Flea Products

 

"Got Fleas?" By Nell Liquorman, Author of Keep Fleas Off

Issued by the EPA

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"Hamish"

Hamish had been in a kill shelter in Connecticut, and was rescued just one day before he was scheduled to be destroyed.


To protect him from fleas and ticks, we chose Frontline - a liquid that is applied to the dog's back. It gave us peace of mind knowing that hehad this protection, but it had to be purchased from a veterinarian and was quite expensive.

One day while shopping, we came across an over-the-counter product, called Bio Spot Flea & Tick Control (by Farnam Pet Products). It looked similar to the Frontline product, but it was much cheaper, so we decided to try it. The Bio Spot seemed to work just as well as Frontline, so we used it again six weeks later.

An hour after applying the Bio Spot®, we found Hamish thrashing about on the ground. His body was completely stiff. His head was raised in the air, and his jaws were opened wide. A thick foamy saliva was spewing from his mouth. Horrified, I tried to determine if something was stuck in his throat. His windpipe was clear, but he was not breathing. His eyes began to roll back in his head. He was dying and we did not know what to do to save him! We made a desperate call to our veterinarian. ()

Update 3/30/04: Hamish has not had ANY seizures since we stopped using Bio Spot 20 months ago, and appears to have made a full recovery. We are thankful for each day that he is with us.

Farnam reimbursed us for Hamish's medical expenses, provided that we accept it as "FULL AND FINAL SETTLEMENT FOR THE ALLEGED ADVERSE REACTION TO BIOSPOT."

 

K9 Advantix Topical Flea Treatment

I am writing in regard to K9 Advantix topical treatment for fleas, mosquitos, and ticks.  We used it on the advice of our vet as West Nile Virus, which is carried by mosquitos, is a big problem in our community.  However, this is a product I would encourage everyone to avoid. 

We used it on our 5 year old pomeranian and he had a near fatal reaction.  He had neurologic side effects, dilation to his heart, and fluid in his lungs all as a result of the medication. 


The company of course has taken no responsibility for this reaction and informed my vet that "those things don't happen in dogs."  Please warn your friends with dogs to avoid K9 Advantix, it just isn't worth the risk.

You have permission to post this message anywhere!!!

 

 

12/29/04 FDA Enforcement Report http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/enforce/2004/ENF00880.html

PRODUCT
a) Hartz Advanced Care Hydrocortisone Spray. Item Number . Recall # V-008-5;
b) Hartz Advanced Care Hydrocortisone Shampoo. Item number . Recall # V-009-5;
c) Hartz Advanced Care Hydrocortisone spot with Aloe. Item number . Recall # V-010-5;
d) Hartz Advanced Care Once-A-Month Capsule Wormer Products.

Item Numbers:

- Once-A-Month Wormer for Puppies,
- Once-A-Month Wormer for Dogs
- Once-A-Month Wormer for Large Dogs
- Once-A-Month Wormer for Kittens and Cats. Recall # V-011-5;

e) Hartz Advanced Care Liquid Wormer: Item number . Recall # V-012-5.

CODE
All lots.

RECALLING FIRM/MANUFACTURER
Hartz Mountain Corp., Secaucus, NJ, by letter on October 26, 2004. Firm initiated recall is ongoing.

REASON
Products do not meet manufacturing GMP requirements.

VOLUME OF PRODUCT IN COMMERCE
2,048,318.

DISTRIBUTION
Nationwide.

 
Chemical Name
NADA number
Sponsor
Date Approved
Date FDA Report
Evaluated
Died
App-lication
Program®
lubenuron
Novartis®
8/1/98
5/3/06
584
14
Oral
Advantage® DUO
imidacloprid / ivermectin
Bayer®
9/27/02
       Topical
K9 Advantix® 10
imidacloprid and permethrin
Bayer®
9/30/02
EPA not FDA
n/a
n/a
Topical
FrontLine®
permethrin methroprene
65331-5
Merial®
7/21/00
EPA not FDA
n/a
n/a
Topical

 

How do I report an adverse reaction to a flea control product?

If you suspect your pet had an adverse reaction to a pesticide product, please contact:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pesticide Programs (Mail Code 7509C)
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20460

E-mail: