Message Board
Search
August 2005
I posted a message on 5/7/04 when my last dog, Annie (lab/shepherd mix), died shortly after I applied Bio Spot. Since I am convinced it is the Bio Spot that killed her, I searched for other solutions for ticks this year with my boxer puppy Gracie. Plus with everything I read on your website, I don't trust ANY of the tick repellant products! This spring I found the website that Garmont has listed in his 7/3/05 message. Tick Repellant Recipe http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/self/23 I could not find the Rose Geranium oil, so I substituted with the Palmarosa oil, and I already had vegetable oil in the house. The Palmarosa oil was only $12 at the health foods store (they did have to order it) and since you only use 10-25 drops it goes a long way. I mixed up a batch and I dab it on her collar every weekend. It smells a bit like citronella oil, and for Gracie, no ticks! And for those companies who sell these
products that are killing our cats and dogs, no money!
Thanks again for your website!
Susan 8/2/05
***********************************************************************************
This is the email I sent to Farnam Pet Products - the maker of BioSpot:
My cats are losing their hair where BioSpot has been placed & the sores are wet with a bloody mixture. Can you please help? I am a nervous wreck because I have 4 cats and they are not acting right. One of the 4 was sick this morning. This is the second application of BioSpot. It was purchased on 6-23-2005 from PetSmart & all cats each got 1 application. On 6-24-2005, I noticed the cats severely scratching themselves where the application was placed. 3 of the cats had bloody scabs on their back where your product was placed. I could not wash the cats, as you know, they hate water. After about 1 week the scratching subsided. I decided to give your product a second try on 8-1-2005 with only worst results. I only had 2 applications - so I halved it up between the 4 cats. So, they didn't even have a full application, but they are having all sorts of complications! 2 of my cats are simply not acting like themselves. 1 cat, "Kramer" (2 years old), has completely lost his hair in 3 different sections on his back & has oozing bloody sores. "Paco" (10 years old) has lost some of his hair & was very sick this morning (12 hours after application). "Binky" (6 years old) cannot stop scratching & "Kitty Ray" (6 years old) will not eat and I have not seen her all day. (so I hope she is okay!) I am very concerned, please contact me ASAP. I am very concerned about Kramer, because his hair just grew back from his initial contact with your product.
I am still waiting on a response from Farnam Pet Products. I called my vet the other day to ask him about BioSpot & how well the product worked, but he did not know much about it. However, he did state that he recommends Revolution for cats, but has discontinued the sale of it for dogs. He stated that he has witnessed dogs get very sick from Revolution & even die from the product! In May of 2002, I had a very healthy yellow lab, named Zack, that all of a sudden died one Sunday afternoon. He was okay one minute & the next we found him lying in the bushes beside our house. Zack was dead. A week earlier he was given Revolution. Revolution was contacted, but stated they had no complaints or any adverse reactions that had been reported to their company & did absolutely nothing. Revolution is the most expensive product on the market today. Consumers need to realize & be made aware that these inexpensive as well as "top of the line" (expensive) "flea & tick control products" are both dangerous & DEADLY.
Nicole 8/3/05
Here is Farnam's response:
Dear Nicole,
We are sorry to learn your cats are having an allergic reaction to the Bio Spot. Farnam has two different Bio Spot Cat products. Is this the one in the blue package with three tubes in the package or is this the pink package with two tubes and two wipes in each package? Your cats will need to be bathed with a diluted dish soap (soap water). They will likely continue to have symptoms for the full month of the treatment if it is not washed off. Usually if an animal has a reaction to a product during the first application, a second application will increase the severity of the reaction. If you are not able to bathe them, you will need to contact your veterinarian and find out if they can bathe them for you and examine the skin irritations to see if any of the cats need to be on medication. There is not much you can do at home for them except give them a bath and monitor them in the event they need medical care. Skin irritations are the most common side effect from all flea and tick products.
Please let us know if you need additional information or if your veterinarian has questions.
8/3/05
Hi James,
It is the blue package. Which one are they having problems with? I managed to wash the cats with an organic product called "Miracle Soap" which is supposed to the best around for animals or humans to bathe in because it doesn't clog up your pores & it lets your skin breathe. You can even wash you clothes in it as well as your dishes & it cuts grease like Dawn. It worked wonders cutting thru the oily mixture of BioSPot. The soap detoxifies, so hopefully most of the pesticide is off the cats.
