Message Board
September 2010
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
(03/02/10) Carella, Byrne, Cecchi, Olstein, Brody & Agnello, P.C., has filed a complaint seeking class action status on behalf of pet owners whose household pets were allegedly injured or killed by certain flea and tick products. The complaint was filed in United States District Court for the District of New Jersey against three pet product companies.
The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief in the form of a recall of the offending products, a refund of the purchase price, for compensatory damages, punitive damages and other relief.
For additional information concerning this lawsuit, click here.
If your pet was harmed by a flea and tick product, and you would like to participate
in this class action to help get these products off of the market, please contact:
Jacqueline Mottek
Positive Legal Group
415.302.5371 (cell)
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ANOTHER CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
A class action law firm Green & Pagano LLP is currently investigating complaints from
New Jersey and New York residents whose pets were harmed by spot-on products.
If your pet was harmed by a spot-on product within the past couple years and you live
in New Jersey or New York, please go to: www.SpotOnComplaints.com
or call Michael Green at (732) 390-0480.
For additional information concerning this lawsuit, click here.
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(Below is email that I sent to Kimberly Nesci at the EPA on 8/25/10)
Hi Kimberly,
Here is a complete list of Hartz products that are currently being marketed by Walmart as
"complete care" systems:
Hartz Ultra Guard Home Protection Set
Hartz Ultra Guard PLUS Complete Care for Home and Dogs over 60Lbs
Hartz Ultra Guard PRO Complete Care for for Home and Dogs, 31-60Lbs
Hartz Ultra Guard Complete Care for Home and Dogs over 60Lbs
Hartz Ultra Guard PRO Complete Care for Home and Dogs, 16-30Lbs
Hartz Ultra Guard Complete Care for Home and Dogs, 16-30Lbs
Hartz Ultra Guard Complete Care for for Home and Dogs, 31-60Lbs
Hartz Ultra Guard Complete Care for Home and Dogs, under 15Lbs
Hartz Ultra Guard PLUS Complete Care for Home and Dogs, under 15Lbs
Hartz Ultra Guard PRO Complete Care for Home and Dogs over 60Lbs
Hartz Ultra Guard PRO Complete Care for Home and Dogs, under 15Lbs
Hartz Ultra Guard PLUS Complete Care for for Home and Dogs, 31-60Lbs
Hartz Ultra Guard PLUS Complete Care for Home and Dogs, 16-30Lbs
Hartz Ultra Guard PLUS Complete Care for Cats
Hartz Ultra Guard PRO Complete Care for Cats and Home
Here is Hartz website concerning the need for a "complete pest management system":
Excerpts:
"Protecting your dog [or cat] is the first step in the fight against fleas, ticks and mosquitoes."
"The critical second step in a complete pest management system is treating your home."
"The final step in a complete pest management system is taking care of your yard where fleas, ticks and mosquitoes can be prevalent."
Pet pesticide product labels were once required to include the following precautionary statement:
"It is advisable to consult a veterinarian before using this product with any other pesticide or drug."
However, that statement appears to have been modified in recent years and does NOT appear on Hartz pet product labels, nor is it on product labels of similar products from other manufacturers which also promote the use of multiple pesticide products as part of a "total
flea and tick management program."
I would be very interested in knowing if EPA considers the simultaneous use of the products in the above complete care systems to be misuse. I would also like to know if EPA cumulative and aggregate risk assessments take into consideration the simultaneous use of these products.
Best regards,
James TerBush
Website Administrator
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(Below is an article that was published by Courthouse News Service on 8/26/10)
Class Claims Biospot Killed Their Pets
By MARIA DINZEO
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - Biospot flea and tick control poisoned hundreds of pets with toxic chemicals, dog and cat owners claim in a federal class action.
The over-the-counter products made by Central Garden and Pet Co. and Farnam Cos. contain pyrethrins, which kill fleas and ticks but also cause serious neurological problems in dogs and cats, the class claims.
Lead plaintiff Sunny Johansson claims she applied Biospot behind the ears of her cat Jack O'Punkin, and the Manx began having seizures within hours.
"He scrabbled at the floor at Ms. Johansson's feet and looked like he was rapidly biting the floor. He then fell over and lay there, disoriented, with his pupils blown wide open."
Johansson immediately shampooed Jack and spoke with her vet's assistant, "who confirmed the likely cause to be Biospot, having seen similar reactions in other animals. The vet's assistant said that if Ms. Johansson hadn't shampooed him right away, the product most likely would have killed him," the complaint states.
Plaintiff William Shelby says his pit bull "Waggles" was not as lucky. Four days after Shelby treated her with Biospot, her fur began falling out and she developed sores. A week later, Waggles began having seizures and started losing her eyesight. Her vet was "baffled" by her symptoms, and by the time Shelby had her euthanized she was totally blind and could not swallow.
Kathy Ainsely says her cat "Petey" was also euthanized after his seizures became so violent that "the crate he was housed in fell over."
Ainsley says that throughout Petey's treatment for seizures, her vet "continued to suspect that the application of Biospot was the cause of Petey's symptoms."
The class claims that Central Garden and Farnam continue to market Biospot as safe though they know it can cause illness and death.
The class seeks injunctive relief and punitive damages for breach of implied warranty and violation of the Consumer Legal Remedies Act.
Central Garden is based in Walnut Creek, Calif.; Phoenix-based Farnam Cos. is a wholly owned subsidiary.
The pet owners are represented by Jacqueline Mottek with Positive Legal.
To read the complaint that was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, go to:
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I am scared. My dogs have been on Frontline and a variety of flea and tick topical solutions. I have never had an event like I had tonight. I have placed two calls to Tri-Force at 1-866-327-7424. This is the number on the back of the box, I have yet to receive a call back! This week has been stressful enough, this event has almost put me over the top. I bathed both my dogs yesterday, Buttercup the poodle is 15lbs and Wesley the Lab/shepherd is 112lbs.
