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October 2006
As found on the Sergeants website:
EPA Bans Certain Over-the-Counter Flea & Tick Products - Sergeant's Unaffected
On June 3, 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would ban the sale of a number of over-the-counter topical feline flea and tick products containing the active ingredient phenothrin.
Please be assured that Sergeant's Pet Care Products do not contain phenothrin.
Which is utter bullshit because Friday ( September 29, 2006) (unaware of the EPA ban) I bought a Sergeants Dual Action Flea and Tick Collar for Cats at Dollar General which lists phenothrin as an "inert ingredient". I had bought this brand previously, just not the dual action collar. I put the collar on my cat and he had a severe reaction immediately. He started wheezing and his back legs started to tremor. I immediately cut the collar off and called the 24 hour emergency vet. They told me to wash him thoroughly and call back if he didn't improve. Harley only got worse he seemed very disoriented and had no sense of balance whatsoever. I called back and then rushed him to the vet. After not responding to another bath, 3 shots of methocabamol or IV catheter they decided he had to stay overnight. Luckily by lunchtime the next day (and over $300 later) he was ok to go home but he was still kind of out of it for the rest of the day.
Diane 10/1/06
I emailed a bunch of different places, including the Manufacturer, FTC, BBB, EPA and numerous other organizations that deal with pesticides. Claire Gesalman Chief, Communication Services Branch ,Office of Pesticide Programs from the EPA emailed me saying that they are investigating and requested I fax them copies of the front and back of the package.
Also Sergeant's emailed me saying that "We are extremely concerned that one of our flea and tick products may have been associated with an adverse reaction in your cats, and we would like to research this incident as thoroughly as possible. We will be sending an Adverse Reaction Report to you. This paperwork will include 15 questions for you to complete. We also have a set of questions to send to the veterinarian who treated your cat, so if you could please respond to this message with the name of the vet clinic and the address, this would be greatly appreciated".
I also got emails from the FTC and BBB saying they have logged my complaint and if enough people file complaints they will investigate further.
I urge everyone who has a problem with ANY flea product to contact as many agencies as they can ( I found the email address of everyone I sent an email to by searching online) to get the word out! Hopefully if enough people keep complaining they will make safer flea products, and remove unsafe ones from store shelves immediately!
Diane 10/3/06
That's GREAT advice. If adverse reactions are not reported to the EPA, they will never take action to correct a problem. Unfortunately, most adverse reactions are never suspected or reported to anyone, and that's why these same products continue to cause adverse reactions year after year.
I also received email from the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) in response to my complaint against Merial and Bayer for making safety claims on their websites. Here is the what the FTC said:
"Thank you for recent correspondence. The Federal Trade Commission acts in the public interest to stop business practices that violate the laws it enforces. Letters from consumers and businesses are very important to the work of the Commission. They are often the first indication of a problem in the marketplace and may provide the initial evidence to begin an investigation. The Commission does not resolve individual complaints. The Commission can, however, act when it sees a pattern of possible violations developing.
The information you have provided will be recorded in our complaint retention system. This computerized system enables us to identify questionable business practices that are generating numerous complaints and may be in violation of the law.
Thank you for providing information that may be used to develop or support Commission enforcement initiatives."