You can check it out at www.miraclesoap.com
The cats perked up after the bath & I gave them some catnip. They had a can of albacore tuna as a healthy treat & 2 of them even started purring again. So they are "so far so good" for right now, but we will wait to see in the morning. I will keep you informed. Thanks again for all of your help.
Nicole 8/4/05
Farnam referred to it as an allergic reaction, but it's hard to believe that all four of your cats would have an allergic reaction at the same time! You apparently used Bio Spot One-Step for Cats, which comes in a blue package. You are the THIRD person to write to me about that product in the last week (please see the messages from Terri and Ronda posted in Volume 7).
I contacted Petsmart on 7/31/05 and alerted them to the email that I had received concerning Bio Spot One-Step for Cats and possible adverse reactions. They informed me that it was being removed from their stores, and they were taking steps to remove it from sale on their website and catalog. However, as of 8/4/05, it is still for sale on their website.
James TerBush
***********************************************************************************
For those about to loose hope: Just had to drop a note. We just got our 18 pound cat back home today (Wed). He went in on Sat 3am in the morning. On Sat and Sun it did not look good. He was not responding to the treatment. On Sunday the vet said that we might be looking at making choices... a medically induced coma until this gets out of his system or the other. Thank goodness his seizures finally stopped. He was still tremoring on Monday and not sure he was aware of his surroundings when we went to visit, but still progress. The vet called Tues and said he was a miracle kitty. He was starting to move about purring and eating... (I know when he came to food had to be the priority!) So today here he is. He is walking like a newborn colt but his first steps were when we went to pick him up with my boys (his buddies!)
I will be fighting for reimbursement of vet bills. I bought this stuff [Bio Spot One-Step for Cats] because I heard an advertisement that thier drops work just as well as Frontline (what we always used) and that they would save us money.... I dont think so! And I will be writing who I need to get the stuff off the market!
Karrie 8/3/05
I called [Farnam] and she is going to reimburse me after sending in a notice from the vet with an itemized bill. She also stated that the drops are "gone" meaning off the shelves? She seemed very sincere and I really hope she is right!!! That was a horrible, horrible experience. But Nelton is doing great today!!
Karrie 8/4/05
***********************************************************************************
Now that I've read the other's comments, I think BioSpot is what's causing my dog's problems. Last week she had fleas on her, and I was out of her usual monthly treatment of Frontline Plus. So, seeing BioSpot at PetCo at a fraction of the cost, I decided it would do for now. She has not stopped itching herself and chewing at herself since I applied the Biospot. She has developed hairless open sores on various parts of her underside and underarms, and seems to be more sluggish and less hungry than usual. At less than two years old, she was a very active, hungry puppydog. I will try and give her a bath with dish soap, and see if this works, and I will NEVER buy this product again!
Jenna 8/5/05
Just wanted to place an update on my dog's condition after Biospot...she itches herself a lot less now that I have given her two baths with mild dish soap. She has muscle tremors and her breathing is so rapid at times I feel she is hyperventilating. I am taking her to the vet after work, and calling the EPA to report her conditons. I'm a little cautious about giving her Frontline once the Biospot is out of her system, now that I've read more about it.
Jenna 8/12/05
***********************************************************************************
I've read many of the very sad accounts of reactions to flea drops. I'm so sorry. The most we've ever
had was a bit of vomitting about a day after we gave drops (which I hadn't at the time connected to the drops). My concern right now is about cancer. I used Advantage, Frontline and Revolution on our cats and dogs for the last 7 or 8 years. Over the last six years, EVERY SINGLE ONE of our dogs and cats who died, died of a sarcoma-type cancer. We lost 3 dogs and 2 cats (and maybe will lose another cat...we are waiting for biopsy results) to various forms of sarcoma....breast, bone, lymph node and salivary gland. I only used the drops 2 or 3 times a year, and the group stayed flea-free for months at a time. I stopped using them about 2 months ago when someone in the waiting room at our vet's office mentioned that they heard of a connection between cancer and the flea drops. Does anybody know anything about this? Our vet has never heard of such a thing, but admits he's never ever seen such a high incidence of cancers in his whole carreer as in the last few years. Any info would be helpful. P.S. our animals are vegan and so
are eating low on the food chain....i.e. it's not their food and I don't think it's our water.
