Comments on: Sergeant’s Gold Flea Treatment should be boycotted

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:48:48 +0000

I just used Sargents gold on my shitzu poodle mix and she started twitching panting and shaking. Needless to say I had to bring her to the vets and they confirmed it was the flea med that caused this! This was yesterday and the poor thing is still shakey and very uncomfortable! In not very happy with this.
Heather

By: Lorraine the Sergeant Sufferer for Life

Lorraine the Sergeant Sufferer for Life — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:16:01 +0000

These sites are informational resources to fight back on the OTC Flea manufacturers….

We need to band together to get this stuff off the market…

http://tinytimmy.org/

http://www.biospotvictims.org/

By: Lonnie

Lonnie — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:20:40 +0000

I used Sergeant’s on my cat about 18 months ago; within an hour of using the product, I had to rush Mr. Diddles to the vet. The bill came to over $300 and I was advised by my vet that this happens all too often with the Sergeant’s Gold product. My cat almost died. I got in touch with customer service at Sergeant’s and they advised me they would reimburse me for my expenses. All I needed to do was provide them with receipts for my vet bills and a note from my vet. I have provided these items 4 different times to Sergeant’s with confirmation of receipt and they continue to deny that they have received all pertinent information. I will continue to send them what they have asked for until I receive some satisfaction. I don’t expect to get any reimbursement from Sergeant’s, but I will continue to be a thorn in their side. I am taking to the internet, and any other means necessary, to advise people not to use any of Sergeant’s products. This company is an absolute joke. They continue to sell product that they know can actually kill your pet. You have been warned; do not use any Sergeant’s products.

By: April

April — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 10:44:54 +0000

Same thing happened with my 75 lb little girl. She is a German Shepherd and we put this on her and by the next morning she was shaking uncontrollably and could not walk. We took her to the vet and after a bath, bloodwork and a 4 hour stay there she started pulling out of it. The vet called the 800# on the box to find out more detail about the product. Luckily we got her there in time, he said it was close. She had went pale, had a fever and could not stand up, she just howled and whined. It was terrible watching her go through that. I DO NOT recommend this product for any animal!!!!

By: Peggy

Peggy — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:21:31 +0000

OMG… I see postings on this website from 2008 and they are still peddling this stuff in 2011 ! I was given Sergeant’s flea medication by a friend who’s dog had died (now I know why ). I unknowing put it on my Cocker & Cockapoo. That was 3 days ago and they have not slept at all. They just keep walking around the house sniffing and Buffy, my cocker is having problem with his back legs. They bark all night and go nuts in their cage, which they have always liked. I have washed them once, but gonna do again today. My vet is booked but am going to try to get them in at a walk in clinic tonight. They need something to help them relax and sleep.

By: Rachael N Stout

Rachael N Stout — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:38:00 +0000

I applied this product on my cat on 9/1/11 by 1 am on 9/2/11 she was having convaltions her entire bidy was shaking violently she couldnt sit or walk this went on for 13 hours after bathing her many times praying and giving her milk in a droper it filally started to calm down and finally stopped by 5pm that night the next day she did have trouble walking but seems to be fine now I will never use this prodect on my pets again and I wish it would be taken out of the stores.

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 03:35:15 +0000

Well this product is still on the shelves. My vet was out of frontine so on the way home I stopped into the grocery store and picked up SARGEANTS GOLD for my 80lb German Shepherd. 4 hours later while at work my fiance calls me in a panic that Sam’s(the dog’s) crate blankets are soaked and so was he. She said he was walking around aggitated and drooling from the mouth. After the emergency room visit they sent Him home, stating that the worst of it had passed and that he would be fine but to bring him back if it symptoms returned.

The idea of my beloved Sam sitting in his crate alone for those few hours, probably vomiting and shaking uncontrollably fills me with an anger i can barely describe. This company needs to pay.

