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May 2005
I have a collie who reacts to any of these flea and tick products. She seizured shortly after applying Advantage and reacted to Frontline, as well.. Tests done at a neurological clinic revealed nothing. MRI revealed nothing. Everything was normal. Shortly after, however, I was sent an article from Washington State University where a researcher (Dr. Katrina Mealey) had isolated a mutant gene found in collies, shelties, some other herding breeds and now thought to affect some sight hounds and possibly other breeds. Research is ongoing. http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL/. If you have a herding breed you might want to check into having your dog tested to see if it carries this gene. It could be wider spread than just herding breeds as the studies are ongoing. Click on the link above.
I contacted Katrina Mealey, and told her about my collie's reaction to Advantage. She didn't take much stock in it, however, but said she'd look into it as she'd never heard of a dog reacting to these products. Now pesticides are being looked into in their studies. I am sending her this website.
Be very careful what you put into and on your dog. Even with Veterinary advice. Be your own researcher before using any product, prescribed or over the counter! Chemicals are chemicals and the less you or your dogs are exposed to the better. We are dealing, in some cases, as with fleas and ticks, a double edged sword and have to decide what poses the most risk to our dogs or ourselves. Just because a vet says it is ok, doesn't make it so. The vets only know what the product reps have told them.
Also under the gun, are Ft. Dodge Vaccines, used by some veterinarians still! Many of the Hartz Products have caused MANY deaths to dogs and cats. Never let your vet give Proheart 6 ! It has caused many deaths! It is a Ft. Dodge Product! This company has contamination problems! Never let your vet give your dog it's vaccination and heartworm preventative at the same time. Wait two weeks after your dog has been vaccinated and then apply the heartworm preventative. All these affect and lower the dogs' immune system.
Check out the new protocol on giving vaccines!! The new protocol advises most vaccines are not necessary on a yearly basis. Advocate vaccinating every three years for those vets whose practice would suffer financially. Most vaccinations last 7 years or longer! Yet, we are vaccinating our dogs every year??? Rabies shots are the law and some states require yearly shots. Be very cautious with your pets!
Jacqueline 5/5/05
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Yesterday I applied K9 Advantix to my 75 lb Labrador mix as I'd done every month for the last few years. 20 minutes later, his back legs gave out and he couldn't walk. Weighing only 110 lbs myself I carried him to the shower (mommies have adrenalin) and rinsed him for about 20 minutes and called the vet. They said to wash him again and bring him in. He was given something to offset the drops and has been lethargic for the past 24 hours. We hope he will make it but are unsure of any long term effects. The most frustrating thing is the vets refused to connect the drops to the episode. Then why give him an "antidote"??? I am outraged, sad and feel horribly guilty. While searching this site I cried and cried and send my sympathies to all the pet owners who have been "murdered" by these products. I also send daggers to the horrible companies that continue to put chemicals in so-called "life saving" products that are killing our pets. Heck we don't have to look in the mid-east for the WMDs, they're right here on our pets!!
Anonymous 5/6/05
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I have a pit bull/boxer mix that is about 7 years old, give or take a few years. She was a shelter dog when we got her about 4 years ago so we did not know her medical history. She seemed healthy despite being very under weight. We nursed her back to health and used frontline for fleas/ticks. The last few years money has been tight so we switched to bio spot and the only thing that seemed wrong was it seemed to irritate her skin upon application. But no fleas or ticks. So we used the product... April - October for about 2 years, this would have been the 3rd year. She is up to date on her shots, has had her rabies shots, stays in the yard and is generally a good dog. Last fall a friend gave us a blue tick coonhound so now that it is flea time I went and got biospot for both of them. gave them both a dose exactly a month ago today. Yesterday the pit bull mix had a seizure. Not a bad one but it put her under the weather for the rest of the day. We had never seen her act like this before. She didn't pace and walk into walls like others had happen, but it was still a great concern. I immediately thought of the bio spot. I had two more doses sitting on my desk to give them today. Late last night, I found a website that had a vet on it that I could ask questions. I told her of what happened to our Videlia and she told me to stop the bio spot. Of course there could be other causes to her seizure and she said that we should take her into our vets to have her blood checked. But like I have said, I cant help but think it is the bio spot and the vet did say to stop using it. She is a healthy older dog. Always alert, happy, etc. We checked our yard, there was nothing she could have gotten into. I know that it had been a month since the bio spot had been put on her, but maybe it was possible that her body just couldn't handle the chemicals anymore. She is much better today. Still groggy but she is eating, drinking and wagging her tail when you talk to her, last night she was non-responsive to us. As I have said I'm not sure her seizure was due to the BS but i wanted to share my experience and ask if you know of natural remedies for fleas/ticks.