Concerned Mom in Oregon 8/6/05
***********************************************************************************
I came across your web site today and was sadden by the stories that I read. A couple of months ago I bought Zodiac flea topical application for my cat. Petco and another pet store recommendation that Zodiac was one of the safer ones. When I applied the topical formula I experienced a very upsetting reaction that no one should ever have to witness in their lives as a pet owner. She was running and crying all over my house. I felt helpless, guilty, and did not know what to do for her not knowing what was wrong. I did not know if it was burning her or if the fumes where irritating her eyes. The fumes smell like some kind of methane or super glue. But I did do what the back of the product said about washing them immediately. After that she calmed down. As of today I do not know if she sustained any neurological damage. I was so upset that I wrote a letter to Petco telling them of what had happened and knowing what they know about the toxic chemicals in the product and the consequences how could they keep selling these products particularly (Hartz, Bio-Spot, Zodiac, Sergeants), which Bio-Spot is the worst of them all for what I have read. Even one of Petco's workers mentioned the same thing to me. How can we do this to our pets they are human beings also. This past December we had to put down one of my other cats, which I also put the topical stuff on, how do I really know the truth of her passing. She had a history of diabetes, thyroid, but at the vet her blood and everything came back with flying colors. All they could tell me is that she had fluid in her lungs and heart failure, I could have been poisoning her. It is heart breaking to even think of it. Since that day of my cat's incident a couple of months ago I have read enough to know that these products are harmful and they have to be taken off the shelves and the stores that carry them should be fined, they are liable too. If they are not going to protect our animals who will.
Barbara 8/6/05
***********************************************************************************
I am so happy to have come across your site -- thank you for this service. I recently applied FRONTLINE PLUS to my 16 lb bichon in July 2005 and within 30 minutes he was acting like a rabid wild animal -- turning in circles, biting himself, agitated. When I took him for a walk to see if the effect would wear off, he lunged and sneered at a passer by which is absolutely out of character for him. I was so disturbed by this reaction that I hesitated to give him his next dose and decided to research this on the internet before going ahead with it. By reading the other stories posted, I am more convinced than ever that this reaction was a direct adverse result of the product. I called Frontline to request a refund and although they will give me a refund upon return of the product, they denied any knowledge of such adverse effects being caused by their product (I just can't believe this!). This company was politely unhelpful and unsympathetic -- it's always easier to blame the "other guy" -- the customer.
I also called and reported this incident to the EPA 800# provided on your website. They told me it is very important for dog owners to report such incidents about these products so that they can track them and pick out patterns that could eventually lead to some action. Everyone who's experienced a problem should call them -- strength in numbers!
It looks like most of these products are problematic. My neighbor owns a bichon as well and her dog experienced an adverse sickly type of reaction to a similar flea/tick product (it began with an "A", I think it was Advantix). She actually took her dog to the vet and he didn't seem too concerned and told her to switch products and try Frontline (my product) instead! I advised her against it. Even if vets naively continue to endorse and sell these products, we need to be our pet's best advocate and make our own decisions.
I know it's a risk/benefit decision with these things but I don't plan on applying any other pesticide to my dog. Any advice on holistic products that work would be very much appreciated.
Pam 8/12/05
***********************************************************************************
I am new to this class of flea products since I only had a pair of indoor-only cats. (Last I'd heard growth inhibiting flea products were the latest thing.) This past Friday I rescued a pair of 54 pound German Sheppard mixes. To prevent fleas entering my home and to kill the ticks while fostering them, the lady giving me the dogs dosed them with the Frontline product after a bath. It appeared to work well onthem. Ticks died and fell off of them over the weekend; fleas jumped their little bodies to death as intended. About the only thing I was curious about was oddly rapid breathing, but heartworm from being stray so long couldn't be ruled out until a vet clinic was open. They were oddly lethargic for 8 month-old puppies but we blamed it on the South Carolina heat and their rough living the past months. The dogs went to their new home Sunday night and I went to Pet Smart for a preventive dose of flea meds for the cats incase any fleas had gotten into the home. I got the BioSpot cat drops. Dosed my six-year-old, twelve-pound cat first and then my older cat of the same weight. The BioSpot package is so poorly worded I had no idea what a bad reaction to BioSpot was expected to be. I tried to keep them from grooming the application site. Dusty was first treated and after about ten minutes became more active. The initial "Dusty is excited about the goo in her coat" became concern when she began meowing, moving about room to room, and to pant like she was in a 102° heat index. I rushed her into bath to remove the product. She has spent the remainder of the night restless, skin twitching, body trembling and warm to the touch. This morning is somewhat less intense but she now is responding to me in a more normal way. The danger of ingestion of this product by cats is not emphasized enough on the package, either. "Back of the shoulders" is not enough for a flexible cat, she'll get to it somehow. I don't think I'll try to cut costs using a bargain brand of flea medication again. It's "buyer beware." And I am kicking myself for not getting a better background on what I put on my cats. Thanks for the website space and for keep on letting people know this isn't a two-year-old consumer issue if this product is still out there with so little instruction and cautions in the packaging.
