Message Board
Search
October 2009
My 3 year old yorkie had a full blown seizure 30 minutes after an application of Advantage. She couldn't walk and was drooling from the mouth. I grabbed her and washed her off with Dawn dish washing liquid. She was shaking afterwards for about
an hour, but appears to be ok now. I contacted my vet, who declines to admit that the
flea medication would be the problem. I contacted 3 other vets who also said that Advantage would not create this kind of reaction. I contacted Advantage for a refund
and told them to send a letter to the EPA and let them know that my dog was poisoned by their product. I also sent a copy of my letter to the EPA. Advantage contacted me
and said they would respond to the EPA regarding this poisoning. My question is, why don't vet's agree that flea medication can poison your pet? After all it is a pesticide application going directly into your pets blood stream. Surely it's not all about the money!
Lanelle 10/6/09
***************************************************************************************
Here's e-mail I received from Hartz's legal department. It's just one in a long line of letters Hartz has sent to those that are expressing their views regarding the dangers
of pesticide products. They've sent similar letters from their legal department to
Beyond Pesticides, the Miami Herald, individual journalists and now private citizens.
The Daily Journal and The Center for Public Integrity have recently received "open letters" from Dr. Marta Draper, vice-president of Research and Development, challenging their reporting and implying further action if letters from Hartz are not
made public and retractions made by the reporting organizations. These are just a handful of examples--there are more. It works -- Dr. Patty Khuly felt she had to write a public apology on her blog for the Miami Herald after the newspaper received letters from Hartz's legal department.
Anonymous 10/7/09
----- Original Message -----
From: WFornshell@hartz.com
To: [deleted]
Sent: [deleted]
Subject: [deleted]
Dear [deleted]:
The record is plain that Hartz has undertaken extraordinary efforts to evaluate your
case, based on facts and science. Despite these efforts, you chose to participate in [deleted] recent television broadcast -- prominently featuring you -- which contains
false, misleading and defamatory content about Hartz. Under the circumstances, we respectfully decline your request to engage in any further discussions with you on
this matter.
Very truly yours,
William P. Fornshell
Vice President, Secretary & General Counsel
The Hartz Mountain Corporation
400 Plaza Drive
Secaucus, New Jersey 07094
www.hartz.com
***************************************************************************************
We discovered fleas on our three cats and were naturally quite unhappy. On top of the issue, we had very little money to deal with the situation. We picked up Bio-Spot at the pet shop closest to us as it was fairly inexpensive, and the vet's office had recommended the neck drops. They did not specify a brand, but did not warn us about any in particular either. After the drops were applied, we spent days monitoring and tending to the situation as best we could. Bast, the mother of the other two kitties we own, became very lethargic, meowed much more than usual and lost appetite. We had planned a bug bombing of the house, and so were going to give the three of them a bath before removing them from the house. Bast collapsed before we were even able to get her upstairs. She just couldn't stand up. We got her to the vet's, but it was too late. Her red blood cell count was down due to the fleas, as the Bio Spot did nothing to kill them, and a blood test showed she had a reaction to the stuff as well. The combination left her suffering terribly. She was unable to be saved. We are absolutely heartbroken and left blaming ourselves, trying to figure out what we could have done. Now, seeing this site and the testimonies, I know that we did all we could and what we thought was right, and what we did was poison her. I asked the vet how a company can sell something that does this, and he sadly replied "they just can."
Erik 10/7/09
***************************************************************************************
We had always used Frontline until recently. BioSpot was about $20 less expensive, so my husband decided to purchase it. The first time he applied it to our dog, I did not put it together immediately that our dog seemed ill after the treatment, but as time passed, I seemed to think about it and wonder if there was a correlation. The second application was today, and I thought my dog was dying. Our "Blackie" was lying in the laundry room, not able to move, ill. When I finally got him up, he wobbled. We washed him immediately, but he still is not calm, and he is still disoriented.
I wonder why there has not been a class action lawsuit.
BioSpot should be put out of business.
What animal abuse.
Chris 10/12/09
***************************************************************************************
I used Bio Spot (on Oct 11th) on my poor 8 year old otherwise perfectly healthy
Bichon Frise and he immediately showed signs of excitability, lethargy and loss of appetite. He would also thrash his body against furniture around the house. Today,
(after 20 hours) after noticing that his behavior was not improving for the better, I
washed his body with mild dog shampoo. However, my dog's neck where I had
applied the anti flea medication was lacerated and was bleeding. I applied anti
bacterial topical creme to the wound. My dilemma is how come nobody has stopped these savages from using these toxic chemicals in animal products? What does it
take to make them stop?
