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April 2004
Our beloved dog was recently hit by a car and my 8 year old daughter wanted to adopt another dog from the local animal shelter, which we did. Gidget was a 20 lb. terrier mix that was 4 months old. My daughter picked her out of 400 homeless dogs in our area off he Internet. When we got her home she was loaded with fleas and ticks. I bathed her in Hartz Flea and Tick control shampoo and applied Seargents drops. By 5 am the following morning she had a severe seizure and was foaming at the mouth. We rushed her to a 24 hr vet who washed her and told me she did not think it was from the shampoo/drops but from distemper. She was put on antibiotics and sent home as she seemed to perk up after the bath. I was told if she got worse to assume it was distemper. She seemed fine most of the day, good appetite and all. However that evening the seizures started again, getting closer and closer together. She then started acting very agitated and throwing herself against walls and furniture and foaming at the mouth. After she setteled down her hind legs continued to tremble. I started to worry that it could be rabies, and my daughter was hysterical seeing her that way. I finally called animal control who came and felt she needed to be put down, which I did. I initially suspected poisoning and feel horrible that maybe it wasn't distemper after all. After reading these accounts maybe I acted to hastily. I would never have used any of these products had I known. My daughter is so afraid to love another animal after losing two in one week....
Wendi 4/2/04
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Well I found your site four days too late. I put Bio-spot on my 7 year old Kieshound Sadie, and the next day she was jumpy, in pain and had trouble moving. Muscle spasms. We have been treating her with a bath everyday, soft food, Pedialite and Aleve for the pain. Still we have yet to see any improvement. My vet is going to see her on Monday but I think the neurological damage is permanent. I'm so angry and riddled with guilt. My hubby lost his job so we were trying to save money. We normally use Frontline but we were just broke. It was sooooo NOT worth it! I wish I would have looked this up first.
Carmen 4/3/04
Thank you for your kindness and help, but Sadie had a seizure early this morning and passed away. I've E-mailed everyone, Farnam as well, but Sadie never made it to the vet (only spoke to emergency vet on Saturday) so I doubt they will do anything. I just hope more people learn of this danger before it's to late. And I plan on telling everyone I know! Thank you again.
Carmen 4/5/04
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Our Lab/Aussie Shepherd used biospot last season with no ill effects. Last night we started the new season with a single dose and she wanted to rub it off immediately. This morning she was listless, would not eat,and was trembling. She is two weeks post-op from TPLO and has been recovering beautifully. Last night she was full of energy; this morning she will not move and is unresponsive.
The vet said to wash off what we could of the biospot, which we did. She is not salivating or having seizures so he said no antidote can be safely administered. After the bath she ate some buttered toast after that (we usually do not feed her people food). Can you please tell me whether we can expect her to continue to worsen over the next few days or hopefully get better? Is there more we
can do?
Needless to say, we will never use BioSpot again. Your web site has certainly been useful, especially since we have a cat too.
Jane 4/5/04
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I wanted to thank-you for having this notification out there for concerned pet owners to read. Our English Bulldog, Spud, uncharacteristically enjoys romping through the woods and ends up covered in ticks. He turns one year old today. And coming into the Spring, we want to get him the best protection possible.
My husband and I were weighing our options between Frontline (which I had gotten rave reviews from other dog owners) and Bio-Spot which we saw in a pet catalogue. After reading these articles and emails from other owners, I now completely understand why Bio-Spot is so much cheaper. It astounds me that a product like this is on the market, and also recommended by the catalogue Dr. Fosters & Smith. Needless to say I called my vet for an opinion, who upon my mention of Bio-Spot, said, "No, definitely not." Bulldogs can have many health problems, and thanks to this site, I am able to avoid another potential one. My heart goes out to those who have had tragic and near tragic experiences with this shameful product.
Bethany 4/5/04
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I just stumbled across the website about the damage Biospot has done to many dogs. We just applied biospot to our miniature schnauzer with horrible reactions. He seemed to be going crazy, running from room to room, digging on our hard wood floors, very, very distressed. We feel so bad that we even put it on him, but we pulled 10 ticks off him the other day and felt we were helping him. Little did we know we had poisoned him. We have bathed him twice and he seems to be doing better, do you think we should take him to the Vet? Is there anything they can do? Thank you for the information you posted.
Anonymous 4/5/04
To update you, No my dog is not getting better, he is getting worse. Paced, ran from room to room, very very agitated. He is on his way to the Vet to be observed for the day. It's awful. It has been four days. We are going crazy dealing with all of this.