April 5/7/05
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My Irish setter was 8 years old, a sweet-natured mellow dog ( not hyperactive as is the generalized view of irish setters) ). She was fed holistic products, got lots of exercise and was in top shape. We had moved to a tick-ridden area and the holistic products did not work the first couple of years. Then the next year at the vet's recommendation I used one application of FRONTLINE on her, and within an hour she went totally berserk and had a prolonged seizure. That night she calmed down. I had called the vet who said to wash off the frontline. I never used it again, just picked the ticks off every night by hand.
Three years later my Irish setter died and until the last minute no tests showed anything wrong - until the vet saw a tumor - osteosarcoma- exactly on the spot where the FRONTLINE had been applied. This is information I think pet owners would want to know. I was never able to get the vet to acknowledge that the FRONTLINE was related to the seizure. My son lives in England where he says it is pretty well-known that Frontline is dangerous to dogs.
Beverly 5/10/05
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I also had problems with Frontline Top Spot. I applied this to my perfectly healthy young Maltese dog as directed in Summer of 1997. She fell down, panted, and became shaky. I called Frontline and they said the never heard of such complaints and to take her to the vet. They were sure it was not the Frontline Top Spot!
Since this time, she completely lost her hair on her back, ears and face. Her soft pink skin became thick and black. Each pore was filled with a thick tar-like substance. Her skin first blackened at the area of application between her shoulder blades and spread over the next six months to her entire body. Her skin hurt and she screamed out in pain whenever I touched her. My vet had seen several dogs sickened with Frontline, but did not know what to give her other than steroids. Frontline was of no help when he called them.
I called Frontline many times after placing my report and they said they never heard of any such complaints. During one conversation with a "cheery" consultant at Frontline, I told them I could express the thick tarry goo out of the pores just like a pimple, they "humorously" suggested I: "...Exfoliate my dog at the spa." Needless to say, I was not laughing. They did not ever take me seriously.
Today, in 2005, my dog is still ill. I have never used any pesticide on her since 1997. I simply rub few drop of essential oil (Citronella, cedar and lemon grass) in my hands and rub it on the tips of her fur. Works great. Plus her diet is now healthy whole foods. That helped a lot, but she will never be totally well.
Since the initial application most of her hair has grown back, although she was bald for two years. She has a chronic cough, lumps in her skin at the application site, and is still very shaky when she walks. Her skin is mostly pink again, but she still has several thousand pores that are full of tar-like material mostly around her belly, vulva, anus, and tail, and between her shoulder blades at the site of the first (and only) application of Frontline Top Spot. I can gently express (clean) her pores, but they fill again within a week.
I wish a similar tar-like pox on the makers of Frontline Top Spot for making such a toxic product and keeping hush hush about all the complications to our beloved animals.
Anonymous 5/11/05
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I just want to point out the fact that some are suggesting that biospot is the only dangerous product out there yet i see a few posts about Frontline and Advantage users having the same problems. I have a niece that is allergic to milk........does that mean we need to jerk milk off of store shelves? Or what about peanuts or shellfish. Just like humans some animals have different reactions to different products. I think its just ridiculous to blame the manufacturer when the vast majority of people have had no problems.
