinking about it, by him being in the water may have made the Bio Spot weaker making the symptoms not so traumatic. The water is probably his saving grace. Now that I've been reading the posts on your website it all makes since. The only thing different for him was the Bio Spot . I'm going back to Garlic
Note: If you do choose to feed garlic please read this post from NE rawfed:
"If you are feeding garlic, which is part of the onion family, to your dog remember to keep a close eye on the color of their tongue and gums. If it is difficult to see color changes, press on them slightly for 3 seconds and look for blanching and for the color to return within 3 seconds after releasing pressure. If there is no blanching or the color takes longer than 3 seconds to return stop feeding the garlic and feed some additional red meat to increase iron intake. In most cases this will reverse the anemia and with
in 1-2 days proper color should return to the gums."
Here is another post for natural flea and tick repellent products with websites:
"Because it's getting to be that time of year again.... and so you don't cave in and use one of those toxic products like Frontline, Advantage, ProHeart and any number of other poisons vets and manufacturers would have you believe are harmless to use."
Good Luck.
Garmont 7/3/05
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My two German Shepherds, 10 year old - 155 lbs, and 8 year old -128 lbs, died two days apart after
applying the Biospot. We have a severe tick problem in South Texas as a result of extreme heat and
humidity and not having cold winters. I have been using Frontline Plus for the past few years without
any health hazard. But, the ticks went out of control. I thought changing the medicine would help and ordered the Biospot for the big dogs. I applied two on the 155lb dog and 1.5 on the 128 lb dog since
the medicine was for a 66lb dog. Two days after I applied it the 155lb dog died and I thought it was
because of a heart attack. Two days later the other dog died also. Then I started searching the web and found your site. I called Fanam and they took down my telephone number and said I will get a call back. I never did. I hope others out there pay attention to these postings.
John 7/4/05
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Thank you for maintaining this wealth of information. I can only blame myself for not doing research first.
Our 2-1/2 year old Irish terrier was given a topical dose of Bio-Spot for fleas about three weeks ago. Thank goodness it was for a dog smaller than he is, or his reaction might have been much worse. A typical Irish, Arrow is normally highly energetic, funny and fearless. We immediately noticed a change
in personality after the application of the pesticide. Arrow became nervous, anxious, and would hide in a corner of the yard, under some lumber leaning against the garage. He would refuse to come out and into the house. His rear legs occasionally trembled.
I had done some reading before applying Bio-Spot and thought it was the least dangerous control we could use. We normally use only natural products on Arrow and our seven year old cat, and they both get the best possible, most natural food available. Both are very healthy animals. I had used Bio-Spot one time the previous year. The fleas and itching had disappeared, and Arrow had no adverse reactions. After reading the postings on the website, I see now how the toxin can accumulate.
When we began to suspect that Bio-Spot might be the problem, we immediately gave Arrow a double bath, focusing especially on the application sites along his back. I'll continue to bath him every week, and hope that his system can fight off the adverse reations. He is still anxious and less outgoing than usual. Frighteningly, I've also noticed that his testicle sacs have turned dark in large areas.
I'm in the process of ordering some natural flea controls from Only Natural Pet in Boulder, Colorado. They have both a website and print catalog. I've also learned the life cycle of the flea and am working
on physical eradication. Thank you again for all the information.
Dorinda 7/4/05
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We have just suffered a terrible loss ... our beautiful 3 year old Samoyed died last night at the vets.
He had many of the symptoms described by victims of Bio Spot.
I have not been able to find any info on adverse reactions from Advantix and am wondering if you
could direct me to any info.
We have been racking our brains to figure out the cause of this tragedy, any help you could give us
would be greatly appreciated.
Many Thanks,
Amy 7/5/05
Thank you for your kind note and expression of sympathy.
Wes was first and formost, a beloved pet. He also was a show dog needing just 2 more points for his championship. Hi was to sire 4 important litters this coming year. He was known for his overwhelming beauty of both body and soul and his loss is simply overwhelming for us.
His symptoms, which began approx. 6 days after application of K9 Advantix .... included, lethargy, loss of appetite, restlessness, drooling, unusual fear of loud noises, sleeplessness, stiffness in hindquarters and gait in general. He was seen by the Vet on Sat., tested negative for Lyme's disease and sent home with antibiotics. He showed no improvement on Sunday, declined on Monday so we took him back to the Vet where we noted a slightly bloody nasel discharge ... only noticeable with kleenex.
Blood panel showed slightly elevated BUN and Creatinine, indicating some liver problem. An IV
was started and we had to leave him at the Vets for overnight. He died during the night, and they
found more bleeding from the nose. We are sending tissue samples for microscopic examination, gross necropsy showed nothing remarkable.
Thank you for this website,
a family in mourning 7/5/05
Here is an update on Wesley's death. I will quote directly from the report.
"The cause of death is acute, severe, bronchointerstitial pneumonia of undetermined cause. The pneumonia is accompanied by disseminated intravascular coagulation withing the lung and liver. There is also necrosis of thymic lymphocytes and splenic lymphocytes. Lymphocitic necrosis involving these organs is highly suggestive of a viral infection. The type of viral infection is not determined. The reported presence of a fever is also compatible with an infection. The reported petechial hemorrhages on the gingiva may have been caused by thrombocytopenia secondary to disseminat4ed intravascular coagulation with consuptin of platelets.
The rare possibibility of influenza virus infection myst be a consideration. Inclusion bodies of adenovirus and canine distemper were not seen."
*My note: Wes's fever was intermittant and very low grade, he showed no elevation in white cell count. He had no cough. No other dog he associated with as been sick.
I am wondering if any other "victim" submitted any type of autopsy report to you that I could compare with .... this just seems way to vague and inconclusive to me, plus the possibility of toxic poisoning didn't seem to be considered at all.
Again, I thank you for any help you can give us, and for having this informative web site.
Mary 7/13/05
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I feel like many here on this site, consumed with guilt about taking a "short cut" or trying to "save
money" when it comes to flea control applications for our animals. My husband and I have 10 cats,
who we love dearly. We only set out to have the two we chose to adopt from a litter of kittens. However, the additional eight we have "taken in" are the result of negligent neighbors who don't spay/neuter their cats and thus let batch after batch of kittens be born. We have since taken in the mother cat and THREE of her kittens. The other 4 are abandoned cats we took in as well. Needless to say we love them all and each has their own unique personality. We wouldn't trade them for the world.
However, having 10 cats can get expensive. And although last month we spent the $140 for the nine applications of Frontline Plus, we chose the easy way out and bought (at a considerale drop in price $4.33 for 3 applications) HARTZ ADVANCED CARE FOR CATS under 10 pounds. This product contains PHENOTHRIN. I know most of the listings here are about BIO SPOT, but we wanted to let people know this HARTZ product is harming animals in similar ways.
We were so enraged over the affect it had one of our cats in particular. I cannot believe these
products are available over the counter. (We bought it at Walmart). I will say we have not had any problems with the Frontline Plus (other than cost). Our cats don't seem to have any reactions to the Frontline whatsoever. But the Hartz product caused panting, excessive water drinking, tremors, shakes, disorientation, inability to walk straight, eyes darting back and forth. It was as if, it appeared, that Gracie, our beloved calico was having a stroke. Her actions seem too neurological in nature. Like the flea control was affecting her brain and muscles. We stayed up with her all night long. Washed her off
and monitored her. It took a good 36 to 48 hours for that heinous product to wear off!
