Cat and Dog Owners Please Read...

[Renée]

I know this is not a pets board, but I know a lot of us have pets, and this information is important for me to share. This is a copy of an email that I just sent to a bunch of my friends. NOT forwarded to me, but composed BY me today, based on my own experience and research. My cat is still in the hospital.
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Over-the-counter flea and tick treatments (those not obtained directly from a
veterinarian), especially the drops, have toxic and potentially fatal effects!
Hartz is the worst and most negligent offender. Here is my story; it involves
a cat, but this information also applies to dogs:

I saw a flea while grooming my cat, Leo, and decided to treat him immediately.
I bought Hartz Advanced Care Gentle Formula Flea and Tick Drops from my local
PetsMart and gave him one dose, following the package instructions exactly.
This was at about 9pm. The next morning when I woke, around 6am, I noticed
that he seemed slower than usual and seemed to not be feeling well. When I
picked him up to see what was wrong, I noticed his eyelids and ears twitching.
On further inspection, I saw that he was suffering from severe motor tremors
all over his body. In addition, he had lost quite a bit of control over his
back legs.

I had read the warnings on the back of the package thoroughly before purchasing
the product, and I thought the worst reaction he could have might be skin
irritation. Here is the exact text on the back of the package regarding
potential side effects:

"Sensitivity, such as slight transitory redness of the skin at the site of
application, may occur after using ANY pesticide product for pets. If signs of
sensitivity occur, bathe your pet with mild soap and rinse with large amounts
of water. If signs continue, consult a veterinarian immediately."

"Sensitivity," to me, does NOT give the impression that a neurotoxic reaction
leading to convulsions, seizures, loss of motor control, and death, could be
likely. But, my vet has seen five cases just like mine (all reported to Hartz)
in the last five months. That's just one vet in one city. After checking
across the web to see if there were any more pet owners who had this happen, I
found posts on pet boards dating back to February 1999 from people who had
similar cases and some whose pets actually died from this reaction to Hartz
flea drops.

I did bathe my cat to try and remove the product, as the Hartz package
suggested, but I didn't wait to take him to the vet; I did so immediately. He
is hospitalized right now, on an IV catheter feeding him fluids and muscle
relaxers, and will be there at least overnight. The vet feels very hopeful so
far, but there's nothing we can do but wait and see if the toxins successfully
flush out of his system.

Out of my research during this frightening experience, I've come across
several major points I want to share with other pet owners:

1 - Almost ALL over-the-counter flea and tick remedies, including collars, that
are available at your local pet store contain pesticides that are truly not
safe for humans or the pets they are intended to treat. The drops (the ones
applied to the animal's back between the shoulder blades) are extremely potent
and likely to cause severe reactions, especially in cats. Of course, not all
pets respond adversely to commercial flea treatments, but anytime a pesticide
has prolonged contact with an animal's skin, the chance exists.

2 - There are natural, homeopathic ways to treat fleas without having to use
pesticide-based treatments; ask your vet. Also, even the chemical treatments
prescribed through a vet (Advantage, Frontline) are less likely to cause
reactions than the cheaper over-the-counter treatments.

3 - Hartz seems to have the reputation among pet owners for being the most
negligent offender in the industry. Its products are widely stocked, but they
do not have adequate documentation on the packages about precautions, side
effects, and proper application. Hartz is aware of the numerous incidents like
mine, as a case number is assigned each time an incident is reported, but they
will not pull the product from the shelves.

Following are some links that you may be interested in. They will back up what
I've said in this email and provide some general information about flea
treatments.

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"Poisons On Pets: Health Hazards From Flea And Tick Products," an article by
the Natural Resources Defense Council -
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/pets/execsum.asp

Article on the PETA website about flea products, pesticides, and natural
alternatives -
http://www.peta-online.org/mc/facts/fsc5.html

Bulletin board threads about the dangers of Hartz flea products (real pet owner
experiences) -
http://rainbowsbridge.com/new_beginn...ages/1260.html http://members.boardhost.com/actioncat/msg/541.html http://www.rainbowsbridge.com/New_Beginnings/vet_board/wwwboard/messages/2586.html


Where to make a report if your pet has been affected -
http://members.boardhost.com/actioncat/msg/722.html

California forcing Hartz to amend their label directions and precautions -
http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/nod/99-50.htm