As of today, when I took Wesley in for a physical and shots. He was given a clean bill of health at Banfield. Later, when we got home, I applied the TriForce Canine Squeeze product on both Buttercup and Wesley.
Within and hour, Wesley start vomiting, not much just a bit. I thought it was due to the shots and the excitement of the visit. 30 mins. later he is vomiting up LARGE quantities. In the kitchen, hallway and living room. I mean LARGE quantities.
I get that situation under control, and Buttercup starts vomiting some frothy content. I put them both outside until I could get everything under control in my house. The kids at this point were getting excited.
Thank goodness for your site. I grabbed the big jug of dish soap and the other big jug of distilled vinegar and had to bathe them both again. Wesley appears to be settling down, he is panting less, and his nose has stopped running.
When I got Buttercup into the tub she was shaking like a leaf. I washed them well with the dish soap and gave them an extra rinse off with the vinegar thinking it might remove any residual oil, then flushed their coats well with more water.
My stomache is in knots right now, I feel awful that I might have almost poisoned my own animals.
Now, my kids have informed me that Buttercup is vomiting more. This has been going on now for two hours. It started around 9:15 and it is now 11:06pm.
Buyer beware of this product. I would like to know if anyone else has used it and had any problems??
Also, now that I read the label more closely, I have made an interesting observation.
The ingredients read:
CYPHENOTHRIN-40%
PYRIPROXYFEN-2.0%
OTHER INGREDIENTS-58.0%
For a total of ..100%
Thanks for listening, Triforce certainly did not care!
Lisa 8/26/10
Hillsborough, NC
Thank you for your concern and thank you for your website. The Vet said they have never heard of the product and they do not encourage pet owners to use any over the counter flea and tick medicines.
I finally got a call close to midnight last night from the company. The person I spoke with was
named Jeff. He said this was a minor incident and that the dogs are sick because they swallowed too much saliva , the medication caused a numbness sensation in their mouth which in turn caused them to salivate more. I asked him if he was aware of the other product on the market by his company that are causing animals to get very sick and he stated that he was unaware of that. He suggested I give my dogs Kaopectate or Pepto-bismol. He had also suggested to rinse their mouth out for 8-10mins. Although he stated he knows of very few owners and pets that are able to do that.
I posted what happened last night on Facebook, and believe me, many of my friends circulated my situation on their status update for other friends to see. Buyer beware! I will get the word out to the EPA.
Thank you for all you are doing for us the pet owner and consumer.
Regards,
Lisa 8/27/10
Thank you for the update. When you spoke with the representative of the company last night, did he ask you for the EPA Reg. # of the product? That number is printed on the product packaging. Many times when these incidents are reported to the manufacturers, they will
NOT ask for the EPA Reg. # (and may not even ask you for much details regarding the incident -- such as breed of dog, age, weight, symptoms, etc.) and will try to convince you
that the incident was minor or not caused by their product. If the EPA does not have the
above information (including EPA Reg. # of product), they will not bother to evaluate the incident due to lack of information!
According to EPA's recent evaluation of pet spot-on incidents, there were significantly more adverse incidents reported for TriForce (and Sergeant's Gold and Sentry Pro XFC) than any other pet spot-on product!
James TerBush
Website Administrator
Funny that you should ask, he did not! What a surprise. I will follow up. I contacted the feed store and the owner said he would research this further and pull the product line from his shelf. He is a local feed store. He felt awful about what had happened. Since his business is animals and doing home deliveries, he really cares for his customers.
Lisa 8/27/10
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(Below is email that Jan sent to Kimberly Nesci at the EPA on 8/27/10)
Hello Kimberly,
Hope you are well. We have not corresponded in several months. I wanted to touch base after reading posts on biospotvictims.org by several consumers who apparently were able to request and be granted a meeting with OPP management staff regarding FCP's.
Very poignant (excerpt) of letter written by `Claudia' who I do not know personally. If you recall, I had written similar concerns to you and the OPP staff over the past year. I had suggested last spring a `live' forum be available to consumers for pertinent data exchange items to be discussed. I would have liked to participate in the meeting arranged with Claudia and Audrina. I am wondering why consumers such as myself and Jim Terbush were not invited to participate although we have been in correspondence with OPP staff for quite some time on the same issue(s). I'm uncertain how progress can move forward when clearly the OPP has been unable to capture the true definition of product manufaturers' procedural processes without the input of consumers who have `lived' through the disgraceful `quasi' reporting standards permitted by said manufacturers' call centers. There apparently has been no improvement in (adverse reaction reporting) the FOUR years since Choe became seriously
ill following a vet administered FRONTLINE application.
Rather incredulous.
Sincerely,
Jan
Philadelphia, PA
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(Below is a Freedom of Information Act request that I sent to the EPA on 8/2710)
Please provide me with all records concerning OPP's evaluation of pet spot-on incidents that were reported in 2009.
The requested records concern public health and the safety of pet spot-on products, which are of significance to the public.
The EPA shares the public's concerns over pet spot-on products, and has already made available to the public its evaluation of pet spot-on incidents that were reported in 2008.
BioSpotVictims.org intends to post the requested records on its website to further public understanding of this issue.
BioSpotVictims.org is a non-profit educational organization which has no commercial interest in the requested records.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
James TerBush
Website Administrator
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New Adams Flea & Tick Spot On E30 for Dogs Poses Risk to Cats
There's a new flea and tick spot-on product for dogs on the market and it poses a serious risk to cats. What's worse, there are no warnings about it on the label!
The product, which is marketed under the Adams brand name, is currently available on
the websites of PetSmart and Walmart. The main active ingredient in this product is etofenprox -- a pyrethroid-like pesticide.
