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September 2007
I lost my dog just this past Monday morning (Aug 27,2007) at 5 am. Her name is Kimber and she was 5 y/o. My husband and I lost a baby the night before we got married and he gave me Kimber a short while later. He knew I needed someone to take care of and he was right. She was a perfect match for me. Kimber was a black Pomeranian and weighed 4 and a half pounds full grown. She thought I hung the moon. I gave her a bath on Thursday and put Hartz 4in1 flea drops on her on Friday around 6 pm. Saturday at 2 in the afternoon she started heaving and throwing up clear liquid and foam was coming out of her mouth and nose along with small seizures that kept getting worse. We don't live where there are a lot emergency vets after hours or weekends. I planned on taking her to the closest vet on Monday morning. I never got the chance. I babied her and held her the whole time she was sick. She lost control of her legs and bowels about 4 am on Monday morning and I knew she was not going to make it. I told her how sorry I was about a million times and that I loved her even more times than that. I finally told her it was ok to go, that she would be in a better place and that I would counting the days till I saw her again. She looked up at me with a scared pained look in her eyes her legs went stiff and she struggled to take another breath during this final seizure and my Kimber was gone. I can't eat I can't sleep and I feel like I have lost the baby all over again as well as the only soul who loved me no matter what. Kimber followed me everywhere even into the bathroom. I never ever had to use a leash on her. She never went more than a few feet from me. If I was in a chair she was either on my lap or under the chair. Hartz Mountian Corp has broken my heart and torn my soul in two pieces.
The EPA took my BABY.
They arranged for her to be taken from me the SAME DAY she died and I had to take her to a local vets office so they could take her to ILL State Univ. to do a necropsy and labwork to use in an investigation of Hartz. I will get her back (cremated) next week.
Rachelle 9/1/07
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Yesterday, I applied Sergeant’s Gold flea and tick squeeze-on for dogs to my dachshund Chance. A little while after I applied the treatment, he began to run around and salivate uncontrollably. I immediately washed off the medication and called an emergency vet hospital. They told me to bring him in right away. The doctor told us that he needed to stay overnight to get IV medication to flush his system out, mostly due to the Pyriproxyfen. Ironically enough, The doctor informed me that another dog came in right before us with the same exact problem due to Sergeant’s Gold flea and tick.
Chance came home today, 9/2/2007, but is having muscle spasms in his ears, that he can not stand. I don’t know if this is going to be permanent or if there is anything I can do for him. At this point I am scared to give
him anything.
Erin 9/2/07
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metaflumizone [Promeris] is a pesticide used in agriculture. this new chemical, which has not been registered by EPA, not only does this kill fleas and ticks, it is killing our pets. someone has to stop these companies from killing our dogs and cats.
Miki 9/3/07
Boonville, MO
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As i write this our cat Fred is at the vets fighting for his life and all because of this product Promeris had i researched this before i would have never given this to our cats.
Unlike some of the other symptoms listed on here the effects of this product were very suttle at first and went unnoticed. Weight lost very gradual at first loss of appetite then disorientation sleeping all the time no energy loss of balance and then very rapid weight loss. This has taken place in the last 3 weeks after giving him the flea treatment before that the only time he was ill was when he was a kitten that was 10 years ago in all that time he has never been near the vets so it seem very strange that after he was given this treatment he got so ill so quickly. He is a house cat so he has no other contact with any other animal apart from his brother who like him very rarely go beyond the back door. So the prognosis from the vet so far they have done some blood tests aids leukemia ect kidneys and all have come back clear. I did point out my concerns about this product and pointed the vet to this website. However her coments were she thinks it's highly unlikey that Promeris is the cause of Fed being taken so ill. The plus side is that she is going to contact the company and inform them that there could be a link. I will update on here as soon as I get any news. If there is a bright side to all of this and that is if Promeris protects against fleas for up to 6 weeks then Fred is half way through that so with any luck all that muck in his system is getting weaker.
Please please don't give this product to your pets. My only hope is that Fred pulls through he has been a loving compainion for the last 10 years and I am not ready to say goodbye to him yet the vet bills are massive the sence of feeling so helpless to help him is overpowering and the guilt of knowing it was me that caused his suffering is unbearable. These products in my opinion are dangerous. I have done a bit of research on the active ingediant which is METAFLUMIZONE. MY GOD IT'S LIKE A NERVE AGENT. Google it and read for yourself - it's very very nasty stuff.
Mick 9/3/07
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I have used Bio-Spot before and never thought anything about it. Not until I had to euthanize my beloved Giant Schnauzer "Chance". After applying Bio-Spot May 4th 2007 Inother Chance V Mutter Haus was humanely put to sleep to end his month-long suffering. We used BIO-SPOT on him thinking we were protecting him from ticks and fleas, little did we know we poisoned him. Chance became lethargic, loss of appetite, uncoordinated, heavy panting, high temps and multiple seizures ending in paralysis. His eye sight and all senses were impaired and he became scared and did not know what was happening. I write this with tears streaming down my face and heart breaking, he was my big puppy, my breeding, my pride & joy. Please help warn other pet owners the dangers that "Permethrin" can have on their pets. I wish I had known. Farnam Co. needs to take this off the market. Let it also be known that after I notified Farnam Co., of Chance's death they wrote a letter to me stating sorry for your loss with a check reimbursing me for the purchase price of their poison! They just proved they are a big company with no ethics or heart.
I have placed this on my web site with a link to all the others who have had losses. I hope to educate and hopefully save someone the grief and pain we have suffered.