Anonymous 4/8/04
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I just found this site today. I too purchased the Bio Spot for Cats. I applied it to our older cat Sunday night. She freaked out a bit but then calmed down. Monday night we applied it to our 7 month old kitten. She was acting very strange rolling around the floor etc. I gave her a bath like the directions said. We went to bed and my daughter woke us up. Dolly was having seizures and died! I called my vet who wanted me to report this and I called Bio Spot who asked me to return all of the product I used on the animals and they would reimburse me. How can that help the guilt I feel by putting this on my pet!
Patty 4/7/04
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I wish I had found your site two days earlier. After a successful first use of bio-spot on my Chihuahua (1/3 a tube for the 15lb and under dogs), all went well and there didn't seem to be any distress.
Well, this summer I decided to try it again and the tube spilled out more than intended and even after washing the excess off my dog is pacing, licking the floor (unusual for her), drinking excessive amounts of water (but urinating still), and has a general malaise about her. She can sit still on my lap, however, on her own she can't keep still.
I wanted to let you know that everyone who has posted here should post their comments on ripoffreport.com.
If the reports are filed separately but as a group, we might be able to get this poison with a nifty name off the darn market. I am so angry right now, I can't tell you. The packaging is very misleading as to side effects and the packages themselves are easy to accidentally over dose an animal because the weight distribution is crucial to the level of side effects.
I don't give my dog a rabies shot because of this very problem with weight distribution. The original breeder never gave her one either because these vaccines are made in one size fits all capacities. A 3 lb Chihuahua and a 150 pound Mastiff get the same sized dose.
Anyway, I'm putting this pup in the bath right now even after washing it off with a towel....
Put info on your site about ripoffreport.com. You won't regret it. Many companies have been forced to deal with the negative publicity on that site. They can only answer the claims and will never be able to erase them.
Stacy 4/11/04
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I found your website while doing a search for adverse reactions to frontline. I am sorry for what you have gone through with Hamish, and am so happy he has recovered.
I am curious though, you wrote that you settled with Farnham. Didn't they put a gag order on you?
The reason I ask is that my sweet angel augie had an adverse reaction from a ProHeart 6 injection last spring and though we fought hard, he died of thrombocytopenia on my birthday in august, he missed his 5th birthday by 3 wks. In order to do everything possible to save him I agreed to take a settlement from ft dodge but in return I had to sign a contract that was in essence a gag order.
My heart is broken and I don't think I will ever be the same. We have a little yahoo listserv to support each other and provide info on this dangerous killing drug that fort dodge has been watching. They have given the list and site owner a lot of grief and to that end she had to redesign and rename the website and name of the list. This company is serious, but so are we, as many of us have lost something dear to our hearts. The link to the website is below if you are interested, and here is
one more u might like to look at.
Please help spread the word, Proheart 6 by Fort Dodge/Weyth is a killer. Those sneaky SOB's have started airing radio spots giving only an 800 number or the advice to ask you vet about the 6 month heartworm preventative not naming it. WHY? Because of all the bad press out there. Many big city news shows have started airing segments (there are links on the site) about the controversy of this drug.
Meri 4/11/04
Wee Ree
Luke CGC,AKC/ASCA CD,FD,FDX,FDCH
Augie CGC,FD,FDX,FDCH,FM,FMX,FMCH
We miss you Augie, forever in our hearts
If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I'd walk right up
to heaven and bring you home again
http://www.thepetguardian.com/
http://www.DogsAdverseReactions.com
http://www.dogsadversereactions.com/moxidectin/moxidectinpage.html - Proheart 6 or moxidectin
http://www.eff.org/Graphics/Icons/BlueRibbon/rib_trn.gif
My settlement with Farnam was not negotiated, and did not include a silencing provision. They simply sent me a check to reimburse my veterinarian expenses and included on the back of it, "FULL AND FINAL SETTLEMENT FOR THE ALLEGED ADVERSE REACTION TO BIO SPOT." By accepting it, I forfeited my rights to sue. At first, I told Farnam that I would not accept it because I wanted them to either pull the product from the market or at least disclose the possibility of severe adverse reactions on their packaging. However, when it became apparent that they were not going to do either, I decided to accept their settlement and create my Bio Spot website.
I commend you for alerting people to the risks of using ProHeart 6. It's a shame that such products are allowed to be sold BEFORE they are proven safe, and the only way to get them removed from the market is to prove they are unsafe. If the FDA and EPA will not protect the public from these products, then we as individuals have to find ways to inform one another of these dangers and protect ourselves. If that is not covered by free speech, then there is something fundamentally wrong with the law.