Shore 10/13/09
***************************************************************************************
I have used Bio Spot 3 times before today. Never had a problem with it before. Today
I put Bio Spot on Munchie, my 2 year old yorkie. He was fine at first. A few minutes later
I noticed him laying on the floor. He wouldn't move. Wouldn't come to me when I called him or react when I pet him. I rushed him to my vet. He started vomiting and had a low temperature. After a few hours on IV fluids Munchie was doing better. The vet said his blood was very sick and his glucose levels were high. I am about to go pick him up from the vet now. They said it was anaphylactic shock! He should be ok but I won't ever forget how scared I was to lose Munchie because of Bio Spot.
Leslie 10/15/09
***************************************************************************************
I sit here crying wishing I'd found your web site a little over 3 weeks ago. I purchased
Bio Spot for cats for my Siamese cat Jasper. He WAS 16 but a very healthy 16.
I put the Bio Spot on him on a Tuesday evening and for the next few days he was fine happy and energetic as usual. But then he seemed to be sleeping a lot more than
usual and soon after that he was drooling and wouldn't eat and acting really strange. I had made him an appointment at the vets office for the next day (Friday) but he hid somewhere in the house (as most sick cats do) and I spent the next 3 days tearing
my house apart trying to find him. I tried everything to get him to come out from hiding, nothing work. On Tuesday afternoon one week after giving my baby Jasper the
Bio Spot he finally came staggering out into the living room, howling, looking like a
neglected unhealthy starved cat at least 4 pounds lighter, still drooling, fur matted from where he tried to clean himself in spite of the drooling. I put him into his carrier and rushed him to the emergency pet hospital. I explained I had done nothing differently
with him except putting Bio Spot on him. They said it was most likely an allergic
reaction to the flea med I had put on him. He was put on an I.V. They did a few tests
on him including a blood test, eventually telling me that he was essentially poisoned
by the Bio Spot and because of this and the fact that I couldn't get him there sooner
it had caused liver & kidney damage. I was then told the most humane thing to do
for him was to have him put to sleep. So that day I lost my baby who had always been there for me and depended on me to take care of him.
Tonight I thought I'd look online to see if this was a rare allergic reaction and soon learned Bio Spot has been poisoning and killing family pets for some time now.
I have such guilt for doing all this to my Jasper. I feel as if I murdered my child with
the help of Bio Spot when all I was trying to do is take care of him. I just wish there
was a way to inform everyone out there so no other innocent pet dies or becomes
sick from this.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to me and I apologize if this tended to ramble,
it's still like it just happened yesterday and it will for along time to come.
Vicki 10/16/09
***************************************************************************************
BEWARE OF VECTRA 3D!
We put our 55 lb, 12-year old Belgian Shepard "Jenna" on Vectra 3D in early September 2009. She has had two applications (a dose meant for 55-96 lb dogs) - starting just yesterday, she's experienced two violent seizures within 24 hours. We did not suspect toxicity due to Vectra 3D - but now after reading your postings...we do.
We took Jenna to the hospital immeditaely after her first seizure. They ran blood tests and did a ultrasound to rule out tumors, etc. Ultrasound was normal, the blood work came back with elevated liver enzymes (500)..still waiting on CBC panel and thyroid to rule out other possibilites. Jenna still in the hospital - we wil be picking her up shortly.
Again, this is happening after two Vectra 3D applications and final results are not yet known. We will post again after we know more.
Jenna's Parents 10/18/09
Re: VECTRA 3D
In October we wrote to describe what we thought were "Jenna's" reactions to Vectra 3D. After many tests and hours in the vet clinic, Jenna was diagnosed with a frontal brain tumor after an MRI. This is no doubt the cause of her seizures - not Vectra 3D as we suspected. We promised to follow-up after we knew more and wanted to ensure we provided accurate information to this community. Jenna is doing well on her Phenobarb/steroids to control seizures and decrease swelling. The vet's give our Dear Jenna about 60 days without radiation. They also confirmed the main ingredient in Vectra 3D is VERY toxic to animals and Frontline is recommended because it is not systemic (absorbed into the pet's system). This is a great website dedicated to the well being of our furry friends - keep the conversations and information flowing!