Renee 9/3/07
Trout-Creek Ranch Tennessee Walking/Spotted Saddle horses
Vom Mutter Haus Giant Schnauzer's
Mutter's Pride American Bobtail Cats
http://www.spottedtennesseewalker.com
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I wish I would have found this sooner to save our dog from needless discomfort. We were recommended by other dog owners to use Frontline on our 5 year old Shih Tzu. We looked at the cost and decided not to purchase the product. We walked into Wal-Mart and found Sargents Gold, after reading the label comparing the product to Frontline we made the purchase. We applied the product around 2pm and ½ hour later our Cupcake's hind leg began to twitch. We observed her for a few more minutes and noticed the twitching became more severe and her skin where the product was applied was extremely red. After the severe leg twitching, we bathed her immediately. I googled the side effects and clicked on your link. I couldn't believe the stories I was reading. We immediately bathed her again using dish soap this time. We applied Avo-Derm Skin Relief spray to affected area and the redness began to disappear but the leg twitching continued. We stayed up with her until 3am until the twitching subsided. My recommendation is to stay away from this product.
Phil 9/3/07
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One of my cats, Tucker, is about a year old. Last month I gave her Frontline and don't recall any adverse reactions. With her as with my other cats, giving Frontline is a fight and they often act like they hate the smell or it's burning them. They usually run outside and later all is well. Last night Tucker was itching a lot and it had been a little over a month since her last application so I thought I'd give her another dose forgetting that my experience has been that the first application of Frontline might help but usually the second, if done in the next month or two, doesn't do squat. Poor Tucker, once I put the junk on she began running around the house, jumping on things and knocking into things. If I tried to touch her she would run from me. She was squinting and maybe drooling. I got a wet rag with soap on it and when I could, tried to wipe off the Frontline from her fur. She settled down but still would all of a sudden jump up and run away or jump onto something. She did settle down and I fell asleep and was awaken by her shaking the bed as she itched. She scratched and licked all different places on her body. I was petting her when all of a sudden she jumped straight into the air like something had bitten her. She got off the bed and jumped into places like the sink, the kitchen counter, and places that were smooth and maybe cooler. She wouldn't let me near her. She seemed to settle in a plastic lunch bag so I wondered if I should call the emergency vet but since she had been fine after the last application and I had been on an expensive emergency visit with another cat just a day before, I figured that since she seemed to be okay now that if she was still weird later in the morning that I'd call my regular vet. She did seem okay this morning but was still itching as much as or more than before the Frontline application. She did eat and then went outside. I came to work and searched the net about adverse reactions and found this site. Reading the horror stories about Bio Spot and other "medications" make me wonder if I've been a bad owner and if I'll come home to find my girl not waiting for me and never will again. I hope she's just fine, I will never use Frontline again and I will apologize to her for putting her through such an ordeal with people tuna for all!
The emergency visit with another cat may not have anything to do with Frontline but now I'm wondering. A few days ago he had a vet visit for a URI, temperature of 103. The doctor saw he had fleas and applied Frontline (no concern about putting it on a sick cat). Don didn't seem to have any adverse reactions but he had been lethargic from what I thought (and the doctor thought) was a URI. Don is now blind. The emergency vet thinks it's due to a cryptococcus fungus but I wonder if the application of Frontline on a sick cat may have something to do with it. Frontline is NOT safe, as I've found out and veterinarians should NOT be allowed to claim that it is! My friend says her cat, like mine, does not like having that crap put on her and acts like it hurts her. My friend's vet told her the cat just doesn't like having wet fur where she can't reach it. Fiprinol, the main ingredient, can cause convulsions in humans so it must also do so in other animals. And in cats, who knows what adverse reactions it can cause. Fiprinol is also highly toxic to bees and isn't there concern lately that the bee population is decreasing?
I've become very angry and upset after reading all the heartbreaking stories and wish I'd thought to check things out before just going ahead and taking the accepted opinion that these pesticides are safe for our pets.
Cathy 9/6/07
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Living in a country where mosquito protection is vital to my pets and one of the most effective treatments being the scalibor collar, when I got my new rescue dog I purchased a collar and duely put it on. Within 24 hours the dog was hyperventilating, his neck came up in a massive welt and he began to hallucinate. The collar was removed immediately and the area washed thoroughly. I continued to clean the area for the next 48 hours which had become very sore. Fortunately my dog recovered and appears to have suffered no other ill effects as far as we know. I was mortified that I had done this to my dog and slept with him for the two days while he could not rest due to the hallucinations. It was such a bad time as he is the sweetest dog and very loving. I have been desperately searching for alternative ways of protecting my pets as the more I have read about the chemicals involved in pest repellent the mre I have been horrified. We wouldnt put these things on our children so why our much loved pets? However there are very few alternatives and limited information on these. Any help from anyone out there gratefully received.
Helen 9/6/07
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I had a bad experience with frontline plus. I have 2 cats Reeses and MilkyDud. Last January they got some fleas, that I accidently picked up from our next door neighbor's pets. So I went to the Vet to see what good treatment can be used. They conned me into buying frontline plus for cats. I followed the directions exactly as written within a few minutes Reeses started vomiting clear liquid, and running like her fur was on fire, also she was hissing and wouldn't let me come near her, this lasted about 3-4 hours and finally she started acting normal. But Milkydud was another story, his kidneys were shutting down for almost 3 days he couldn't urinate, and he just kept drinking water. I took him to the Vet and they gave me the old a deer in the headlight look. They swore that frontline plus wasn't the cause (bullcrap), and there wasn't nothing they can do, and MilkyDud would probably die. So I came home I held MilkyDud in my arms (I wasn't about to give up, I lost my wife to cancer and these 2 are my family) I search the web for answers. I found a site about Apple Cider Vinegar (God's own miracle medicine). After thoroughly reading it. I gave MilkyDud full strength ACV. I soak a cotton ball with ACV then let it dribble on his lips, while he was licking it. Well in about 2 hours he was urinating, and he is still with me to this day. The solution for flea control is one drop of apple cider vinegar from a eye dropper into their bowl of water it seems to work. The question a pet owner has to ask themselves is "If you're not willing to put these pesticides (chemicals) on yourself, then why are you putting it on your pet?"
Dan 9/8/07
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Thank you so much for your posts. I had two very sick nine year old dogs last night after treating them with Sentry Pro XFC. We have used the Sentry Natural and Frontline Plus in the past with no problems. It was a restless night and very scary for all of us. My larger dog had no reaction, but I am watching him closely. If not for your advice, we would have been at the vets office all night. My dogs symptoms were restlessness, excessive drooling and vomiting. Thanks a million and the rest of the medicine is going in the trash immediately.