Cynthia 8/15/05
***********************************************************************************
Two nights ago, August 13th, I gave my 1 1/2 year old Siamese cat, Samantha, a bath with Sergeant's PreTect Flea and Tick Shampoo and within an hour she was lethargic and was salivating from the mouth. She went under the bed and went to sleep and I thought she would be OK. Yesterday, I noticed it a couple of times, but today when I got in from work, she was still salivating and just not acting herself. I called her emergency vet after hours and the doctor did call me back. I explained what was going on and she told me to re-wash her with a mild soap and if she is still salivating and acting lethargic in the morning to bring her in. She is an inside cat, and I really don't know why I saw any fleas on her. I only saw about 3 fleas on her, but I panicked and gave her the bath and put a flea collar on her for a few hours but she seemed to get worse, so I took it off. I will never use any over the counter flea medications on her again. I have read all of the stories posted here and other sites and I just hope she makes it through the night, because I read so many stories where the animal goes into shock and dies.
Phyllis 8/15/05
***********************************************************************************
We have two white 9lb male Persian cats.
Two months ago my wife applied Frontline to both cats. Within days one cat started to become lethargic, loosing motor skills and kept falling over and could not control his legs or stand up.
She took this cat to a vet emergency hospital where they provided fluids, antibiotics and observed overnight. The cat came home the next day and was standing (shaking) and was slowly regaining his strength and control.
At that time we thought he had a viral disease and the fluids and antibiotic had done the job.
Three days ago my wife applied Frontline again to both cats.
She went for a walk and when she came home 2 hours later the same cat was totally collapsed and contorted. He was unable to stand and could only pull himself 3 to 4 inches before his strength gave out.
We have taken him to every Vet in the Newport Beach area. They have all said that they have seen the exact same reactions in other cats from Harts and BioSpot but not from Frontline. THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS ! And yet, they feel that the Frontline is NOT the problem and want to do $2,000.00 MRI´s. They don´t seem to see the correlation between applying the Frontline and the cat´s condition.
Today he is home after having fluids for a few hours. He is unable to move and looks contorted to the right side. He cannot stand but when my wife brushes him and pets him he is purring. My wife is freaking out. She loves these cats and to see them suffer like this without being treated is not right. Not a single vet is treating him for potential poisoning. Can you recommend anything?
Have you heard of similar occurrences from other Frontline Feline owners ?
Have you heard of any treatments that have been successful?
I would appreciate any information you can provide.
Ken 8/16/05
***********************************************************************************
I work in a local pet store and was contacted today by a gentleman who after applying BIO SPOT to his pets has now lost 3 of his cats and his dog had seizures. His children have had to watch their pets go through this awful death. I have used BIO SPOT for years on both of my mixed breed dogs. I have not connected things until today while reading things posted on this site. After applying BIO SPOT to my female dog she always rolls and rubs on things I just thought she didn't like the liquid "running" down her back and sides. Our male always walks under things as if he is scratching his back. I only started using BIO SPOT because my male dog had a reaction to FRONTLINE PLUS and it burned a large spot on the site where we applied it. Now I will NOT use either product. I would think that the makers of these products have pets of their own and wouldn't sell something this harmful to other pet owners. Guess I am wrong! For those of you who purchase the products from a pet store.... don't blame the employees of the pet store. We have to sell the products and trust that we are selling safe products as we use them for our pets too. We (the store I work at) pulled the product from the shelves as soon as I hung up the phone. I do NOT want to sell another pet owner something that may harm their dog and /or cat.
Anita 8/17/05
***********************************************************************************
I have two dogs a rat terrior and a black lab/brittany spaniel mix. My lab mix had a very very bad reaction to Frontline Plus.. I placed it on her then 4 days later hair starting falling out where the product was placed. I rushed her to the vet, he shaved her back around the spot and found her skin was dying off in 3 spots we are talking baseball size spots, blood starting coming out. She was placed on antibiotics and a cream for the sores that are used for burn victims and many vet visits.. Well come to find out she is highly allergic to one of the ingredients in Frontline Plus which is Peanut Oil. The makers of Frontline Plus which is Merial paid the entire vet bill which was around $800.00 dollars. My vet said that all flea topicals contain Peanut Oil and that I will never be able to place them on the lab mix again..
