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June 2003
I had always used Advantage on our two, four year old Miniature Pinschers, without any problems. Last August we were going to Connecticut and decided we should protect our dogs from ticks, too. We applied Killtix(permethrin) just that one time last summer and had no problem. However, this March and April I used Advantix(contains permethrin) and a few weeks after the second application my one dog acted very lethargic, kept opening his mouth, was shaking and would not get off our laps. I took him to the vet within one hour, but he couldn't find anything wrong with him. I thought maybe Bandit had been stung by a bee--because he has had an allergic reaction before to bee stings, so we gave him Benadryl. He seemed fine by later that evening. This was last Tuesday. Saturday he began exhibiting the same symptoms, but our vet was closed for the weekend, so we just kept a close eye on him and after several hours he was okay. I called my vet today to let him know about this latest "spell". I only talked to the receptionist and she said it sounded like a seizures. Then I remembered your web site I had come across last year and told her it could be a possible reaction to permethrin. She didn't seem to know anything about it causing problems. I am certain that this product caused it especially after reading about all the other people who have had similar stories. I don't know if the vet will call me back because there isn't really anything he can do now, but I will never use any product containing permethrin and I'm not even sure I should be using Advantage either. Thank you for sharing your story and making this danger known to other pet lovers.
Barbara 6/2/03
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Hi! Thank you for your wonderful website. After searching for hours on poisoning I came across your website. We think our dog was poisoned by Advantix though this is the first dog my vet has seen with a reaction to the solution. Our vet specifically recommended this product and sold it to us with no outer package. Trusting our vet, we applied the Advantix. It did not react as quickly as other people have noted on your website. In fact, it took 6 days before Casey's paw and eye started twitching. As nothing else was new in her environment, we took her back to the vet. He concluded (without any tests) that it was from the Advantix. He sent us home with muscle relaxers. After watching our baby twitch in one paw so badly she could hardly walk, we called the vet again. He really didn't want to be bothered. We contacted other area vets who all said they won't sell permethrin-based products like Advantix. I was so angry with the vet because we placed our faith in him. We now have a new vet (much, much, much better). She drew blood to run tests though we won't know for a while. The new vet also recommended bathing her in dish soap or neutrogena shampoo, continuing with the muscle relaxers and gave her subcutaneuos fluids. Her twitching has improved but she just isn't herself. We are on pins and needles hoping for the best-thanks again for your website.
Karen 6/6/03
Hi! Thank you for both of your messages. You can believe I will take all of your suggestions on reporting this deadly product. It is more productive to write letters and warn everyone I know than to sit and stew in anger. Thank you for taking your time to host a website and answer all of the messages.
After nearly dehydrating, Casey is being fed baby food every four hours. Slowly, she is returning to herself. Thankfully all of the other symptoms have subsided. This has truly been an eye-opening experience.
Thank you again,
Karen 6/13/03
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About two week ago on May 24th 2003 I applied Bio Spot for Dogs to my Australian Shepard, Casey. This was from a batch I had purchased, I believe, in 2000. I had applied one package of it to Casey at that time back in 2000 but he was very reluctant to have it applied a second time. All I had to do was give him the impression that I was going to apply it and he would run for the hills. I found the packages in the medicine closet and I figured I would try it again. There was no expiration date on the packaging so I figured it was safe to use. About 5 days after applying the Bio Spot I noticed that he was not acting himself. Casey always wanted to play ball when we walked in the field near our home. That day he wasn't wanting to play. Casey had a problem with his hips so I thought it was just that. He had been taking medication for his hip problem but was not on it at the time I applied the Bio Spot. I had been treating him with aspirin.
On Monday June 2nd he was still not acting himself, not eating, etc. We took him to the Vet but never mentioned that I had applied the Bio Spot. On Thursday morning June 5 we again took him to the Vet because he now could not walk straight. The doctor looked at him and diagnosed him as having an inner ear infection. He gave us some antibiotics and said he should be better in a few days. By 1 PM that day he died.
I believe the Bio Spot attacked his central nervous system and killed him. An autopsy done by the Vet revealed no cause for Casey's death. He concluded that it must have been something in the central nervous system that killed him. An aneurysm would have been very quick. A brain tumor would have been much slower revealing more signs of problems as time passed.