We are doubly ashamed not only because we took the "short cut", but we tried this product years ago and it did the same thing to another cat we were trying to help and we knew what it had done back then, but thought MAYBE the manufacturers had made marked improvement by now if they were still going
to offer an OTC version of flea control. I wish I had researched it BEFORE I "tried it again." Then our Gracie would not have had to suffer.
WHY are these manufacturers allowed to make this stuff? They might as well label it poison...because that's what it is! Are they in cahoots with the makers of FRONTLINE? Sell the other stuff for way cheaper and your animals will suffer...so buy the GOOD STUFF for a whole lot more! Better for your
pet and way better for us, monetarily speaking that is. ????????
Anyway, my heart goes out to all of you who have lost furry loved ones and who have sat up night after night tending to those mildly, moderately or severly affected by this horrible stuff. So glad there is a place to voice our stories and share our information.
Thanks,
Kelly in West Virginia 7/5/05
Just last month, the EPA forced Hartz to discontinue several of its Advanced Care products due to thousands of reports of adverse reactions it has received. Here is a link about it:
Unfortunately, Hartz was not forced to pull these products off the shelf immediately because safety is NOT the highest priority at the EPA. Under the current law, the EPA must consider the risks/benefits of the pesticide products that it regulates. Apparently, the benefits that Hartz would lose by an immediate product recall were deemed more important than the harm it continues to do to cats. The EPA also agreed to issue their press release about this "agreement" with Hartz on Friday afternoon 6/3/05 - the best day of the week for a company to release (hide) bad news.
James TerBush
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Kelly in West Virginia,
Although Frontline Plus costs more than some of the other products, it still contains pesticides and can be harmful to pets. We lost our 7 month old chocolate lab on May 29th due to what we believe was an adverse reaction to Frontline Plus (our story is in Volume 6 dated May 30). We are still mourning his loss and not a day goes by that we don't think about him and re-live the nightmare he, and we went through.
All of these products should be banned so that no other pets have to suffer. My heart goes out to you and all other pets and pet owners that have to go through this devastating and tragic experience.
Julie 7/5/05
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On July 2, I adopted the most wonderful kitten from the local shelter. For three days she was as energetic, playful, curious, sweet and mischeivious as any cat I've known. Because she came from the shelter, she also came chock full of fleas. I spent the holiday weekend combing them off of her as best I could but I could only do so much. I looked at flea removal products at the store but all of them said they were not for use on kittens under 12 weeks. The shelter approximated that Sid was anywhere from 6-8 weeks when we took her home. When the vet's office re-opened on Tuesday, we took Sid in. They proceeded to give her a full dose of Frontline (and she only weighs 13 ounces!). My poor girl became sick immediately and it's been downhill from there. She has been lethargic (that's an understatement--she has been sleeping for 48 hours straight!), vomiting, has diarrhea, and will not eat or drink. We took her back to the vet yesterday for help but they couldn't tell us much. The vet said she doubted it was the Frontline (even though that's the only medication/treatment she'd had!). I am convinced that it was the Frontline and only hope that as time goes by and it wears off, she'll recover. I've never used Frontline on any of my older cats so I can't say how it would affect them. But for all of you who might have kittens, stay away from Frontline!
Meghan 7/7/05
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Hi, I was reading about bio spot flea control. I used it on my cat that weighs 20lbs. He got sick and
I didn't know what was wrong with him. I took him to the vet and they couldn't find anything wrong with him but they knew he was sick. They gave antibiotic which I gave to him. Jasper got better and back
to his self. Now I know it was from the bio spot. As he has never been sick before until I put that on him.
Wow, I am just so appalled that it is on the market. I know now I will watch the fleas and get rid of them the hard way. There has to be some way we can get it off the market. Thank you so much for writing
about this.
Anonymous 7/8/05
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Having read the articles about the dangers of Bio-Spot, and the descriptions of how all the dogs reacted to it, I am convinced that my dog Logan died from a reaction to this dangerous product.
Logan was a very healthy, lively, 7 year old Shepherd mix. One day in May, 2002, having given
Logan his fourth application of Bio-Spot (his second in 2002 --after having 2 applications during
late Summer/Fall of 2001), we went out to play frisbee in the yard. After about 10 minutes, Logan collapsed and had what seemed to be a seizure. I rushed him to the emergency clinic, but Logan
was dead when I got there. The attending vet said it was possibly cardiac arrest, and asked if I
wanted to do an autopsy (which I could not afford, plus it would not bring my best friend back to me).
Right now, I wish that I had had an autopsy done, so that I could have warned other people of the dangers of Bio-Spot.
Judy 7/8/05
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I applied "Sergeant's PreTect" squeeze-on Flea and Tick Control for dogs to my two year old
bulldog. She was exposed to a single dose of this agent several months ago and figured it was
time for her next dose. She had noadverse reaction to the prior dose. I reread the instructions
and noted the recommendation for TWO applications for dogs 33 to 66 pounds. As Lola weighed
50 pounds, I figured I underdosed her before and gave her two vials as instructed; one 1.5 ml vial to
her back side near her shoulder blades and the second dose to her back near the base of her tail. Within two hours, I noticed that Lola acquired a limp to her left leg and was acting more lethargic than her usual self. When I took her out for her break before bedtime, she just seamed to lie by the door
and did not seem herself. Initially, I was not too concerned as I had taken Lola for a run earlier in the night and I figured she had something in her paw (to explain the limp) but I couldn't explain the lethargy. It was not until she continued to be lethargic that I became much more concerned. I examined the product for the active ingredients and noticed that Permethrin was the active ingredient. Being in the medical field, I had vaguely remembered that Permethrin could cause neurologic toxicities. My thoughts immediately took me to the internet and I found this website. My thoughts were confirmed
and I immediately wiped the solution off of Lola's back. I then gave her a full bath with the hopes to remove as much of the toxic agent as possible. Lola seemed to immediately perk up however I hope she doesn't suffer any permanent damage. I had no prior knowledge that these products could cause
potentially fatal reactions in the animals they are supposed to treat. I am unsure if I will ever treat Lola with another similar agent in the future. I kept telling myself that nothing could be so strong as to cause her symptoms within two hours of application. I'm glad my instincts forced me to think otherwise.
I just hope it isn't too late.
Tarek 7/11/05
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I have a terrier mix and he is 18 months old. We always used Revolution on him for flea control, heart worm and mites. Skip never had any reaction to Revolution. However, Revolution is very expensive and we decided to try a different product. I saw Bio Spot in our local Petco and purchased it. It has been one week since I applied this to Skip and he has developed a large lump on the base of his skull. On the top of it is a crusty black lesion and it appears to me that there is actually swelling at the base of his brain to make his skull protrude upward. I am sick over this, I love my dog like a child and I am frightened for his life. He has a vet appointment tomorrow evening and I called Farnam to let them
know of my situation. Their response was that "it appears that he has had a reaction to the product" and to wash him in dish liquid. The lump has gotten so large that his hair is actually standing up. Also,
I noticed that Skip keeps digging at the area.
I can't believe that anyone would sell such a product that has these horrible adverse side affects. Not to mention that my entire family pets him constantly and got that crap on our hands! We washed them but we have no way of knowing how much was absorbed in our skin. My dog is given so much attention, we are constantly petting him, playing with him, cuddling with him and going for walks and rides. I know I would have noticed this prior to last Thursday, the day after applying Bio Spot. I just pray that our dog is okay.
Thanks for the great information on your web site. I never would have had any idea of the dangers if it weren't for the site.