James TerBush
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Thursday night my daughter (age 20) put BioSpot for dogs on our 2 dogs and BioSpot for cats on our two cats. Late Sunday night our cat began acting sick and died early Monday morning. We thought he had been poisoned and started looking for symptoms of poisoning in cats on the Internet. That’s where I came across your site and I’m so glad I did. I was just about to start confronting neighbors about whether they had put out some sort of rat poison that the cat had gotten into. Now I think it was the BioSpot. All the symptoms match what I read about reactions cats have had to BioSpot. I’m just sick…
Shelley 10/2/06
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It's not just Bio Spot!!! I bought two Seargents flea collars for my two cats, Jo Jo and Nimo. I put the collars on them and they both, of course, hated having something on their necks as they don't usually wear collars but them seemed fine healthwise. Within minutes, Jo Jo began racing through the house frantically, running into walls and furniture seemingly terrified. I tried to catch him but couldn't, he then began losing his bowel and bladder everywhere, he was foaming at the mouth and drooling uncontrolably. My son caught him and we looked at his face only to find one pupil completely dialated and the other so small you could barely see it. He began to have seizures and to purr then hiss then purr again. The other cat, Nimo, never had a single reaction. We took Jo Jo to the emergency clinic and were told that the flea collar contained a toxic chemical that was poisoning my cat and that he had seen this sort of thing many times before. Jo Jo needed to be bathed, got a shot, and had to take activated charcoal to counteract the poison. All of these symptoms happened in a span of only fifteen minutes. I am thankful the vet had the sense about him to tell us when we first called them to remove the collar. We took the collar to the vet with us and he pulled out a book of poisons to show us, the main ingredient on the package for the collar was a known hazard to many animals but because it does not hurt all animals, its use is not prohibited. There isn't even a warning on the package to watch for symptoms after putting this thing on your pet so, like many, if you put it on them and leave or go to bed, you could come back or wake up to a dead animal. Seargents needs to be pro-active about these situations and post very clearly in or on their packaging that people should watch there animals for these symptoms after applying the medicine or collar so they can help their pets if the symptoms begin. If I had been warned of what to watch for I could have immediately, at first sign, taken the collar off of Jo Jo and bathed him so he didn't have to suffer such horrible symptoms. Seargents lack of information and warning to the customer is INHUMANE.
Joanna 10/2/06
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HI, we have always used Frontline, but decided to try something easier to come by since my ol' girl doesn't like to ride any more. I should input that my "ol girl" is an 80 lb, 10 yr. old female chocolate lab named Jesse. She has arthritis that makes it hard for her to get in the car to go to the vets, so having seen Zodiac Spot On at PetSmart, we decided to give it a try and save our girl the pain of a car ride.
Within 24 hours of application, she had an open weepy would above her tail that actually looked like we'd poured battery acid on her skin. It got to be about a 6 inch diameter wound. She lost the hair there, has scaring on the skin and is still so infested with fleas it's not funny. I'm afraid to treat her with anything now..and we have another lab and 2 cats in the house...we're overrun with fleas and no control in sight..I can't let another pet go through this damage.
I've read that if you mix dish soap and eucalyptus oil together and make a shampoo that it will kill the fleas on your dog..and you just have to be dilligent about keeping their bedding clean, vaccum floors well and make sure you vaccum along walls, register vents and anywhere a flea egg may float to. My poor girls are pretty well hairless due to biting and itching on their hind quarters and I know we're miserable, but I can't take the chance that this will happen again.
Jo in Michigan
10/02/06
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(Below is email that I sent to the National Pesticide Information Center on 10/4/06)
To whom it may concern,
I would like to bring to your attention a problem that exists on your fipronil fact sheet:
It states:
How will fipronil flea and tick products affect my pet?
Fipronil pet products carry the signal word "Caution." These formulated products are not absorbed through the skin, but may cause some skin irritation at the application site. They have low toxicity if ingested (5,6).
The above statement is contrary to the findings of the Irish Medicines Board in regards to Frontline Spot On for Dogs:
It states:
After topical application of the spot on in the dog, fipronil is slightly absorbed (approx. 15%) through the skin. Low levels of fipronil may be detected in the plasma, with a very high variability between dogs.
Furthermore, the study cited to support your claim that formulated fipronil products are not absorbed through the skin (Weil, 1997) did not test plasma or serum for fipronil.
Here is a patent application that Merial (the manufacturer of Frontline products) filed in 2002:
It states (in Example 7):
The plasma concentrations of ivermectin were much lower than those observed in Example 6 where dogs were applied with a same formulation (0.25% of ivermectin and 10% of fipronil) at the same dose of 0.1 ml.kg-1 (i.e. 250 ?g.kg-1 of ivermectin and 10 mg.kg-1 of fipronil).