I've attached a photo of Casey taken last summer. He was a wonderful dog and will be sorely missed by me and my wife. We intend on getting a replacement but I guarantee you I will never use a topical Flea and Tick Control medication again.
Please pass this on to all your friends who have dog or cats and are thinking of using a topical Flea and Tick Control. Thanks for listening.
Paul 6/7/03
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I also have reluctantly put Biospot and other topical insecticides on my dogs and cats. Never again after reading your site! At a few different vets, I have asked, "Is this safe? It says don't get it on MY skin, yet we douse our pets with it?" Vets have told me it is fine. This tells me not to trust my vet! Now I notice my cats are scratching in the area where the topical was applied -- and this is the expensive, vet-sold one, not biospot. The problem here is that many, not all, vets make good money selling these products, so of course they will a) neglect to investigate side effects, and/or b) tell you they're safe.
In addition to the book mentioned above, I highly recommend "Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats". The topicals are just the tip of the iceberg, folks -- the Rx pet industry is HUGE, in the billion$. After a lot of investigation, I only get my pets rabies, etc. shots every other year or so. Cancers and Rx reactions are on the rise, especially in pets. Do your own research and see. For you who think the EPA will do something about this, think again. The gov't and Rx industry have verrry close ties. It's going to take a massive class action suit to even get mainstream media to notice and favorably cover the real story here. Meantime, watch what goes into and onto your babies!
Steve 6/8/03
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I read all of the letters about the pets that were affected by Bio Spot. Well two days ago I went to the store and decided to pick up some flea and tick treatment for my two dogs. I have used Sargents in the past and it caused one of my dogs to have horrible seizures. I wasn’t aware that Hartz would do the same. It has now been 2 days since I applied it to my dogs and today the same dog had a seizure. I am disgusted that the FDA and EPA would let this stuff stay on the shelves. My husband and I are considering a lawsuit. Not for the money but for the welfare of all pets. I am going to warn everyone I know about this danger. Luckily my baby is ok. It has only been an hour since the seizure and he has been out to play and potty. Now he is taking one of his many beloved naps. My other dog hasnt had any side effects that I have seen thank God!
Amie 6/10/03
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I've been researching the internet to help my brother's dog and came across your website. Thank you so much for putting this out, more people need to become aware of the dangers. He became sick about 3 days after having his first dose of Advantix. His stomach is swollen with fluids, he cannot eat and keep anything down, and this has been going on for about five days. He was taken to emergency vet this past Sunday and they have run all the blood tests, ultrasound, etc. Their only conclusion is Advantix has caused this poisoning. He has been bathed a couple times, but is not getting better. We need help with treatment for this poisoning! Have you heard of any type of treatment which will help get the advantix poison out of his system fast? If you know of anything that has worked, we would greatly appreciate you letting us know. It's worth a try, otherwise he may die.
After reading all of this on your website, I want to make sure the word gets out to as many people as possible. If there is anything we can do to help this, please let me know.
Suzanne 6/10/03
If anyone knows of a treatment that may help, please reply to:
james@elversonpuzzle.com
Thank you
Thanks so much for the information. I read a lot on your website last night and gave my brother tips about bathing and IV. From talking with him last night, they had started an IV and bathed him in dish soap. That is what Bayer recommended. One of the vets seems to remember a similar case and they are going to check the fluid in his stomach/heart. Possible pancreatic? If this test comes null, than I told my brother to call the hospital in Philadelphia. I'll let you know what they find out and hopefully help any other dogs experiencing this reaction.
Suzanne 6/11/03
Well, sorry to say my brother's dog has not made a recovery yet. He is still hanging in there and has been at the vet for a week. They have ran every possible test on him and no conclusion. Tried another bath yesterday in dish soap but he continues to vomit after attempting to eat even baby food. I think they're going to try steroids or suggested exploratory surgery. I guess he cannot go on without nutrition very long and is getting at that point. Do you have any knowledge of anyone using steroids to help? Thanks again.