She now is taking a once a month flea pill called Program which prevents the fleas from producing, should she get infested really bad I give her a pill called Capstar which kills all fleas with in 24 hours. Capstar is safe to give everyday for a week if needed... The two products are great but also so is Frontline Plus which I still have my ratt on..
Hope this helps
Chris 8/20/05
Well I've made an appointment for my dog to be tested for allergies, it seems that Merial is now saying its the Ethanol within Frontline Plus for dogs that caused the reaction (they will not confirm anything about peanut oil in the product), but my Vet insist that its peanut oil that they have in the product that caused the reaction.
Chris 8/20/05
***********************************************************************************
My cat Tink just turned one year old July 2005. He was the happiest cat in the whole world with the best personality. But now he is gone because I wanted to get rid of a few bugs. I also have five other cats. I put Bio Spot on Tink and four other cats. All five got sick. Tink went into seizures within three hours of application and the other cats showed symptoms around 8 hours after application. After thousands of dollars later, all the other cats are home from the emergency vet where they needed extensive treatment. I will put this company out of business. If I had known then what I know now, I would have done everything in my power to educate people.
If anyone would like to help me with my crusade to put this company out of business, please contact me. animalnutzo@yahoo.com
Laura 8/23/05
PS. We also had a really bad reaction two years ago with one of my dogs to Revolution. The company never responded. Our dog was in the ICU for three days and was on massive amounts of medication to counter act the reaction to that product.
(Follow-up message)
Thank you for the condolances. We are trying to get back to "normal" here, but of course it is hard with a missing piece of the puzzle.
I did accidentially use the Bio Spot for dogs on the cats. It was just one drop that I had put on Tink. I also put it on the dogs, but have bathed them since. After we got back from the vet after having to put Tink down, I read the "fine print" and went into a screaming/crying fit. I couldn't believe that it was written so small on the back. Yes, it was in a different color than the rest of the writing, but that's it. And one of my cats grooms the dogs all the time. He thinks it is his job. So that is a very big possibility here also. I also used the "dog" one because I refuse to use a whole tube on one dog, so I had put half on one dog, half on another, and then had a few drops left, and figured it couldn't be that different from the cat stuff, so I put a drop on each of them. Unfortunately made a deadly mistake. I don't think I will ever forgive my ignorance. And what infuriates me the most is that this has happened TO OTHER PEOPLE!!!! Why is this being allowed!!! I don't understand!
Thank you so much for getting me those phone numbers. I will call tomorrow on my lunch hour. I will let you know what they say. I want to contact everyone I can. I work at a dog training/boarding kennel that sees well over 200 - 300 dogs a week. I will most definitely be putting signs up everywhere there and at the local shelters that I volunteer at. Anywhere I can get the word out. If my friend does not write the article I will probably send in an opinion column.
Yes, this is what you called it.... A tragedy, but with me, I will always make sure to NEVER make the same mistake twice and I will do everything in my power to make sure no one else makes that mistake either!
Thank you so much for making your website and helping people with this. I know I really appreciate it. I will keep you posted.
Laura 8/24/05
***********************************************************************************
Thank God for your web site! I was online about to re-order the frontline flea and tick medication from a popular online pet pharmacy, when I came upon the product Farnam Biospot for Dogs. Seeing the word Biospot made me wonder if this was a more "Natural" form of flea prevention. I googled the product name and your web site was the first hit from the search engine.
I buy only natural handmade treats from a great lady in NY at dogsdelight.com, we make our own dog food and additional treats as well. I am shocked that I was using something apparently so toxic when I take such great care of my 3 year old female beagle-mix Bella.
On our last visit to the Vet's office I had a long discussion as to why they were still trying to push the Heartworm shot when I had heard some very disturbing news on CNN about thousands of Dogs dying from the vaccine. (Once I heard that we immediately switched to a chewable medicine that does not have the same risks.) I am not surprised that they never once explained the risks of this topical flea medication to me even though they are fully aware how proactive we are about natural health care and food etc.
Thank you for having this web site. We luckily have not had any problems with advantage and did not use it every month as it directed because she was flea free for 6-8 weeks with one dose. I will not be ordering any more Advantage or others.
We have found that treats and food containing brewers yeast and high garlic content works great to combat not only fleas and ticks but mosquitoes as well. (again the treats at dogsdelight.com are made to order and have all natural ingredients and boy can you smell the garlic, Bella Loves them!) SO, from now on we are going to steer clear of the chemicals and stick to the natural way to repel the pests.