Anonymous 9/11/07
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We used this product [Bio Spot] for the first time this morning on my 9-month old normal, healthy, active puppy. (I have successfully used Frontline on him.) Within minutes, he was rolling his head on the floor and started 'digging' at our kitchen rug (which he has NEVER done since we got him.) My husband suggested that perhaps the product was making him itch. However, he later got a glaze over his eyes just laid on the couch staring into the air. His typical behavior in the morning it to frolick around for a few hours, playing with his toys. I hurried to the web to look up this product. I found your site and a few other accounts and then rushed to wash the stuff off him.
He was a shelter dog and is afraid of baths, however, this time he was freaked out by the whole process. When I first ran the water down his back, he yipped like he was in horrible pain, as if he was scalded. I was afraid that the water was too warm, but checked it, and it was absolutely cold.
It's now hours later and he is sleeping and seems to be getting back to normal. I am terrified of the long-term effect this episode may have on him.
I was angered when I read a previous comment by someone who has had no problem with the product, and who said that there must be something wrong with the dogs affected. I've had my puppy for 4 months. I am religious about getting my dogs to the vet. He has had his wellness exam and he is perfectly normal and active.
This reaction was certainly caused by the application of this medication, as he reacted to it within minutes!
Mariellen 9/12/07
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I thought Frontline Plus would be a good choice. But my 2 yr old, 95 lb akita had a reaction a couple of days ago. I immediately showered that crap off her back. Thank god, she's doing fine thus far. I'm ordering this from a holistic vet:
Here are the detox tabs:
Also Goji Juice:
I will only do holistic ANYTHING. Even vaccines. I trust NO ONE, NO COMPANY, NO PET FOOD.
Nikita has been on organic food only (Newmans Own Dog Food) and bottled water and she is so healthy that people stop and say, wow you dog looks so good. I'll put up a video on my YouTube.com/L2Design
Google: Pets in Pet Food (you'll be horrified)
I tell everyone in PetSmart. Pass it on!
Lisette 09/13/07
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After using sentry pro xfc and sargents, my dogs had adverse reactions and cost hundreds of dollars in vet bills. I was wondering if you could tell me whether or not Frontline was any different or if I should just skip the chemicals all together. I dont want my dogs to suffer in any way so whats the best option?
Ash 9/13/07
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I have 2 sibling Labs that are 2 years old. The male is 75 lbs and the female is 60 lbs. We bought 2 boxes of the Sentry XFC Pro. One for dogs 40 to 60 lbs for the female and one for dogs 61 lbs and up for the male. These were applied as directed and the right type for each. About 1 hour later, the female was licking her brother's ears (as she always does). About 20 minutes after that, she started licking her chops a lot and acting very hyper. She seemed to have the hiccups and shake her head a lot. A few minutes later, she began stumbling and biting and licking at herself as if some phantom bugs were on and around her. Her legs were trembling and she was panting a lot. She then vomited a ton of grass and liquid. So off to the emergency vet we went. They told me that they see a lot of the same reactions from the supermarket type flea medicines and she had a severe toxic reaction to it. They kept her overnight and gave her charcoal, induced vomiting, gave her sedatives, bathed her, and hydrated her. By the way, it cost over $600.00. The next morning she was just fine. I brought her home and she went right for her water dish. She was parched, but was acting normal.
I bathed the male dog to get that CRAP off him and thought everything would be fine. The following day, (today) the female began licking the male's ears again. At first I didn't think anything of it as I have grown so used to that disgusting sound. Then about 20 minutes later, the female started to exhibit the same symptoms again but not nearly as severe. It started out the exact same way. She did the hiccupping, licking and biting, and acting a bit hyper. I watched her carefully and got her to drink some water. If she got to the point of the motor skill difficulties, I was going to take her back to the vet. She never got to that point recovered fully within about 30 minutes. There must have been some left coming out of the male dog's pores and ingested it when she licked his ears. This stuff is really bad and I will never use it again. The male dog never had any symptoms by the way. Also, neither dog has ever had a bad reaction to Frontline.
Charles 9/14/07
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I just stumbled across your website googling ANYTHING to help my dog! He is a 3 yr old mini-daschund whom I gave the SERGEANT'S GOLD Flea and Tick Squeeze on for dogs 9-20 pounds. Ever since he has been drooling uncontrollably, persistantly licking/biting his paws and seizing/scratching at his ears. I also believe he is running a fever and seems to be twitching/seizing in his back legs. This has been going on for about 5 hours and I have bathed him in dish soap which is seeming to somewhat help although his symptoms are still continuing. DO NOT EVER USE THIS PRODUCT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These people ought to be pulled off every shelf from the stores (Wal-Mart is where I purchased mine) and their lack of knowledge and help on this product should have them sued!! If he is not better in a few hours I am going to take him to the emergency vet and I will update and let you know how he turns out. Thank you so much for your website and I hope we can all reach out and let everyone know how disgusting this company and their product is!!!!
Mandy 9-15-07
PS-Please publish this on your website!
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I had a trying am this morning. Our dog Spunky nearly died today. I put this flea stuff on him called Bio Spot. I had bought a groomer pack of it. He starting vomiting yesterday and he had diarrhea. Last night he started acting lethargic and was growling at me. He just didn't seem himself. Hubby noticed it. We went to bed and Spunky was up all night. He kept shaking like seizures and trying to get something out of his throat that wasn't there. His eyes were so droopy also. I went and researched if it could be the flea stuff and I saw your site.
I called the vet and they said he was having a toxic reaction to the Bio Spot - the insecticide in it was in his bloodstream the vet said. We took him right in and she checked him out and he did have a toxicity to the product. She told us how dangerous this product is. I was told to call the company and report it along with the EPA. She gave him some meds though the IV. He is still out of it this afternoon.
