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July 2003
Last Oct., I lost my beloved Golden Retriever to an undiagnosed illness. I wish I had found this web site before now. Last June, I used Bio Spot on her, she was as healthy as a horse. In July, I used it again. She had a little bloody diarrhea this wasn't abnormal for her because she had a very sensitive stomach and she had had some table scraps. So, off to the vet, put her on medicine for her stomach and swear off scraps. She recovered but was still just a little off. August, another dose of Bio Spot. Darby started to vomit a little blood, and again bloody diarrhea. By the time I got her to the vet, she was diagnosed with ITP, and her platelets were at about 14. She was tested for tick borne diseases and the tests all came back negative. The vets asked was it at all possible that she had gotten into any rat poison. No, not possible. In Sept. when it was time to get the flea meds, I asked the vet about not using it because she was so sick and no longer able to go out, so I held off. She had now been diagnosed with AIHA. I never felt a need to tell him that I had been using Bio spot. Darby got frailer and frailer. She went from 124lbs to 92 lbs. She was now in terrible pain and had started to bleed internally. I lost her on October 4th. When I look back now, I seem to see a terrible connection between her illness and the applications of Bio Spot. My heart broke when I lost her and now I wonder could I have poisoned my beloved golden girl. I will discourage any pet owner from using this over the counter flea med.
Margaret 7/2/03
Thank you for your kind message. When I look back over Darby's illness there was so much connect the dot. It just seems so coincidental that bio spot was used during this time. The vets were initially so sure that she had gotten into poison. Maybe, just maybe biospot was that poison. I'll never know for sure, but I will never use this product again, nor would I encourage anyone else to save a few pennies by buying this over something that I would buy at the vets.
Margaret 7/2/03
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I am writing to tell you my experience with BioSpot, the Farnam treatment for fleas and ticks. I have a seven year old Sheltie who was fine up until a few weeks ago. I have applied BioSpot to Max a few times before, but this last time was different. Within minutes he became agitated, walking from room to room. We let him outside, where he rolled around on the grass. We thought he just didn't like the smell of it and was trying to rub it off of himself. Within a short period of time, Max began to pant. He has been panting for a couple of weeks. We attributed it to the heat wave we've had here in the northeast. Then the drooling began. Max apparently vomited all night two nights ago, which we didn't find until the next morning. I took him to our vet, and when I told him I had applied BioSpot to Max, our vet told me not to use the product again. He has treated many cats with seizures caused by BioSpot, and some have died. Our vet gave Max a shot to help with the nausea, a special canned food for easy digestion, and an antibiotic in case of any secondary problems. He drew blood for a host of tests, including liver and kidney damage.
After reading story after horrible story about the affects of BioSpot on others dogs and cats, I can't believe this product is still for sale. I, for one, will never purchase another Farnam product. I have many horses and donkeys that I purchase many products for, and I'll never trust another product from Farnam. Their labeling leaves much to be desired and no one can tell me that they aren't aware of the health dangers associated with using BioSpot. Perhaps they should include possibility of seizures, organ damage, and death on their labels.
This BioSpot problem is NOT an urban legend. It's very real!
Rebecca 7/2/03
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My husband and I used Bio-Spot on our two dogs one a Golden Retriever and the other a mix breed puppy we did this the morning of July 4th. We used the Bio-Spot on our Kitty Socks also that day within four hours our Kitty went into seizures. The Vet Hospital said that the Kitty had Pyrethin Toxicity. There is a long story involved here anyway Socks could only be with them for 24 hours. They said Sock's case was the worse case they have ever seen. Socks died Saturday evening at home with me. When we brought in Socks to the hospital they asked if there were any other animals we said yes and told them about the above mentioned dogs. My husband had to rush home and get the puppy and thank God is fine and had no adverse effects. In the past couple of days I have been well educated on this. And learning more and more. I was not going to report it to Farnam but was talked into it. So I did they are paying the vet bill. Which is nice? I have talked to the women the past two days. I told her I wanted to educate people on Pyrethin and the harmful effects on the animals and make Sock's voice be heard.
I don't want to bash the company but think all pet stores should be aware of this problem. We think somehow the dog product got mixed with the cat product I don't know what happened it smelled like oranges when we put it on the cat and dog. I had no idea until I read your website the affects it has on children. The hospital where I took my kitty said they see three or four cases a week come in some live and some die. Farnam said the EPA lets them have 1% {not sure if its deaths or reactions} from the product. To me 1% is too much.
What can we do to educate people about this product {the vet said most consumers have no clue that they are lethal to cats and very harmful to dogs} and get the EPA to stop letting all these companies put this on the market? I was wondering about the Humane Society maybe they can and will get involved.