Etofenprox is found in several brands (including Adams, Bio Spot, Hartz, Sergeants, and Zodiac) of spot-on products for cats, but it has the potential to harm cats -- especially if cats are accidentally treated with dosages meant for dogs, or if it's ingested while grooming themselves or another treated animal.
Signs of pyrethroid poisoning in cats may include: drooling, ear flicking, loss of coordination, lethargy, muscle temors, seizures, hyperthermia, and death.
This product is also sold under the Farnam brand as Bio Spot Defense.
Here is PetSmart's website regarding Bio Spot Defense:
Excerpt:
"DO NOT USE ON CATS! May be toxic and potentially fatal if applied to or ingested
by cats. Cats that actively groom or engage in close physical contact with recently treated dogs may be at risk of serious harmful effects."
This product may take longer than 24 hours to dry, which poses a risk of pesticide exposure
to humans -- especially small children.
According to the EPA's companion animal safety study for this product, the most common observation after the second treatment was oily fur, which persisted for almost 2 WEEKS:
Households with small children or cats should avoid using this product.
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Flea Spray Kills Pets, Suit Alleges
Excerpts:
Pet owners allege that Bio Spot and Spot On tick and flea repellent sent their cats and dogs into seizures -- and, in some cases, killed them -- in a class action lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco. In some instances, the owners euthanized their pets after they suffered numerous strokes.
The aggrieved pet owners sued Walnut Creek-based Central Garden and Pet Company and Phoenix-based Farnam Companies, Inc., manufacturers of the tick and flea repellents applied directly to animals' fur, alleging the companies "know, and have known for many years, that these chemicals will substantially injure and/or kill very significant numbers of dogs and cats."
Central's spokesman, Mark Newberg, responded in a statement Friday: "Adverse reactions to flea and tick products are rare. As pet lovers ourselves, we take any adverse reaction seriously and investigate all of them thoroughly. Through our investigations, we have found that in many cases the reaction may have resulted from a pre-existing medical condition or misapplication of the product."
The plaintiffs represent a class of all people who bought the companies' products containing the allegedly dangerous compounds. They are suing the companies for violating of numerous consumer laws and seek punitive damages.
To read the complaint that was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, go to:
If your pet was harmed by Bio Spot, or any other flea and tick product made by Farnam or Central Garden and Pet Company (Adams and Zodiac brands) and you would like to participate in this class action to help get these products off of the market, please contact:
Jacqueline Mottek
Positive Legal Group
415.302.5371 (cell)
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Biospot Caused Seizures, Death, Suit Says
Excerpts:
A lawsuit filed this week alleges that Biospot brand flea and tick spray is responsible for neurological problems in hundreds of animals, resulting in death in some cases.
The suit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, blames the problem on pyrethrins, organic compounds that kill fleas and ticks but that also have a long history of poisoning cats.
“Pyrethrins kill fleas and ticks by interfering with their nervous systems, thus paralyzing and killing the parasites,” the suit says. “However, [pyrethrins] have the same effect on very significant numbers of pets, causing … neurological problems which have and often will
result in injury and/or death to the animal.”
While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is charged with oversight of products
like Biospot, the suit says that the agency rarely conducts independent tests and instead depends largely on information provided by manufacturers when determining whether such products are safe.
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Is there any difference between Bio Spot and Hartz?
Ellie (left) suffered a severe chemical burn after being treated with Farnam's
Bio Spot for Dogs. Phoebe (right) suffered a severe chemical burn after being
treated with Hartz UltraGuard for Dogs. Can you tell the difference?
Chemicals burns from flea and tick products may be rare, but can happen to any
animal - even when the products are used according to label instructions.
For more information on Ellie, go to:
For more information on Phoebe, go to:
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Well, I just returned from the Vet's office. Luckily, I didn't kill my dog, because I was lucky enough to be able to read some of the information on this website. I gave my dogs a bath in Dawn and a special shampoo, however, one of my Chihuahuas still was having severe itching, lethargy, and just not acting normal. Thanks for all the info on this website. I appreciate it. Never again will I buy a store bought product like this!!
Gynene 8/30/10
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Last night my cat died. Sergeant's Gold Squeeze on for Cats killed my 2 and a half year old orange tabby Oliver. He was a very healthy and loving cat. On Tuesday night we decided to apply some of this poison on him because we are getting a new puppy this Saturday and we wanted to protect Oliver from any fleas the puppy might have. By Wednesday evening Oliver went from a happy go lucky cat to a dead cat. When we noticed that Oliver was acting weird we rushed him to the emergency room for precautionary reasons. The veteranarian decided that it was best if they kept Oliver over night for observation. A little over an hour after we dropped him off the veteranarian called and told us that unfortunately he had passed away. The veteranarian told us that we applied the medication correctly and that he did ingest some of it, but the cause of death was due to the amount of product that was absorbed by his skin. The product got into his bloodstream and caused organ failure. I have had animals my entire life and I was not aware of the danger of using these products. I have spent most of the day reviewing this product and trying to get the word out that they are not safe. I'm glad people are filing lawsuits against these companies because so many pets have died and yet nothing is being done. I received an "apology" email from a lady at Sergeant's. They said that they were "sorry" for my loss, but that the box warns that some cats might have "sensitivities" to pesticides. Sensitivites. What an immaculate word to use when describing a product that can kill your cat. What happened to the good old "may cause serious injury or death." God forbid they write that on the back of their product. They wouldn't want people to stop buying it. Even if it means that some people might lose their beloved pet. I'm so incredibly angry at this flawed system. I feel like the only thing I can really do is try to spread the word about the reality of these products and that is exactly what I'm going to do. To whoever is reading this, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't buy cheap over the counter flea and tick medication. It is five dollars for a reason.