Pissed off in New Hampshire,
Andy

By: Donna Burgess

Donna Burgess — Sat, 28 May 2011 02:47:44 +0000

A few hours ago I had to take our yorkie, Willow to the Vet. I had given her the same sergeants gold flee treatment yesterday. Last night she seemed a little restless and by this morning, she was biting, drooling, anxious, rubbing her back against anything she could to relieve the itching. I gave her a bath as soon as I was aware of the symptoms. All of a sudden this afternoon she began to pant very rapidly and I took her to the vet. He called the sergeants hotline, which there was no answer, than googled this brand and informed me there were tons of letters commenting on this POISON!!! He gave willow fluids through an IV, and a shot of prednisone, and also something to help with her fever. The vet also instructed me to give her a bath in Dawn dish liquid. As I am typing this, Willow is racing around, scratching panting, when will this nightmare end????? I feel terrible for my poor little dog!!!

By: Safe and Effective Flea Treatments for Cats: Avoiding Potentially Hazordous Products for Flea Control

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 06:43:52 +0000

[...] or dying because their owners applied certain brands of flea treatments. A website focused on the dangers of using Hartz brand flea treatments has stories of numerous cat and dog owners who have had horrible experiences with Hartz brand [...]

By: jennifer

jennifer — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 06:02:00 +0000

my dog is having the same reactions… how long did it take before your dog was back to its normal self???

By: Vee

Vee — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:50:05 +0000

Its shamefull that this company is selling this worthless crap. I bought the sergeants Gold for dogs 9-20 lbs, for my Pekingese, well guess what folks, my dogs have the same symtoms that the others are telling, my dogs kept me all all night clawing, whinning, crying, shaking, gnawing on their paws, rubbing against furniture, jumping up from whatever rest they got, drooling, refusing food , their back are red where i put the product on, and guess what .. They still have fleas. here my babys are looking at me for comfort. I bathed them twice with dawn,(must be their comapany) since they reccomend the product, and put vitamin e oil, benadryl,aloe, hot spot treament, they still dont act right. Complete misery, I am so angry. they told me they would give my refund if i send them receipt and box, what a bunch of crooks. here Im calling to tell them that my beloved dogs are sick from using their crap and its like no big deal to them.If u can get this poison off the shelves and sue their azz I’m IN.
Pissed off in VIRGINIA

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 05:20:18 +0000

My dog is another victim of this horrible, joke of an excuse for “medicine.” I feel so bad for my toy Pomeranian, Tucker. This is his third night in a row up running around in delirium because of an adverse reaction to this rotten product. Please email me at mekuipers@yahoo.com if there is any legal action being taken against this company. Personally I don’t know how they are still in business but I hope not for much longer.

By: Daniella

Daniella — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:54:12 +0000

My 2 year old chihuahua, Elwood had recently suffered from the all of these symptoms that have been happening to other dogs who used Sargeant Gold Flea Treatment. I went ahead and googled any complaints on this medication and I found this articale. I applied the flea treatment about 2 days ago , and is still recovering. I had also put the medication on my 3 year old German-Shepherd/Retriever mix Jake and he did not have the same reaction as Elwood did. But Jake’s behavior was unusual. He was quiet and was itching even more than he was before I put Sargeant on him. I didn’t take them to the vet, but bathed them several times, gave them pain medication & imflamation from their previous vet visit, and of course T.L.C. I will never let my dogs suffer again from that ridiculous crap I gave them.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:36:56 +0000

That Sergeant product is evil. My mom brought this product to treat my cat fleas. He was fine for a like a day after she put the product on him, but yesterday evening, he became very disorientated in his walking. My mother alerted me to this and he was having trouble walking and even climbing the stairs, so much so that I had to help him upstairs. Then he started twitching alot, drooling alot from his mouth and like an hour later he had a massive sezure.

We didn’t think he was gonna make it through that, but amazingly he fought through it, but he was still in alot of pain and panting alot. My mom felt it was her fault, but it wasn’t her fault, it was that damn Sergeant flea and tick product’s fault. I looked on their website for answers, and they said that it would just “Maybe have a bad taste in their mouth if ingested, other then that nothing serious.” He didn’t ingest it, he was licking himself, and he was fine, at least we throught he was at first.