Holly 7/9/03
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Last night I applied the correct BioSpot dosage on my Rottweiler, Makai. Late this morning I found my cat, Murphy, collapsed in the yard, foaming from his locked-open mouth and shaking uncontrollably. He was limp like a rag-doll when I picked him up to take him to the vet. He could have only come in contact with a very small amount of the substance as the dog and cat will sleep in the same area but do not groom each other or play together. But the reaction was very severe! The vet currently has him stabilized and I am hoping for a full recovery.
Thanks for your consumer information. I hope cat owners will realize the danger even when the product is not applied to the animal.
Kathy 7/10/03
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On July 5, 2003, I applied K9 Advantix to my two adult dogs (Dalmatian 9yrs old; mixed breed 3yrs old). The Dalmatian began to act erratically that night. The next day both dogs were very itchy along the back where the product was applied. The Dalmatian was restless and rubbing and falling down scratching her back. I finally decided to bathe them both to get the K9 Advantix off of them. This seemed to help the mixed breed but the Dalmatian was carrying her tail between her legs, darting around, and acting completely out of character. On Monday, July 7, I took my Dalmatian to the vet. He thought she was having a mild reaction to the permethrin and had also injured her back. Gave her a steroid injection and take home medications. She is improving daily. Her back still seems extremely itchy.
Dawn 7/10/03
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I was in the process of ordering another batch of Bio-Spot from Drs Foster/Smith when I decided to look online to see if I could find it someplace else. Guess it was a blessing in disguise that I didn't place the order and that I found your website. We have 7 shih tzus and live out in the country. We have never had trouble with fleas, only ticks. Like everyone else we had always used Frontline Plus and with seven dogs it got very expensive. We have used it several times but only the previous time and a few weeks ago did we notice strange things. The previous time they all started running around and crying and acting crazy -- we thought maybe we put it too high up on the neck so this last time we made sure we put it between their shoulder blades. One of the dogs started crying and running around and acting crazy even worse than before and another one started vomiting constantly--it didn't seem to really bother the others that much. We washed it off the one acting crazy and crying and she seemed to feel better. We never put 2 and 2 together until I read everyone's letters on your website. Before we had these shih tzus, we had a Rottweiler puppy. He died two days after taking a heartworm medicine. I have always thought it had something to do with his death. These companies and even vets don't realize that these are not just pets, they are our babies and we would do the same for them as we would for our two legged children. I just told my husband that we were never buying Bio-Spot again. I did read however that you were never to mix any of these together. Do you think it would hurt the dogs to switch from Bio-Spot to Frontline within a month timeframe? I'm with some of your other readers, I'd rather have fleas and ticks than put my babies in any danger.
Thanks again. 7/10/03
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I put the Hartz flea and tick medicine on my dogs and cats on the first of this month, July 2003. When I got home on the third from doing some gardening with my grandmother early in the morning, one of my dogs jumped on my chest when I was sitting on the couch and she was shivering. After a lot of comforting, she seemed okay. I thought maybe she was having separation anxiety issues or she got scared by a firecracker outside or something. Then I noticed later that she wasn't limping, but she couldn't control her back legs as well as she could before. I used to get home and she would be so glad to see me she would jump 2 or 3 feet in the air. Now she doesn't jump half that height, and when she tries to get into my truck that she used to just hop up into, she has to crawl and I have to help her up. When she jumped off my bed she would wince and whine for a second, and because of this we took her to the vet. We couldn't get in till Monday though, which was the seventh.
The vet tried to figure out what was wrong with her, and she couldn't. The vet moved my dogs back legs around in all directions, and watched her walk down the hall and saw she wasn't limping. Couldn't find anything wrong. Then she suggested give her some chewable dog asprin twice a day for a week, and see if she gets better. As I was leaving, I asked her about Frontline, because the Hartz wasn't working that well for fleas at all, she still has them all over her, and the vet replied, "be careful with the Hartz brand. We get lots of cats that went into seizures and a few dogs as well." I didn't think to ask her if my dogs leg or hip problem or whatever it is was caused by the Hartz.
I've been thinking about it all night though, and now I'm really concerned. I'm going to call the vet first thing in the morning, and find out if that could possibly be the cause, and if it might be, I'm going to get her checked out and x-rayed and whatever else it takes to make sure she's okay. I'm really hoping that there isn't any permanent damage, but she doesn't seem the same as before this happened anymore. I really hope this goes away, but I'm scared to death just thinking about it, because I love dogs more than anything else in the world.
Thinking back now too, I had a dog that died less than a year ago. The dog was 9 years old, almost 10, and was in pretty good health. He started acting funny one day, so we took him to the vet, and the vet told us he was in shock, and he had to be put down. The vet told us that he probably had a stroke or something.