Joey 5/13/05
Unlike milk, peanuts, or shellfish, few of the pesticides used today cause true allergenic symptoms. Pesticides (unlike milk, peanuts, or shellfish) are poisons which interfere with the central nervous systems of insects, animals, and humans. Most adverse reactions that occur after pesticide exposure are toxic responses, not allergic responses. A toxic response is directly the result of the pesticide acting on cells.
Is it ridiculous to blame the manufacturers for these toxic responses? If they have done inadequate dose-response testing, and if they fail to warn their customers of the possibility and symptoms of a severe toxic reaction, and if they deny any responsibility when toxic reactions occur, then it is not ridiculous to hold these manufacturers accountable for any harm caused by their products.
James TerBush
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I recently applied Biospot to both my dogs (approx 2 weeks ago). My ivory lab has lost all the hair on her back and is extremely itchy. My golden retriever seems fine although he had two days of unexplained vomiting around the time of application. I wish I had found your website B/4 I used it. Will the hair grow back? Is it too late to wash it off?
Scott 5/13/05
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My beautiful six year old golden retriever is currently in the dog emergency center suffering the effects of an application of BioSpot last Saturday night. Sunday she began panting heavily, wouldn't eat or drink, had difficulty moving. I immediately called the vet. When I mentioned I had applied BioSpot they said "Oh No!". Following their instructions I bathed her immediately and took her in. The liver damage may be permanent. I can't believe this product is still on the market. What is it doing to our young children who hug their pets, bury their faces in their fur and kiss them? Do we have to wait for our kids to turn up with liver cancer before we hold these people accountable?! Every vet I've spoken with has nothing but negative things to say about BioSpot - but none of them have huge signs in their offices warning of the danger of using OTC treatments on our pets. I stupidly assumed someone out there (EPA) regulated products which would be used in the home and come in close contact with young children. Clearly I was wrong and sadly many lovely animals have to suffer the consequences of our neglect.
Peggy 5/17/05
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I used BioSpot on my 1 year old English Setter last weekend. First she acted as if I put acid on her back, her eyes were dilated, she was drooling profusely and she was very agitated. She jumped on my husband's lap and trembled as though she was frightened. She then ran around the house crying and trying to rub it off.
I scooped her up ASAP and put her in the tub and thoroughly washed her with mild shampoo and rinsed her in cool water. She stood for the bath with great relief and was immediately better.
How can a product that causes this adverse reaction in a healthy, young, athletic dog be sold over the counter in pet stores without any cautions on the packaging?
I wrote to the U.S. EPA per your suggestions and I reported her reaction to the pet store and advised them that they should either stop selling the stuff or warn purchasers about the possibility of adverse reactions.
Diane 5/18/05
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Last year I switched from Program to BioSpot for my two dogs (Vinnie, Jack Russell, 12 1/2 years and Bert, American King German Shepherd, 12 years) due to concern over the West Nile Virus. Vinnie never seemed to have any problems with the applications. Bert, unfortunately, did gradually develop many problems. He became depressed, lethargic, more aggressive, disobedient and moody in addition to losing his appetite. He also experienced muscle tremors, paralysis in his hind-end and loss of bladder control. Since the onset of these symptoms was so gradual, we just assumed it was old age. Never thought the BioSpot would be to blame as Vinnie was fine.
Some friends shared their experiences with topical flea/tick products, none of which were good (mostly relating to cancer, but they did mention seizures). That's when I found your website along with many others cautioning about the use of BioSpot.
For January 2005, we did not administer the monthly dose to either dog. Bert seemed to perk up a bit and had better bladder control, so we did not administer for February. The muscle tremors lessened, his appetite returned and he could go up and down the stairs without problems. No dose in March brought the sparkle back to his eyes and the desire to fetch the paper again (something he hadn't done for almost a year!). Now it's May (still no doses administered) and we have our old dog back with hardly any residual problems.
I've sent the remaining product back to Drs. Foster & Smith for a refund and intend to notify the EPA and Farnam Pet Products of our experience. Thank you for maintaining your website as it has proven incredibly informative about this insidious product; Bert sends his thanks, too!!