Thanks for reading,
America 9/2/10
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Here is what I submitted to the EPA on August 26, 2010 about Vectra 3D:
1. Name and EPA registration number of product applied:
Name: Vectra 3D
EPA Reg. No. 83399-6
EPA Est. No. 68669-NC-1
2. Active ingredients of the product
Dinotefuran 4.5%
Pyriproxyfen 0.44%
Permethrin 36.08%
3. Breed and age of animal
Female English bulldog, 3 years old, 45 pounds, spayed, name: Sophie
4. Who applied the product - owner or veterinarian
Owner bathed dog with oatmeal shampoo on Thursday, 06/17/2010. On Friday,
06/18/2010, owner applied product on dog, which was the second application
ever of Vectra 3D. The very first application of Vectra 3D was on Saturday,
05/15/2010.
In January 2010, I took Sophie for her check-up. I was automatically given
Vectra 3D from the vet. I had never heard of Vectra 3D.
I always used Frontline and kept application records. During the summer
2009, I applied Frontline on 05/02/2009, 07/10/2009, 08/12/2009, 09/26/2009.
The last Frontline applications were 12/19/2009 and 02/26/2010. I did not
always apply flea control every month.
5. Length of time between application and reaction
In reference to Vectra 3D, within hours of the 05/15/2010 application and
within hours of the 06/18/2010 application, my dog sat down fast and looked
back towards her butt. It was as if something was on her butt. She dragged
her butt on the floor a little. (This dog is not able to reach her butt
with her mouth.) (It wasn't worms, she had her yearly worm pill and received
her monthly heart worm pill.) She then began chewing on her hind legs.
The following days after both applications, Sophie wallowed on her back in
the yard. She usually does not wallow.
I did not suspect the Vectra 3D, but in hindsight, this product may have
been hurting her back and hind legs.
6. Description of adverse reaction and
7. dates on which adverse reaction occurred
I will focus on the second application of Vectra 3D from here on:
On Monday, 06/21/2010, whenever I let her outside to go to the bathroom,
she would eat grass. Later, I gave her a new chew toy bone. At first she
chewed the toy, but after a minute, she placed the toy down and was not
interested in it. I thought that was strange because she had always chewed
vigorously on new toys for a long time.
On Tuesday, 06/22/2010, she moved about very slowly. She ate grass whenever
she was let outside to go to the bathroom. Before I left for work at 3:55
p.m., I noticed her little nose was dry and cracked with splits across it.
I thought I may have to take her in to her vet if it does not clear up.
On Wednesday, 06/23/2010, in the morning, I heard her walking very, very
slowly as she came down the hallway. She finally came into the bathroom where
I was. She looked at me like she could barely hold up her head. She lay
down on the bathroom floor. She pass gas. Later, I let her outside to go to
the bathroom. She lay like she had passed out on the back steps which are
covered by an overhanging roof. She had not been exercising. I figured the
warm weather made her tired; therefore, I got her inside. About noon,
someone knocked at the front door. She appeared alert then. Later at 3:45 p.m.,
before I left for work, I had her outside to go to the bathroom. I stood
with her in the shade of a pine tree. I noticed it felt cool under the tree.
All she did was slowly eat grass. I got the hose and sprayed a little
water on her head. She looked at me blankly and then shook her head a little.
She did urinate. I got her in the house and wiped her wet face. I always
kept her in the house whenever I left the house for work or run errands.
On Thursday, 06/24/2010, at 12:05 a.m., (five minutes past midnight), I
came home and found Sophie dead in the kitchen. She was laying on her belly
with her legs spread out. Her tongue was bluish. She had vomited five times.
Since the vomit seemed to be fresh (not dried out), she may have been dead
about two or three hours.
She threw up in the dining area a pile of her digested English bulldog hard
food. This meant she had eaten after I left for work. The other four piles
of vomit were small and consisted of grass and brown fluid. One pile was
in the living room, one pile in the dining room beside the food vomit, and
two piles in separate areas of the family room. She had defecated twice:
once in the living room and once in the family room. The locations of the
vomit and stools indicated she had been all over the house.
Her water bowl was very low which meant she drank water.
While I was at work on 06/23/2010, between 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., I heard
a very loud thunderstorm. I work five miles from home. I thought the loud
thunder may have gotten Sophie excited. Then I thought she has been through
thunderstorms before and was okay when I came home.
I did not sleep at all after I found her dead. Her death was unexpected.
I blamed the thunderstorm and the weather. I began to suspect poison.
On 06/24/2010, at 8:30 a.m., someone finally answered the phone at my
vet's office. I told the person my dog died and I wanted to bring her in and
meet with the vet. I was told to come at 10:30 a.m. I called my brother and
told him what happened. When my brother and I got her to the veterinarian
office, I found Sophie's regular vet was not in.
I told the vet who was there that I wanted my dog checked to see if she was
poisoned. I had brought a sample of her stool in a plastic bag. I also had
in another plastic bag some of her body fluid which I absorbed with a
paper towel off the floor.
I told my vet my dog went downhill the past 3 to 4 days as if she had been
poisoned. Maybe someone threw something in my yard and she ate it. I wanted
to rule out my poison suspicion. I have had no trouble or problems with my
neighbors over Sophie. Plus, Sophie never stayed outside very long. She
mostly went outside for bathroom breaks. She was always kept in the house.
The vet told me it would cost a lot to see what she died of. I again told
the vet I wanted to have her tested to see why she died. The vet asked me
how long she had been dead. I told her I found her dead at 12:05 a.m. that
morning. The vet stated she had been dead too long. Therefore, she was not
tested.
I told the vet I had given her a bath on Thursday, 06/17/2010, and put flea
control on her on Friday, 06/18/2010. The vet said nothing. I still had
not suspected Vectra 3D at that time.