I called the company the lady took the info then asked if I wanted to file with the ASPCA also. I told her yes and I was put on hold. I get some Vet from there side telling me that their product cannot do this only if applied on a cat. He tried to tell me my dog ate a mushroom or something I told him we don't have those in our yard so he said he must of ate my house plant. I told him we don't own house plants and we keep the house puppy proofed. Told me the vet needs to do more tests and call him because it isn't the product. After he gave me his info I hung up on him. What a jerk my dog almost died!!! Reaction and the vet said he could have died.
I can't believe this stuff is still on the shelf
Chrissy and Spunky 9/17/07
It has been a few days since I posted about Spunky our Puggle. He continues to have seizures. I talked to the ASPCA today they told me to take him back to the vet tomorrow and for the vet to call them about a treatment plan. It is so hard watching him sleep at night his breathing has become so rapid when relaxed and when he has his seizures he tries to put his paw down his throat. His bottom jaw just tremors..I don't understand why pet owners have to go though this. These are our furry children. They deserve the same safety guidelines as our own human kids. I have spent the past few days awake unable to sleep. My tears feel endless at this point. He is holding on and we are holding on to him. He wants to be carried about the house now like a little toddler. He won't leave my side. Doesn't want to be out with the other dogs. I know he is scared. I am scared for him. I just wanted to give you an update. I have been spreading the word. Workers at Petco wish they didn't sell stuff either. Why can they continue to allow this. Where are the tighter regulations?
Chrissy and Spunky 9/22/07
They tested his blood we are waiting to see if he has kidney failure. It didn't get washed off until a day or two after. I am going to be so sick.
The vet at the ASPCA told my vet that it isn't the bio spot, she said he read some crap to him. But what helped was I brought in a report on what it does to cats. She said she had no doubt biospot is doing this to him. I called Farnam they refer me to the ASPCA so I am going to write the company a letter and send the vet bills. If he has kidney failure we are in trouble.. we don't have the funds to treat it.....
Spunky is 16lbs and he is a Puggle 3 years old. They put him on Phenobarbital for his seizures. And the lab work will be back tomorrow.
I will post what happens. They gave him fluids again also.
Chrissy 9/22/07
When Farnam referred you to the ASPCA, I assume it was the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. Did the ASPCA charge you for speaking with them? I heard they charge $55. for a consultation fee, however, there is no charge when the call involves a product covered by the ASPCA Animal Product Safety Service - a service PAID FOR by the product manufacturer.
How is it possible for the ASPCA vet to know, without even examining your dog, that he was not poisoned by Bio Spot? I do not know if Farnam is a corporate sponsor of the ASPCA, or if Bio Spot is covered by the ASPCA's Animal Product Safety Service, but if that's the case, having the ASPCA's Poison Control Center sit in judgment of Farnam's products represents a conflict of interest.
Here's a link to the ASPCA's website regarding their corporate sponsor program:
James TerBush
P.S. I just called the ASPCA's Poison Control Center and learned that Bio Spot is covered by their Animal Product Safety Service. I was also informed by one of their veterinarians that permethrin-based flea control products (such as Bio Spot) are very safe for dogs and they have NEVER received any reports of severe adverse reactions (such as seizures) in dogs from these products.
It's very troubling to know that the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, which prides itself on being "the premier animal poison control center in North America" and "your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency," is advising people that flea control products do not cause severe adverse reactions in dogs. It's even more troubling to know that several product manufacturers are paying them to do it.
I just wanted to give you an update to Spunky, He still has seizures from the bio spot every now and then. The ASPCA is no help they keep denying that these products can do anything to our animals. Thank goodness that some vets know better.
He still also has that bad breath that smells just rancid. I work on him with reiki a lot it helps him. Otherwise he still does have lasting after effects.
Chrissy Mom to Spunky almost died 9/17
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My cats had a reaction to bio spot for cats. It has eaten away the skin where it was applied. They had scabs all over their necks because of it. This product needs to be off the shelves.
And yesterday my sister dog almost died from a reaction it had to bio spot for dogs. It was vomiting and having seizures and they took it to the vet and they told us that biospot was toxic for animals!!
Carrie 9/17/07
Cleveland,OH
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I used the [Bio Spot for Cats] wipes on my two cats last week, within a day both had reactions to Bio Spot. Both were drooling, foaming from the mouth and vomiting. They are ok now, but what if I had used the actual medicine instead of the medicated wipes?
Christine 9/17/07
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Last month I applied Frontline to all three of my dogs: a seven year old Silky Terrier, a seven year old Skye Terrier and a 13-1/2 year old Skye Terrier. Not only were the ticks not controlled, the older Skye Terrier began exhibiting muscle weakness. Within a week he was having full-blown seizures. I took him to the vet who recommended Advantix for the ticks (which I bought and applied) and they did a complete blood work-up. His liver function was poor and a few days later a fasting liver function test was done and revealed very high bile acids. By now the dog was having four major seizures a day and could barely walk.
We washed the dog thoroughly and put him on 175 mg. of Milkthistle twice a day and 250 mg. of Sam-E (both from the health food store). With the first dose the seizures stopped. It has been six days, he has not had a single seizure, his appetite is great and his mobility is restored. The Vet agreed that both of these remedies support liver function. We have canceled the further tests that the vet recommended. Our old guy is doing just fine I have no doubt that the Frontline/Advantix poisoned him causing neurological and liver problems. Now I will give them the manufacturers the $650 bill for the vet visits and blood work.
These pesticides are not safe for older dogs and probably not safe for any pet.
Anonymous 9/18/07
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I just read your story tonight, 18 days after putting Bio Spot on my beloved Oscar the cat. He's OK, thank God, which may be due to me feeding him liquid zeolite, a great chelator of toxins. He didn't have a seizure, but did seem to lose some control of his hind legs. Every day he looks a bit better, though the fleas aren't gone yet. Liquidzeolitecompany.com sells it, and I'm taking it as well. It is a cancer fighter and hopefully will prevent any further damage to my little guy.