Lisa 5/20/05
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Not as quick as chemical products but a lot less toxic are natural products. A little apple cider vinegar in water (Pets do get used to it if you add it gradually over a period of a couple weeks. about 1 teaspoon in a gallon of water is good for most cats and dogs) The vinegar gets into their system and becomes 'part' of the animal. It makes them 'taste' bad to bugs. Natural oils like pennyroyal and mints diluted and applied to an elasticized fabric collar (So your pet can get loose if it gets snagged on something) are natural flea collars...There are a lot of good "Natural" care books out there that can teach you how to eliminate pests from your pet with out eliminating the pet. Yes some of them take a little more time than dribbling on some liquid stuff but in the long run you'll save time (and money) by not having to run to the vet, sit in the waiting room etc...
I have had pets in my life for just shy of 50 years and in the last 20 have become a 'natural' pet owner. We rescue animals and last year one poor kitty who we named Olivia had been so inundated with flea products by the people who dropped her off that she became ill, developed Liver dis-ease and died within 6 months despite all our efforts to save her(We do go to the vet with such cases but do still try to keep the 'kids' as chemical free as possible). We have managed to maintain a chemical free flea free environment for our pets for the last 15 years and they seem to thrive. Our cats are minimally vaccinated and on average live to be at least 20 unless struck by disease. ( we have had several vaccine-cancer related deaths of cats which is why we don't vaccinate blindly) My husband and I got our first cat, Burt when he was 3-4 years old...he lived with us for 18 years until his age caught up with him. Most of our cats are still with us so we don't know how long they will live yet...time will tell. Our oldest right now is TJ who we got 17 years ago...he was said to be between 2 and 3 years old at that time. Yes that makes him 20...the rest range down in age from 17 years to 11 months. We got more involved in natural care when we adopted a 'feral' cat who turned up Leukemia pos and the vest said he'd be dead in no more than a year...he lived another four and was fine right up until a week before he passed.
Good luck and do know there are alternatives...
Cherie 5/22/05
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I can't begin to thank you for putting this web site up unfortunately it came too late for me. I have used Bio spot for years and although I did think it had no side effects for my animals , after seeing your site I realize that there were signs that I just did not see. Our dog would act confused and stumble sometimes, but since he is getting old I did not think much of it. I did recently change his medication for other reasons or he might now be dead.
Last Sunday I used the correct formula of Bio spot on our outdoor cat. Since she was outdoors I did not notice that something was wrong until Wednesday. There were no tremors or siezures, she was just lethargic and sounded a bit funny. A little later in the day I noticed that her eyes did not focus right. I then came in and did a Google search and found your site. I immediately bathed her and planned to take her to the vet the next morning. Unfortunately by morning it was too late- she died the same night. I cannot tell you how heartbroken I am because I unknowingly poisoned one of the best friends I have ever had . I will not be getting over this for a long time to come. PLEASE everyone reading this DO NOT USE BIOSPOT- IT IS POISON . It may work this time with no bad side effect, but if you seriously care about your animal NEVER use this product- someday it will kill your animal.
I am outraged that this product is on the market with so little warnings on the label. If someone knows how to contact the company please post it so that I can add my two cents worth with the company that makes it.
JoAnne 5/22/05
I thought I would give you an update on Farnam. You posted my letter dated 5/22/05 about my cat dying three days after using Biospot on her. I did contact the company , who seemed surprised to hear that I thought their product killed my cat. I had several packages of Biospot left and the lady said if I would sent it to her she would be glad to refund my money- she was especially interested in the second unused vial from the package that killed Miss Kitty. I got a check today for 91.89. The products I sent back cost no more than 35.00 so I suppose the remainder is supposed to replace my cat. What it tells me is that they KNOW they are responsible for her death and this is hush money. Too bad since I do not intend to hush for a long time to come. Please post this in case anyone else is interested . Thanks and keep up the good work.