During the weeks after her death, I went on the Internet and searched
English bulldogs. She was my first English bulldog. I already knew these dogs
are not good in heat so for the summer I had totally stopped taking her for
her short walks about June 13. The Internet research indicated these dogs
are sensitive to the heat and cold.
I had her housed inside my house during June of 2010 just like I had her
housed inside my house the whole summer of 2009. She did fine the whole
summer of 2009.
Sometime in July 2010, I asked myself could Sophie's death be related to
the new flea control product called Vectra 3D? I thought about how I had
applied Vectra 3D on Friday, 06/18/2010, and five days later she is dead.
I know Sophie had been full of energy on 06/17/2010 when I had given her a
bath.
Therefore, I decided to research Vectra 3D on the Internet. I read numerous
stories and reports about other dogs suffering from Vectra 3D. Some dogs
became lethargic, no energy, vomited, and died. Experts stated permethrin
affects animal neuro-systems and is capable of causing damage, including
death.
I believe Vectra 3D is the reason my dog died.
Margy 9/3/10
Norfolk, Virginia
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CEVA buys Summit VetPharm
Excerpts:
"Summit VetPharm LLC was acquired this week by the veterinary pharmaceutical company CEVA, headquartered in France. Summit, a start-up in 2007, had been a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corp. of Japan. Sumitomo retains a 30-percent interest, while CEVA owns 70 percent. Officials declined to disclose the purchase price."
"In the hotly competitive topical parasiticide market for dogs and cats, Summit made a name for itself within the veterinary community by not only promising to sell Vectra solely to licensed practitioners but by backing up that promise through its use of tracking technology. Summit deployed a system known as “Bloodhound” to ensure that Vectra isn’t sold through outlets such as online pharmacies and big-box retailers."
"...Sumitomo, a conglomerate with vast interests including energy, metals, minerals, real estate, food, agriculture and telecommunications had entered the animal-health realm only in 2004 with the purchase of The Hartz Mountain Corp. Summit was born three years later, following the development for veterinary use of the compound dinotefuran, the signature insecticidal ingredient in Vectra."
"Like other “spot-on” treatments designed to prevent infestations of fleas and other disease-carrying insects on cats and dogs, Vectra is applied to the skin of the pet once a month. Vectra comes in three formulations: Vectra 3D for dogs, which kills fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, lice, mites and sand flies; and Vectra for dogs and puppies, as well as Vectra for cats and kittens, both of which kill fleas."
"The same product line is sold by Banfield, The Pet Hospital, the nation’s largest veterinary hospital chain, under the private label name First Shield."
Does your vet sell Vectra 3D? If so, you (and your vet) may be surprised to know that Vectra 3D was created by Hartz. Summit VetPharm was created to sell Vectra 3D exclusively to veterinarians. Ask your vet what he/she thinks about Hartz flea and tick products!
Vectra 3D is also sold by Banfield, The Pet Hospital, under the name First Shield Trio. Here is a blog that was written by a veterinarian concerning it:
Excerpt:
"The company currently promotes a flea preventative that in my opinion has a bad safety profile and is no better than the horrible products made by Hartz, Sargeant’s and BioSpot."
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New state law bans pesticides on school grounds
Excerpts:
There is mounting evidence that exposure to pesticides is linked to an increased risk of cancer, neurological problems, birth defects and asthma. As with many environmental toxins, children are particularly at risk. The new legislation in Connecticut went into effect just weeks after the President's Cancer Panel Report issued a statement saying "the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated," and reflects a growing consensus among environmental health experts that chronic, low-level exposures to certain chemicals can have serious impacts on the health of children.
"It's not the dose that makes the poison anymore," says Dr. Leo Trasande, Assistant Director for the Center for Children’s Health and the Environment at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "It’s the exposure to a wide array of environmental chemicals, even at the lowest levels of exposure, that can harm children’s health."
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I put Sergeants Gold flea and tick spot-on on my two dogs. I used the one for 9 to 20 pounds. Within 1/2 hour I was on my way to the pet emergency clinic with my dogs. They were whining and scratching, their skin turned a bright red, one of the dogs has burns on her skin. They paced the floor for 24 hours, they could not lay down, would not sleep, stopped eating. I
called their 1-800-224-7387 number and got nowhere. There is no warning or side effects listed on the label - only for humans - not for dogs. I will never buy any of their products again and I am telling all my freinds who have pets not to buy any of their products. I have a maltese named Molly who is 10 pounds and a bichon frise named Bella who is 14 pounds. They are still not doing well I have take them back to vet again. My vet has seen 6 cases this year -
pet owners using the same Sergeants Gold flea and tick.
Sheila 9/8/10
Spokane, WA
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PETA Investigation Reveals That Animals Used in Pet-Product Tests Were
Physically Abused, Neglected, and Tormented
Excerpt:
For nine months, a PETA investigator worked undercover inside the filthy, deafeningly loud kennels of Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. (PLRS). Inconspicuously tucked away in rural North Carolina, PLRS takes money from huge pharmaceutical companies to test insecticides and other chemicals used in companion animal products. Bayer, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Schering-Plough (now Merck), Sergeant's, Wellmark, and Merial, the maker of Frontline flea and tick products, are some of the corporations that have paid PLRS to force-feed experimental compounds to dogs and cats and smear chemicals onto the animals' skin.
PETA's investigator found that toxicity tests were just part of what the animals endured. Laboratory workers appeared to despise the animals in their care—they yelled and cursed at cowering dogs and cats, calling them "a--hole," "motherf--kers," and "b-tch"; used pressure hoses to spray water—as well as bleach and other harsh chemicals—on them; and dragged dogs through the facility who were too frightened to walk.
Federal oversight of horrendous facilities such as PLRS is virtually nonexistent.