The parameters of absorption (Cmax and AUC) were significantly different (more than a 2 fold factor) between the two studies. This lower percutaneous absorption was confirmed by the levels of fipronil and RM1602 recovered in plasma. Indeed the fipronil and RM1602 plasma concentrations found were significantly inferior to those usually observed in dogs treated at the same dose in previous studies. Both studies were carried out under the same experimental conditions (breed, sex, age, weight, season, temperature and hygrometry). No explanation could be found to justify such difference in the absorption between the two studies except the origin of dogs (Marshall versus Harlan) in Example 6.
Here is a document from the Australian Pesticides & Veterinary Medicines Authority in regards to veterinary products that contain fipronil:
The APVMA is concerned about the number of adverse reactions that have been reported by people who used veterinary products that contain fipronil (Frontline and Frontline Plus), and they are currently reevaluating the registration of these products.
I believe the NPIC is not serving the public interest by making a distinction between exposure to technical fipronil and formulated fipronil products, and by claiming these formulated fipronil products are not absorbed through the skin. I encourage you to update your fipronil fact sheet, and make the public aware that ANY pesticide product (including formulated fipronil products) has the potential to cause adverse reactions in pets (such as lethargy, loss of appetite, incoordination, vomiting, and seizures).
Sincerely,
James TerBush
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A month ago, my partner was bathing my cat with sargents gold flea shampoo. Immediately following the bath, the cat jumped out of the tub, and then began to shake. my partner called for me. when I got there, the cat was limp, and his tongue was hanging out of his mouth.
I tried mouth to mouth, and we rushed him to an animal ER. when we got there,sadly they said he was already dead. They did a brief exam, and told me it was an apparent heart attack, probably genetic. That never made any sense. but the cat had been on cortisone shots on and off, and was overweight, so I just acceped the diagnosis.
Yesterday I went to the vet to buy worm meds for a kitten I have. when The vet tech tried to sell me advantage, I told her we would be doing a flea bath instead since our vet bills were currently overwhealming.
I told her I planned to use a product I purchased at walmart. she strongly discouraged using a flea product from walmart. I asked why, and she said the cat could have seisures, and/or die. I immediately thought of my dead cat. and asked her if that is what could have killed him. she said yes.
I came home, and told my partner the news. we both were devistated that a trusted product from walmart could have killed our pet. we did some research, and saw other incidents similar to ours on the internet.
It was like losing the cat all over again. We both agreed that this explanation felt correct, as unpleasant as it was. the origional explanations of his death never made sense or added up. this, unfortunately does.
My cat was a 9 YO, orange tabby. about 14 lbs at his death. had an obsessive grooming issue and had had several shots of depo medrol, and vetalogue, as well as oral prednisone over the years. I am not sure if I can 100% blame the shampoo since he was on this treatment.
The up side of this is...we tried the shampoo as a last resort for the obsessive grooming, since the other meds were no longer working, and his licking was causing bleeding. and it for whatever reason made him stop licking. and may have given him some peace for the last few months of his life.
I miss him unbelievably. and since I'm not a wealthy person, I still shop walmart. I am struggling with shopping at a store that knowingly sells products that possibly kills pets. If it was a product possibly killing humans, it would be off the shelves immediately. but since it is for a pet, the companies continue to profit.
I am aware of the chemical Pyrethins. and it is what causes this. is anyone aware of any concrete proof that this is what could have cause my cats death so suddenly? If so please e-mail me. Thank you!
Fitnessguybill@aol.com 10/7/06
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I ran across your website while doing some research looking for pictures or information regarding adverse reactions after the use of topical flea sprays. As a foster home for my local shelter, caring for pregnant or whelping female strays, I see a LOT of flea infested dogs every month.
My most recent rescue is a 4 year old Black Lab/Boxer mix female. Absolutely sweet little girl. She was picked up as a stray in the local land-fill and brought in to the shelter where, to everyone's surprise, delivered 8 puppies. Unfortunetly with the lack of proper food in the landfill and bacteria and "whatnot", all of her puppies died shortly after birth. "Sharlet" (as we've named her) went through what appeared to be a major depression. Within days of the loss of her puppies, a mother of a small litter in a cage next to her died suddenly, leaving her week old puppies without a mother. As a long shot, the puppies were put in with Sharlet who accepted them immediately and cared for them as her own.