We rushed him to the vet sometime before midnight. They took him to the back, and we waited in the vet for about 2 or so hours. Finally, one of the staff called us back and said that he had Pyrethrin Toxicity from that damn Sergeant’s Flea and Tick product! His temperature was normal, but his heart rate was somewhat high. They said all together the price for everything including medication and hospital stay would be $500! They gave us two other options: Take him home to montior him and take him to a local vet in the morning or they would put him to sleep if it became very serious…

I broke out in tears, I was slowly losing my best friend I had for over 13 years. MY advice to everyone, is to NOT buy this product! Even if you have to shove out extra money to buy the expensive stuff do it, it could save your dog or cat’s life.

By: Angela Hawkes

Angela Hawkes — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:19:37 +0000

I wish I had read this before purchasing the product. Not only did it not kill the fleas, but I noticed strange twitching from my cats, and fever. It is absolutely unbelievable to me that corporate greed could be so out of check that the product is still on the shelves when this is apparently a known issue. Clearly, none of the people who work for the corporation own pets–or if they do, I bet they’re sure as heck not using this product. SHAME on them. SHAME.

By: lisa berg

lisa berg — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 05:49:46 +0000

Well, thanx too sergean’s gold my dog is flea free. In reaturn for takin the fleas away, my poor little 9 lb chiuaua Tico is very ill! All the same side effects: vomitting, shaking,wheezing, crying, bitting his back paws severley, very irritated …Need I say more? I cant believe these people working for this company let alone the who created this product…. how do they sleep @ night? I’m tryin the benadryll, and the dawn dish soap, hopefully my doggie well pull through this . PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!!!!! the number on the back of the box.. when u call they make it sound like they can’t believe the product did this. from reading everyones stories there is something definetly wrong here.

By: Sue Giddings

Sue Giddings — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:19:30 +0000

Well, Add me to this LONG list. I wanted to get rid of fleas on my two Miniature poodles last night and since I discovered them on Sunday, decided to try the OTC stuff – not knowing any of what I was to encounter. One of my dogs did not have a reaction to this but the other started panting about 1/2 hour after I applied this god-forsaken stuff on his neck. Then he would jump up on the bed (with my husband and I) and whimper and lay down only to kick after a couple of seconds, then get back up scratch behind his ears, bite his paws then twitch (kick) again. Of course, I tried to soothe him by lying with him on the floor, on the sofa, things that normally calm him down. 5 hours later, at 11:30, I gave him a bath with Oatmeal dog shampoo, not knowing about the Dawn treatment. Well, I was up all night and looked on the internet this morning to find this stream of complaints and realize that things might be real bad for my little 5 year old. I called the Vet who told me to immediately bathe the area where I put the Sergeant’s Gold with Dawn dish detergent and if I didn’t see a drastic difference, bring him in. Well, both dogs got a Dawn bath but I still had to take my boy to the vet. They confirmed an allergic reaction to this medicine and told me it is the Pyriproxyfen that causes the Central Nervous System reaction (the twitching and scratching and restlessness). The vet gave him a steroid shot and told me to watch him through the day for othe signs or no sign of relief. Thank goodness, it is now 12:00 pm the next day and he is trying to sleep a little. Poor guy lifts his head but doesn’t even open his eyes, he’s so exhausted. But I got lucky to have seen this. Just wish I would have called the vet last night so he wouldn’t have had to go through this ordeal last night. I am calling the 800 number and will be posting this on Facebook for everyone to pass along – got to get the word out and if it means putting this company out of business, then so be it. My dogs are my only children and I’ll not have them poisoned by a company that chooses to say on it’s label “sensitivities may occur”. What the heck is that supposed to tell me?

By: Dee Gerrish

Dee Gerrish — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:34:44 +0000

I just had a similar experience experience with my Boxer/Pit bull mix this morning. Because I didn’t have the funds to pay $88 for the usual once a month pills I have been using regularly..comfortis… I decided to try and use an over the counter topical flea treatment by Sergeants. I put it on my dog and within an hour, he began acting weird and vomiting violently.

Awhile back I had written an article about topical flea treatment toxicity in Goldendoodles because they are known to be sensitive to topical flea treatments. They can have seizures or liver/kidney failure from the usage of these chemicals. Like you, I feel horrible because I didn’t think it would bother my dog since he wasn’t a Goldendoodle and I didn’t think it would bother him. When he began vomiting, I immediately went into my bathroom and my dog jumped into the tub. I scrubbed him down for five minutes with shampoo; then spent another five minutes rinsing him. Then I towel dried him profusely. For awhile he was slobbering but then the vomiting subsided. So I ruled out taking him to my vet.