Suzanne 6/14/03
Finally, some great news, Bugsley is coming home from the hospital today! It had been 11 days since my brother took him there. I wanted to let you know it appears as if the steroids the vet gave him worked. She said she was going to hit him hard with steroids for 2 or 3 days and that is what she did. He finally was able to keep down some baby food down the other day. I believe he went over ten days without eating. Just wanted to let you know, so you can post it to help others. The treatment that helped him was bathing in dish soap, IV water/electrodes, and finally steroid therapy. The funny thing about his side effects is he had no seizures, mostly unable to eat, vomiting, and swollen stomach area. The ultrasound showed fluids in the stomach/heart area. All is tests came back normal, they were unable to find anything else wrong with him. Conclusion: Advantix did this! Wanted to let people know the side effects may be different, but don't give up hope. Take your dog to a good vet and hope for the best.
It takes time for the Advantix to get out of the dog's system. Now it's time to start working on a class action lawsuit against Bayer!!!! More people need to know about this harmful product. Thanks again for the support and well wishes!
Suzanne 6/18/03
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I am so thankful that you have this information on your website. I have always used Advantage on my dog and two cats. It works great but is expensive. I decided to try the Bio Spot. My usual routine is to put the medicine on the dog then use a drop for each cat because I am very aware that the potencies are stronger for dogs and we have a large one. Last Thursday I treated all the animals. By Thursday afternoon one of my cats was shaking uncontrollably and foaming at the mouth. Scared to death I took her outside and monitored her and she died within an hour. Terrified, I started looking for poisons and checking the other animals and my children for that matter. I never thought about the flea medicine. Friday morning our other cat started with the same symptoms. Foaming at the mouth, drooling and seizing. I was shocked because she was fine, I assumed whatever happened to the other cat was a freak of nature or something. Unfortunately, at the moment it is not possible for us to take her to a vet due to financial reasons. We have had this cat longer than some of our children. I put her outside and had to walk away because I couldn't bear to see her die also. When my husband returned home she had stopped siezing and seem to be getting better. We brought her in and cleaned her up. 4 days later she seems to be ok. The dog seems to be showing no problems at all, thank god.
I can't believe that one little drop did all of this. I feel so guilty for doing this to them and now that I have done this research I am absolutely outraged and will let EVERYONE I meet know. Thank you for sharing your story and confirming my suspicions about what happened to my family last week.
Misty 6/11/03
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We've used Bio-spot during the tick season for the last 7 years on our Dog Blue. I had noticed through her whole life that she has a twitch to her mid spine when I touch it. This season I was going to stop the Bio-spot and go with Natural ways to fight ticks and fleas. Blue came down with a sickness from the tick bits so I tried Bio-spot again. This time she had a reaction to it. Here back legs would twitch every 3 to 5 seconds. This went on for a week. I now use holistic flea and tick shampoo sold at health stores and I give her Garlic to ward off fleas. I can now touch her spine and she's ok. Ticks are the hard ones. There are a lot of recipes for herbal spays on the web. You have to be careful with herbs, they are medicine. I tell people every time I can about these flea and tick drops. Hartz seems to be the worst one out there. They have a class action law suit against them and Walmart continues to sell it. Thanks for the web site help. I hope your dog does well in the future.
Ernie 6/11/03
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I've used Advantage on my Pomeranian a few times and never put two and two together. She has had seizures for about 2 years now and has seen many, many specialists. She has been diagnosed with liver problems. No exact diagnosis of the liver has been established. Now I firmly believe my dog has adverse reactions to Advantage and other chemicals...even cleaning products. Just this last Saturday I used a dry cleaner on my carpets, and Monday my dog had seizures and she wobbles when she stands and stumbles when she walks. I'm taking my dog to a homeopathic vet next Tuesday. Hopefully he will have a more natural approach to her problem.
Cindy 6/12/03
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This may sound like an old wive's tale, but sometimes they are true!
Make an infusion of lavender by boiling it in water (you can get lavender at craft stores, farmer's markets, or grow your own). After washing your animal, poor the cooled, strained infusion over the animal and do not rinse. Lavender is a natural insect repellent and works wonderfully, plus your critter smells great!
Good luck with Hammish and thanks for the wonderful service you are providing. I have e-mailed this web site to all my animal-loving friends!