Well long story short, Sharlet cared for numerous litters of puppies who weren't her own and after almost 2 years of constant nursing she is being "retired" as a foster dog-mom and is here with me to recover from her years of nursing before being placed in a home.
The last puppy from Sharlet's "litter" was weened a week ago and was then able to de-flea her. Her fleas were not awful but she had noticeable amounts and was obviously uncomfortable (because she itched all the time). So I sprayed her with a Hartz Flea and Tick Killer (suggested by my vet).
I've attached a picture for you to see what this CRAP did to the most loveable dog I've ever seen. This is pretty much her entire body. It's not a great picture and doesn't show how bad what happened is, but it gives you a general idea. I'm absolutely sickened and disgusted by her appearance. The poor girl is literally RAW from itching and biting at herself because of the reaction to this flea spray.
My vet suggested using a mild bathing soap (such as dish detergent or baby soap) in cool bath water and I also got something to help sooth and ease the pain of her open wounds (YES she has open sores from where the flea spray ate through her skin like acid). Sick, sick, sick if you ask me.
It's pretty sad when what is supposed to help your pet turns out to do more damage than if you had done nothing at all.
Krystin 10/8/06
www.adoptionpalacedogs.com
I just wanted to let you know that despite everything I and Animal Control tried, it seemed Sharlet's reaction was irreversable and they chose to have her humanely euthanized. Her adoption papers had been approved the day before and she would have gone on to live the rest of her life in a home after having spent almost 3 years in the shelter. We were very disappointed.
We have discussed it and chose to remove all spray flea products from our shelves. We are hoping with winter approaching the cold air will help get rid of the majority of the fleas in the shelter and we will consider other methods by spring.
Anyway, despite the seriousness behind your website I think it was a great thing for me to have found it and I wish I had seen it earlier. Thanks for taking the time to put everyone's concerns online for viewing.
Krystin 10/26/06
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When 'one spot' treatments first appeared some years back, we applied it to our ageing yorkie. She was dead in a month after an accelerated decline. We understood later that organo-phosphates were to blame. Does any one concur?
Austy 10/12/06
England
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I wanted to know if anyone else has had episodes like my 2 1/2 year old lab. This year she has had a seizure about once a month, 4 to 10 days after applying Frontline Top Spot (also given heartgard at same time). The seizure lasts about 3-5 minutes and can best be described as a severe tighting of the musles (no leg swinging), excessive saliva, an apparent lack of breathing and what almost looks like the swallowing of her tongue. I took the dog to our Vet immediately after one episode, the blood test showed everything was normal. I'm suspicious of the flea/tick medication only because it seems to occur once a month. Are there others who have experienced this?
Anonymous 10/13/06
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Hello, I have had a papilon cross dog for 4 yrs. She received a dose of bio-spot about 3 weeks ago. She slowly slowed down. I thought she had a stomach virus. I didn't think it could be the flea med, because there was no immediate reactions. I dosed my 18 ferrets and 5 cats and they are all fine. I will look thru other posts... The vet is thinking she has aiha. I am wondering if it could be from the flea med. We are still praying she survives.
Jeanine 10/15/06
My vet of over 20 yrs is convinced my dog is extremely ill from a combination of bio-spot and heartworm medicine. Oreo had never been sick before. She had been on the tri-heart for almost a year already. When I gave her bio-spot (which DRS. Foster & Smith told me was a non-prescription equivalent of frontline) she got sick. I thought since the effect wasn't immediate that it was a mild reaction. Three weeks later, and she is now fighting for her life. She has aplastic anemia. She needed a transfusion and several days at a emergency vet. I have spent over $3,000, and we still don't know if she'll make it. My vet is certain it is from bio-spot and ivermectin combo. He said my dog is only considered property, and I can only recover her purchase price! I can't have children, and she is like my family. I feel hurt and betrayed. I need to tell the suppliers and manufactures. I am so upset I can't think straight. My baby might be dying!