Eva 7/13/05
Just thought I'd let you know that Farnam just called me and they are reimbursing me for my vet bills and for the cost of the Bio Spot. She said that it was a dermal reaction to the permethrin and that it seems like it may have abcessed. At least they are willing to work with me. Thanks again.
Eva 7/13/05
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I am obsessed to find information to help our 4 yr. old Chocholate Lab,Hershey. We used Advantix for the first time on June 19th,2005. He presented with an eye discharge the first few days, along with a general reduced activity level, panting,and within 1wk he developed vomiting. He was unable to even lick ice, without vomiting, even projectile at times. Within a day, his back legs started giving out, and his walk outside was treacherous. He needed our help getting up the stairs. He was hospitalized . The vet has seen us at least daily and sometimes twice a day. He was diagnosed as having bilateral eye infections and ear infections,along with Gas and Bloating. He is in the Hospital since Thurs., 7/7/2005, following vomiting that was projectile, ataxia and extreme weakness. As symptoms progressed Myasthenia Gravis+ Megaesophagus were diagnosed. This past week-end he developed aspirational pneumonia.
He's had only subcutaneous fluids and is still bringing up bile. I spoke with Bayer and met with complete denial yesterday,and today with hesitency when I asked for information re: an antidote. I just want to get him well again. He was stronger than a bull,and able to run faster than any of our other 5 Labs, who lived 12-16 years. Thank you so much for this site.It has made clear in my mind that Advantix is key to my dog's case. They say that Advantix is not toxic to dogs. They say that Myasthenia Gravis is either congenital(early in life) or acquired(in later life). Aquired from what? Does anyone have any suggestion as to an antidote? Please respond to this at :
Bernie 7/13/05
Hershey is post 1 month of Advantix Application. He is now at home, after what was a most stressful transition that started with his collapse on the street two doors away from home. He had to be lifted into our home. He is taking two antibiotics-Amoxycillin and Enterofloxin 2 times daily and a neuro medication-Mestinon 3 times daily (all of which are in the liquid form and need to be given by syringe while he is sitting upright). The Myasthenia Gravis with mega-esophagus necessitates his being fed by spoonful + a/d formula was chosen due to his weight loss of 8 lbs. He eats 3-4 times/day,and has minimal water by mouth at present due to periodic regurgitation. He is instead requiring us to administer sub-cutaneous Normosol-R IV fluids once a day over 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hrs of infusing, while being restrained. I called the NPIC and was told that this episode did not follow textbook picture of adverse event, but I questioned further the individuality of reactions and am sending the Volumes 6 and 7 in order to educate the educators. As all rules can be broken, every incident equally can be unique. I also know this because I am a public health nurse, who administers vaccines. If I did not assimilate all information and use it for reference, I would be derilict in my duties. Bayer should practice this art as well, and do their own scientific investigation. I would be remiss to say that all vaccines reacted the same way in all people as they have insisted that there have been no adverse events reported except for skin reactions. He has shown remarkable improvement in the last 3 days as he approached the end of a miserable month whch followed the application of ADVANTIX for the one and only time.I plan to follow-up with a neurologist visit in the morning to assess his status, and will proceed to tell this specialist and everyone that I can to avoid this product "like the plague." Have you any knowledge of any of other dogs being diagnosed with Masthenia Gravis and their histories? Please respond to divit1@optonline.com in eve. or mcdavitt@wanaqueborough.com daytime. Please let me know your thoughts as well. I am exhausted after this ordeal and nervous re: prognosis, but happy and thankful about Hershey's progress. I'm also thankful that you personally and the others, who have used your site, for providing me with direction when I was lost. Thank you.
Bernie 7/20/05
It's app. 2 mo. since we used Advantix flea and tick application(poison) made by Bayer.I found with research that Biospot has the Permethrine-the neurotoxin ( in a smaller volume than in Advantix). Hershey is doing amazingly well now, but certainly went through hell getting here.We were able to discontinue the subcutaneous 1500 ml. of Normosol infusions/day 1 month ago.He was on two antibiotics-amoxycillin and enrofloxin(coincidentally ? manufactured by Bayer and quite expensive). They were just discontinued 1 1/2 wks.ago.He continues to require Mestinon 3 times/day for the "Myasthenia Gravis" and "Megaesophagus" that the neurologist diagnosed 1 month ago.He drools excessively (probably from the mestinon) and does require slow feeding. We had a last visit to this vet neurologist 1 wk ago and he had a repeat Acetylcholine titre blood level done. It was found to be normal. I don't know whether that is because of the mestinon or because the advantix is out of his system (giv Aspirational Pneumonia is fully resolved. Because of the unknown status of the megaesophagus, he must continue to be fed by spoonfulls while he sits up with his paws supported by my knees three times a day.I am told that this may be required for life! His activity has increased to several small walks , but he still tires much more easily.He cannot have any vaccines other than Rabies as it may cause Myasthenia Crisis. His spirit has survived, and he occasionally reverts to trying to steal food or to grab slippers and so we are very thankful to see his personality returned.I've been too busy with full-time work as a public health nurse and his care at home to follow-up with Bayer or the EPA, and am determined to get him back to his maximum level of independence no matter what it takes.We have spent $4000+ and are struggling with that , but overjoyed to still have his sweet noble nature in our midst.When the activity dies down I will be following through with BAYER and intend to harra ix method of administration is demonstrated on the net i.e. apply to 4 spots on the back from head to tail. Let's hope that noone reading this believes that it is not dangerous to apply this way for we believe that Hershey licked it off, which started the chain of events. I have also not had much time to follow up with the other consumer alerts, but would appreciate if anyone else who experienced any problem with Advantix would email me directly at my office mcdvaitt@wanaqueborough.com. We need to band together as you have to stop this dangerous product from poisoning and alert those who might think about using it. Protectyour animal by using lavender to deter or natural measures as listed on the Mother Earth vet's website.
Thank you James for continuing this essential supportive website. It helped me immensely.
Bernie 8/20/05
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I am so glad I found your site. After using Frontline Plus for dogs for 6 years, I assumed it was completely safe. Just a week ago I used this product and my dog experienced a severe adverse
reaction after applying it. There was no dought in my mind what caused it. Even my vet, after running several , expensive tests etc., admitted that she "could not rule out Frontline Plus " as the cause, WOW, what a shock !!! I will NEVER use this product or others of a similar nature ever again. Guess I got off lucky as after being treated, my dog seems okay now. I hope this posting will prehaps save other owners from the expense, grief, and shock that using this product caused me and my pet.
Christopher 7/15/05
Thank you for your prompt and concerned response to my E-Mail concerning use of Frontline Plus
on my dog. The dog treated was a terrier mix, female, 7 years old, 63 pounds, and above all, healthy
(all current shots, no infections etc.) at the time of application. After having applied it , roughtly, 17
hours passed before I noticed several, severe, reactions which I still, strongly believe were a direct reaction to the product. At first, vomiting, foam around the mouth, complete loss of appetite, both food and water. Later, choking, from time to time. This happened over the course of a weekend before I was able to seek treatment at my local vets office. Treatment of symptoms included testing (physical exam, radiology, blood profile, blood chemistries, CBC, complete blood count, electrolytes, etc.)
were as follows: Fluid therapySQ/100ml, injection Metoclopropamide/mL, Famotidine Tabs 10mg, Metoclopramide Tabs 10mg. In short, she was hydrated and given medicine for her stomach, and
intestines. In addition, there was a followup visit and exam. Over the course of a couple of days, she slowly improved and now seems to have recovered from the experience. I hope this information is helpful and I again thank you for your time and concern.
