Complain about a product or service

EPA Delays Report on Flea and Tick Products That May Harm Pets

Pet owners continue to report adverse effects on animals

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com
Copyright 2009 © All Rights Reserved

January 7, 2010

The agency previously told ConsumerAffairs.com that it planned to issue a report last fall about "spot-on" flea and tick products, which pet owners say have triggered "horrific" reactions in their dogs and cats. But according to the EPA, the agency is still reviewing reports and other "complex technical issues" regarding the problem, and will likely not take any action for weeks.

"[The] EPA has been evaluating the data submitted on adverse incidents associated with the spot-on flea and tick pet products and is nearing completion of its review," the agency's spokesman, Dale Kemery, said. "Due to the large amount of data and the complex technical issues associated with the review of the data, our report is not ready for public release."

"We anticipate publicly releasing the document in early 2010," Kemery said. The EPA will post its findings about topical flea and tick products, and any regulatory action it may take, on its Web site.

The report would come nearly a year after the EPA announced it was "intensifying" its scrutiny of topical flea and tick products.

Hundreds of pet owners have written to ConsumerAffairs.com since then, claiming that their dogs and cats suffered burns and welts on the skin, started to drool excessively, shake uncontrollable, whimper in agony, lose control of their legs, or experience other neurological problems after using these products.

The agency decided last April to take a closer look at these EPA-registered-products because of the growing number of reports it had received about adverse reactions.

During an interview with ConsumerAffairs.com last summer, the agency confirmed it had received more than 44,000 reports of harmful reactions associated with the products, including skin irritation, seizures, and even deaths. The EPA also documented the uptick in complaints it received about these products from previous years.

"How can this product still be on shelves?"

The increase in incidents only fuels pet owners' anger over the products remaining on the market.

"I applied Sergeant's Silver Flea & Tick squeeze-on to both of my dogs and within a few minutes they both started scratching, drooling, running around, panting, twitching, vomiting, rolling around," a New Jersey pet owner named Noemi told us. "Their doctor prescribed them medication and it took weeks for it heal. My dog still has a scar on his back that may never go away. He has white fur and all I see is this dark mark on his back to remind me daily of what happened."

"People have been complaining on this site (ConsumerAffairs.com) about this product since 2007," she added. "When is this product going to be removed from the shelves?"

The EPA has told us all options "are on the table," including requiring companies to change their formulas or pulling products off the market.

But a leading veterinary toxicologist and other experts in the field caution the EPA about pulling these products off store shelves. They say an outbreak of fleas and ticks could pose more serious health problems to pets and humans, and that the products pose minimal risks when used as directed.

A 2009 study by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) found that the majority of illnesses linked to "proper use" of topical flea and tick products were mild. Cats were more susceptible to illnesses and deaths from the "misuse" of these products, according to the study.

"The important take home message is that although adverse reactions can occur with all flea and tick products, most effects are relatively mild and include skin irritation and stomach upset," said Dr. Steven Hansen, ASPCA veterinary toxicologist and Senior Vice President, Animal Health Services. "Pet parents should not discontinue using products as directed by the product label when faced with a flea infestation."

Hansen's words offer little solace to pet owners who say they've seen firsthand the agonizing pain and problems caused by the products. They include Melissa of Hamilton, New Jersey, who worried her two Pugs were going to die after she applied Sergeant's Gold Flea and Tick Squeeze-On on them.

"A few hours after applying the medication to our dogs, both of them began to act completely out of character," she said. "They were both vomiting, foaming at the mouth, running around and smashing their bodies into fences, furniture, bushes, shaking their heads violently almost as if something was inside their ears."

"We called a 24 hour vet hotline and we were told the dogs were having an allergic reaction," she said, adding chunks of one of the dog’s hair later came out. "It took days to get this poison out of their systems."

"Our dogs could have died," she said. "We have a dog missing a huge part of his hair. It is extremely disturbing to look at. I would like this product taken off the shelves. It is poison, and complaints are all over the Internet about it. How can this product still be on shelves?"

Pamela of Marshall, Michigan had a similarly bad experience. "I applied Sergeant's Gold Squeeze-On flea and tick treatment to my dog," she said. "After the tube was applied, he started going crazy and pacing back and forth. I thought the fleas were driving him crazy until he went into a seizure and had non-stop foaming at the mouth, was panting, had huge pupils, was shaking, convulsing, eyes twitching, bloating, and temporarily lost (his) walking ability."

Pamela immediately called the company's emergency hotline. "I was talking to the lady when my dog went into yet another seizure," Pamela recalls. She said, "Get off the phone and call your vet now.'"

Pamela's vet told her to immediately wash her dog, Tyson, with Dawn soap. Tyson's condition had not improved by the time Pamela reached the vet's office.

"He was still shaking and had all the symptoms as before," she said. "His shaking was so bad it took five of us to hold him just to get the needle (with IV and other medications) in his leg."

Tyson is now on the mend, she said, but not fully back to normal. "I have read many other stories on the Internet about this product doing the same thing to other animals, even to the point of them dying," she said. "This needs to be pulled from the shelves before more people have to go through what I and other people already have."

"Horrible and dangerous"

During an interview with ConsumerAffairs.com last summer, the EPA's Kimberly Nesci said her agency was thoroughly examining this issue, and that its probe encompassed reviewing thousands of reports about adverse reactions.

At the time, Nesci said "anything is on the table" with regards to what the agency might do to take action against the products.

ConsumerAffairs.com also contacted several makers of topical flea and tick products for reactions to the EPA's proposed "intensified scrutiny." Hartz CEO Bill Ecker was the only one to respond at the time, saying that he welcomed their efforts.

Ecker also cited a study by Washington State University professor Dr. Charles T. Gaskin which analyzed the EPA's complaints about flea and tick products from 2006 to 2008. Ecker claimed that Gaskin's study revealed Hartz flea and tick products accounted for less then five percent of the adverse reactions reported during the timeframe analyzed.

But the scores of pet owners who continue to write in say they use these flea and tick products as directed -- and their dogs and cats still suffer horrible reactions.

"I put Sergeants Gold flea and tick on my Dachshund," pet owner Kimberly, of Portland, Oregon recently told us. "I used the one for small dogs (9-20 lbs) and just a few hours later my dog started itching and was extremely uncomfortable. He continued to be uncomfortable and couldn't hold still (and) he wouldn't eat or drink. He kept jerking and shaking his head and trying to rub himself on everything."

Her dog's problems persisted throughout the night, even after she gave him a bath. "And now, almost nine hours later, he is still twitching when he is still and he is still so uncomfortable," she said.

“This product is horrible and dangerous," Kimberly added.

Report Your Experience

If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.