James TerBush
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I have an 11 month old Shih Tsu named Isabella (Bella for short). We finished a basic training class at PetSmart a few weeks ago and the trainer there highly recommended Bio-spot. After taking classes over 8 weeks with the trainer, I trusted her advice. I put the Bio-spot on my puppy Sunday morning. Within an hour, she was trying to hide and tucking her back legs up under her as if they burned. I knew that it had to be the Bio-spot so we gave her a bath immediately trying to wash off the stuff. She continued to try to hide and could only be comforted by one of us holding her. She was unable to sleep at all Sunday night and started panting. I took her to the vet on Monday. The vet did an exam but couldn't really find anything other than full anal glands. He said that the bath was the right thing to do after her reaction to the Bio-spot but he thought it was the anal glands causing her hind area to be so sensitive. He gave me some cream for her hind end and sent me home. I had a friend stay with the dog while I went to my office for a few hours. When I came home, she was panting more and still sort of scooting around, pulling her back legs up. She either wanted to beheld or tried to hide in corners or under furniture. I put her right in the car and drove back to the vet's office. The doctor (a different one from the morning visit) gave me an antihistamine with a steroid in it to help give her some relief with what they felt was severe itching from the Bio-spot. We spent another pretty much sleepless night last night but she still seems to be suffering with the same symptoms. This morning I noticed that she is losing her hair around her tail and hind quarters. This is really upsetting as I have kept her hair long and groom her almost daily. She is drinking water and eating which is a good sign. I just don't know what to do for her to make her feel better and after reading all these other stories, I am really worried about permanent damage.
I do want to make a formal complaint to the company putting these poisens on the market and to PetSmart for pushing the sale of them in their training classes.
I hope my puppy survives my error in using this unsafe product.
Lizanne 4/13/04
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(This message was just sent to the National Pesticide Information Center)
Please remove this product from the market immediately. How many more pets need to suffer?
I am speaking of Hartz Control One Spot. I "treated" my Shi-Poo with this yesterday as a method of flea prevention. After a few hours, she began to whine and try to scratch the application area. I bathed her to remove as much of the product as possible. However, it is now in her blood stream and may very well have caused neurological damage. She shakes uncontrollably, is extremely lethargic (very out of character for her) and has difficulty maneuvering her hindquarters. She is only 3 years old. We spent a long scary night with her last night as she struggled to breathe though out the night. I am bringing her into the vet shortly and hope I removed enough of the product in time.
I looked up this and other similar products on the internet and am astonished to see how common the poisoning of animals is. What will it take for this dangerous product to be removed from the shelves? Permethrin should be banned. The package also does not provide adequate warning nor does it include any literature in how to treat adverse reactions!
Please act on this before other animals suffer needlessly!!!
I would appreciate hearing back from you as to what will happen as a result of this type of complaint filed.
Thank You
Sandra 4/16/04
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In the interest of saving money I decided to try BioSpot especially after reading that Dr. Foster & Smith recommended it. I had previously used Advantix for two months on my 2-year-old shelter-rescued 46 lb. American Eskimo and had seen no side effects. I read everything on the package and the side effects didn't sound that menacing. Maybe some irritation on the skin. Boy, is that an understatement. Immediately after I put on the BioSpot, she began acting crazy and running around trying to hide under the bed, closet, etc. There was no doubt in my mind what caused this so I grabbed her and put her in the tub to rinse the stuff off. This is usually a two-person process, but my husband was cutting the grass outside and I didn't want to wait another minute so I tried to do it myself. Well, she struggled mightily and slipped a couple times. Since it was such a traumatic experience I thought she was just being aloof afterwards. We only have had her for six months. But when she just laid in one spot and didn't respond to food, I knew something was wrong. It might have been a coincidence, but after I gave her a charcoal tablet, she definitely improved. Charcoal is supposed to absorb toxins.
I went to the Internet and found your Web site. It was heartbreaking to read all those postings. So far I think I was one of the lucky ones. It has been about 20 hours later now and she has perked up, but still hunches over when she walks, holds her tail to the side, cries sometimes and clearly has a problem with her back legs. I am sick with worry that this won't go away and the worst part of it is knowing I did this to her.
I will never use any of those topical insecticides again. It used to be when a dog had fleas, you would give them a flea dip, treat the house and be done with it. I am suspicious of this topical poison used every month as a new way for vets to make money.
Thanks for "listening."