Richard 11/11/09
***************************************************************************************
(Below is a follow-up to a message posted by Rosalind on 6/8/09)
Hi James,we wrote to you this past Spring about our little yorkie Hobbes who is having vomiting blood seizures and bloody diahrea. We have gone to a Specialist Vet and have had every test that is known and the vet cannot find anything wrong with Hobbes!!!. This is a little dog full of energy and love and patience with his vomiting spells yet when he is vomiting bright red blood has NOTHING WRONG with him. Can you imagine? The vet will not admit that he was poisoned by Frontline. However, his practice has stopped selling the product. So I consider that a small victory. Why don't the vets want to admit these animals have been poisoned and compromised by the spot-on flea treatments? I have had many friends ask me if Hobbes ever had fleas. The answer is NO. I just took the vets recommendation thinking I was doing the best thing for our pet whom we consider part of our family. When will the EPA take action and make the manufacturers label the packages to warn pet owners of the dangers of using these products? Hobbes was having episodes once a month, on the anniversary of the initial treatment, now they are about twice a month. They last about 2 days and he is so misersable, he literally cries, I get the nausea pills into him immediately when I see the signs of the return of the episodes and know that the bloody diahrea will come soon. It is so sad that such a beautiful, otherwise healthy yorkie, who loves us dearly has to go through this for no purpose whatsoever. I would like to do more to get EPA to move and take action. Please advise.
Rosalind 10/22/09
Thank you very much for the update. I am so sorry to hear about Hobbes. It's a terribly sad situation.
I am also very sorry that the Specialist Vet was not able to help you. Your best option may be to take Hobbes to a veterinary university hospital, such as the one at the University of Pennsylvania:
They see thousands of pets each year, and would probably have the most experience with cases that are very difficult to diagnose.
The EPA is still investigating spot-on products (including Frontline) and plans to make an announcement concerning its findings sometime this month. Hopefully, they will take action to remove these products from the market or at least provide better warnings for consumers.
Any announcement from the EPA concerning spot-on products will be posted on its website:
Sincerely,
James TerBush
Thank you James for forwarding our message to someone who can help all the dogs and cats who have been injured or killed with spot-on flea treatment. I am so relieved that the EPA is going to make an announcement this month. That appears to be progress. We are planning to take Hobbes to the Texas A & M university Veterinary School of Medicine and we have been told that perhaps they can help us. I don't know what else they can do as we feel that every test that can be done has been done. We just hope the episodes abate. On our walk yesterday we saw a man with a very small yorkie. The tiny dog had a scab down the head and partial back. I inquired about the cause of the scab and the dog's owner told me that he applied Frontline spot on treatment and the little dog immediately began yelping and bleeding and he washed him immediately, however he does have a scab that is slowly healing. The little dog weighs about 4 lbs. the small yorkie variety and I know the pain was terrible for him. The man does everything with his dog, including golfing each day, he also takes him on horseback rides. I told him to watch out for vomiting and diahrea and confusion episodes. I do hope since he stopped the application immediately and washed off the yorkie he will be OK. I gave him the internet link to your site and also to the EPA site and he was going to go home and report the event. Thank you for caring and for carrying the ball for all of us. Sincerely, Rosalind & Wayne Moreland
Rosalind 10/23/09
***************************************************************************************
I used BioSpot on my Chihuahua on 10/20. Before hand he had been a normal active
7 month old. but the next morning after the treatment he yelped when we touched him. He LOVED to be held and carried around and begged for "loving" all the time and now
2 days later he cannot stand to be touched by anything.
Jami 10/22/09
***************************************************************************************
This is the letter I just sent to the EPA via e-mail....
I have an 11 month-old minature poodle, white, who I treated on 10-21-09 with Bio-Spot Spot On flea and tick control for dogs. EPA Reg. No.2724-479-270, Batch #0804309302 which was purchased at PetsMart in north Phoenix, AZ at Deer Valley shgopping center.
I applied the solution to her back, between her shoulder blades and at the end of her spine, near the junction with her tail.
A few hours later, I began to notice that she wasn't as active as usual. She seemed kind of lethargic. (I am an 'old nurse'...), but she was kennelled for the night.
About 5AM I heard her moaning, whining and making sounds of bimping into her kennel walls. I immediately took her out of the kennel, thinking she needed to go outside to urinate, but instead she began to run around in circles, flipping upside down, thrashing about on the floor, biting at her tail area, barking, whining, and not paying attention when I spoke to her. I tried to sooth her, but she wouldn't calm down. She began to bite my hands, and she wasn't playful about it!She had never bitten me, has learned well "No Biting!".....
I checked the package for information about adverse reactions, but found NOTHING other than, "If signs of sensitivity occur, bathe your pet with a mild soap and rinse with large amounts of water. If signs continue, consult a veterinarian IMMEDIATELY."
I then "Googled" the product and learned that many, many other pet owners have had similar and worse experiences than my dog was suffering. I did bathe her immediately, using a puppy shampoo so as not to further irritate her skin in those areas, although neither area was reddened or inflamed.