The emergency vet doesn't agree with my vet. I didn't think they would since they gave Oreo an additional frontline treatment without letting me know or authorize it. I had made sure to tell them she got sick after I treated her for fleas just three weeks earlier. Why did they treat her with poison when she came in unstable? If I had children without fur (human) I would have a lawsuit!
Thank You for letting me know I am not alone, but I wish NO ONE would ever have to go through this.
Jeanine& Oreo 10/16/06
I am sending you the response from Sherrie Pike. My vet is positiive this is a toxic reaction due to the bio-spot. I will have him send in reports if I have to. The vet that put the frontline on my pet did it before my normal vet had a chance to see her. My regular vet wasn't open on Sunday, and it was an emergency. I know this was from the bio-spot. I will do my best to get every pet lover to boycott all products made by Central Life Sciences if this is how they treat their consumers!!! I know Anemia can be caused by adverse reactions to vaccines, heartworm med, and flea med. Why do they keep lying about this!
Jeanine 10/17/06
----- Original Message -----
From: Sherri Pike
To: [deleted]
Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2006 7:09 AM
Subject: RE: adverse reaction
Dear Ms. [deleted],
We are very sorry to learn that your dog has required medical care. However, there is absolutely nothing in Bio Spot Flea and Tick Control for Dogs that would cause or contribute to anemia of any kind. Your veterinarian should contact the Product Safety Service to discuss possible side effects with a certified toxicologist who can give him/her the appropriate information. Their number is (888) 875-1715. A copy of their report will be sent to the company after it is completed. Thank you for contacting Central Life Sciences.
Sincerely,
Sherri Pike
Technical Affairs Manager
Central Life Sciences
My vet has sent me home with my dog to die. Oreo is not in any pain, but is not expected to make it through the weekend. I will be requesting a necropsy. She stated that she will do a biopsy on the kidneys, and liver to look for toxins. She will also look at the bone marrow. I will have to try to write this up before hand as I can't stop crying...I feel so helpless
Jeanine 10/20/06
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I have finally discovered a site that gives me some answers that I have been pondering & wondering about, especially over the past week, after having used "Advantix" on our little dog Muffy, who is just over 2 yrs old. Miss Muffin is a Llhasa Apso x Maltese and weighs a whole 3.5kg. (tho. I feel that she is far less at present.)
Last Wednesday I went to the local Vet and purchased one treatment of Advantix - came home, bathed Muffy and then applied the obvious poison. By the way, Advantix in Aust costs $16.95 for one application.
Muffy is the sweetest, dearest, most gentle little girl and gives my hubby Sam and I so much love - we have
3 cockatiels & 1 budgie - they are "her" babies and she treats them likewise.
On Thursday the 12th October, Muffy was not herself at all - all she wanted to do was sleep - no food or water, glassy eyed - this went on until Sunday when she showed some sign of improvement, but still not eating. She normally loves to come outside in the garden and "help" me & play ball etc but no way - all she wanted was the lounge - she normally sleeps with us, but not over that period of time - she stayed on the couch day and night.
Naturally, we were both really concerned for her welfare and finally assumed it "had" to be the Advantix - then we thought back to a previous treatment and the penny finally dropped.
Tonight I finally did a search and came across the truth on this site and was so horrified to read all the stories of so many people and their sad, sad stories. I have apologised to our 'baby' over and over - also gone through her cupboard and many of the products I have will be in the garbage tomorrow.
It is now Monday 16th Oct and thankfully our darling little girl has finally had a meal and nearly back to normal - I never gave it a thought to check her skin, but do give her a massage each day, hadn't felt properly though for any lesions, but do know that she was scratching more than usual.
Is there any kind of solution for fleas/ticks etc as it is getting that time of year with HOT HOT HOT weather approaching rapidly?
Thank you for reading this and listening to me and sure hope you can give me some useful advise.
Jill and Sam 10/16/06
from Australia
My little girl, as I write, is wrapped up in her bunny rug, on my knee, nearly as bad as she was over the past week. She was fine all day, up until a few hours ago. Anyway, the purpose of me writing again is to let you know that I am taking this matter a whole lot further via the media.