I hope all is well with you and your furry friends,
Elissa 9/18/07
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I am writing to warn everyone about Sergeant's Gold Flea & Tick Squeeze on for Dogs 9-20 pounds. Like a lot of people here, our beloved Copper started foaming about the mouth, having twitches of the hind quarters, was listless, and not taking water about 3 hours after being treated. Copper is a Puggle, a half Beagle, half Pug mix. He is our pride and joy. My girlfriend and I noticed that he had been trying to get our attention more than normal while we were eating dinner. Then, about 20 minutes later, all the symptoms seem to come on. I got on Google straight away and came across this site. Thank God I did. We bathed Copper with the Dawn soap we have for his baths and within an hour he started to improve. I got him to take in a bit of water and then I took him outside. Once he hit that outside air, he perked right up. We walked around the complex for a bit, then had a little jog. I wanted to get him thirsty so he would drink as he was acting like himself again. This worked like a charm! As soon as we got back in the house, he gulped down some water and even had a bite to eat of his kibble! He is sleeping on the couch now with his blanket and I will be staying up for a bit to keep an eye on him. He seems much better however. Thank you so much for this site and thanks to all that have posted! Your help saved our precious pet! To be honest, I was probably more scared than my girlfriend was, I just hide it better. I just couldn't have stood losing my "little buddy".
STAY AWAY FROM PRODUCTS SUCH AS THESE! THEY WILL KILL YOUR PET!!
I have already contacted the Sergeant's Emergency line and they have my contact info. They instructed me to contact the Customer Care line during normal business hours if I wished to "discuss" anything as far as having the product removed. I want to make this point clear: Not at any time did the gentleman on the phone say that this was not caused by their product. He fully understood what was going on, gave me good instructions on how to take care of it (Dawn bath, water from eye dropper if I had to), and was very forthcoming with contact info for the business office. He made it clear that his priority was to and I quote "Get your pet back to normal and feeling better". Tomorrow I will be returning the unused product to the store for a refund and contacting the Customer Care line. It may not get me anywhere, but they will know how I feel about this product and that I am telling everyone I know not to buy it.
Once again thank you for running this site and thanks to all that have posted.
David 9/18/07
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Thank God for your website. At 4 am I was researching pesticide poisoning and found your site. I have used Hartz on my pomeranian for years and experienced no problems with it. However yesterday the store was out of it and I bought Sargent's Silver Flea Drops. I put it on my little dog about 7 pm. About midnight he woke me up barking. I thought he had to go out or wanted water (sometimes he does this in the middle of the night). To my horror, I turned on the light to find him pacing throughout my apartment, panting and non stop barking. Occasionally he would lay down to try to rest, only to jump up again and start pacing everywhere and barking. He would bark at the door, the wall, etc. I believe he was hallucinating. He was scratching at the closet door and barking. It was terrible, I felt so helpless. It dawned on me it had to be from the flea drops and he was poisoned. I got online and found your website (again thank God) and immediately gave him a bath with Dawn. He seemed a little better for awhile and it all started again. I gave him another bath. I called Sargent's Hotline and was advised to give him a bath in Dawn and advised not to use their product again. NO KIDDING. I was told the symptoms should be gone within 48 hours. I had to go to work, I work in a small establishment and if I didn't go in today I would have risked being fired. So I left out bowls of water and was on pins and needles all day worrying. When I got home he seemed a better but was so hoarse from barking non stop all night (& probably part of the day) his bark is no more than a squeek. It's pitiful. He started the pacing again (but not as bad) and I gave him 2 more baths with the Dawn. He calmed down, ate his food and has been asleep ever since. I keep checking him. Why aren't these products taken off the market? I wonder why some pets are effected and some aren't? I've used flea products on all my pets in the past and never experienced this. I do remember about 25 years ago my dog seemed sick after putting a Sargent's flea collar on him and I took it off. But nothing like this. My poor little guy seemed to be hallucinating. I can just hope when he wakes up tomorrow morning all of this will be gone. This can posted to your site.
Thank you again for the information on your site.
Vicki 9/18/07
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I found your email on the internet as I have two Shih-Tzus that are having reactions to K9 Advantix.
My male and female are both six years old and I have always used Frontline or Frontline plus since they were puppies. They seemed to become immune to the stuff so I switch to K9 Advantix.
Bad mistake. In as few as a couple of hours, my female Suzie, started acting very lethargic and having tremors. My male is whining and barking at his back side. Neither of them act like they can walk right.
Please let me know what I can do for them besides bathing them in Dawn Detergent?
Desperate,
Kathie 9/19/07
Thanks for your reply. I went to GNC and purchased Milk Thistle capsules and activated charcoal. Didn't know what else to do. The area I live in has about 6 different Vets and they have all told me it is not from K9 Advantix. So I am on my own with this. I most definitely will contact Bayer and the environmental agencies. Will keep you posted of their progress.
Kathie 9/19/07
It's a shame that most vets are not willing to admit that vet-prescribed flea and tick control products have the potential to poison pets. If you had told those vets that you had used Bio Spot instead of K9 Advantix, they would have told you to bring your dogs in immediately and they would have started treating them for pesticide poisoning. K9 Advantix contains the same pesticide, and the same percentage, as Bio Spot. If Bio Spot has the potential to cause lethargy and tremors, so does K9 Advantix.