Renee 4/18/04
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I was glad to find your site. I thought our experience was unusual, now it is a problem with the product. We learned about Biospot from our puppy training instructor at Petsmart. Because it was less expensive than other products we decided to give it a try on our two Bijon Frise 6 month old puppies. We applied the first treatment at 10 pm and after waiting a while to see that they were OK, went to bed. At 3 AM we awoke to the puppies whining which was very unusual, so I went to let them out. They ran outside and started rolling and scratching in agony. Their backs were already very red. I gave them a bath to wash off the Biospot, but they were still going crazy with itching. One puppy was even bleeding at the application site. The next morning we gave the puppies another bath, but they were still itching and scratching. They ended up with large scabs on their backs which took a long time to heal. We are thankful the reaction was not more severe as some of your readers described, but we have still learned a lesson. Our vet recommends Advantage. Does anyone know if dogs that have reactions to Biospot also have problems with Advantage?
Vivianna 4/19/04
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We have four German Shepard/ Husky mixes, Mom (Jo-Jo) Dad (RO) and two 1 yr. old pups Houdini and Huck. A week ago last Monday (4/12/04) the parent dogs were treated with front-line and the two pups with Bio-Spot...Big Mistake! with in two days Jo-Jo and Houdie were sick, not eating nor drinking, and acting out of character, they also began running very high temps above 105*.
My wife took them to the local vet where they were treated with antibiotics, on Thursday and again on Friday. Their condition worsened and by Saturday both dogs were having trouble walking, acting drunk! Houdie developed a twitch on one eyebrow. We took them to a larger animal hospital that evening, up to that point we were clues-less to what might be wrong with our kids. Talking with the Vet. on call that night Bio-spot came up and his knee jerk reaction was very telling. But Jo-Jo had been treated with Front-line, only the Pups had the Bio-Spot! Then My wife remembered that the other pup Huck had been wet behind the neck the day we had put the stuff on them, we now suspect the other two dogs had ingested the poison during their frequent hearty play sessions, only Jo-Jo and the pups play like this, the old man "RO" is 12 yrs. old and is content to watch these activities.
They came home today with Jo-Jo showing marked improvement, more active and eating again, not so for Houdini, very lethargic, will not eat, has drank some water tonight. but still has trouble walking. I got on the Internet and shortly got with my wife to give Houdie a bath with dish soap, we surmised that Jo-Jo only ingested some of it from Huck, as did Houdie, but Houdini had also been treated with Bio-Death.......We go to sleep tonight praying that we haven't done permanent damage to our baby.
Sheldon 4/21/04
I thought I'd send an update on JoJo and Houdini, JoJo has made marked improvements everyday she's been home, and other than her loss of weight and still low energy level, she is doing very well.
Houdini ate yesterday for the first time in over a week, (7 of his favorite Dog Cookies) he was 100+lbs before this began and weighed 81lbs. when we brought him home from their stay at the Vet's 3 days ago. He ate another half-dozen Milk Bones today and is keeping them down. He is still having balance problems walking, and is very weak, but a little life reappeared in his eyes today, prior to this it was just a blank empty stare. We are cautiously optimistic that he has turned the corner, and is beginning to recover.
We are about $800.00 bucks into this right now, with an appointment Saturday morning for a follow up at the Vet hospital. I just thank goodness there are some good ones out there, and we found one in time, I believe without this very concerned Vet. who took us seriously Houdie wouldn't have made it. We will be seeking reimbursement for the cost of all this from the Company. I will also follow up on your other suggestions.
Thanks again for putting this information out there, people need to know! I will find a different way to deal with the fleas and ticks, a full 50% of our dogs can not TOLERATE this poison.
Sheldon 4/23/04
I thought I'd send an update on our experience with our dogs and Bio-Spot. It's been about a month now, and I'm glad to report that "JoJo" the 2yr. old female German Shepard, appears to have made a full recovery. Her weight is back and everything seems normal with her.
Our 1yr. old baby Houdini, has made what I consider a remarkable recovery from what that poison we put on him did to him. He too has gained allot of his weight back, and for the most part he's pretty much back to the loving-onery-100 lb. puppy he was before.
Yet, I believe this dog has suffered what I fear is some permanent damage from his bout with Bio-Hell. His head tilts to (his) left all the time. You know how allot of the time, you'll say something to your dog, and they'll kinda tilt their head like they're paying attention to you, well his head is that way all the time now, if he happens to tilt his head to the right while he's trying to pay attention, it's straight up in a "normal" position. We've been hoping one of these mornings we'll wake up and our Houdini will be leveled out. My wife says his world got slightly twisted.
Farnam, after much difficulty has "Very Recently" verbally agreed to pay our $800.00 Vet bill, luckily both the Vets. that took care of our dogs were willing to write supporting letters of our claims. I have yet to receive reimbursement from them.
Thanks again for providing this site, I truly believe finding it, when i did, helped our babies get through this scary and very unnecessary ( if they'd take this crap off the shelf ) poisoning.
Sheldon 5/24/04
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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.