Links to Epinion reviews on Hartz products (real pet owner experiences) -

http://www.epinions.com/pets-review-...tk_~CB008.1.10
http://www.epinions.com/pets-review-.../tk_~CB008.1.1
http://www.epinions.com/pets-review-.../tk_~CB008.1.4
http://epinions.lycos.com/pets-revie.../tk_~CB004.1.9

This is the exact product I used on my cat -

http://www.petsmart.com/cat/shopping/flea___tick_products/collars __pills___drops/products/prod uct_12952.shtml


Some other pet owner experiences with Hartz flea products -

http://www.moggies.co.uk/warning.html#hcl
http://jlbradley.home.att.net/KHAN.HTM

[CreepingDeath]

sh**! I'd hate to have that happen to any of my dogs.

If you and your vet can prove it was not any pre-existing condition or disease you can sue the fu**ing pants off of Hartz.

I hope your cat ends up ok in the end I've had many dogs and it is as painful as losing a family member when something happens to them. <IMG SRC="smilies/frown.gif" border="0">

[iamtheman]

I hope your cat is o.k. I've got a cat and I've never even thought of something like this. Thanks

[ßracius]

I am saying a cat prayer tonight

[cookin chef]

Been lucky with my parents two cats. Brush them and if they have fleas, then it is a flea collar for them. Haven't had any bad luck yet, But I'll take your view under advisement. Thanks for the info Renee. Hope your cat recovers.

[opiate]

Those damn bastards! They should be dipped in sulferic acid until they melt to death(pretty evil huh?).

edited by Sowulo--under the circumstances, not even a little funny...

[ephmynus]

I love all animals especially my cat (look at the avatar). I would have never imagined something like this would have happened from a flea treatment. I hope your cat is okay and we thank you for the information.

[opiate]

Originally posted by opiate:
<STRONG>Those damn bastards! They should be dipped in sulferic acid until they melt to death(pretty evil huh?).

edited by Sowulo--under the circumstances, not even a little funny...</STRONG>

Sorry bout that Sowulo. I did think twice bout posting that but, it was late and had a few beers in me....... <IMG SRC="smilies/cool.gif" border="0"> good call

[Wayward Clam]

The thing people don't realize is that a lot of the products out there intended for humans are just as bad. It's gotten to the point where I refuse to buy anything even remotely pharmaceutical until I've researched it thoroughly beforehand.

To make an analogy: If you saw a really cool-looking video card, with a new brand name you didn't recognize, that claimed to have awesome features for a good price at a store, wouldn't you check it out on the net before installing it into your "baby"?

Now why would you "install" something into your pet or YOURSELF without taking the precautions?

[JungleMan1]

Sorry to hear about your cat Renee, best wishes! Thanks for warning us about that.

[em-clown]

Originally posted by Wayward Clam:
<STRONG>Now why would you "install" something into your pet or YOURSELF without taking the precautions?</STRONG>

Too bad you can't format, fdisk, and reinstall your cat with a more stable OS <IMG SRC="smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0">

[NakedMessiah]

Hartz has been on 60 minutes twice. nuff said.

[Wayward Clam]

Oh, I'm such a loser! I'm sorry, Renee, it completely slipped my mind to address your cat!

I hope your cat pulls through. I have three cats of my own and until I owned them I never realized what cool creatures they are! I used to be a dog person, but they have as much personality and are as affectionate as any dog I've known, and are much easier to take care of.

I seriously hope everything is okay with your cat. And I agree with the idea that you may have legal recourse here. Those @#$$% Hartz bastids should at the VERY least be paying your vet bill.

In fact, I'm going to copy the URL for this page and bring it over to the pet supply store two doors down this afternoon.

[Wayward Clam]

Originally posted by Wayward Clam:
<STRONG>I'm going to copy the URL for this page and bring it over to the pet supply store two doors down this afternoon.</STRONG>

I am happy to report that Pet Food Warehouse in Thunder Bay does not stock Hartz products. They inform me that those are only sold locally in large grocery and chain stores. So I'll check those out next.

[Stalemate]

You'd think that these products would be tested beforehand <IMG SRC="smilies/mad.gif" border="0">

Then again, what could they test it on, more animals? <IMG SRC="smilies/redface.gif" border="0">