James TerBush
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I have had my loving cat for over four years now. His name is Boomer and has the markings of a Siamese Cat, But he is white. Boo is a big boy, I figure that's one of the things that saved his life. On Sunday September 16, 2007, my husband and i were headed to RKO to pick up some items for our animals. Before we left the house at 10:00, I put Bio spot on Boo between his shoulder blades and we left. We returned home around 11:30 to find my cat with his head hanging down and walking very slow. He was meowing alot and he kept blinking his eyes. I thought he got something in his eyes. I got a wet towel and rubbed his face off but he continued to blink his eyes. My son went to get an eye dropper with water in it and we flushed out his eyes. That is when I noticed how dilated his eyes were and smelled the strong odor of the flea medicine. I figured it was burning his eyes, so we went to downstairs to give him a bath in the sink. He is a very relaxed cat, and does not mind us bathing him. So when he started shaking really bad, I realized he was much worse than I thought. I picked him up and put him in a towel and sat on the couch holding him to my chest. Now he was starting to have convulsions. I ran him upstairs to my husband and told him that Boo was dying. We called our Vet at home and explained what had happened. Right away he asked which type of Flea Medicine we used. When we told him Bio Spot, he said he would meet us at the office ASAP. By this time, I gave Boo to my 16 year old son because I couldn't handle watching my cat having severe convulsions and foaming at the mouth. Really, I didn't want to watch him DIE!!! My husband and my son both ran to the car with Boo to visit the Vet. I stayed Home, awaiting some sort of good news from my husband. When I finally heard from him, he said Boo was doing a little better and the convulsions were not as violent. He also told me that I probably helped save his life by bathing him. The first night Boo was at the animal hospital, the Vet said he worked on him for 6 hours before Boo started to show some improvement, but was still having convulsions. Monday 9-17, I called to see how Boo was doing, hoping to bring him home, still his progress was not as improved as the Vet wanted him to be. He said that Boo had not eaten, was still not able to stand and was very weak. 3 days in the hospital for an animal seems extreme, but according to the Vet, Boo was lucky to haved lived through this. This cost us $500.00. A far cry from saving a few dollars on flea medicine. Boo is home, he is very weak, but doing well. He started eating as soon as I brought him home Tuesday, Sept 18th. Now, I will do eveything possible to let people know about the dangers of using pesticides on any living creature.
Cyndie 9/19/07
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I live in the uk and have just found your site but its too late for my 4yr old german shepherd sabre as i had to have him put down on the 24th august after having loads of fits i first used frontline in april and he had a few fits he had his second dose in june and had more fits so i stopped using frontline on him but used it on my pups as he was the dad of 6 great pups i kept him away from them for 24 hours but i guess it didn't help as within 24 hours of being near my bitch and her pups he started having mild fits again but on friday the 24th he had a few minor fits then went on to have a few really big fits while waiting to see the vet he had another fit in my car and did not recover from it he was so flat lieing on the vets table and i did not want him to suffer so i had him put to sleep do you know who i need to contact in england i have been in contact with frontline and they are talking to my vet but i'm very angry after reading your site that nothing has been done already and sabre did not need to die
Eithna 9/19/07
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Earlier this week I unfortunately purchased Sentry Pro XFC, after only 45 minutes of application (today) one of my Rot/Shephard mix puppies started acting very funny and was gaging and pacing uncontrolably. She was also drooling all over the place. I gave both of them a bath immediately for 20 min. and gave them some tuna (which the 800 number told me would help). That didn't seem to do much but make her breath stink. I got onto a few websites and found yours also. The amount of people having the same problems or worse was astonishing. People have reported gaging, projectile vomiting, seizures and even DEATH! Thank you for your site, I just wish that I would have researched this before I put this HORRIBLE product on my beloved puppies. E-mail me if you would like any more information or if you have any information for me for that matter. I have already sent out a few other e-mails one to the mfgr. Sergeants, one to a vet that has a site and one to the national pesticude informational company expressing my dissapointment, concerns and anger regarding this terrible product that is put on our shelves and fooling us by their advertising.
Mark 9/19/07
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It's good to see there are plenty of websites out there trying to enlighten people as to the dangers of certain flea treatments. Two things make me crazy: 1) the makers of store-bought flea products who must KNOW how dangerous their products are but don't care and 2) when people lump all 'spot ons' in to the same category. NEVER compare Frontline to the likes of Biospot, Bob Martin, Hartz or any of the other random pesticides sold in stores!
The sad truth is that organo-phosphate based products are still classed as pesticides, which currently means they are not regulated at all. Veterinary-available flea-products are medicines, which is why they are regulated. This results in the ironic fact that the dangerous stuff is what anyone can buy from a store, and the safe stuff is what you need a prescription to get! It's probably the largest and most blatant madness I deal with in my job.
Stay away from any store-bought flea products. Permethrin is poison, I've seen the deaths myself. But please remember that veterinary products are not to be put in the same category!!!
Julia, VN, 9/20/07
England
Flea control products that are purchased through vets in England may be regulated like medicines, but they are still pesticides. In the U.S., most vet-prescribed flea control products (Frontline, Advantage, K9 Advantix, ProMeris) are regulated by the EPA (just like bug sprays and rat poison). They are NOT regulated by the FDA (which regulates veterinary drugs).
Pesticides are poison. They are potentially harmful if they come in contact with your skin. If the package warns not to get it on your skin, why would you put it on your dog or cat?
James TerBush
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Hi julia the vet flea treatments are no better than the store ones if you read what i wrote i used frontline that i got from my vet in sussex england and my once bouncy playful 4yr old german shepherd who had fathered a litter of pedigree pups only 10 weeks before became very ill having seizure after seizure when before i used frontline he had never had a fit in his life i spoke to the breeder that i got him from and neither his mum or dad or grandad had every had fits and she had all 3 of them so i feel that frontline are negligent for not putting a warning on their packaging after this being reported to them since 2002 so my loving great teddy bear died for nothing he was so full of life and frontline took that away from him and his little son that i have kept lost the chance to grow up with his dad i would love to have the money to take frontline to court and drag their name though the mud as i hold them responsible for my loss and to make matters worse we lost him the day before our fifth wedding anniversery so i will never enjoy that day again i will be telling everyone i know that has a pet not to use frontline as they are killers of our pets and know they are doing it but will do nothing to change it
Eithna 9/21/07
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DeFlea Is No Panacea -
In avoiding products like Frontline and Bio-Spot, pet owners might be tempted to buy DeFlea, a spray that is made by "Natural Chemistry". A salesperson at PetSmart turned me on to it. However, pet owners need to know that the active property in DeFlea is a laxative. Both my Bishon and my Lhasa suffered with diarrhea for weeks after the initial application. This is the response I got when I wrote the company:
Hi thank you for your email. All our labels are regulated by EPA, so we are not able to add or remove anything from our labels due to EPA regulations. So possible side effects is not one of the regulations EPA has regulated for our labels, do to the non-toxicity of our products. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to email me or call 1-800-753-1233.