To see PETA's undercover video footage, click here:
To read PETA's official complaint against PLRS, click here:
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(Below is email that Claudia sent to the EPA on 9/8/10)
Hi Everyone,
I wasn't sure if Byron, Tina or Lois might not be the best to address this question,
but I thought you all should be aware of this.
This is an article from FOX News regarding a PETA investigation of a lab testing
flea & tick & mosquito products:
In these conditions, how can a study truly state whether or not a reaction is from the
product being tested? One statement was particularly disturbing to me. Something
along the lines that if all the animals have a reaction it's not a reaction, it's a living
condition issue. Certainly the cats who were tested all showed reaction.
I hope that the EPA will take this seriously and open a conversation with PETA
regarding the information they gathered and into the tests that have been performed
by this facility. The video is very telling. It's located at the bottom of the article, or you
can find it here:
My question again is how can a reaction be determined to this product/chemical
with this environment? It seems that most of the animals were having some sort of
reaction but it would be hard to clearly state what caused it and could easily be
dismissed as "other living conditions". (With the exception of the cats, who all had
reactions after having product applied.)
I look forward to your response,
Yours,
Claudia
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(Below is email that I sent to Kimberly Nesci at the EPA on 9/9/10)
Hi Kimberly,
PETA reported yesterday that they have been conducting an undercover investigation at Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc., in Corapeake, N.C., for the past nine months and released a video reportedly showing horrendous conditions at the facility and employees systematically abusing companion animals. If you haven't seen the video yet, please take a moment and watch it:
I am sure that you will be appalled by the conditions and actions of the employees shown in
the video, but what is even more disturbing is the fact that many flea and tick products on the market today were approved by the EPA based on unpublished industry-sponsored safety and efficacy studies that were conducted at that facility. Is there any doubt in your mind that Professional Laboratory is incapable of conducting quality research?
These private facilities have been suspected of fabricating test results for YEARS. That's why pet pesticide/drug manufacturers use them to test their products. They know they will get the test results they desperately need for regulatory approval. Here is an article concerning this issue from 2003:
The EPA should stop relying on pesticide product manufacturers to provide acute toxicity tests and companion animal safety/efficacy studies. Those studies should only be performed by entities that have no financial arrangement with the product manufacturers.
I hope the EPA intends to take swift action against Professional Laboratory to prevent any further abuse of animals and fabrication of test results. A monetary fine would be insufficient.
I urge the EPA to immediately suspend Professional Laboratory's acreditation, pending the outcome of a credible and transparent investigation. All research that has ever been submitted to the EPA by that facility should be ruled invalid, pending the outcome of the investigation.
Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
James TerBush
Website Administrator
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Hi-I am located in Tusket,Nova Scotia Canada--Not sure if your interested
in our story,as ours is very recent,and happened in Canada--We used
Advantage Multi 100,and ours was purchased form our Vet-The treatment was
used for heartworm/flea treatment,and was applied -on the back,between the
shoulder blades-We have always used this product,we figured it was safe, if
we were buying it from the Vet--Anyway this is our story or should I say
Summer's story...
On September 1st/2010-I applied Summer's monthly dose of Advantage-Summer
was a healthy 10 1/2 year old female Boxer,who was our pride and joy,our
companion,or "little girl" as my husband always called her--The next morning
I was having a cup of tea,and I heard this awful banging,it sounded like
someone was on our roof-I got up from my chair to have a look around,and
seen nothing,but still heard the noise-Then I thought Summer fell down the
steps,and couldn't get up-so I started to panic,but she wasn't there.I ran
upstairs to find her,in a full blown grand mil seizure-That was the first
time I have ever seen her do anything like that,a few hours before this,she
had been for a walk-She came out of the seizure,I called my husband he came
home,and we both stayed with her all day,and she seemed to be fine-Everyone
suggested it may have been a heat seizure-I didn't think so,as we have air
conditioning,but she seemed fine so I thought maybe..My husband stayed home
just in case,we had to take her to the vet,I was soooooo nervous all
day--Anyway 12.30 we went to bed,1 O-clock the lights came back on,I said
what's wrong,my husband said she's having another seizure-At 2 O-clock I
called an emergency vet,and at 2.50 a.m we were setting at the office
waiting for the vet-We had to carry Summer on a quilt to the van,the
seizures never stopped,from 1 O-clock until 3.20 a.m/On Sept.3rd 2010-she
had 11 grand mil seizures,she never opened her eyes to look at us,not once
she just kept seizing-The Vet stopped her heart at 3.20 a.m-and finally she
was at peace-We were in shock,we were not expecting this,she was perfectly
fine,the vet asked us if she ever had a seizure we said no,never.......
So we came home without out our beloved girl,after making arrangements
for her burial,after coming home,we tried to figure out what happened,and
the only thing we did with her in the last 48 hours was apply her Advantage
heart worm/flea application-So I contacted "BAYER" BY E-MAIL-We received an
e-mail the next day,asking us to get the vet to contact them,as they wanted
to do a Post-Mortem on Summer,but I thought she was buried so I told them
that,but had sent them a copy of the Vet bill,BAYER contacted our Vet-Our
Vet contacted us..and told us she was still there in their freezer,and that
I should agree to the Post-Mortem so we would know,what happened to her-I
told BAYER and our Vet,the only way we'd agree to the Post-Mortem-if Summer
s cremated remains are returned to us after the Post-Mortem-She didn't think
they'd cremate her for us,and send her back-but BAYER agreed-to all our
requests,at their expense-Our Vet said they have to be worried about
something-if they agreed-Summer will be going for Post-Mortem on Monday Sept
13th/2010-We will receive the results of the Post-Mordem,and our beloved
Summer back,after the Post-Mortem-If this treatment killed my girl-Then we
will go from there,the company has been working with us,for that I am
grateful-but if this Advantage Multi killed my girl,they're will be
consequences-I used that product,thinking it was safe,and I feel terrible,I
may have contributed to her death-After her death,we realized,she never did
well after each application,she always slept for days,after every treatment
always had a runny nose,and drooled-And this time this treatment,she did
that all day "drooled",the day of the application-The seizures started the
next day-we feel terrible,to think we may have killed her,with this poison..