We have a program which airs on tv each night called A Current Affair, where anyone, whoever, can make contact and if I lay it on the line, give them your website (if that's ok?) not that I think you would object - to bring it to the attention to all Pet owners within Australia - this program airs all over Aust. at different times of the evening.
I have already copied our communication and advised many of my friends of this 'evil' substance - I am also going to put our voice in the local newspaper, Letters to the Editor - the 2 Vets within the area will be receiving an email and personal contact from me, plus the local Pet Shop - along with all the Pet Shops I hope to be able to reach.
Obviously, the Almighty $ sign is in the sellers eyes, not the welfare of animals.
I am just so so so angry and will not let this one rest.
If you wish, I don't mind you adding my communication to your Website - " from Australia "
I shall keep you updated as to my progress & no doubt much negativity.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE, TIS APPRECIATED IMMENSELY.
Kind Regards,
Jill 10/18/06
from Australia
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We bought farnam pet products bio spot flea, tick & mosquitoe treatment specified for small dogs - those weighing less than 15Kg, which is about 33lbs. We used about 3/4 of one dose (the package contains 3 doses) on our 11lb Rat Terrier and less than two hours later she was shaking and twitching uncontrollably. Since it was after business hours we couldn't take her to the vet and had to call the emergency vet line. The woman there told us that the treatment was affecting our dog's nervous system and that it was critical that we wash her with the strongest soap we could find, keep her warm and calm, and watch for vomiting. If she started to vomit we were told to call the vet line right back and they would have a room and an IV waiting for her. Thank goodness she never threw up.
It's been two days and she's doing alright, although she still has a twitch in her left hind leg that won't go away. She may have perminant nerve damage.
Nowhere on the packaging for the bio spot flea, tick and mosquitoe treatment does it say not to use it on dogs under a certain weight. Nowhere on the packaging does it warn of potential nerve damage or even death due to overdose.
I (obviously) wrote a very angry letter to this company asking them to please change their packaging to include a minimum safe weight, as well as a warning about the effects of an overdose.
After viewing your website I also wrote to the US EPA.
Andrea 10/16/06
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I recently learned that autism in children in the United States has reached epidemic levels, and nobody seems to know the cause. From one child in 10,000 to one in 100 or so - and only in about 10 years. Something is seriously affecting our kids, and some studies link pesticides to this disease.
What pesticide is more common than the Frontline or Advantage that you put on your pet? Your kids may be getting a large does on a regular basis, maybe even putting contaminated hands into their mouths, as kids do when you're not around to notice it. You know how easily it comes off the fur if you pet your dog the same day.
Are these products going to be found to be the most likely cause that we are losing a whole generation of children to this debilitating and incurable disease? Or will the pesticide companies fight any possible truth like the tobacco companies did?
Cathy 10/20/06
The pesticides in flea control products may pose even more of a threat to children's health than the pesticides in foods, but you NEVER hear anyone talk about flea control products as a source of pesticide exposure.
Mississippi State University is currently doing a study for the EPA titled, "Assessing Levels of Intermittent Exposures of Children to Flea Control Insecticides from the Fur of Dogs." Here is the link regarding it:
Here is the description of the study:
"There are reported insecticide residues present in food, water, and surfaces such as carpets treated for flea control. However, no studies (except those we currently have in place) have quantified the transferable flea control insecticide residues which occur on pets (the majority of which are dogs) that could be transferred to children. These dermal exposures could easily become oral exposures when children place their contaminated hands in their mouths. Organophosphorus insecticides or synthetic pyrethroids are among the most common types of insecticides used for flea control. Our calculations have estimated that transfer of these residues could result in exposure levels approaching the adult reference dose (RfD), which does not contain the I 0-fold safety factor to account for the greater sensitivity of children. There are a very large number of dog-owning households in the United States (about 37%) and about half of pet-owning households have children in them. The opportunity for large numbers of children to contact flea control insecticides on pets is high. Because of this lack of information and the likelihood of appreciable insecticide residues being present on pet fur, we propose to test the following hypothesis: The residues of insecticides available for intermittent transfer to children from the fur of dogs treated by either a spot treatment or a collar for flea control will be appreciable and of a magnitude necessitating inclusion in cumulative risk assessments of pesticides to children; and, secondly, that the fur rubbing procedure developed to quantify transferable residues provides a useful estimate of insecticide residues which could be transferred from the fur of dogs to children."