We have been using the Hartz brand that we've been buying from Walmart for a long time now, and that might have been the cause of his death, thinking back now. I haven't had to use it because my dogs and cats have been free of fleas over the winter. As of this moment my dogs and cats are completely banned from ever using this type of flea medicine. I used to think those medicines were the greatest because they ridded my loved ones of pesky fleas, but if I lost one dog due to these products, and another is sick, then there's just no tradeoff there. Its not worth the risk, and I wish someone at least warned me of the possibility of these harming my pets, or I never would have used them at all ever.
I'll write you another email when I find out what's wrong with my dog, Sassy, and update you on how she recovers. If we can't get this product banned from the market, just make sure everyone tells every single one of their friends the dangers of this product, and that it is not just a rumor. Tell people to ask their vets about them. When my vet told me how dangerous it was, I was shocked and scared. If only I knew earlier... I might have had more time with my loved ones, and that is beyond any price.
7/10/03
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Two days ago we gave our Cat a Bio Spot flea control. Yesterday morning we had to rush him to the Vet, we lost our Kat-Kat late yesterday afternoon.
We contacted the Farnam Company. They did send a fax to our Vet with the correct procedure that was suppose to help. By the time the fax was sent our Vet had already done all the procedures that they suggest.
According to our Vet he sees this happen at least twice a year. Like so many others we made the mistake of trying to save a little money and bought that product. The loss of our Kat-Kat will haunt us forever due to our Stupidity of trusting that product and trying to save a little money.
Sue 7/12/03
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We have a 30 lb. 4-yr old Boston Terrier, Misty, and I put BioSpot on her Wednesday night, following the directions on the box. The next morning, she had quarter-size hives all over her body and her face was all swollen. I immediately gave her a bath and also a Benadryl so that the swelling would hopefully go down. I went to work and looked the internet about her problem. When I saw your site, I got worried and had to leave early to check on her. Thankfully I did because when I got home her face was swollen very badly and I immediately took her to the Vet. The vet gave her 2 shots (1 epinephrine & 1 predrizone?) and he said that he's seen a lot of cases like this where dogs have bad reactions to BioSpot and other related products, and he recommended not using them. So all day after that I've been keeping a close eye on her and she is very lethargic and doesn't seem to be her usual hyperactive self. I'll be watching over her the next few days and hopefully she gets over this. I can't believe they still actually sell this product. Even though many people probably use this product with no problems, the fact that there are this many people on your website who have e-mailed you about their pets having bad reactions, it should be taken off the shelves!!! I printed this page out and it was 34pages of complaints about BioSpot and other similar products. Something has to be done before many other pet owners have to go through what we went through. Thank you for posting this on your website, hopefully it can save some pets' lives out there. If there is any type of action to get this product banned, please contact me, because I would love to help.
I'll keep you posted and hopefully Misty will be able to overcome this, and not sustain any long-term damage because of this dangerous product.
Cathy 7/17/03
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Bio Spot may be the culprit in my toy poodle's seizures also. I got Cookie from Pet Rescue in September last year and she has been a happy healthy little girl until April. Tonight I was in the process of ordering the cat Bio Spot for Mom's kitty as well as some more for my Cookie. I promise you I felt impressed to check other web sites and when I put in Bio spot saw your warning!! I was horrified at what I read. You sure are a blessing whether or not you know it. Thank you Lord and thank you for the web site.
Thank God you took time to create this web site. Several months ago I purchased Bio Spot from the Revival Animal Pet Supplier...Again I say a big "thank You Lord" for letting me see this article. A few months ago when it was time for flea control I too chose the product due to all it said it could do for a good price. I applied it the first time in March and in April Cookie had a seizure. not severe but very scary. Then she had another 2 in May...Her little head extends backward and her little feet draw up to her body. she is completely limp and cannot stand up at all...it scared me to death and then when we were ready to walk out the door to go the vet it was all over... I was not sure if the seizures were food related and when I told my groomer she had a seizure, Becky recommended a holistic food, Solid Gold -so I changed her food. Becky had 2 clients who were successful in eliminating meds for seizures in one case and cutting back in the other.
After reading your article and knowing that was the only thing I had changed with her, I feel sure that may have been the problem. I am looking at natural products. Cookie does not play outside -she is pooch pad trained and being a condo there is no yard for her to play in. I have seen no indication of fleas since the 2nd month I got her. will let you know how I do with the holistic. the rest of them are out for me too with the list of ingredients I see. Thanks so much again for caring.
Jerry 7/19/03
Thank you for your reply. The first time I used it no apparent problem. The problem occurred right after the 2nd time. In no way did I equate the two until I read your article. I had changed nothing else since I had rescued her in September. That was the only thing different.