It will be a few weeks,before we get all the results back..in away I'm
hoping they suggest it may have been something else..but we know what killed
her--If we ever own another dog-I'll never use that stuff ever again-A year
ago September 4th 2009,we had to have our 13 year old Valley Bull dog
Rosie-put down,she was full of cancer,makes you wonder if this product
caused this to,as we used this on her to-I will never use this product ever
again-I will use something natural,or pick the fleas off daily,but I will
never apply poison to my animals ever again..If it's powerful enough to kill
flees-it has to be doing something to your pets-We all have to be careful
with what were using on our pets,this could be causing us health issues
to--who knows..
Anyway I will know more in a few weeks..I hope this helps someone else-to
fight for their pets rights-They are our companions,who love us
unconditionally,and protect us-We need to protect them also--Thanks for
listening..!!
Stephen & Sally 9/10/10
Belding Canada
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I am so relieved to have found your website. My dog Butters, 6 yr old Maltese, has been suffering from skin maladies for the last 4 months since we started using a different flea med. But I was told it was seasonal/flea allergies. This morning I took him back to his vet at Banfield Pet Hospital in Dallas, TX because he is itching like crazy and has a funky green discharge in his left eye. It suddenly struck me that the problem was the new flea control. He was taking Advantix before Banfield switched to First Shield and never had problems. I am so upset because we have incurred bills for treatment approaching $600. He is obviously allergic to something in the First Shield. What can I do to recoup our expenses from the manufacturers?
I also want out of our wellness plan at Banfield because they care more about $$$ than the care of pets. Any advice/pointing me in the right direction would be most appreciated.
Teresha 9/11/10
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(Below is a Freedom of Information Act request that I sent to the EPA on 9/13/10)
Please send me all records, including correspondence and follow-up documents, concerning EPA GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) Inspections of Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc., 1251 NC Highway 32 N, Corapeake, NC 27926, which were completed in the last 10 years (from 2000-2010) and as indicated in the following EPA GLP Inspection report:
The requested records concern a research facility that is currently being investigated by state and federal authorities for numerous violations, including animal cruelty. The EPA relies upon data from this research facility to assess the safety of pet pesticide products. The safety of these products is of significance to the public.
The EPA shares the public's concerns over the safety of pet pesticide products, and has made available to the public its evaluation of pet product incidents that were reported in 2008.
BioSpotVictims.org intends to post the requested records on its website to further public understanding of this issue.
BioSpotVictims.org is a non-profit educational organization which has no commercial interest in the requested records.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
James TerBush
Website Administrator
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(Below is email that I sent to Dr. Alka Chandna, Senior Researcher, PETA on 9/14/10)
Dear Dr. Chandna,
I would like to thank you and everyone at PETA for your undercover investigation of Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. I read the letter that you sent to the
FDA concerning PLRS (the WSJ article had a link to it) and thought that it was outstanding. I forwarded it to the EPA Inspector General and have asked his Office to open an investigation. You may also want to contact the EPA Inspector General, if you have not already done so.
Here is the contact information:
Attached are two "Annual Report for Research Facility" (APHIS Form 7023), which were submitted by PLRS for 2008 and 2009. These reports, along with PLRS annual reports for 2000 - 2007 can be found on the USDA APHIS website:
Two things are striking about these reports (2000 - 2009): the large number of cats and dogs at this facility; and the fact that virtually NO animals were reported to be involved in studies which accompanied pain or distress (as indicated by columns D and E). That is inconsistent with reports filed by other research facilities.
Here is some additional information that will be of interest to you...
The owner and President of PLRS is Helen N. Sonenshine.
There's a Daniel E. Sonenshine on the faculty of Old Dominion University:
He just happens to be a world renowned expert on ticks. He also happens to be married
to a woman named Helen:
Thank you again for making the public (and state and federal authorities) aware of this horrendous situation. I hope that PETA will not rest until this facility is permanently closed,
and the individuals responsible for these violations are prosecuted to the fullest extent of
the law.
Sincerely,
James TerBush
Website Administrator
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Hundreds of Dogs and Cats Rescued From Lab
Excerpts:
An enormous victory was achieved for animals this week when nearly 200 dogs and 54 cats were rescued from a North Carolina animal testing facility that closed its doors after an undercover investigation revealed apparent abuse of the animals by workers at the facility. Quick work on the part of the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), in partnership with the Humane Society of the U.S. and more than a dozen animal shelters and rescues succeeded in placing all of the rescued animals, offering hope that they will find loving homes and solace after their ordeal.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) conducted the initial investigation[2] that exposed the apparent cruelty at Professional Laboratory and Research Services, an inconspicuous rural lab funded by large pharmaceutical companies to test insecticides and other chemicals used in companion animal products. For nine months, a PETA investigator worked undercover at the facility, and shot video showing animals in excruciating pain from procedures, as well as employees kicking, throwing, and dragging petrified dogs, violently slamming cats into cages, and screaming obscenities at the animals for showing fear and being uncooperative.
Following its investigation, PETA filed formal complaints with federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and submitted evidence to the local prosecutor's office. Soon thereafter, the USDA inspected the facility and instigated a formal investigation. In the meantime, the lab agreed to surrender voluntarily all its dogs and cats, and to cease research at the facility.