Chris 7/16/05
Thank you for the references relating to FrontlinePlus and Merial. I called the company and was told
that using Frontline Plus cound not have caused the reactions described to my dog. Indeed, during my
conversation with a company technician, I felt they were trying to place the blame on what happened
with me. I don't believe I have any chance of recovering the cost of the vet expenses from them. I then talked with my vet about the issue and I remain on good terms with her. It was not the vets fault. I am glad to hear that the information I provided to you may be of help to others and I again, warmly thank
you for all your help and concern.
Chris 7/18/05
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I purchased Bio Spot in a magazine. It came in a pkg. that was marked DO NOT USE ON CATS, however, the box was crushed when I received it in the mail. I had ordered 9 or 12 boxes. I have 2
dogs and my sister has 1 so we made the order together. We had compared it to other products and were about the same and the cost was so much cheaper. Being on a fixed income (disability) I chose
to order this product. Well due to the fact of the condition of the box I threw it away. I never used it on
my cats - just the dogs. I have 3 cats and had purchased the advantage for them. Well it has been a
few months since I bought the Bio Spot and had forgotten about the warning. I feel that it is packaged wrong. It should state on the tube as well as the box about the (do not use on cats.) I put it on 2 of my
3 cats (wasn't able to catch the 3rd), cats at the time they always run when they get a whiff of those things. Well all of a sudden I noticed one of the cats foaming severly at the mouth and jerking all over. Her head twitching, moaning, tail slapping on the floor. Then went into a seizure. I held her until it was over put her in the sink and poured baby shampoo (I use on my dogs faces not to let their eyes tear.)
I opened the faucet and poured half the bottle over the cat. She was in a mountain of foam. Thank
GOD I did that . She had a few more seizures and I had called the company I purchased it from . Then the vet. Rushed her in and she was hospitalized. They ran an IV and injected her with muscle relaxers. She started to do better. I feel like the company should pay for my expenses. I am on 579.00 a month and cannot pay these bills. My cats is like my little girl. I couldn't let her die. She would have if I didn't have the instinct to wash her and take her to the vets. PLEASE lets get together and make them put
the proper notices on the pgks., especially a warning about cat on the tubes.
Marsha 7/16/05
I am very sorry to hear about your cat's reaction to Bio Spot for Dogs. It's very easy to make that mistake (and I have received email from several people who did) because the tubes used for Bio Spot for Dogs and Bio Spot for Cats look IDENTICAL, and as you mentioned, there is NO warning on the tubes. If Farnam simply put a sticker on each tube of Bio Spot for Dogs (with print large enough to read) that said, "DO NOT USE ON CATS", it would prevent the unnecessary suffering and death of many cats each year.
James TerBush
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I have a 12 week old Yorkie puppy that I was told to start on Sentinel. She has been very active since
I got her at 4 weeks old. I gave her the first tablet last Sunday and by Monday evening she was beginning to slow down. I watched her go from a very active, playful baby to now she can't even take two steps without falling down to rest.
I took her to the ER Vet on I called her vet on Thursday evening and they could not see her until Friday so by 7pm Thursday she looked like she was having trouble breathing and her heart was racing so I took her into the ER Vet and the checked her out and said that she had a Heart Murmur. I told them about her first set of shots which she had had on the previous Friday and the sentinel tablet I gave her on Sunday and they told me that that could not be the problem. We had visitors with a 2 year old and the vet said that Cali could have just been over exerted from playing. So I brought her home and have continued to notice that her lethargy and weakness is getting a bit worse. The ER vet faxed over her notes to our vet and I am waiting to hear back from him.
Have you had any other cases where this has happened. I do not know what else to do, both vets are saying that the sentinel could not have done this, but when I read the insert the adverse reactions are exactly what Cali is having.
Another question, do you know if this is what the problem is will it work its way our of her system or is there something the vet can do, give her to help it along?
Any information will be greatly appreciated.
Donna 7/16/05
Thanks for getting back to me. We did have to bring her back in to the ER Vet this evening and they sent us to Texas A & M vets. They called in a Cardioliogist and they did an ultrasound of her heart and found that she had Plumonary Hypertension which there is not surgery or medication to fix that. They
told us she would continue to go down hill and the out come was death. She was suffering so much
that I could not bear to see her like she had been all week, so I had to make the decision to let her go. Maybe one day they will be able to come up with some procedure or medication to help with this.
We asked the vets ant A & M about the Sentinel and they all said that it had nothing to do with her lung and heart condition. Thanks again for your information.
Donna 7/17/05
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A friend sent me your website after spending Sunday holding me while I sobbed when the Emergency Animal Clinic called to say my precious Waldo was dead. I can't believe these products are allowed
on the market. I have 2 cats and a dog, and have used Bio Spot for several years, because Frontline
is so expensive from the vet's. I thought I was protecting them from fleas and ticks, and the promotions in the Dr. Fosters and Smith catalog, which I've also used for years, are so positive. Not one mention
is ever made about adverse reactions, besides the usual warning not to use on small kittens. Waldo was a 13 pound stunning Maine Coon, gorgeous soft orange fur and the sweetest disposition of any
cat I've ever owned. On Saturday, realizing I was 2 weeks late applying the Bio Spot to my pets, I saw the smaller cat and realized I could grab her and get the stuff on her before she disappeared outside.
I got out the cat version of the product and clipped out 2 vials, then quickly applied one to her back and let her out. I cut the other vial when I saw Waldo sitting (as usual) on his kittie shelf, and applied it to him. I threw out the cat materials, and then went back to my pet supply bag for the dog card. I got out the dog product, cut off the top, and went right for the dog (a 60 lb. English Springer Spaniel) and applied his product. I know I was careful, because I noted the dog vial was orange, larger, and put the card on a different table. I was careful to hold the vial in my hand and remember going straight for the dog so I'd know it was done. About 3 hours later, Waldo came into the house with a loud cry. It sounded like a cat fight cry. We have a new cat next door, and we thought he may have gotten into another fight while trying to establish his territory. My daughter screamed when he was shaking his head and hid under the couch. Both my daughters insisted we call the vet, though my husband and I wanted to take a look at
him and see if he just had a thorn or something. It NEVER occurred to me there could be a problem
with the flea stuff. I did call the vet right away, and we rushed him right over. She took one look at him and said it was a seizure from the BioSpot and that she sees one every week! I felt just awful. Like
many of you, I wanted to save money and had had no problem before. They bathed him and brought down his fever, but it went too low, so they had him in an adorable cat bed with a blanket and his poor head shaking from the tremors. He had to be transferred to the Emergency Animal Hospital for an overnight stay, and they were able to get his fever to normal and stabilize him, but the tremors wouldn't go away. They all kept telling me, don't worry, when the toxin finally leaves his body, he'll be "good as gold". But in the morning, the vet on duty told me this was the worst reaction of the many he had seen. He kept asking if I'd used the dog product on the cat. I KNOW I didn't do that, I was very careful. But of
course, his questions tormented me. I called the ASPCA through the link on the Farnam phone, and
they said they hear about this all the time. They reported it to the EPA for me. They offered to confer
with the vet on the treatment, and I gave him the number. I arranged to come visit my baby at noon. At 11:30, the phone rang. The vet at the clinic informed me that Waldo had gone into cardiac arrest when they'd continued trying to medicate him to stop the tremors. My beautiful, 8 year old sweet baby is dead. I am up nights tormenting myself with doubt, could I have possibly mixed up the vials, is it all my fault.