It looks like the EPA needs to get on the job here. Meanwhile, does anyone know of another remedy. I'm already using yeast tablets, but the fleas still show up on their coats.
Thanks for allowing me to share this.
Maureen 9/25/07
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AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FLEA SEASON, I ORDERED BIOSPOT FOR MY 3 CATS FROM DR'S FOSTER AND SMITH. AFTER THE SECOND APPLICATION, THEY GOT A BALD SPOT ON THE AREA THAT I APPLIED IT TO. THEN THEY STARTED TO STRETCH THEIR BACK LEG OUT AND STARTED TO SHAKE IT LIKE THEY STEPPED IN WATER. THEY HAD SOME VOMITING ALSO. I WASHED IT OFF THE BEST I COULD AND NOW I USE SERGENTS WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. I CAME UPON THESE MESSAGES WHILE I WAS LOOKING FOR INFO ABOUT MY ST BERNARD AND HIS HEAVY PANTING. I WISH I WOULD HAVE SEEN THIS PRIOR TO ORDERING THE BIOSPOT FOR MY CATS. MY DOGS ARE ON K-9 ADVANTIX AND WE CAME FROM THE VET TODAY BECAUSE OF HIS HEAVY PANTING, MORE SO THAN USUAL. WE HAVE THE AC ON 70 DEGREES AND HE STILL IS PANTING AND AT NIGHT IT IS 50 DEGRESS OUTSIDE AND HE STILL IS PANTING HEAVY. MAYBE IT'S THE FLEA TREATMENT? WHICH I DID NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT THAT MIGHT BE THE CAUSE. HE IS ALSO ON HEARTGARD AND HAS BEEN FOR 6 YRS. THE OTHER DOG IS FINE.
DARCI 9/25/07
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I used the Sergeant's Gold on my two Boston Terriers and while they did not start the panting and drooling they did start to itch like crazy and then I noticed bumps on their backs right at the shoulders and made an appointment for the vet by the next day they had turned into oozing sores and their hair began to fall out. I contacted Sergeants and they are going to test what is left of the batch I used on my dogs and I am hoping they will reimburse me for some of my vet bills from this whole fiasco. Thank you for putting sights like this up so more people can become aware of the dangers of these flea medicines.
Anonymous 9/26/07
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As hard as my heart aches right now, I'd like to first Thank You for continuing to maintain this website, which is where I first leaned about the adverse effects of biospot. About a year ago, I bought Biospot for my two Peke's from Drs. Foster & Smith online. I Google'd up Biospot, just to be on the safe side, and learned, thru numerous sites that there were apparent issues with the product. Being somewhat concerned, I knew to watch the dogs after initial application. Both were fine, and never showed any ill effects from the dosage. Fast forward a year. Two days ago, my wife gave Kia & Bella their somewhat regular dose of Biospot.
As I type this, Bella is under emergency care at the local Vet's office. She was to undergo a blood transfusion tonight with an immediate catheter in place. My wife came home from work today to find her laying in the floor lethargic and very unresponsive to any stimuli. Her breakfast dish had not been touched, her morning treat was still in its' place on the sofa and the puppy pad was a bright yellow/orange hue. She phoned me in a panic and I told her to put Bella in the car and take her to the Vet IMMEDIATELY. By the time I got there, the Vet (Dr. Bruce Crull) had diagnosed her with IMHA. He noted the overwhelming yellow tinge to her belly and her lethargy and processed blood work immediately. Her PCV is a 9 when it should be more than 30. He was very clear in the fact that this is a very bad case of IMHA and advised that we should consider a blood transfusion. We instructed him to do whatever it took to treat Bella. She is at the Vet now, alone and in a cage, without her sister, Kia, and not to mention without my wife and I. My wife is frantic and my trying to console and reason with her is of little good. I'm not sure what's worse, knowing how dire this diagnoses is, or not knowing what poor Bella is feeling/going thru right now all be herself...
I have been looking at numerous sites trying to find positive results from dogs diagnosed with IMHA, but the responses thus far are very dismal, so I've stopped looking for the night. While I can't prove that the IMHA is a direct result of the Biospot, I will always hold in my heart that it IS the reason our poor Bella is where she is right now. If this post does nothing more, I hope that it will stop ONE person from applying this product, or any like it, to their beloved pet! We did not notice any strange behavior at all until this evening when my wife got home from work. Bella did vomit once yesterday and again this morning very early in the AM, but I attributed this to the fact that she has vomited every once in a while because she eats so fast and doesn't seem to chew half her food. I wish I would have thought more about what might have been going on this morning. Perhaps they would have been able to begin treatment quicker which could have slown down the aggressiveness of the red blood cell destruction....
Thank you again for your site and folks - FOLKS - PLEASE REFRAIN FROM USING BIOSPOT OR ANY PRODUCT OF THE LIKE ON YOUR PET.... It is my sincere hope that this will prevent at least ONE pet from suffering like our poor Bella is.. :(
Jason 9/26/07
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to Jason......Jason, your Bella has had a reaction to the pesticides in biospot. She will need a transfusion, perhaps more than one. But, please do not loose hope. Unfortunately, you will be fighting a lengthy battle. I know because my Choe also after two days following a treatment of Frontline experienced the same symptoms. He is still battling the condition one year later but fortunately he is improving. It has taken quite a long time to see improvement. You may want to talk to your vet about bringing Bella to a teaching hospital asap. Many regular vets are not as familiar with the treatment protocol and they are not able to transfuse in their office. With a pcv of 9 she will need to be monitored by a teaching hospital staff. She may need more than one transfusion. Here is a website where visitors log on whose pets are suffering from IMHA. You might find it helpful. They all have gone through what you are experiencing. I wish you the very best. Please keep us posted.
Jan 9/29/07
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James:
Thank you so much for passing this [above message from Jan] along to me..