Jo Anne 6/19/05
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Thank you for the very informative web site. My husband and I have had our dog Tricksy since she was 5 weeks old (she will be 9 in December). Since we are unable to have biological children, she (as well as her 2 sister cats, Riley and Carson) are like our furry children. Tricksy is a medium sized dog, about 16 pounds and is a mixed breed. Her mother was an AKC Registered English Springer Spaniel and her dad was a little poodle/maltese mix. We have never had much problems with fleas however, when we do, we have always used Advantage with a good result.
Recently, I purchased 2 single doses of Advantage for my cats via PetSmart's Vet Dept. They were out of the single dose Advantage for dogs and suggested using Frontline Plus instead. Monday, May 16th I gave Tricksy a bath in the evening and then applied the Frontline Plus. The next night (Tuesday the 17th) she was unusually lethargic and seemed to quickly be going into a deep sleep. On Wednesday the 18th, my husband and I noticed Tricksy was involuntarily keeping her mouth open. She was restless and couldn't sleep and was having difficulty giving kisses or lapping up water. She was drooling and her saliva was all over the place.
Thursday, the 19th we took Tricksy to our regular vet who did a physical exam and took blood and x-rays of her lower body. Although her blood work and x-rays were completely normal, they seemed to think she had injured her back and the mouth opening problem was her reaction to pain. They gave her a muscle relaxer and sent her home. Durning the night the problem became increasingly worse and Tricksy was having difficulty swallowing and resting. We took her for a second opinion on Friday, May 20th to another vet in our area. This vet took more blood and put her under a local anesthetic so they could obtain films of her jaw as well as scope her throat and nose to make sure her breathing passages were not blocked. Her x-rays again were normal as was the blood work. They did hint that she may be a bit anemic but didn't want to make an issue of that. They prescribed an anti-inflammatory to use in addition to the muscle relaxer and told us that if she is not better by Monday, to call them back.
For some reason the application of the Frontline Plus kept nagging at me. Actually, when my husband called me at work on Wednesday and told me about the mouth opening situation, the first thing I thought was that she'd had a stroke...it sounded neurological to me. The only different event has been the application of the FrontLine Plus. It is now Sunday, May 22 and Tricksy is still unable to close her mouth and continues to have difficulty swallowing or using her tongue. Needless to say I am very concerned. Upon a review of your site, we quickly put her in the tub for another bath and took pictures afterwards in case we need them.
If you know of any similar instances we would greatly appreciate your help. Thank you in advance and have a great day.
Jeannie 5/22/05
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BioSpot has just killed my cat. Judging by the previous accounts this is not an uncommon occurrence. The company does not seem to accept responsibility for this dreadful product. If they did it would not still be available to the unsuspecting buyer. Another question-why are stores putting it on their shelves?
Lucy 5/29/05
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Our 7 month old Labrador Retriever died on May 28 after his 2nd application of Frontline Plus was administered the preceding Tuesday. He starting throwing up on Thursday and we rushed him to an animal hospital where they gave him a shot to calm his stomach. We noticed that he couldn't keep his balance and was stumbling....he just didn't look right.
The next morning, he threw up again so I brought him to his vet. They kept a watch on him all day and rehydrated him. Every place we took him they asked if he had gotten into any toxic solutions. Our answer was always no, he was a heavily supervised dog. The vet sent him home in the afternoon and said he was noticeably better.
When we got him home, he was still 'out of it' and was drooling and panting. We gave him some chicken & rice, which he ate. We watched him all night because he just wasn't right. He was standing up with his eye closed, he got to a point where he couldn't walk and he was urinating on himself. He also had a few seizures with heavy panting. He then threw up again. We called the hospital and they said to bring him in (it is now 2:30am). They wanted to open him up right away to see what was going on. We refused, we wanted to contact his regular vet. At 9:00 a.m. our vet called us and told us that the dog has some type of serious neurological problems and we need to get him to a hospital (in another state) that specializes in critical care and neurological problems. We picked him up and drove 2 hours to the hospital. We told all 3 hospitals about the recent application of Frontline, but it did not seem to concern them.
