Poisoning from Flea Medicine!

[Wolp8]

I was just researching prices on the web for different flea & tick products for my dogs.
After looking into some it seemed that Biospot would be just as good (and lots cheaper!) then Frontline, Advantage etc.
Then I found more info then I bargained for! I came upon a website filled with stories about dogs (and cats) which suffered horribly from having these topical solutions applied to them. And quite a few of those animals even died.
While most of the stories are about BIOSPOT.... there are some in there also about K9 Advantix, Hartz, Advantage and a few even about Frontline.
The stories started in 2002.... and are still continuing to date. Biospot is still sold in stores and advertised in the Drs. Foster & Smith catalog as being a great product.

Here's the website: elversonpuzzle.com/biospotletters.html

All of the products caution us to not get them " on OUR skin". How can they not be harmful to our pets?? And if we have multiple pets they even ingest it from just playing!
Please be careful. I would rather put up with fighting fleas then ever putting one of those potions on my dogs again. (I realize that there are tons of people using the products with possibly just minor side effects..... but I don't want to take the chance of knowing better and still doing it.)
So far I have only used Adams Pyrethrin dip twice on my babies, but I will not use that again either.
I'll be researching some natural flea & tick remedies and will post an update if anybody is interested.

[Wolp8]

Forgot to give you the START of the mail.
It all started with one persons warning on the net about BIOSPOT.

Here's the beginning: elversonpuzzle.com/biospot.html


that was followed up by hundreds of letters which can be viewed under:
elversonpuzzle.com/biospotletters.html


Sorry.... don't know how to attach the web address on here. But please take the time and read up on it.

[kazkirkpatrick]

Correct! Biospot is the devil. We had this plasted all our the vet I worked at, but we still had puppies come in dying from these lower grade products. Hartz is baaaaaaaaaaaad! Adams is good! So is frontline and friends

[scarlett]

so Frontline is okay? That's good to know-but one should always check-thanks for the info.

[flyndog]

I'm going to nip this libelous post in the bud. There have been no reports to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine regarding any of these products. The website that is claiming Bio Spot killed their dog asks people to report any adverse reactions to the EPA! The Environmental Protection Agency does not control over the counter drugs given to animals. The FDA CVM does. Therefore, do not consider elversonpuzzle.com as a reliable source of information about topical flea and tick products.
Members are welcome to voice their opinions about products, but please do not make unsubstantiated claims. It's against the law and it scares other less informed members.
Thanks
BTW, if I have missed any ADE's on the CVM site, please correct me.
Kit

[vonissk]

Also what I would like to add is when I managed the boarding kennel in North Dallas--at a vet clinic--once a month a sales rep would come in and we would have lunch and they would make a talk and promote their products. The Advantage rep told us that in the beginning people that weren't 100% of how to use the product gave it to their dogs as a drink. The dogs didn't die because that's how safe the product is. The internet is like TV just because it's on there doesn't make it true and until I personally know of an incident I will continue to do what I have been. I personally don't like BioSpot because I don't feel it works that well. Other than that I use all kinds of products people have told me are dangerous. I like Advantage and it works--I think it is a lot safer than dips--when you are using a dip not only are you getting the chemicals on your skin and your dogs' skin both of you are inhaling the fumes. And besides that there is that God awful odor. You cannot tell me a dip is going to kill fleas and ticks for longer than the first or second day...........Minta

[elegy]

not precisely dog-related, but Hartz Cat and Kitten flea/tick products are being recalled at the insistence of the EPA.

link to the EPA site

[Wolp8]

Originally Posted by flyndog

I'm going to nip this libelous post in the bud. There have been no reports to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine regarding any of these products. The website that is claiming Bio Spot killed their dog asks people to report any adverse reactions to the EPA! The Environmental Protection Agency does not control over the counter drugs given to animals. The FDA CVM does. Therefore, do not consider elversonpuzzle.com as a reliable source of information about topical flea and tick products.
Members are welcome to voice their opinions about products, but please do not make unsubstantiated claims. It's against the law and it scares other less informed members.
Thanks
BTW, if I have missed any ADE's on the CVM site, please correct me.
Kit

I don't consider the post I wrote libelous and I am not making any claims. I simply stated that I came across this post on the net and wanted other members to be aware of it. And it is not just about ONE dog, there are hundreds of letters.
You are right in that we shouldn't take one website as a reliable source about what flea products to use or not to use. But isn't it worth at least looking into it?? It may save some dogs life and if there are better products out there then why not use those instead?

Regarding reporting incidents..... I found this one from the National Resources Defense Council (nrdc.org/health/effects/qpets.asp) and they ask you to report pesticide poisoning to the EPA also:

Quote: "If you think you or your pet has been affected by a pet product containing pesticides, call your local poison control center if you need immediate help, and report the incident to the EPA’s National Pesticide Telecommunications Network, at (800) 858-7378.
Based on Poisons on Pets: Health Hazards from Flea and Tick Products, a November 2000 report by the Natural Resources Defense Council. See also the Harmful Pet Products FAQ. " End Quote

This is from the EPA.org website: "EPA is responsible for assuring that all pesticides sold in the United States do not cause unreasonable risks when they are used according to label directions and precautions. Every EPA-registered pesticide product has an EPA registration number on its packaging. If evidence arises to challenge the safety of a registered pesticide product, EPA reviews scientific data and takes action if necessary to reduce or eliminate the risks. Some flea and tick products are drugs that are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine."

Sorry flyndog, I don't see how my post can possibly be libelous. I added the webaddress so people could read the stories for themselves and make up their own minds if they want to use Biospot on their pet or not.
Hmmmm... don't know what an ADE is, so I dont know if you missed it.

[Mellie]

I agree that much information on the internet can be misleading. There are numerous information sources circulating these days that say spot-on flea/tick prevention is 'bad', or vaccines are 'bad', or dry food is 'bad'. While I have no doubt that dog owners have experienced bad situations, I do not think it is fair for these sources to spread such panic. Sure the intentions are good, but the approach is not the best.
I have brought up a similar topic at the clinic where I work, just for Doctor and Vet Tech opinions. They, too, are worried about the average dog owner's access to all this circulating information. Many dog owners who only or mostly use the internet as their research tool are being scared away from safe and routine options.
While I think it is great that we have so much information at our disposal these days, I always recommend sifting through everything, doing your own research, talking to your Vet and other dog owners, and so on.
And having a board like this is an excellent resource to discuss these issues! I think Wolp8 made a smart decision to post the thread. It allows all of us to weigh in on this issue in a civil, respectful forum before it gets out of hand.

[flyndog]

Wolp8, you are right, your post was not libelous. So chillax. I was not referring to your post.

[karpom]

I agree with what you said on frontline plus,but it does not affect all dogs with sickness, and death.I know this from first hand.I was told it would not hurt to put it on my baby puppies.It only affected 4,out of 8.I've lost two so far,and that is following a vet's advice on frontline plus.Ive taken them back to a different vet and still loosing my babies.

[calgal]

ANTTHING you put on your dog will work into the bloodstream. Now read all the ingredients that are in ALL the flea & tick repellents. Do you know what each and every one of those ingredients are? What they can cause? My suggestion has been to go with the all natural approach. Fleas do not like certain scents. Were trying to keep them off the dog, not kill them along with our dog.