Thanks you again for having such valuable information available.
Deb 8/23/05
***********************************************************************************
I had a dog of 13 years and was my husband's best friend. We put biospot on him Sunday night August 21, 2005 and the cat also. Our cat started having seizures that night. We did not know what the problem was and had no idea that anything was wrong with our dog "Boomer". We sat up all night holding the cat trying to figure out what to do. The next morning we walked outside and our dog was dead. I took the cat to the vet and sure enough it was the biospot that was making the cat have seizures and tremors. The cat is going to be ok after staying at the vet for 2 days and costing $274 but we lost our best friend of 13 years. I'm outraged and want to know what I can do to prevent this from happening to anyone else’s pet. Please e-mail me and let me know what to do.
Rhonda 8/24/05
***********************************************************************************
Just this past Thursday, 8/19/05...two of my three kittens had an adverse reaction to Bio Spot.
I have three Libra (1 year, 3 months), Cyrrus (11 months) and Minerva (11 months). I have used FrontLine Flea treatment on them and never had a single problem but had not had a chance to make it back to their vet to get more. I live in Texas and for whatever reason the heat brings out the fleas. I have a dog who comes in and out bringing my girls (the cats) a bug or two and as I am sure you understand one or two is all it takes.
At any rate, I was at Pet Co buying food and saw the BioSpot Flea Treatment and decided since it cost a little more than the other over-the-counter treatments that it was probably okay. I took it home and split one tube amongst two of my babies...Libra and Cyrrus. Minerva was hiding and now I realize why). As I said I split one application between the two of them and went to bed. It was about 11 pm. I woke up at around 5am to what I thought was one of them sneezing several times. I looked on the floor and my sweet little Cyrrus (who is small for her age and just an easy going, non vocal sweet heart...so precious) trembling and foaming at the mouth. My dog was licking her like crazy and was pacing back and forth outwardly upset. I picked her up and tried to give her water. She just kept trying to get down. I just held her unsure what to do...thinking maybe she had gotten into something when I realized it was the flea drops.
I scrambled to get my keys and in the may lay I opened the door and Libra..who at this point seemed okay ran out. I never let them out but had no time to lose getting Cyrrus to the vet. I told my neighbor to find Libra. I went back inside to get Cyrrus who was on the bed at this point having convulsions. I picked her up...screaming, wailing...and held her has she had a seizure vomiting and urinating on me in the process but I held her and hugged her and cried as I thought this was it...then of course she came back to and was trembling not knowing what was going on...
I got her to the vet and went home to find Libra...three hours later we found her under the next door neighbor's shed...in worse condition than Cy. I have never seen anything alive that looked like she did when we found her. I rushed her to the vet hospital and they started to work on her too.
Luckily....they are home today. Of course almost 1000 bucks later...but really worth every penny. I thought I lost them both.
Just typing this makes me want to cry. I am a "new" pet owner....I have never had pets and I never realized how much happiness they can bring. This is unacceptable. This type of thing is so entirely avoidable and senseless.
I just wanted to share my story and see if there might be anything else I can do to prevent this from happening to other pet owners.
Tricia 8/24/05
***********************************************************************************
I purchased Bio Spot, over the counter, flea and tick control for my bengal cats and german shepard. The very next day, my daughter telephoned me at work to advise that two my cats were shaking tremendously, unable to walk and refused to eat or drink. The other two cats were fine and at this time so is my son's german shepard. I washed all the animal thoroughly, took the two cats to my local veterinarian. He proceeded to give my cats atripene injections every 1/2 hour for 5 hours and then reduced to every 45 minutes and so on. By midnight that night, my oldest Bengal showed signs of stopping his seizure and by morning I was told that both cats would make it through this horrible ordeal. I, like other customers, have always used Frontline and due to some unforeseen bills had purchased this product over-the-counter. My vet informed me after I arrived that he had been advising his patients owners to not purchase Bio-Spot as he has seen several animals have an adverse reaction (like what I have had) but, not so lucky in being able to save them. The product contains insecticides that enter into the bloodstream. This is very harmful to any pet whether it be dog or cat. I will never purchase another product from Farnum due to the fact that they do not list all of the side affects on their products and portray them as being similar to Frontline. After additional research and knowing that Hartz is having to remove their product from the shelves by March 2006, I do believe that both products need to be removed immediately so that future, unnecessary risks, and even death, can be stopped from harming our loving pets.