The doctor at this last hospital said the dog was in critical condition and again asked if he had been exposed to or drank any toxic substances. We made a decision to have an MRI and a spinal tap done and some tests run to determine if any toxic substances could be found in his blood. At 10:00, we called the Dr and she said they were changing their focus from the brain to the liver. They performed a test that detected that his ammonia level was over 1000, which the normal is between 80 - 90. They started treating this and the levels began to decrease. They told us that he actually sat up and responded to his name. At this point, we thought there was some hope, but he was still in very critical condition. Their next focus was going to be on the liver, stomach & kidneys. We received a call at 4:00 a.m on Sunday and he had taken a turn for the worse. As they were working on him, he stopped breathing. In the end, he died. Although no one will confirm that the Frontline was the cause, we are convinced that it had something to do with it. After all the research we have been doing over the past couple of days, we will not use this product on our next pet. We lost a lively, much loved family pet that was only 7 months old.
Thanks for listening and I hope this information helps some other pet owners.
Signed: A very sad family 5/30/05
I spoke with the people at Merial and once they receive my 4 page letter, they will be opening up a case. She wanted details over the phone, but I was too emotional to talk about it and told her I had it all in writing. We are waiting for one last document from the last hospital where Harley was treated, then we will have all the information to send. They were actually receptive to me and did not try to tell me that Frontline had nothing to do with my dog's death. I was very surprised. Let's see how they react when they receive my certified letter.
Like I mentioned earlier, my vet thinks we have a serious EPA issue (12 year old house - no lead anywhere) and is in complete denial. I spoke with a doctor from the last hospital Harley was at and she said it was possible that Frontline caused this, but she had never seen a case this severe.
This had been very theraputic for me and I hope I can make even the slightest difference. I'm telling pet owners I know about these products and giving them your website. They are shocked.
Thanks for all your help and I'll keep you advised.
Julie 6/6/05
For natural flea & tick control, our breeder has recommended a product called Neem. We were going to try this on Harley if he had pulled through.
Julie 6/7/05
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We used Sergeants Gold on our three year old cat and within twelve hours he was having problems. Biting at himself, scratching, licking and unsteady gait. We gave him a bath to wash this off and he slowly was better. It was only then that I started to research this stuff and found this website. After three days he's a lot better but he apparently lost some of his memory. He doesn't know some of the things he used to or act the way he did. Had we known that this could happen we never would have given him anything. If you go to Sergeants website they tell you that problems are caused by not going according to directions. WE went by exactly what they said!!! Our cat may never be the same again. DO NOT GIVE YOUR PET THIS CHEMICAL!!!
Bill 5/31/05
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I come on this site looking to see if there might be a connection between frontline plus and osteosarcoma. I applied frontline plus to my three dogs for about three years and although they seemed to find it unpleasant when applied it did keep off the fleas and ticks pretty well if applied regularly. But recently my largest dog, a mixed breed who has mostly Irish setter body type, has developed osteosarcoma which the vet says will kill him. It is right under the part of his neck where I have always applied frontline. I know that humans always seek to find meanings and causes for things and that it can be just superstition to think that something I did at that spot caused my dear dog harm. But I just couldn't keep putting a neurotoxin right on top of where he has cancer. And I don't want to put my other dogs more at risk if this is really the cause. I asked by vet if there was any research on this and he said none that he knew of but check the web. That brought me here and I read all the sad stories of dogs with seizures. Then I found a recent posting of another setter that has osteosarcoma right under where frontline was applied. Now, that seems worth investigating more. Do setters who aren't given frontline getting osteosarcoma in the neck area as something they are just prone to? or is it setters who are somewhat susceptible and frontline sets it off? or is this happening to other kinds of dogs who have frontline used on them too? or is it just a coincidence? I don't know. I do know that in the future I will find other approaches to flea control. Fleas are more than a nuisance. My parents elderly dog needed a blood transfusion from anemia due to flea bites! That is how much blood a dog can lose to fleas. It is so hard to know how to balance the risks. I do think it is shocking that more testing is not done on these products.
Copper 5/31/05
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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.