The EPA does not know how much of a risk flea control products pose to children, but that has NEVER stopped them from approving these products for sale. The EPA does NOT EVEN REQUIRE the product label to include potential health risks to children. If these products are allowed to be advertised as "gentle enough for puppies or kittens", why wouldn't people assume these products must also be gentle enough
for children.
I do not know what or who the EPA "protects", but it certainly isn't the environment or children.
James TerBush
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Unlike most of the postings here....
I've tried most of the well-known flea and tick products including Frontline, Advantix, Hartz Control One-Spot, and Bio Spot. Bio Spot was the only one that killed all the fleas and ticks my dog could find and was best tolerated by her.
However, I do recommend that everyone test any new meds for their dogs. I once made the mistake of putting a full dose of Frontline on her the first time I used it. She almost instantly had an allergic reaction to it with pain, itching, redness, and swelling. After a thorough bathing, some lotion, and a few hours rest, she was okay again. I will not make that mistake again.
So, for me and my dog, Bio Spot works. Plus I like Bio Spot's citrus smell versus the industrial detergent smell of the other products.
However, I will recommend you test every new med for your pets in small, increasing amounts until you are satisfied that it is being be well-tolerated. As a cancer patient, I've learned that everyone reacts differently to the same medications, so what is good for one person could be potentially dangerous for another. Pets are the same.
Do your research, test products first, and use your own good judgment for what is best for your pet.
For those of you whose pets have suffered, I am deeply pained and saddened.
My comments regarding your website:
Mr. Terbush,
While not defending Farnam or belittling Hamish's agony and your just concern regarding Bio Spot, you should use the appropriate definition of "tolerate" when discussing a medical condition or reaction. A standard dictionary definition is not the same as a medical definition nor is it appropriate when discussing medications and medical issues.
The medical definition of "tolerate" means:
1. Decreased responsiveness to a stimulus, especially over a period of continued exposure.
2. The capacity to absorb a drug continuously or in large doses without adverse effect; diminution in the response to a drug after prolonged use.
3. Physiological resistance to a poison.
4. Acceptance of a tissue graft or transplant without immunological rejection.
5. Unresponsiveness to an antigen that normally produces an immunological reaction.
6. The ability of an organism to resist or survive infection by a parasitic or pathogenic organism.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary, 2nd Edition Copyright © 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
So, when Farnam states that most dogs tolerate Bio Spot well, they are stating that most dogs (not all dogs) have little or no reaction from the product. My research into Permethrin has concluded that as well. Unfortunately for you and many others, some dogs can have a severe, even life-threatening, reaction to Permethrin or any of the inert ingredients in Bio Spot. I agree that Farnam (and all pet medications) should appropriately display this information, precautions, and the necessary emergency first aid information in their product materials and labels.
Medications are the same for pets and people. We all react differently. I eat peanut butter and take penicillin without an issue (you could even say well-tolerated). For others, it would be life-threatening. So again I say to everyone: Do your research, test products first, and use your own good judgment for what is best for your pet.
Eric 10/24/06
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Thank you for your well written and informative web site. Unfortunately, I found it too late. My Golden died yesterday, two weeks after using bio-spot. She suffered seizures, she could not use her legs and,eventually she could not move at all. I took her to three vets, including a neurologist. We tried three different medications and she just kept getting worse. I didn't make a clear connection to Bio-spot until I read your site and several of the other stories. There is no denying that there had to be a connection between her sickness and the use of that poison. I have written to the EPA and will continue to follow up and write or talk to anyone else, including the vets I used, the store that I bought Bio-spot from, the company that makes it and all my friends that own animals.