Central Ohio Pet Owner 8/25/05
Thank you for your response. I purchased two different products. Bio-Spot for Dogs and Bio-Spot for Cats. The Bio-Spot was the One-Step as is mentioned in your note below. My oldest cat (3 years old) just doesn't seem to be himself since this incident. I will definitely make contact as recommended below. I called the pet supply location where I purchased it and asked them to remove it from their shelves. They stated that until the received notification from the manufacturer, they would not do it. Thank you very much for caring.
Central Ohio Pet Owner 8/26/05
***********************************************************************************
Just came across your web page regarding Bio Spot. Sadly too late for my 3 year old cat who died yesterday. Per my vet, his death was a direct result of Bio Spot. How this product can be sold for feline use is beyond my understanding. Unfortunately we didn't see any of the side affects that would have caused me to have taken him to an emergency Vets; nor did I have the information with regard to toxicity of its active ingredient when used on cats until it was too late.
I WILL be following up with the stores and web sites that carry this product.
Chantell 8/25/05
***********************************************************************************
Last week our blind epileptic 4 year old lab received a flea treatment. Our Vet checked the product information sheet before applying the widely used treatment of Revolution. There was nothing to indicate he could not receive a treatment. We are an Animal Sanctuary and use the product always without so much as a question as we regard it as safe. Our lab came into contact with some rescued kittens that had fleas which is why we gave him the treatment, more as a preventative measure. We love our boy very much and spare nothing on his care (he broke his two front legs and spent over $8000.00 on surgery to fix them)
Anyway, three days after applying Revolution our epileptic dog who has seizures like clockwork every three weeks, went into a series of cluster seizures. We brought him to our regular Vet who had him transferred over to an emergency centre. We started to rule out what was causing the clustering. That is when I remembered the Revolution treatment.
I called the drug company and asked in desperation if possibly this is what could have caused his cluster seizures. Their response was "Based on your dog's history of epilepsy, he would not be a good candidate for our product." When I asked them why they simply could not put that in the product information leaflet, Their response "Not enough research to warrant so." They also explained the time of 3 days after application as to time of seizing. It takes that long to be absorbed into the central nervous system.
Our Vet was furious, as she had no idea and she felt horrible as she truly loves our special dog, nearly as much as we do.
Our boy survived the clusters (THANK GOODNESS), and the drug company has agreed to pay for all the bloodwork we did, however we are on our own for the other $1000.00 we spent on the emergency ICU care to pull him through.
We love our boy, and would never do anything to harm him, why can they not just put this stuff on the label?????
Kelli 8/30/05
Pfizer will only reimburse my fee's associated with bloodwork...not the 36 hour care in ICU or the IV hookup or medication. They said that is in accordance with their policy.
They also said they have no information linking dogs with epilepsy going into cluster seizures, so they will not change the general product information sheet due to my one epileptic dog having a (possible) reaction.
His blood was so obscured the day of the cluster seizures the bloodwork was useless, so they had to redraw blood today. CBC toxology, phenobarb/KBR therapeutic test, thyroid test etc...
I am just worried sick for the next month until this stuff is suppose to be out of his system.
His epilepsy is controlled to like I said earlier..1 seizure every three weeks....seems odd that three days after receiving revolution (the only change) he went into a series of cluster seizures :(
Why do they not want to put the "possible side effect" on their general information sheet?
I now have told three of our Vet's about it, and they said they were NEVER told about that possible side effect ever.
Kelli 8/30/05
Pfizer claims they have no information linking Revolution with cluster seizures when it's used on dogs with epilepsy. However, they DO have information linking Revolution with serious adverse drug experiences (ADEs) when it's used on "sick, debilitated or underweight animals." That's why the FDA made Pfizer put a warning on their label in 2002, stating, "Do not use in sick, debilitated or underweight animals" That's also why Pfizer's representative told you, "Based on your dog's history of epilepsy, he would not be a good candidate for our product."