But after reading these stories, I realize I did nothing wrong. This product is horrible, and there are no warnings on the package. Drs. Foster and Smith say they will reimburse my $600+ in bills IF their vets find it was indeed the Bio Spot after reviewing the records. I told them it ____well was and they ____well will. But is there a class action suit here? Should I accept the payment? What about pain and suffering? I'd love to join others trying to do something about this. I'm so grateful my remaining cat and dog are fine. I'll never use ANY flea product again. Thanks for a chance to tell my story.
Terri 7/19/05
Thanks so much for your kind thoughts and for the advice. I do have some information and progress to report since I wrote to you. I spoke at length both to the people at Farnam (Sherry, very helpful: 1-800-234-2269 ext. 2259) and the people at Drs. Foster and Smith (Greg, also helpful, especially after I was extremely clear about my wishes). The first determination was that I did not use the traditional BioSpot for Cats on my cat: I used the new formula, just recently purchased by Farnum, called Bio Spot One-Step for Cats. It comes in a blue, rather than hot pink package. It is brand new, and Sherry was even surprised I had gotten it so soon. I did not use the dog product on the cat, as I had already done the cats and thrown away the packaging before taking out the dog product, and the dog vial never left my hand between being removed from the package and putting it on the dog. Also, the cat did not come in contact with the dog, as he went directly outside and was nowhere near my dog. The ironic thing is that
it is the OTHER cat, who is fine, who was both smaller (8-9 lbs.) and a buddy of the dog. As you pointed out, there are no warnings whatsoever on the package, either to keep the dog product away from cats, or on the cat product to watch for shaking, seizures or anything of the sort.
Sherry may be new to Farnam, I'm not sure. At any rate, I directed her to your website, and the more I read to her, the more alarmed she became. She had obviously never seen the site, though it's certainly possible that others at the company may have. It amazed me that so many people who have logged on to your site have obviously had problems with these products, and yet I had never heard about any problems. My attitude with both companies was that suing them wasn't my objective, but rather getting warnings on the products and discontinuing the sale and manufacture of them in order to spare anyone else the heartache and guilt and anger, etc., etc. that I have experienced. Sherry pointed out that the company has been in business for 40 years, and is NOT in the business of killing animals. My point
was that vets are not in the profession to get rich as much as to care for animals, and as far as Drs. Foster and Smith is concerned, their standing as a vet-owned business means that people count on them to prescreen products that are safe for animals and to issue any pertinent warnings. The fact that I have been a good and steady customer had an effect, I'm sure. Sherry phoned me a few days ago with this news: Drs. Foster and Smith has discontinued the sale of the One-Step product (though not the other Bio Spot products, which haven't been a problem for me, but have for others). Farnam is in the process of discontinuing its manufacture, and should have it done within a week or so. Also, both companies said my vet bills would be taken care of, and sure enough, I received checks from each of them this week for $614. I'm not sure if their wires crossed, because I made it very clear to Farnam that Drs. Foster and Smith had agreed to cover the expense, but Farnam also sent a check. I'm going to call to see if it was an error and should be returned (though my suffering was so intense, I feel like I deserve some compensation). When I initially reported the incident to the ASPCA, they indicated that they automatically notify the EPA. I'm not sure about the NPIC.
It is frustrating to me that my own vet hasn't done more. She indicated that telling people not to use specific products could result in a lawsuit for slander (Sherry says, that's not their intention, they want safe products). I offered to create posters listing specific ingredients for them to warn their clients
about. She suggested I contact the Maine Veterinary Board, and perhaps I will. Surely, there must be something we can do together. Little by little, my nightmares are beginning to get less bothersome and I'm beginning to adjust. It's amazing how much a situation like this can deal you a body blow. Thanks for listening and for doing what you're doing. Please feel free to contact me and keep me informed about what I can do to help.
Terri 7/26/05
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It was determined by my veternarian than my dog's kidney problems were acute due to the flea killer I applied on 7/7/05. As I read e-mails I know there is a problem with Permethrin. My dog was just fine. Then when I applied this product he started acting very strange. He would not respond to me. I took
him to the doctor, and they applied the under skin treatment of fluids with a muscle relaxer. Over the weekend he did not improve, so I took him back. He was checked into the hospital for monitoring and blood tests. The levels were high and the doctor was concerned. I thought Josh would die! I brought him hom Thursday, 7/14. Now he is improving, but I still am worried of long term problems. I have contacted Sergeant and wish to be reimbursed for the bills. Joshua turned 11 on July 20th, but I feel
he should have a few more years at the least.
I want you to be aware of this problem. Thank you for your time.
Gail 7/22/05
Sergeant's has not replied to my claim. Since then, Joshua died on August 11th. I have e-mailed the agencies you suggested. I am so devastated! My dog showed no signs of kidney failure before. My veterinarian did blood tests and he was diagnosed whith kidney problems. I believe the Permethrin caused his death. I feel so bad that I trusted the product!
Please let people know that Permethrin needs more testing. It is not only dangerous for cats, but small dogs as well.
Thank you for your attention to my problem.
Gail 8/21/05
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I just dropped my second cat of the day off at the vet. I applied Bio Spot to both of my cats this morning only to get a call at work from my roommate later telling me that my cat Webster was having a seizure and she was on her way to the hospital with him. I left work in a panic, knowing exactly what it was. I always feel guilty using poison on them. I was a firm believer in Advantage before I heard of the miracle of Bio Spot! This was their second month of Bio Spot and I noticed right away when I put it on them that it looked different than last month. Thinking nothing of it I went to work.
When I got to the Animal Hospital I learned that this type of thing has been happening for years from using Bio Spot! Years! I was told to go home and wash my other kitten, Charlotte, with Dawn. She wasn't showing any abnormal signs. When I got home she was still normal and I waited about an hour for my fiance to get home so he could help me give her a bath. As soon as he got home I went looking for Charlotte and couldn't find her. I finally found her huddled under the backyard table shaking frantically! My tears flowed freely as Charlotte and I were driven, once again, to the hospital. The vet was glad to see her in a lot better shape than Webster at least, and treated her the same way she treated Webster. They are both at the hospital now spending the night and I can't help but feel guilty. What did I do to my two little kitties!? I am enraged that this has been going on for so many years without anything having been done. I want to do something! I am Glad to find a website such as this where I can spread my grief and also my warning not to use Bio Spot. Thank for listening.
Peace, Ali 7/22/05
PS On your website I read you were reimbursed for your hospital bills. I have to tell you, my fiance and
I are just starting out and as much as we don't mind spending money to save our pets lives!, it would be nice to not have to pay for this horrible event that was not our fault! If you could assist me in any way, whether it be addresses, phone numbers, how to word a letter, who to talk to, etc. that would be greatly appreciated! Today I am humbled. Thank you. I hope Hamish is doing well. Peace.
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My Lhasa Apso, Titus is the most wonderful dog anyone could ever of asked for. I applied BioSpot
to his body on Saturday, July16th and he started exhibiting symptoms on Monday, July 18th. He had tremors, hiding, fearfullness and he was running around in circles at times. We took him to the vet Tuesday morning. He has lost almost total control in his hind legs, he has lost control of his bladder
and bowels and the vet has suggested we put this beautiful life to sleep. He is still in the same spirits, but is scared to fall asleep. His appetite is completely gone too. I noticed on your website that there
has been cases like mine. I want to know if they have ever recovered. If not, I question what kind of life my dog will have. I feel helpless. I reported it to Farnum. I feel terribly guilty because I applied this killer on him. The vet said that he is exhibiting symptoms of a back problem, but he is not even four yet. Anybody with information on this please feel free to email me at jenn_u84@hotmail.com . I need to know if there is still hope for him or if he should be euthanized. I don't want to do that ever, he is my baby, but I don't want him to suffer either. He used to be an energetic, loving and beautiful dog and I
feel like I have to live with the guilt of putting him in this position forever.