She was still acting very strangely. She was displaying obvious distress, nervousness and shaking terribly all over. My husband and I were not able to console her at all. She was like a "hurt pup", and tucking her tail between her legs, running away from us, acting as if she couldn't walk because her rear end was paralyzed. (It wasn't, but I'm trying to explain her behaviour to you..) She was still biting at me, and making moaning, whining sounds.
I called the 1-800-234-2269 number on the Spot On box, and gave them the information, and they connected me with the Animal Poison Control Center. I spoke at length with a veterinarian there, who told me to bathe her again using dish detergent, and to concentrate on the areas where the medication had been placed. He said she likely was suffering "paresthesia, the sensation of pins and needles" and that she may still exhibit symptoms for the next day or two.
I did re-bathe her, and she is still acting "weird". She is avoiding me, and she is normally "my shadow"....she is sitting or lying down, not active and running and playing as she usually is. When I approach her, she moves away from me, looking over her shoulder at me as if she thinks I am going to hit her or hurt her. I have to corner her to pick her up, and then she still quivers while I hold her.
I am very distressed about this! I am leaving her tomorrow with a daughter and her family, as we have a vacation trip planned out of state.
PLEASE help us! If nothing else, require the makers of these medications which contain PERMETHRIN (#52645-53-1) to include information about this type of reaction, and the possibility of seizures and death from using this product!
Please feel free to contact me.
Kathryn 10/22/09
***************************************************************************************
My poor little Bob cat has been through a lot in his life. He's not the most social cat, but seems to have a special place in his heart for me. I'd be lying if I said I didn't love him the same. Before we moved out on our own, he used to get bullied by the dog and other "newcomer" cat, but has been much happier since he doesn't deal with them anymore. And then the fleas came. I swear the apartment must have come with the fleas because Bob and Mankat (my roommate's cat) didn't bring them. We first went out to get the 6 month supply of Frontline from Petco, but were too busy to take care of the apartment for fleas. A couple weeks later we went out to buy a flea comb, spray for the apartment, and the infamous Bio-Spot shampoo. Took us a couple hours to get the job done, but we felt good afterward and thought we were on the road to recovery. Days later, I'm still combing live fleas out of their fur, but I had read that I should expect that and just keep at
it. But then I noticed Bob throwing up every couple of hours. My initial thought was worms, perhaps he ate a flea and picked up tapeworm. I'm not seeing any sign of worms, so I still haven't ruled this out, but suddenly thought maybe the mixture of Frontline and the shampoo caused an adverse reaction, though a couple weeks apart. I'm sitting here with Bob on my desk, not really sure what to think, but now having read about how dangerous Bio-Spot is and how susceptable he is to harmful things, I'm feeling just about ready to call the EPA and file some complaint. Perhaps I'll call the vet first, though.
Joshua and the BobCat 10/24/09
***************************************************************************************
(Below is email that Jan sent to Kimberly Nesci at the EPA on 10/24/09)
Dear Ms. Nesci:
My name is Jan [deleted] and my pet dachshund, Choe almost died in 2006 from the
effects of the product Frontline, administered in the vet's office. He was stricken, soon after application with severe anemia. I nursed him back to health for a period of three years inclusive of six hospitalizations including four blood transfusions, a severe fungal infection resulting in a blocked nasal passage requiring surgery, (resulting from his compromised immune system) and several years of medication therapy (steroids)
and blood test checks every two weeks to monitor his red blood cell count. His hospitalization and vet bills have totaled over $10,000. I am still paying off a loan I had
to take to remit said funds. I am grateful he survived. I love him with all my heart. He is
an important part of my life and a `family' member. You should know the true `face' of survivors. We are real and not merely statistics. The product Frontline created this terrible situation he and I suffered through. We need the help of OPP to stop the madness of these products' continued manufacture.
I have written to you several times. Please read the thread below. It has once again
been over one month since my last inquiry email requesting a status update on OPP's decision to better regulate spot on-pesticide products. Advocates for animal safety as well as child safety reflecting dangerous systemic pesticide infiltration want an answer. The public has not had the courtesy of a reply from your division. It is taking far too much time. November 5th will be 6 months from the closed door registrants meeting. Have you reviewed the stats reflecting reported adverse reactions from spot-on products in the past 6 months? Why is OPP allowing the marketing/advertising/selling and application of these dangerous products to continue without more defined regulatory requirements? Please reveal an action plan before the start of 2010.