Kellie 6/13/03
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Thank you for your consumer alert , unfortunately it came too late for my beloved friend Christy. I have been using Bio Spot for about 3 years on Christy. Last year I noticed Christy was vomiting shortly after using Bio Spot however I did not make the connection. About 6 weeks ago I applied Bio Spot to Christy and noticed a change in her appetite. She started to vomit and foam at the mouth. I took her to my vet and after paying 1500 dollars in veterinarian fees he told me that she had liver damage. My vet advised me to put her to sleep, however, I could not bring myself to do that. Instead, I took her home and nursed her back to health. Her appetite came and I thought she would be OK. A couple of days ago she began to vomit and foam at the mouth again . I buried my beloved 10 year old Collie today.
Jim 6/14/03
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I took my grandchildren's (mixed breed) 6 year old dog to a groomer. The groomer talked me into trying Bio-spot. Within two hours of bringing her home, she was acting strange...running from one corner to another and plopping down. By morning she had a "hot spot" so we took her to a Vet. Ginger has now been six for 2 weeks and the vet bills are piling up. She is on special food and two pills. Her behavior is irritate. She hides in the closet and doesn't want to come out. She doesn't want to eat or drink. We suspect neurological damage.
Shouldn't there be some kind of class action lawsuit against this company?
Jeanie 6/16/03
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I'm sorry to hear of your experience with Hamish. Unfortunately, as a veterinarian, I see and hear this way too often. When you think of the permethrin products used on cattle, they are generally anywhere from one to ten percent. Many of the permethrin containing products for dogs that you cite are 45%, sometimes up to 65%. Doesn't make sense to me. In my area of the midwest, my personal preference is Frontline Top Spot applied once a month for dogs and Revolution applied once a month for cats. In my own clientele, I've witnessed practically no adverse effects. There are the occasional local skin irritations, but it has been several months since I've seen one of those. Permethrin containing products should never, never be used on cats.
On a related subject, people also need to be warned that products obtained from some internet providers are actually foreign products. EPA registration numbers are not accurate and dosing is most generally in metric.
Hope this helps,
Mike D.V.M. 6/20/03
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Saw your offering on the Urban Legends website and thought it was extremely thorough. I was impressed.
I have been breeding Newfoundlands for almost 24 years (for show and pet) and I get a lot of feedback on new products from breeders at the dog shows. Wanted to share with you that in the dog fancy it is fairly well known, although admittedly anecdotal evidence, that dogs that are white or primarily white suffer more adverse reactions to strong medications. It is said that you cannot give the product Baytril (a Bayer Co. antibiotic that is gram negative and gram positive) to Samoyeds because they have incredibly adverse reactions. It is thought to have something to do with the color, just as congenital deafness in some breeds is associated with the white or all white color. This has not been a huge concern for me as I breed black dogs but I thought I would pass it on.
Marsha 6/20/03
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I have 2 Great Danes and a Cockapoo. Friday night I applied bio-spot to all three of my dogs and one of them (my Great Dane named Lancelot) started shaking and could not walk. He was going into cardiac arrest. We rushed him to the vet and found out it was the bio-spot. Our vet gave him shots and medication and told us to wash it all off. He vomited all night and we had to keep him in a dark, calm place. He seems fine now but we still have to give him medication. He couldn't even walk for a day and a half. I have used bio-spot for a year on all three dogs and this was the first reaction. I will never use it again.
Robin 6/22/03
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I live in New Orleans - Flea Paradise of America! I had been a user of Frontline Plus for years until my Vet decided to mark up the product again and it was just out of line for my fixed budget. When looking through the J-B Wholesale Pet Supplies catalog, I saw the advertisement for Bio Spot and the description of the product. All of this sounded to me in keeping with the Frontline Plus advertisement, but sooooo much cheaper and I could afford to do this without having to go to the Vet who always wanted to see my dog before prescribing Frontline Plus - thus the Office Visit, Exam and Frontline every 3 months. (That was nearly $500 per year just to obtain Frontline Plus).
I ordered the Bio Spot and within hours noticed a dreadful reaction. Bonny would constantly shake her head as if she had an ear infection. She went back and forth to the Vet for an examination to check her ears, but nothing could be found to indicate that she had an ear infection; however, to be on the safe side, ointment for the ears was prescribed. There was never a thought that it could be Bio Spot.