Pamela 10/24/06
Wingdale, NY
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We want to relate to you what most recently happened to our family. Being unable to bear children, my husband and I have poured our lives into our dogs. This week we have one less family member due to, what we believe, was poisoning from Frontline flea and tick treatment.
We had occasionally purchased and used Frontline Top Spot from our local Petco, mostly due to convenience. In July 2006, I mentioned to my vet that we had purchased Frontline from Petco, and he just about had a cow. He said that there was no way to know what was in those after market products. He convinced us to purchase the product from him. We did, and applied it to all three of our Labs and proceeded to be proud to have stopped the fleas from attack once again.
About six weeks later, our youngest Lab (3 1/2 years), Skye, awoke in the night seizing. She had one that night, then another later that morning. Terrified, I called my vet, and after he evaluated her, he assured me that Skye was not in any danger and that some dogs are just susceptible to Idiopathic seizures. We started her on Phenobarbital as a precaution. She began on a 60mg, twice a day. A month went by without a seizure so the vet decreased the dosage to 30mg, twice a day.
We racked our brains trying to figure out what the cause of Skye's seizures were. We suspected possible food coloring poisoning from off brand dog treats, possible head trauma from her over-exuberance in chasing squirrels, and even the off chance that neighborhood kids had thrown rocks at her and connected. None of these gave us a definite feeling of being on target until we read your website. After Skye was initially treated for seizures at the end of August, she began to chew on her dogsuit, and scratch in various parts of her body, resulting in raw areas that needed to be treated with Cephlaxin, for the infection, a Cortizone shot and Chlor-Tabs, to give her relief from the itching. A week after this treatment we applied Frontline for the last time.
We did not use Frontline monthly, only when we saw signs of fleas. Eighteen days later she had a seizure, then another, then another. That was Monday, October 23. The vet increased the Phenobarbital back to 60mg, twice daily, and told me Skye would probably continue to have seizures for about 10 days until the meds could take effect. I was terrified to leave her so I stayed home from work. She had a few more Tuesday during the day. Night fell and all hell broke loose. She began seizing about every 20 minutes. These were full blown seizures, stiffening of the limbs, stopping breathing, salivating, etc. It was horrifying. She would not sleep (that seemed to trigger the onset of the seizure.) She paced, whined, howled and cried constantly (something she rarely did). We chose to get a second opinion and basically got the same advice; however, the second vet was a bit more compassionate and more accessible. The new vet started her on potassium bromide after initial bloodwork done showed no abnormal results. She continued to seize. This went on for 3 days straight.
Finally, when Skye did not even know her name, couldn't remember that she never pottied in the house and would not stop crying, I elected to have her put to sleep. I still cry for my Skye baby and now wish I had found this site a week ago. If my story will help one dog not have seizures due to Frontline usage, then telling my story is worth it. I will never use any poison product on any of my dogs again.
Thanks for having this site, even if it is too late for my Skye.
Nancy and Eric 10/31/06
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I writing you about Adams Carbaryl Flea and Tick Shampoo.
On Oct. 22 I bought a bottle of this (which I have used before) I shampooed both my dogs that evening because they had got fleas. My 9 mth old sheltie (Rose) started vomiting within 5 mins. of the getting out of the bathtub. This occured every 15 mins to 1/2 hour. Then about 2 hrs later she became very out of it and started to have tremers. When I called the vet she knew exactly that she was poisoned from the shampoo. She had us rinse her thoroughly. Then after that she started to have seizures. She had 6 before we got her to the vet office. Sadly she past away early in the morning.
The bottle's label doesn't have anything about it can cause vomiting, muscle tremors, and seizures. I learned this after reporting it to the EPA. I had called the store that I purchased it from and they made a complaint to the company. I am waiting for the company to call, which the store requires them to do.
My other dog is fine, but I will never use any product like that again.
After this I have learned alot about these products. This product is manufactured by Farnam, but the company told me it had been discontinued.
Bobbie 10/31/06
Pennsylvania
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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.