Bella is laying beside me on the couch right now, knocked out. Her PCV is up to 26 and her yellow tinge is fading away. We were able to bring her home as opposed to paying a vet tech $750 to stay with her at the vet's office from Sat 2pm to Sunday 7am. Bella is still very weak, as would be expected after such a severe reaction, but she is alert enough to begin to roll over as if she wants her belly rubbed and she is doing her famous 'paw batting' when you stop rubbing/petting her. It's like she's trying to reach out and 'bat' at you to get your attn so you'll keep rubbing. She's done this since she was a puppy and I'm glad to see that she's cognizant enough to do so. I'm still a bit worried because she doesn't have much of an appetite, but she has eaten a few tiny bites of boiled chicken. Her breathing is still heavy, but Dr. Bruce said to expect this for a few more days. He is pleased with her progress and feels like she is going to continue to feel better and better with each passing day.
Out of all the cases of IMHA that he has diagnosed and treated, and he says there have been quite a few, Bella was the worst, so I' grateful that my wife got home when she did and she called me right away.. I'm also very thankful that Dr Bruce Crull was the Emgy vet who handled her treatment Wed night. He's also treated our other Peke, Kia. He recently diagnosed her with a resistant strain of e-coli bacterial infection in her bladder. She's been urinating in the house for several weeks, but she's also had three bouts with bladder stones since she was 2 years old... in addition to having ruptured a disc from jumping off the sofa...
Bella actually just stood up on the couch beside me, as if she wanted down so we went outside for a little potty break.. She wanted to go lay in bed with my wife, so I put her in the bed with her and she laid right down and got comfy.
Things are looking up, but she's still in rough shape. Thanks to all the readers who have put her in your thoughts and prayers... she surely needed them.
Jason 9/29/07
James (and everyone else):
I wanted to let you all know that Bella had to have another transfusion yesterday morning. On Wed night she became very unstable, not able to hold herself up and breathing heavily. To make a long story short, her PCV count dropped from a high of 18% back down to 6%. Her reticulated (sp?) count was also very low which means she was not, and still is not, reproducing her own red blood cells. She has no appetite and is being 'force fed' to some degree. Our regular vet has been really good about keeping me up to speed with what's going on, as I've been out of town for the last 6 days.
I flew back into town today and immediately went to the vet's office to pick her up. (she's been day tripping at the vet for monitoring all week) I noted right away that she was more alert and she began licking me and giving kisses right away, which she has not done up to the point, at least to this degree.
Her appetite seems to be coming back. She ate a handful of boiled chicken that was pulled into tiny pieces and some steak that my mother in law made for her last night. Oh, and when we got home today, she saw one of her treats on the floor.. she went right over to it, picked it up, walked off and hid it, like she always does. She looks more alert, is drinking PLENTY of water (mixed with pedialyte) and still seems to have an appetite, which I'm happy about.
The true test will come on Monday, when she goes back in for more bloodwork. I'm praying that her PCV is up beyond 25 and that her reticulated count is up in the teens. If her counts are still low, Dr. Crull wants to do a bone marrow aspirate. From what I gather, this is a very painful procedure, but it will allow them to identify any underlying issues that may be present that are preventing Bella from reproducing red blood cells. He mentioned cancer, which I do not believe to be the case, and some other possibilities that I don't recall the names of. Please say a prayer for my Bella in hopes that her counts begin to climb after this last transfusion of spun blood on 10-5-07.
Jason 10/5/07
James-
Wanted to give a brief update on Bella.
It's been one month now since my wife found her on the floor, unresponsive, extremely jaundiced and closer to death than we ever possibly could have imagined. An emergency trip to the Vet yeilded that Bella had AIHA, also known as IMHA.. and the prognosis was not good.
She's had TWO transfusions, a daily dose of 20mg of Prednisone, Iron Pills (for the first week), 12.5mg of Azathioprine daily, and 6ml of Famotidine daily since her initial visit. Her blood counts (PCV & Reticulites) have varied WILDLY from 4 % PCV with NO retic's to her current 33% PCV and 7 to 7.5% retic counts. Her appetite is DEFINITELY back and she's regained the 4 lbs she lost the first two weeks. Her attitude is much better.. She's back to walking around with her tail UP and [arading into the kitchen ANY time she hears the 'fridge open, a bag crinkle, or a cabinet door opened!
We are down to one blood test weekly and just today the Vet, Dr. Bruce Crull, at Murrells Inlet Vet. Hospital, backed her dosage of Prednisone down to 15mg/day. I hope that we have reached that critical 'turning point' where Bella is now holding her own and is able to produce the red blood cells that her body needs. Weekly blood checks will determine whether or not our hopes prove to be true.
I have attached a small picture of her which was taken the other day while we were headed to the Vet for blood work..
Thank you again for your diligence in maintaining this website. I am SURE that your efforts to educate via this medium has saved numerous pets in addition to educating their thousands of pet owners about the dangers of the neuro toxins found in Biospot, K9 Advantix, Advantage, Hartz products, Revolution and drugs of the like.
Thank you again! More updates to follow.
Jason 10/31/07
Hi James:
I wanted to give an update to Bella's condition as of 1-15-08.
Her PCV has fluctuated from the mid 20's to a somewhat steady 33% for the last few checks. Her retic count has also seemingly held steady over the same past visits. It is now at 4.2%. Still, neither are where we WANT them, but they are holding steady, which is a great sign. She has gained about 4 lbs from the Prednisone, but at least her dosage has been backed down to 5mg 1x daily. She is still on a minimal dosage of azithioprine as well. She's not panting nearly as bad as she was weeks ago, and she's more alert now also. She isn't herself, per say, but she's a LOT better than she was two months ago. Keep in mind that she was diagnosed Sept 28th 2007! I have learned that this AIHA/IMHA has a L-O-N-G drawn out recovery process for most dogs. We're just happy that Bella is still with us. Her sister Kia is just as happy as we are.. :)
More updates to come as time goes by...
Jason 1/16/08
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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.