Within 3 weeks or so the head shaking diminished and she would be back to normal. Naturally I am thinking all along that she must have had an Inner Ear Infection and the ointment resolved the problem. Then when the Bio Spot was applied the following month, it started all over again and we went through the same scenario. After a package of Bio Spot and multiple trips to the vet, endless nights of hearing the collar rattle with the sound of her tags, and a perfectly miserable pet, Bonny was taken to the Groomer, clipped down completely, scrubbed and put on ChlorhexiDerm Shampoo weekly and off the flea medications for 2 months.
I am back to Frontline Plus purchased by catalog -- expensive, yes -- but far cheaper than what I have been going through. I assure you that we will never have Bio Spot in this house again under any circumstances.
Judie 6/22/03
I did fail to mention that her hair fell out and she had big sores on her skin for which her vet at the time gave her bi-monthly injections of steroids and she was also on oral steroids. After hundreds and hundreds of dollars, I took her to a vet recommended to me and he gave her a month's supply of Keflex after he did lots of lab tests. Her skin has cleared.
A week or so ago she went to the groomer and I was looking at collars. It dawned on me today after reading your site that near the collars I saw a number of packages of Bio Spot for people to buy. I have copied all of the comments made to you in 2003 and sent a letter to the groomer regarding the product. I hope that after reading the comments, they will remove the product so more innocent animals will not he hurt and families not heartbroken by the loss of their 4-legged kid.
Thanks for sharing the information and making it possible for people like me to be better informed.
Judie 6/23/03
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I used Bio spot for Cats on my cat and it went into seizures and almost died. Thank God there was an emergency vet who saved the cat to the tune of $523.
Jody 6/25/03
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I am so sorry to hear about your pet. I made the mistake of putting PreTect on my three cats. One as we speak is having severe seizures.. The vet said to wash all the medicine from their necks and they should be fine. The other two are acting funny. One is not eating, and is having twitches in his eyes. I cannot get to an emergency vet in my area, but know that it is already too late. As a medical person, I am so angry with these companies.. I would never have put this product on my animals if I had read this first, but
I would not have been looking if I had not had this terrible reaction. please lets put a stop to these companies.
Vicki 6/25/03
Hi thanks for writing back and for your concern. We took both cats in to urgent care last night, and a call early this morning brought to us the bad news that one cat had died. I picked up the cats this morning, and took the living cats to my vets to be checked and he told me to take him home and watch him. he is not great. very jumpy, like he is paranoid or something. he is lashing out at me and even jumped on my hear and started to tear my hair out...what a shock. i just hope this is happening due to the medication and will not turn into something else.. no, I didn’t use the dog PreTect, but upon talking to the people in charge of the health concerns of Sergeant's products informed me that it was possible that some of the permethrins could have gotten into a batch of the cats. Unfortunately, the urgent care staff threw the container and package away, so we will never know...so, thanks again for your concern.
Vicki 6/26/03
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Our dog Daisy May had a severe reaction to Bio Spot Friday 6/20/03. The Bio Spot was applied just as the package directions say. Immediately, she began having trouble breathing, her skin turned bright red, and she began thrashing around, not like a seizure, but trying to scratch her skin on anything she could find. We rushed her to the 24 hour emergency clinic, she was started on IV steroids and benydril. She spent the night at the clinic. She was sent home with steroids and an antibiotic for her skin sores. On Tuesday, 6/25/03, she began throwing up around midnight, she threw up 8 times in 10 hours, we went to our regular vets office, she was given an injection for nausea, subcutaneous fluids, and ordered not to have any food or water, only ice chips, until in the morning, then we were to give her this special bland food for four days. Daisy May is still not back to normal, she is lethargic, and not her usual happy self. To make matter worse, she just had puppies 8 1/2 weeks ago, thankfully, she is no longer nursing, she had 8 babies, we still have 3 at home, but, she is very short tempered with them, she is growling when the get too close to her, she just wants to be left alone. That is not like her at all, she was such a great mom to her babies before this happened, she loved to play with them, now she stays away from them.
Both vets told us they see reactions to Bio Spot often, usually with cats is results in death, the first vet said. She does not understand why that stuff is still being sold over the counter. The second vet said she sees reactions to Bio Spot at least once a week, we live in a small town, so that is really bad. She also said that Bio Spot should be taken off the market.
Michelle 6/26/03
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DISCLAIMER: Below are 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.