Here is a document from the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine concerning adverse reactions to heartworm drugs for dogs (including Selamectin, which is the generic name for Pfizer's Revolution):
James TerBush
***********************************************************************************
WELL I ONLY WISHED I WOULD HAVE FOUND YOUR SITE SOONER. SNORKEY A 7 YEAR OLDLASAPSO WE RESCUED FROM A LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER ABOUT 6 YEARS AGO,VERYHEALTHY AND ACTIVE DOG WHO ENJOYS PLAYING WITH MY TWO BOYS. WE SWITCHED FROM FRONTLINE TO BIO SPOT WORST MISTAKE WE HAVE EVER MADE. THE FIRST TREATMENT WAS A MONTH AGO. WE SEEN NO PROBLEMS. WE APPLIED THE SECOND TREATMENT WITHIN A WEEK WE NOTICED SHE WAS NOT HER ACTIVE SELF. SHE WOULD LAY AROUND AND DID NOT WANT TO PLAY OR EAT. WHEN SHE STARTED VOMITING WHITE FOAMY STUFF WE NEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG SO WE TOOK HER TO THE VET TODAY. WHILE IN THE VET'S OFFICE SHE STARTED HAVING SEIZURES ONE RIGHT AFTER THE OTHER. THE VET RAN VARIOUS TEST SAID IT WAS IN HER LIVER SO I GUESS WE ARE NOT AS LUCKY AS SOME. SHE PAST AWAY AT THE VET'S OFFICE SO I HAVE TO GO HOME TODAY AND BREAK THE NEWS TO A 9 YEAR OLD AND A 2 YEAR OLD BOY THAT THEIR BEST FRIEND IS GONE. THERE SHOULD BE A LAW AGAINST SELLING SOMETHING THAT COULD KILL YOUR ANIMALS. WHILE READING THE SIDE AFFECTS ON THE PACKAGE NOTHING WAS SAID ABOUT (DEATH).
JAMES 8/30/05
WELL I CONTACTED SHERRI PIKE [AT FARNAM] AND GAVE HER ALL THE INFORMATION. THEY SENT ME A REIMBURSMENT CHECK FOR THE BIO SPOT $26. I HAD MY VET SEND HER ALL THE INFORMATION. SHE SENT ME A LETTER STATING THAT WE USED THE BIO SPOT NOT TOMANUFACTUER'S DIRECTIONS. SHE IS CLAIMING I GAVE IT TO MY DOG TWICE IN TWOWEEKS. THIS IS NOT TRUE. I HAVE BEEN GIVING MY DOG FLEA AND TICK MEDICINE FOROVER 6 YEARS. I CAN READ DIRECTIONS. I HAVE CALLED HER BACK TWICE BUT ALL IGET IS HER VOICE MAIL. I LEAVE HER MESSAGES BUT NO REPLIES.. MY VET BILL WAS$140. ALSO WE ADOPTED ANOTHER ANIMAL WHICH COST US $130. WHAT ELSE SHOULD I DO. ANY INFORMATION WOULD BE APPRECIATED. THANKS AGAIN.
JAMES 9/27/05
***********************************************************************************
I purchased the bio-spot brand for my cats at PetCo. Within a few hours my cats were foaming at the mouth, one began to vomit blood and literally turned "MAD". One began to slam himself into the bricks of my fireplace. The other ran into walls, knocking everything over as if it was possessed. The tremors began for the cats and I rushed them to the ER Vet clinic. The vet told me they see 3 to 4 cases a WEEK (not a month or a year) with this same problem. It is my understanding that Bio-spot is WELL AWARE of the situations they cause and yet they continue to sell. They treated them the best they could and said it was a good possibility they could die and if they were not better within the next 12 hours to consider humane euthanasia. I felt helpless as my 3 and 8 year old watched this horrific display, with great fear. One of the cats has recovered almost completely, however, after 3 days in the hospital, our older cat still has problems. I went to the store where I purchased the product and filled an incident report. I made calls to the manager of the PetCo and the manufacturer themselves. Petco accidentally let it slip that there has been a "RECALL" on this product, yet I continue to see it in the stores. I have decided to notify the stores that carry this product (and supply them with proof of liability) of the extreme danger and cruelty this company continues to put our animals in. If Bio-Spot refuses to stop making this product, then I will stop purchasing from any store that doesn't care about the lives it will endanger for a dollar or two.
J. 8/30/05
***********************************************************************************
I found this website searching for information about adverse reaction to flea and tick control. My niece's cat had siezures, but survived. I have heard from several people that feeding your cat or dog garlic will help keep fleas and ticks off. Apparently they do not like the taste of garlic. I also am feeding garlic to my children to keep fleas and mosquitoes from biting. So far, so good.
If you search online for natural pet remedies, or go into a vitamin shop or health food store, there is a lot to find. Just be wary of any product and do a lot of investigating before feeding it to your pets. Americans, I think, do not look enough for natural remedies for these type of issues. Western medicine has taught us that we need to ingest chemicals, that chemically derived medicines are the only solution.
Reida 8/30/05
Copyright © 2002-2009 BioSpotVictims.org All rights reserved.
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.