Sincerely,
Jan [deleted]
for `Choe' Frontline Survivor
***************************************************************************************
Today we treated our three dogs and cat with Biospot that my husband bought at the
flea market. Upon returning home from a few hours of shopping, our cat lay dead in a pile of blood. She was perfectly healthy before applying this product and had just had a checkup recently. She was an indoor cat, so our only logical conclusion must be that it was from this terrible product. It is very sad to know that so many people have suffered the way we have. I am glad to hear that something is being done about it.
Meg 10/24/09
Thank you for taking the time to write. I am deeply sorry to hear about the loss of your cat.
Did you use Bio Spot for Cats, or did you accidentally use Bio Spot for Dogs on your cat? Bio Spot for Dogs is lethal to cats. Cats can be poisoned just by coming into close physical contact with treated dogs. However, even if you used BioSpot for Cats on
your cat and she did not come into contact with your dogs, it can still cause adverse reactions in cats.
Please contact the manufacturer (Farnam) and let them know what happened (they should have a phone number on the packaging or on their website).
Also, please contact the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) and let them know what happened (they maintain a database of adverse incidents from pesticide products for the EPA). Their phone number is 1-800-858-7378.
I am so sorry that you had to experience this tragedy.
Sincerely,
James TerBush
Website Administrator
www.BioSpotVictims.org
***************************************************************************************
I recently took my vets advice to switch my dog's flea medicine from Frontline to Vectra 3D. He never mentioned how toxic it is to cats. The warning on the label states to not apply to cats. Fine, I give my cat Advantage. However, after applying this new medicine to my dog my cat became violently ill and almost died in the middle of the night. After being rushed to the emergency clinic and staying there for 24 hours she is still in bad shape. My cat and dog are close, sometimes they sleep together. I had no idea that by switching my dog's flea medicine to Vectra 3D would kill my cat! And it almost did.
Please spread the word,
Michaela 10/25/09
Owner of Luna dog and Gaia cat
***************************************************************************************
Two weeks ago I used Bio-Spot on our Malitzoo. I read the box and used exactly as directed. Within a few hours after it was applied he was not himself..he was very lethargic and then started shaking. All I could think of is maybe it was the Bio-Spot so I did some online research and found there are suits out against BioSpot because many dogs have had seizures and gotten very ill and have died after using it. It said if your dog has any of the symptoms after using it to immediately bathe them and use dawn dish soap...so immediately we put him in the tub and flushed him with water and washed him with Dawn.
By the next day he seemed better...but then a few days later we found him choking
and foaming at the mouth...my daughter thought maybe he had gotten ahold of a pear core she left laying. We never saw anything in his mouth but assumed that was what happened...the choking passed and he once again seemed ok. Then a few days ago he peed on my daughter's rug (something he's never done before) and she said it was red blood in his pee. I didn't see it because I was sick in bed, so I wondered if it was really blood she saw. We observed him for a few days and he seemed fine, still eating and pooping and not as active but didn't seem sick so we thought maybe she was mistaken and it wasn't blood. Then the following day he was acting lethargic and by yesterday he was laying around, not normal and had bouts of shaking like he was cold. He also has a sensitive area in his abdomen and it feels tense/tight. So we took him to the vet thinking maybe he had a UTI. The vet examined him and sent out a urine sample for testing, and put him on Cipro, in case it was a UTI. (We are still waiting on the results). We told the vet about the BioSpot experience but I think he felt because more than a week had passed that it probably was not from that.
We got him home and he's still totally not himself, even after being on the Cipro for two days. He doesn't want to do anything but lay and he goes through bouts of shaking. He also still has that tense/tightening in his abdomen and whines when touched in a certain area of his abdomen. Although he is eating,drinking and going to the bathroom. I did some more research online tonight and blood in the urine can be a sign of poisoning... so I wonder if it isn't from the Bio-Spot! I plan to call the vet first thing in the morning!
Lorrie 10/27/09
P.S. I forgot to mention, the areas we applied the BioSpot were discolored and it was like the skin was burned.
***************************************************************************************
(Below is email that I sent to Kimberly Nesci at the EPA on 10/30/09)
Dear Ms. Nesci,
Today is the last business day in October. I very much look forward to reading your report concerning flea and tick treatments and hope that it will be posted on your website by the end of today.
Excerpt:
"The E.P.A.'s report on liquid flea and tick treatments is expected by October and will be published on the agency's Web site, Mr. Kemery said."
Sincerely,
James TerBush
Website Administrator
www.BioSpotVictims.org
Copyright © 2002-2009 BioSpotVictims.org All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER: Below are messages that I have received from others whose dogs and cats experienced adverse reactions after using flea control products. I have no way of knowing if the information in these messages is factual, or if the products they used were the actual cause of the adverse reactions.