Jennifer 7/22/05
Hi James, this is Jennifer Untied in response to the pesticide poisoning my dog Titus incurred. He has been doing better. He is eating on his own and drinking more and more. The vet he has had put him on steroids so he can relieve his bladder, but I think it is relieving it too much. He is "dripping" quite frequently. He may need to be in diapers for awhile. The steroids may also be helping him drink and eat more, so that is a plus. He suddenly came out of his depressive funk last Saturday and he is otherwise a happy dog and improving everyday. He may need to be in a wheelchair temporarily because he drags himself around the house still. But he still tries and plays with my sister's dog and he eats doggy treats. I hope this thing comes around and I am glad to hear that it took weeks for dogs to fully recover. I just hope that he is one of them.
Jennifer 7/27/05
Hi James, we are waiting for Titus to improve a little bit more before we take him into the vet again to have him reevaluated. Like I said before, the vet diagnosed him with a back problem when he saw little improvement within the few days after he saw him the first time. He could not find a back problem on the Xray he took, but somehow, Titus developed one. We think that the vet doesn't want to get involved in legal matters. He is still eating and drinking on his own and we are seeing a little improvement with his legs, atleast there is some resistance. He even flexed them up on his own tonight several times while we were doing little exercises with his legs. How can a dog with irreversible deep tissue paralysis give us resistance? Or even have the strength to eat or bark when we have to confine him at night? I am clinging on to the fact that he may get better in a couple weeks. I am gong to give it a month. I am actually considering getting him a wheelchair. He is dragging himself so much across the tile floor that he is getting sores all over his bottom area. Since the vet couldn't identify Titus's problem as solely BioSpot, BioSpot won't pay the bills that is why we have to wait. I wrote to the EPA and asked told them the entire emotional story and asked them to ban this product. I keep blaming myself for this. But it's kind of like a parent giving a child an immunization and their child developing a disorder, like autism or something. Even though a child and a dog are different things, Titus is the only thing close to a child of my own since I don't have any children. I'll keep you updated.
Jennifer 7/31/05
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My miniature dachshund now has a compromised immune system after a treatment of Hartz Flea &
Tick Plus purchased from a large grocery chain. On June 12 I used 3/4 tube of the small dog at 11:30pm the next day he was so lethargic, he did not even eat! His throat had an oozy raw spot, his paws were red and puffy. I bathed him in lavender and chamomile shampoo three times, after going
on line reading about Hartz, I rushed him to the vet they gave fluids, he was on prednisone for a month, Cephalexin Caps 250mgs for 14 days, and he is still not fully recovered. He weighs only 9lbs 7 oz and was a trembling pitiful sight after the poisoning. From now on he will get vinegar, lemon rinses, garlic and Brewer's yeast. I do believe ALL companies want the profit from cheaper products and more
costly products, also if a vet seems to disregard BioSpot , Frontline, etc. toxic reactions - FOLLOW
THE MONEY. Who pays for seminars, steak dinners, golf trips, scholarships, grants?
Clara 7/24/05
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Thanks for posting this information. I have 5 dogs and 2 cats and was considering using Bio Spot, now after reading some of the postings on your site I will under no circumstances put this on my dogs. As a matter of fact I used a similar product made by Hartz on two lab puppies of my daughter's while I was pet sitting them. Two weeks after the treatment the fleas were gone but she had to rush them to the vet. They had symptoms like they had eaten something toxic. Given how they play together it makes sense that they may have ingested it off the back of their brother. The puppies were 6 months old and we almost lost one of them. The problem is what type of flea treatment is safe for our animals? Thanks again for the information.
Tracy 7/27/05
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My wife and I live in SE Pennsylvania within a semi-rural area. After acquiring a male Beagle in the Spring of 2003, we of course needed to protect him from various disease blood-vectoring insects, namely ticks. Our vet recommended K9 Advantix, which we applied after he was of age. I was initially against applying this product, since it was a synthetic (waterproof!) pesticide that would be applied and then absorbed by my dog. How could this be safe, especially after reading the small print about the product's toxicity to amphibians? We however went ahead with the application.
A day after application I myself reacted to the product. Since our Beagle was allowed on our funriture and in our bed, it's safe to assume that this product was deposited onto our personal household furnishings. I experienced some itchiness, skin burning, and a distinct unpleasant taste in my mouth. Our Beagle seemed lethargic, experienced increased eye discharges/redness, increased scratching, some shaking/twitches, and diarrhea. He just did not seem to be the same dog after each dose. Realizing my dilemma of an existing tick problem in conjunction with his/my reaction, I extended the application periods out from once a month to a period of 6-7 weeks, attempting to cover the warm weather tick season with 3-4 doses. The same went for last year. However, after reading about these terrible postings on this website, my wife and I have decided to IMMEDIATLEY stop administration of this poison after 2 doses this year. We strongly advocate removal of this product from the consumer
pet market.
Jim 7/27/05
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I don't know if you spoke to your vet about bio spot, but I have 4 cats and I have used Bio Spot and Frontline for treatment of fleas. I just wanted to let you know that if you use ANY flea and tick product
you run the risk of your pet having a seizure. My cat has a seizure if I use Frontline, but it all depends on your pet's reactions to the product used. Products that are bought at Wal-Mart like Hartz Flea and Tick are actually more harmful than Frontline or Advantage but I just wanted you to know that your pet may have a harmful reaction to any product but you should really talk to your vet. I'm really not trying to be disagreeable. I know how horrible it is to find your pet, a member of your family, having a seizure. I do believe you should always take you vet's advice about the product you use. I wish you good luck with your dog and I hope you never have to deal with that again.
Laura 7/28/05
Unfortunately, I did not talk with my vet prior to using Bio Spot. It's good to be aware that ALL flea and tick products (including those sold by vets) can cause adverse reactions. Vets should make their clients aware of it, the signs to look for, and what to do if an adverse reaction occurs.
James TerBush
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A friend of my son used BioSpot on a beloved cat (around July 15), who had convulsions and died, despite having been taken to the vet immediately. They had used it once before with no adverse effects.
Billie 7/28/05
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I am sitting here in tears after reading these posts. Just last month, I lost my 5 year old beloved cat, Sunni, to some "unknown" illness. I had treated Sunni, my two outdoor cats and my dog with BioSpot two days before we left on vacation. A friend was coming out to the house to take care of the cats, and, as I had used the product before, didn't even think about possible adverse reactions to it. Needless to say, Sunni got very ill within a day or so after we left. I assumed that she was stressed over missing us and being in the house alone. My friend assured me that I was probably right and she'd keep an eye on her to make sure she was okay. Within 4 days, Sunni was so sick that she was vomiting all over the house and hovering over her water bowl without drinking. She stopped eating and was extremely lethargic. I called my mother, frantic, who got Sunni into the emergency clinic for treatment. They could not diagnose her problem specifically, but treated her for dehydration and put her on antibiotics. She was then sent home with my mom to watch overnight. Sadly, my mom had to deliver the news to me the next morning that Sunni had died during the night. I was so upset that I never even thought about the flea treatment. The vet pondered the possibility of an intestinal blockage, leading to kidney and liver failure. Deciding that it didn't really matter what had killed her, only that she was gone, I declined a necropsy. Now I sit here, wondering if I killed my cat. She was alone in the house, except for my friend coming in to feed her. She could have had all sorts of symptoms that were missed without supervision. I'll never really know, but I will definately NEVER use BioSpot on my animals again. Thank you for your information and obvious concern for pet owners everywhere. I will direct anyone even thinking about using this product to your site.