We too have gone to holistic food and treats. Much of the foods used for animals and some in human food -contain propylene glycol (the same ingredient used in industrial antifreeze) and I will not even use cleansers or foods for myself with that cancer causing agent, so needless to say she gets none of that. You will be appalled if you check the labels on the treats. (I happen to be a Neways distributor and fan of the natural products and received my information several years ago from them.) I also stopped feeding her any table food and she has accepted that very well. We do tend to spoil them to a fault and my concern was that some of the preservatives would not be good for her.
I am fortunate enough that she is a real little girl, 7.5 pounds, toy poodle, so she does not get outside. I really have not even seen a sign of fleas since the 2nd month she was with me. (if she had them they would be biting me too -been there). So I have opted not to use anything except her diet and good grooming also. I am looking at some of the natural things to use and researching them.
Thanks again James for caring enough to get the word out. It may NOT be the problem but then again it MAY and I will take no chances. I even emailed Drs Foster and Smith and Revival Pet Supplies since I purchase from them.
Jerry 7/20/03
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I purchased BioSpot at the end of last summer, and applied it following the package instructions to our Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Finley. We had just adopted him, and he was 10 months old, and weighed only 17 pounds. He seemed a little bothered by it, but I thought it was possibly just the strong smell, with maybe a little irritation. So I removed some of the application using paper towels, and he seemed to be a little better after that.
Last night I applied BioSpot for the second time to Finley, as I had recently pulled a few ticks off of him. As soon as I applied it, he started acting very agitated, trying franticly to rub it off of his back, burrowing his head under pillows and floor mats, and anything else. I tried to remove some of it using the same method I had before, by just wiping at the area with paper towels. He also seemed to feel the need to be near me at all times (in between his spells of frantically trying to get it off), even jumping up on our bed (which he is not allowed on per order of our cat) to be near us. As I tried again to remove some of the BioSpot with paper towels, I noticed that he seemed to have a swollen area where I had applied it. I immediately gave him a bath with dog shampoo. Even that didn't seem to help, and he was still in a lot of distress. I then gave him a second, much more thorough bath. He still didn't seem fully happy, but he had settled down quite a bit, and I laid on the floor with him for awhile before going to bed.
He seemed OK this morning before I left for work, though after reading some of these postings, I am extremely concerned that he is home alone possibly having more reactions. This morning when I got into work, one of the first things I did was look online for more information on BioSpot, and that's what led me to this website. I only wish I had done research before applying it. The manufacturer has clearly decided to withhold important information from the potential consumer, as the packaging only vaguely mentions possible "sensitivity" to the product. Also, though they do advise you to NOT apply the product to cats, you would think it would be worth adding that if you do, the cat could likely die. I am appalled that there aren't already laws that would compel the manufacturer to mention these very real risks. It doesn't matter that possibly the majority of dogs have no reaction to the product, if significant risk is there, they should be required to disclose it. I intend to submit complaints to both the manufacturer, and also to Petco, where I purchased the product. Thank you for making this information available.
Debbie 7/23/2003
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After being directed to your site.......I felt I had to write. I am one of the lucky ones I guess. My dogs did not suffer any long term effects of Bio Spot. My husband purchased Bio Spot because it was so much cheaper than Advantage. I have 10 Yorkies......from 2 lbs to 7 lbs. Because of their size I never use a whole tube on any of them. I only used 3 or 4 drops per dog. I used this product once last year on my Yorkies. I had only gotten to the 5th dog with the application. Within minutes the first 4 began to whine and cry......and try to scratch the stuff off their skin. They acted like it was burning/hurting them. Remember I only applied 4 drops to the neck area. I quickly grabbed them one by one and washed the stuff off with dish soap. They were uncomfortable the rest of the day and night.......but did not suffer any serious effects. I threw the Bio Spot away. This product is dangerous.....and I will never purchased it again.
Darinda 7/28/03
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My son has 4 cats. He bought this product for the first time. Sergeants PreTect Squeeze-On flea control for cats. He used it on three of his cats. Two seemed to be Ok. The third one, an 8 year old seemed alright at first. Later in the day we noticed he was very listless then just seemed to lie down and started shallow breathing. We washed him immediately tried to give him some water, his eyes were glazed and he was making terrible groaning noises. We could not get a Vet as we do not have a 24 hr. vet service here and it was a Sat. We did the best we could and he must have gone out the cat door. He is gone and we cannot find him. We are sure he is dead. I did send the company an e-mail but I started looking for more info. and found you web site. I was horrified when I read so many letters of these experiences with flea control products.
Diane 7/30/03
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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.
