In April of ‘08 Joy posted a message on the danger of Sergeants Gold Flea Medication, and the story of what happened to Dogster members Lucky and Nala.  There have been 150 comments on that post, many sharing horror stories of what happened to their dogs when this, or a similar, product was used.

I came across a very interesting article today, Pesticides In Pet Products, and the debate about the safety of the pyrethroid family of chemicals. These over the counter products are readily available at grocery stores, pet stores, and even hardware stores. The manufacturers and distributors claim their products are safe, as long as used properly and the pet has no acute sensitivity or pre-existing condition. That warning is a bit of a double entendre.

These products are approved for sale by the EPA, yet they have been linked to over 1,500 pet deaths. Those are only the ones that have been reported, I suspect it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Pyrethroid spot ons also account for more than half of “major” pesticide pet reactions reported to EPA over the last five years — that is, those incidents involving serious medical reactions such as brain damage, heart attacks, and violent seizures. In contrast, non-pyrethroid spot on treatments accounted for only about 6 percent of all major incidents.

In the last five years, the EPA received a total of more than 25,000 reports of pet pesticide reactions of every sort — fatal, major, moderate, and minor — to over-the-counter pyrethroid spot on products. This compares to 10,500 reports of all pet incidents related to shampoos, powders, sprays, collars, dips, mousses, lotions, and towels. This analysis does not take into account how much of each product was used over the last five years as the EPA does not have that information.

Since there are other treatments available you have to wonder why the EPA doesn’t pull these products. I think it can be summed up in one word, money. If this was something that was used on children I have a feeling the outcome would be much different.

Of course the manufacturers cast blame on the owners, claiming they misused the product. User error, so to speak.  Even if some of the issues are due to the owners, it’s hard to believe with the incredibly high report of incidents that it doesn’t come back to the safety of the product.

The concentrations of pyrethroids in over-the-counter spot on pet treatments range from a 40 percent to an 85 percent solution, eight to 17 times stronger than the strongest pyrethroid product currently approved for use on humans.

Neither the EPA, which generally regulates topically applied products, nor the Food and Drug Administration, which generally regulates orally applied pet products, has a product registered for human application containing a pyrethroid concentration above 5 percent, and that FDA-approved product requires a doctor’s prescription.

In fact, the Sergeant’s Gold Squeeze-On for Dogs warning reads: “Harmful if swallowed or absorbed through skin,” while the application portion of the label directs people to apply the treatment “to the dog’s skin.”

The EPA is working on a better system to track the incidents that are reported to veterinarians. They are  starting to analyze the pet incidents to see if a pattern can be identified, which may one day lead to a change in labeling regulations. Or potentially, further regulatory action concerning these products.

There is a lot more information contained in this article, I highly recommend taking a few minutes to finish it.

* Kozmo, who has since been treated for fleas, and was adopted into his forever home on Jan. 3rd, 2008. Congrats on your one year adoption day!

In April 2008 Joy was made aware, by Lucky’s mom, about an incident that occurred after using Sergeant’s Gold flea medication.   Joy posted an article, Sergeant’s Gold Flea Medication Almost Kills Dogsters Lucky and Nala, to make everyone aware of the potential danger.

Since that article was posted there have many comments from other Dogster members who have used this product and experienced issues, from minor to life-threatening.  Last week a comment came in from Julie, an Online Community Relations Liaison, working on behalf of Sergeant’s with some updated information as to what the company is doing in response to these complaints.

Sergeant’s is very sorry to hear about what all of your dogs have experienced. We really want to hear from each one of you who believes their pet has had an adverse reaction to any of our flea and tick control products. If you haven’t yet contacted our 24-hour consumer hotline at 800-224-7387, we strongly encourage you to do so for a couple of very important reasons:

• We want to make sure that each one of your dogs is now in good health. Naturally reading these posts are more than bothersome to us.

• Sergeant’s needs to gather information from you and your vet in order to start an investigation. Sergeant’s has a procedure in place where a complaint of a possible adverse reaction is given to a committee of independent veterinarians to review and investigate what may have caused the reaction or problem.

It’s important to remember that all flea and tick control product are pesticides and in order for these products to be as safe and effective as possible, they must be used as directed. It’s also important to understand that, just like human health care products, nothing can be 100% allergy-free, so some dogs will have a reaction. Most reactions are temporary, such as skin irritation, but some can be very serious.

Sergeant’s wants to help pet owners make safe choices, which is why we expanded our “Look at the Label” educational campaign and website www.lookatthelabel.com to educate consumers on proper application and use of flea and tick control products. Each case in this forum – and other forums – is different, which is why we think you will find the information on www.lookatthelabel.com helpful in answering many of the questions you may have at this point in time.

Sergeant’s President, Bob Scharf, wants pet owners to know this tool is available and encourages everyone to visit the website or call Sergeant’s hotline to answer any questions or concerns you may have – whether it is pre, post or after application. You can view a special message here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbONNAshrWo.

We really are very sorry to read the experiences here and want nothing but your pets to be healthy and happy! Visit www.lookatthelabel.com for useful tips. Please let us know if you have any questions at all, as we would be more than happy to assist you further.

When I read the comment I thanked Julie for sending it over. I also let her know that Dogster members, being the dog lovers they are, obviously get very upset when they  use a product that they feel makes their dog sick.

It is especially upsetting when people don’t think that a company cares what happens. I asked if there is any kind of reimbursement program if it can be proven the product is directly responsible for making the dog sick.  Or is it simply use at your own risk? According to Julie, there are measures being taken to deal with those situations.

Sergeant’s has a procedure in place for when a complaint of a possible adverse reaction is reported. In some cases, the complaint and information are given to independent veterinarians for further insight on what may have caused the reaction or problem.

Sergeant’s takes pride in being an extremely ethical company and stands behind all of the products offered to fellow pet lovers. Responsibility is taken for issues related to the product as long as the product was used as indicated by the label.

If the product was used as intended and instructed and then found to be the cause of the negative reaction, the customer will of course be reimbursed for any damage associated to the product.

This again is determined through a case investigation and why it is so important to hear from anyone and everyone that has had a negative experience with this product.

For anyone that has any issues with the Sergeant’s products I urge you to take Julie’s advice and go to the Look At The Label page so you can contact the appropriate party.  It is imperative that the company is able to track these incidents and that the injured party receive compensation, if so determined,  for any out of pocket expenses due to the use of this product.