Ronda 7/28/05
Hello again. Well, after about 2 hours on the phone, everything is done here.
I reported the incident to the EPA and the NPIC. Both have recorded the information. I also had a
long conversation with Sherri at Farnam. They are offering to reimburse us for the vet bills. I'll call the emergency clinic for copies when they open this evening. Sherri also suggested calling PetSmart, where I purchased the product, to inform the manager of the situation. She was understanding and aware of the problems with this product. I also now understand that there is a huge difference between the original Bio Spot for cats and the new One-Step product, and that retailers were not providing this information for consumers. I passed this along to the manager of our local PetSmart during our conversation as well.
Thank you so much for all of your assistance. I would never have thought to do all of this without your help. Once again, your knowledge and concern is greatly appreciated.
Ronda 7/29/05
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I've been using Advantage on my 14lb mini-schnauzer (Pepper) for about 4 years (summers) & also on an 11 yr old cat. Both normally quite healthy (Pepper is 6yrs old). This year I noticed Pepper unwilling or unable to walk more than a few steps, not eating, (he would drink a bit, but several times vomit immediately) & trembling, with his shoulders hunched & tight & possibly swollen...All this was several days after a repeated application of Advantage (I was finding him swarming with fleas two weeks after the drops were applied, & had applied them again..) I took him in to the vet, who gave him a 'cortisone' shot & a pain killer to address what seemed to be a muscle problem in his neck (sprain or ??) & after another day or so, he gradually got better (it was really about a week before he really seemed completely normal again) I suggested the drops as suspect to the vet, & he dismissed the possibility. So then about 2 weeks after this cure, I re-applied the drops, & then 3-4 days later the same symptoms! (I had actually put part of the dose on his shoulder, & part on the lower back, where he could not lick it, but closer to where the fleas were active (his belly & rear end)). This time was not QUITE as severe, but he still lay around VERY sluggishly for 24 hrs (I could get him to drink a bit, & pee if I carried him outside, but he would not walk or eat, just wanted to doze, & his belly seemed a bit more swollen this time). So now he is slowly recovering again, & I am not putting ANYTHING on him from now on. (The cat never did show any side effects). I would like to know more about specifically this product (Advantage) & how to somehow alert the public to the wider problem (I would contribute to a campaign of safety posters that volunteers could put up in vets or shelters, etc...) It's sickening to think that we have to learn about this by waiting until it's too late. I appreciate your efforts.
William 7/30/05
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My 7 yr old, 110 lb, Newfoundland, Sabrina had a serious reaction to the K-9 Advantix. I had no idea how lucky she was until I found your website and started reading others' stories. My heart goes out to all of you.
Two months ago we switched both our Newfies to Advantix because we wanted flea and tick control. The first dose was fine. I applied the second dose of Advantix to Sabrina eight days ago. Over the course of the past 3 days she started pulling out her hair in clumps and scratching over her entire body. Newfies have two coats of thick hair and she is almost bald on her sides. Her skin was red and obviously irritated. I found two hot spots on her back where I had applied the Advantix. She wasn't her normal, energetic, playful self either so I scheduled her for the vet. The morning of her appointment, she awoke with a severely swollen face, which made us realize something was terribly wrong.
The only new thing introduced over the past 2 months was the Advantix. The vet examined her and said she had "soggy lungs" which after x-ray's showed fluid present around the lungs and bronchi that were closing off.
The vet was confident Sabrina had an adverse reaction to the Advantix and was in the beginning stages of anaphylactic shock. Fortunately, Sabrina responded to the steroid and antihistamine injections. Sabrina was bathed several times to remove the remaining Advantix and by the end of the day she felt much better. She remains on steroids for the next 2 weeks.
I now know how lucky she was and I will follow-up with Bayer, who makes Advantix as well as the US EPA. I have now been educated and will never, ever use these products again.
Carla 7/30/05
hi james,
have a follow-up question for you...have you known dogs to have multiple reactions to advantix, days apart?
i thought sabrina's symptoms were under control but 4 days after the vet treated her (and my e-mail to you), she had a much more severe reaction.
i've enclosed a pic (click here) to see if you've seen/know of this specific type of rash with this product.
after her 2nd day at the vet and pumped up with steroids, antihistamines and a ton of other topical meds, she appears to be healing again.
my vet is now on board with me to take on bayer.
thank you again for sharing what you know.
Carla 8/4/05
Wanted to update you for the website (original post: 7/05). It has been almost almost 4 months now since Sabrina's Advantix reaction and she has continued to have intermittent rashes, skin problems and open sores to date. She is still in treatment for symptoms.
She is still bald on her sides and legs from where she ripped her hair out.
I did contact Bayer and filed a claim. However, their initial response was this was not their product's fault. They feel Sabrina had a "sensitivity" to the product versus a "reaction" and therefore bear no responsibility for vet bills, etc. They offered me 4 free months of Advantage to settle things. Obviously I declined. Since Sabrina is not yet over this I am waiting to discuss this claim further.
Sabrina and I are a certified Social Therapy team and because of this adverse reaction she has been unable to visit hospitals, schools, crime victims and senior centers. This product has taken away something very dear to both Sabrina. I just hope she will one day be healed from this.
Carla 10/19/05
hi james,
wanted to send you an update on sabrina re: her initial reaction back in july 2005. i last updated you in oct 2005.
we are now eights months post-reaction and sabrina finally appears to have recovered well from her initial reactions. while she's still getting some minor hot spot breakouts she's almost back to her old self again. never giving up does pay off!
there hasn't been one specific course of treatment that proved to be the magic wand. sabrina has had some acupuncture, herbal remedies, topical ointments, etc. but it seems that time has made the biggest difference in her improvements. but we don't know long term effects just yet.
i found a good topical treatment to heal hot spots called otomax. it really dries up those open sores very quickly. also, for the itching associated with hot spots, i used antihistamines just for a few days during the time of breakout. sabrina seemed to be much more comfortable during the healing process when she had both of these treatments.
i wrote to bayer's president a few months ago because no one had followed up on my original complaint back in aug 2005. i finally received a response from bayer's vet stating they do not feel sabrina had an advantix reaction for two main reasons. there was a one week delay in her initial reaction as opposed to an immediate reaction. and second, her breakout was total body versus at the spot of application.
sabrina has seen 3 different vets now and each has a different explanation of why the reactions occurred. two believe the advantix, although not intended to be systemic, absorbed into her body and created issues with her internal systems. as a result, the breakouts kept coming. the third believes it could be related to an allergic reaction of unknown origin. of course, none of this can be proven at this point.
bayer agreed to pay for an independent consultation with a board certified veterinary dermatologist of my choice. i know uc davis' veterinary teaching hospital is the best so that's where we went. i also felt they would be fair in their evaluations and conclusions.
i took sabrina to uc davis on feb 14th. while i provided pictures and detailed logs of her reactions, she was not very symptomatic at the time of her appt. this made it more difficult to determine the cause of something they could not see or test themselves. they said had they seen sabrina during her reactions they would have been able to conduct tests to determine the actual cause. so we will never know for certain what caused her reaction unless the symptoms are reproduced and i bring her there. that's not likely to happen because i'm not using the product anymore.
so, while uc davis vet staff said they could not rule out an advantix reaction, they felt sabrina's reaction was more consistent with an allergic reaction, not from the product, but possibly from food, environmental or multiple vaccinations at once. they did say it's possible the advantix may have been involved in some way but felt it was secondary to something else.
so i left uc davis without a definitive answer as to what happened. without that, i'm not going to pursue compensation for medical bills with bayer because i don't have confirmation of what caused this.
i still believe advantix was responsible for these horrible reactions. proving it just isn't possible under our circumstances. but that doesn't mean someone else can't prove it if they get to the right people at the right time.
i walked away from the uc davis appointment highly educated and with alot of information. i think if we as pet owners are better prepared when our pets encounter these severe reactions, we will have a better chance of confronting these companies selling these products.
i've learned alot these past months. my advice to anyone who believes their pet had a severe reaction to a flea/tick product, or any product, should do the following:
1. deal with the emergency with your local vet to get your pet stabilized
2. take good quality pictures because they explain visually what you can't verbalize
3. keep a daily log of symptoms (you will be asked for specifics later on)
4. immediately make an appointment with a uc davis vet in dermatology,
(530) 752-1393.