The owner and President of the lab, Helen Sonenshine, was reported to be appalled when
she saw PETA's undercover video. Her husband, Daniel Sonenshine, just happens to be a professor emeritus of biological sciences at Old Dominion University and a renowned expert on ticks! He retired from teaching in 2002, but continues to do research and remains director of ODU's Animal Care Facility.
To cut costs, PETA alleged that PLRS killed nearly 100 cats, rabbits, and dogs. The company had decided that some of these animals' six daily cups of food were too expensive.
What did Helen and Daniel Sosenshine do with the money they saved by cost-cutting?
This matter is currently being investigated by the USDA, FDA, and EPA, as well as North Carolina officials.
Federal authorities need to determine if the allegations of systemic abuse of animals, substandard conditions, use of ill or diseased animals in studies, and the inadequate training, skill, and supervision of personnel are true, and if it compromised research at the facility -- research that FDA/EPA relied upon to make regulatory decisions. They also need to determine if these problems exist at other contract research facilities that fall under the jurisdiction of the FDA/EPA.
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Pet Flea, Tick Medication Called Into Question
Excerpts:
A Minnesota woman wants anyone with a pet to think twice before treating them for fleas or ticks.
Aundria Arlandson said Sergeant's Flea and Tick Powder killed her cat.
"I looked at the can and brought it home and applied it to my cat not thinking anything was going to happen to him. I thought it was completely safe," Arlandson said.
Now, she's one of dozens of people across the country taking some well-known pet companies -- Seargeant's Pet Care, Hartz Mountain Corporation and Summit Vetpharm --
to court.
Dr. Lisa Powell is a veterinarian at the University of Minnesota. For years, she's told her patients not to buy these over-the-counter products after seeing some serious side effects.
"It can cause starvation, lethargy, vomiting, and in the worst case scenarios, you can see seizures and even death," Powell said.
Pyrethrins are the active ingredients in most of these products. They're derived from Chrysanthemums and research shows they can be toxic to cats.
Last year alone, 39,000 complaints poured into the Environmental Protection Agency. The year before that, 44,000 complaints were logged -- people saying they've hurt or killed their dogs and cats. Dozens of people have taken their fight online posting video showing what
they say some liquids and powders have done to their pets.
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Hi James, thanks so much for your website. I had a Biospot flea & tick control product for
cats. I used it on my cat maybe 6 months ago and noticed no adverse effects. However, 6 months later, I used it again (checking and seeing there was no expiration date) and within minutes after application, my cat began to drool and went to hide in a corner. I thought maybe she had eaten something and it got stuck in her throat. However, since I had just applied the product only a few minutes earlier, I decided to search online to see if it could possibly be
the product. After reading posts from your site, I followed your instruction and bathed her thoroughly to wash it off. I'll keep an eye on her, but she seems to be fine. Who knows what would have happened if I left it on, but I don't want to find out. It's definitely not worth the risk.
Clarissa 9/28/10
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My 22 year old granddaughter just inherited a 4 month old mix Labrador Retriever and Pit. She's a beautiful dog and we all fell in love with her. For precaution she took the dog to the
pet shop to pick up flea treatment and they recommended Biospot. Instructions was to put
it on the back of her neck and lower back aligning her hind legs. She licked the spot on her lower back were the medication had been applied... Bad response from that! Shortly after applying the medication around 4:30 pm, she went to sleep but she wouldn't wake up, we thought she was tired. Around 10:30pm we tried to wake her up to go outside and she
wouldn't move. They had to pick her up. She wouldn't eat, or drink, and was totally lethargic. This was scary, the first thing we thought of was distemper, because she appeared to be having seizures in her sleep and we were not sure if she had been immunized, but the symptoms came suddenly. This lasted for about 24hrs. Later the next day she came back
to life a little, but this didn't last long. She slipped back into the slumber and vomiting white foamy substance. They took her to the humane society and they thought the same thing we originally thought that she had distemper, except for when we mention Biospot, their attitude and approach to treatment was different. They treated her with antibiotics and a IV. Today
she is moving slowly but making an attempt to walk.
We are watching her for a few days to see what will happen from this point. We were told
that Biospot would not do this to a dog. After reading these stories, I’m convinced it had something to do her condition. I’ll keep you informed.
Distrubedgrandma 9/29/10
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Re: Adverse Reaction in my cat to BioSpot
I truly wish I'd googled the product BEFORE I used it on my cat tonight. She's a 13 year
old, indoor cat that has no history of fleas. My daughter rescued a puppy a month ago that we treated with Hartz (didn't work) and has some fleas. The vet recommended Frontline for the dog... suggested I bathe him first, wait a day, then apply the product. I went to my favorite pet store to purchase the Frontline, as well as something to use in the house to kill them in the floor and furniture (which I used, then cleaned immediately while keeping the animals in a separate room), and something to use as a preventative for the cat. They recommended the BioSpot. Within an hour of using the product my cat began acting strange, threw up liquid, began drooling, and had dilated pupils. I googled the symptoms and the product and found a website with other instances of adverse reactions that recommended bathing her in warm water... which I did immediately. The symptoms began to recede... she's even eaten a bit and is drinking water. I'm keeping an eye on her tonight to see if I need to bring her in to a vet.
The potential for toxic reactions is too great with this product. It should be removed, or at least have a major warning label that indicates it may be toxic to cats.
Thanks for caring about the animals...
Susan 9/30/10
After 3 baths and two sleepless nights, Callie (my 13 yo cat) is much better... thanks to you
and the others online who posted what happened to their animals and what to do. I returned the unused product to the pet store and made them aware and will print and forward the information that you forwarded (it's a local store and all of the employees have and love animals). I'll also notify the manufacturer of BioSpot. Now I just have to figure out how to get rid of any fleas on the cat and in the house without using chemicals :) It's not worth the risk.
Susan 10/2/10
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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.
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