Seresto flea/tick collar warning

[Deborah & Muffy(GA) & Wendall]

According to documents from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the popular flea and tick collar Seresto has been linked to the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands of animals and include 907 reports involving harm to humans. However, the EPA has failed to warn the public of the documented results.

The Center for Biological Diversity provided the documents to the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and was co-published with USA Today. Since Seresto flea and tick collars came on the market in 2012, the EPA has received more than 75,000 incident reports relating to the collars including skin irritation/ hair loss, seizures, vomiting, fatigue, neurological dysfunction and death. At least 1,700 animals have died. What’s more concerning is that those numbers reflect only known incidents where the connection between the collar and the health issue was made and reported to the right agency. The actual numbers are most likely much higher according to Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity and an expert on US pesticide regulation.

The collars contain two pesticides - imidacloprid and flumethrin - the first being an insecticide used on crops despite being connected to the massive deaths of bees and butterflies. It is banned in the European Union for outdoor use but allowed to be in pet collars. The two pesticides were only studied individually but are reportedly extra toxic when combined together.

Seresto is the top-selling flea collar on Amazon which has also received numerous complaints reporting skin rashes to serious neurological issues. However, Amazon continues to market the product.

The Natural Resources Defense Council is currently engaged in a lawsuit over a different pesticide in flea collars. From 1992 to 2008, the EPA received about 4,600 incident reports regarding collars containing tetrachlorvinphos, including 363 pet deaths. That collar continues to be sold under the brand name Hartz Ultraguard, Hartz InControl and Longlife.

Other flea and tick collars currently approved under names Bio Spot, Scratex Color, Zodiac, Sergeant’s Dual Actions and Sentry Dual Action have been linked to pesticides that could pose a risk to pets as well as people who interact with them.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Bump

 

[Scdal]

According to documents from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the popular flea and tick collar Seresto has been linked to the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands of animals and include 907 reports involving harm to humans. However, the EPA has failed to warn the public of the documented results.

The Center for Biological Diversity provided the documents to the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and was co-published with USA Today. Since Seresto flea and tick collars came on the market in 2012, the EPA has received more than 75,000 incident reports relating to the collars including skin irritation/ hair loss, seizures, vomiting, fatigue, neurological dysfunction and death. At least 1,700 animals have died. What’s more concerning is that those numbers reflect only known incidents where the connection between the collar and the health issue was made and reported to the right agency. The actual numbers are most likely much higher according to Nathan Donley, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity and an expert on US pesticide regulation.

The collars contain two pesticides - imidacloprid and flumethrin - the first being an insecticide used on crops despite being connected to the massive deaths of bees and butterflies. It is banned in the European Union for outdoor use but allowed to be in pet collars. The two pesticides were only studied individually but are reportedly extra toxic when combined together.

Seresto is the top-selling flea collar on Amazon which has also received numerous complaints reporting skin rashes to serious neurological issues. However, Amazon continues to market the product.

The Natural Resources Defense Council is currently engaged in a lawsuit over a different pesticide in flea collars. From 1992 to 2008, the EPA received about 4,600 incident reports regarding collars containing tetrachlorvinphos, including 363 pet deaths. That collar continues to be sold under the brand name Hartz Ultraguard, Hartz InControl and Longlife.

Other flea and tick collars currently approved under names Bio Spot, Scratex Color, Zodiac, Sergeant’s Dual Actions and Sentry Dual Action have been linked to pesticides that could pose a risk to pets as well as people who interact with them.

I don't believe it is just the flea collars that cause problems. My cat has a reaction to Revolution and Advantge and all of these applications. About 3 hours after putting them on him, he starts panting and breathing very fast. He gets very anxious. He stays that way for around 14 hours. I wonder how many people actually monitor their pets after putting the flea control on them. It makes it difficult during the summer trying to control fleas, but I would rather have my cat alive and healthy.

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

There is so much wrong with all of this. The EPA should be protecting us from known dangers but the stench of lawyers and lobby groups is all over this.
Bayer bought Monsanto for 63 billion dollars and inherited all of Monsantos Roundup legal problems. So far Bayer has paid 8 billion dollars to settle these cases but much more is coming. Compared to this 1,700 pet deaths and 1,000 incidents involving harm to humans is peanuts. Seresto pet collars have been named in approximately 75,000 incident reports with the EPA but the agency has yet to issue an official warning about the "apparent" risks of the collars.
Imidacloprid is a nicotine based chemical that can cause seizures, thyroid gland damage, mutations, birth defects and is banned in the EU in the catastrophic demise of honey bees.
Seresto packaging used to say to not let the pet sleep with you if they're wearing the collar and that children should not touch the collar. They also say to wash your hands in cold water, not warm or hot, after touching the collar or pet. How many times in a day do you touch your pets? Amazon continues to sell the collar with no warning.
Bayer raked in about $41 billion in 2017. They have a long history of failed drugs and medical implants and a direct connection to the Nazi party.
Maybe they should just stick with Aspirin.

 

[Deborah & Muffy(GA) & Wendall]

I don't believe it is just the flea collars that cause problems. My cat has a reaction to Revolution and Advantge and all of these applications. About 3 hours after putting them on him, he starts panting and breathing very fast. He gets very anxious. He stays that way for around 14 hours. I wonder how many people actually monitor their pets after putting the flea control on them. It makes it difficult during the summer trying to control fleas, but I would rather have my cat alive and healthy.

Thank you for bringing that up.

Every drug can cause a reaction and there are certainly animals that can be more sensitive than others. You might try using less product and less frequently and use something for what you're specifically trying to control. Many of these products aim to treat a multitude of things that the animal doesn't have and just add more toxins into the mix. For example, Revolution claims to kill fleas, kill ticks, prevent heartworm disease and treat and control roundworms, hookworms and ear mites. If you're only dealing with fleas, all the other stuff is overkill and increase the chances of adverse reactions, which include lethargy, anorexia, tremors, ataxia and seizures. Advantage, on the other hand, treats fleas. That's it, fleas. It's safe enough that I've used it on flea-infested kittens as young as 4 weeks old and just a drop was enough.

What gets my knickers in a twist is how easy and common it is to overdose simply by following package directions. Revolution has one that says it's for cats weighing 11 - 22 lbs. but if the cat weighs 12 lbs., that's double the amount and could result in overdose. Same with dog heartworm prevention. Why would I give my 6 lb. Pomeranian a dose intended for dogs weighing up to 25 lbs.? It always irked me so back when we had several dogs weighing from 6 to 90 lbs., I started making my own HW preventative (my vet provided the recipe) and gave them only what they needed. And since it only cost pennies per dose, ended up saving a boatload of money.

We haven't had a flea problem for years but here in the Maine woods it's tick hell for the dogs. I use Frontline and since they also have a huge weight range, get the large dog size and dose according to weight. Last year I only had to dose the dogs once at the beginning of tick season. Using more of any product than is necessary increases the chance of it losing efficacy due to resistance.

Probably shouldn't get started on why a 5 lb. kitten gets the same amount of rabies vaccine (1 ml) as a 150 lb. dog.