(i was very impressed with the vet staff at uc davis. they specialize in dermatology, which makes them better able to evaluate our pets' reactions. the cost is minimal. sabrina and i were there for about 4hrs and had 4 people working with us. the cost was only $120. when i compare that to the $1,500+ i've spent trying to treat sabrina these past 8 mos, it makes more sense to get your pet to the experts first so you can determine what you're actually dealing with)
all in all, it saddens me that i couldn't get what i needed to pursue this further. i just hope our experience can help educate other pet owners so i never have to read about another tragic loss of a pet due to product failures.
Carla 2/22/06
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My older chow had a very serious response to one treatment with Advantage. The morning following the treatment she was unable to walk or stand up properly, which was a terrifyingly sudden and sad state of affairs. She demonstrated frantically rapid eye movement, would not eat, was not regaining her mobility and was clearly befuddled and frightened. The vet suggested a brain tumor and asked if I was interested in a $1200 MRI, which I would not visit on an older dog, no matter the cost. She said I should be prepared to make a decision about what to do with her, but that we could try some antibiotics on the chance she had a middle ear problem.
There was no change for a few days, but slowly I noticed that she was regaining her balance, beginning to demonstrate her normal behaviors in any number of ways, was quite willing to eat again, and was no longer desperately panting for air. In other words, she had become quite ill for no reason that the vet could ascertain. I am somewhat horrified that the vet did not ask if I had given her a flea treatment, now that I understand these symptoms are not unheard of in response to these chemicals. But even more horrified that the company, in this case Bayer, offers no warning on the product. This is ghastly neglect on their part and I hope to bring this to their attention. If there are respondants on these pages who wish to also contact the company to voice a strong complaint, I encourage you to do so. The heartache of thinking your dog is about to die as a result of what you considered a simple flea treatment is indescribable.
Mishka 7/30/05
I spoke with Bayer today, and was told it was categorically impossible for the treatment to have ANY deleterious effect on a dog. She said it is not systemic and cannot in any way affect nerve tissue. She also said they had tested it widely and NEVER saw an adverse reaction from any dog. When I posed the dilemna that many owners had experienced these effect after the use of one of the flea deterrents, she again repeated there could not possibly be any relationship and that if the dog's condition is improving, that clearly demonstrates there is no connection. It was a ridiculous conversation.
I told her there is a website where many people have written in the same sorts of experiences and
she claimed that Bayer had researched the web fully and NEVER found anyone registering complaints. She then asked if I would forward the notes I had found to her so that she could read the reports. I am sending you the information on her request in case you wish to send on the records you have on-line.
is forwarding my report to the EPA, as required.
Mishka 8/1/05
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Unfortunately we did not read your website before purchasing Biospot. We purchased Biospot, both for cats and for dogs, from Petsmart thinking that this would better because it killed both fleas and ticks. We treated one cat with the cat formula. After a few hours she was running around and having strange muscle twitching. This stopped soon. We assumed that maybe she had gotten into something itchy, or was slightly allergic, and had gotten better.
We then decided to go ahead and treat our other two cats one evening a few days later (after all it is flea season). After a short time, one of our cats was acting really strange and we assumed that she did not like the smell or the feel of the solution on her back. We bathed her and then went to sleep, as the other appeared fine. At 3:30 in the morning we woke to startling panting and hissing sounds from our cat. She was having serious convulsions, was racing around, and had labored breathing. We checked on our other cat and found her lethargic and convulsing. We realized that this had to be related to the treatment. After checking the trash we found we accidentally used the DOG FORMULA on the cats. We then rushed them to the VET ER. They immediately knew what was going on and told us that this was very common. Our vet did tell us to call our state poison control and report our pet's poisoning for the record. We have spent over $1000 dollars treating our pets so far. One of our cats (the one we washed early) will be coming home tomorrow (we hope). Our other baby is still in the pet hospital and will be for several more days. We are heartbroken that this has happened. We urge anybody who is considering using Biospot to please not buy this product. It is not worth it. Yes, we did accidently use the wrong product, but our vet said that the regular cat formula is almost as dangerous. We were also told to not use the dog Biosot on our dog because this can happen to them as well.
We hope that other family's can learn from our heartbreak and can protect their furry children from this kind of trauma.
Katy 7/30/05
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Our dog (lab) had fleas and our Vet was on vacation and I wanted to get a flea treatment as soon as I could, so following a friends advice I ordered the BioSpot treatment for her. I also bought a treatment for our cat, even though he didn't seem to be scratching.
Not realizing what would happen, I purchased the "small dog formula" for the cat. Needless to say,
within 12 hours of application the cat was having tremors, wasn't eating or drinking and was frantically cleaning himself. I immediately realized what was happening and tried to wash it off. I came online, found this site and learned that I did not wash it off well enough. I took the cat back outside and used quite a bit of dishsoap and scrubbed it around really well followed by a thorough rinsing. The cat slowly stopped the trembling and within 48 hours was doing much better. He is almost to his normal self, but
he still seems jumpy to me.
Thankfully, our dog didn't seem to have this reaction. She hadn't eaten in the 12 hour time frame, but
that is not unusual for her. I did (after reading some of the statements) decide to wash the treatment off of her as well, and does not seem to have any other side effects. The dog and cat are very affectionate to each other and the dog had licked some of the treated areas on the cat so I am keeping an eye on any symptoms she may develop.
I will not use any of these poisons again! Thank you for this site, it may have saved my animals lives and my heart goes out to those who have had worse results from this product!
Lisa 7/31/05
P.S. My friend states that she has used the BioSpot treatment of years on both her dogs and several cats without any ill effects. Although, at this point, I can't imagine what this must be doing to them that she cannot see.
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I posted a message on 5/7/04 when my last dog, Annie (lab/shepherd mix), died shortly after I applied Bio Spot. Since I am convinced it is the Bio Spot that killed her, I searched for other solutions for ticks this year with my boxer puppy Gracie. Plus with everything I read on your website, I don't trust ANY of the tick repellant products! This spring I found the website that Garmont has listed in his 7/3/05 message. Tick Repellant Recipe http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/self/23 I could not find the Rose Geranium oil, so I substituted with the Palmarosa oil, and I already had vegetable oil in the house. The Palmarosa oil was only $12 at the health foods store (they did have to order it) and since you only use 10-25 drops it goes a long way. I mixed up a batch and I dab it on her collar every weekend. It smells a bit like citronella oil, and for Gracie, no ticks! And for those companies who sell these
products that are killing our cats and dogs, no money!
Thanks again for your website!
Susan 8/2/05
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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.