I would not have waited as long as you did, to take my dog to the vet since I had read before that if a dog begins vomiting and acting strangely within an hour of using a topical flea treatment to immediately bathe them and if symptoms continue after the bath to rush them to your vet. Had my dog continued to vomit and drool..he would be at my vet’s office.

I will NEVER again use any brand of topical flea treatment on any of my dogs since I do not want to chance something worse happening. As a footnote, had one of my customers NOT given me this web link..I never would have known that there were many complaints about Sergeants topical flea treatment. Also, in case others want to know… when I opened the capsule, I accidentally got some of the treatment on my blue shirt. The small amount completely bleached a streak in my shirt coloring!!! IF this chemical is so strong that it actually bleaches coloring OUT of a shirt…can you only imagine what the hell it is doing to your dogs’ skin ???

By: Lorraine a Sergeant Sufferer

Lorraine a Sergeant Sufferer — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 21:29:25 +0000

Please complete this claim form to submit your free case evaluation to a lawyer listed on LawyersandSettlements.com.

https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/submit_form.html?label=sergeant-flea-tick-treatment-side-effects&ref=article14143

By: pam

pam — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 06:09:48 +0000

I just finished bathing Lacie three times with Dawn after using Sergeant’s gold. Within one hour of my husband applying it, she was nervous, pacing, biting at ther back. When we went to bed earlier tonight, she was in her crate and just kept whining and crying. I have to say that the people at Sergeant’s were helpful but I will never buy this product again!

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:50:53 +0000

This product also gave my dog problems as people have commented above. Also DO NOT BE FOOLED!!!! Sergeants is not labeled on ANY of their products anymore, I was at the store today and noticed that all their products are called SENTRY, but in fine print it says product from Sergeants. DO NOT believe that the name change changed the way their products are!!!!!!!!!!!

By: maria

maria — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:04:19 +0000

this is crazy..these comments are going way back to 2008 and i cant believe this is still on the market. My poor yorkie is misreable…

By: Rhonda Olmo

Rhonda Olmo — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 03:59:56 +0000

Almost killed my dog! So upset.

By: Jennie Mclaughlin

Jennie Mclaughlin — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:48:21 +0000

Will Call tomorrow re Civil Suit- My poor 11Lb Cat Got a Neck rash so took him in 4/14 to Vet- he said it’s Sergeant’s allergic reaction & PX Cortizone. Well 1 week later,
my inside (sometimes patio which is screened) cat had fleas???? So I just clld Sergeant’s just now, they were actually trying to helpful, said they’ld send reverse reaction report to refund vet fees (about $200 for this so far including CapStar flea control). He had been on hartz, will eventually switch to revolution. Been reading your stories & so sorry-it’s upsetting.

By: Lorraine a Sergeant Sufferer

Lorraine a Sergeant Sufferer — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:29:39 +0000

Michael Scott Green ESQ has filed a class action against Sergeant’s products.

He is looking for Sergeant Sufferers located in the N. J. area.

Please call him at 732-390-0480 if you wish to assist in the investigation.

MICHAEL SCOTT GREEN, ESQ.

GREEN & PAGANO, LLP

E-Mail: green@lawgp.com

By: Heather Hurley

Heather Hurley — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:54:35 +0000

Thank you for everyone who took the time to leave their stories! I am pregnant so I was looking for information on using this product when I stumbled upon this website. You all saved me from certain heartbreak…There is no way I will use this product after reading your stories and I will return the product to Target (shame on them for selling it) and tell them my story. I hope your animals have made a full recovery and thanks again for the valuable information!

By: mike

mike — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:59:42 +0000

Same thing, I purchased their flea treatment product without doing research because I thought there’s no way something on the store shelf could be that bad. Within a couple of hours of being applied, my cat had scratched off all the hair in that spot. I called sergeant’s emergency line, they told me to wash him with soap, and take him to the vet if it didn’t get better. The cat was very lethargic, in pain, and had trouble walking. I took him to the vet, where they treated him, and he eventually got better.

I contacted sergeant’s again and told them all this, so they told me to send in copies of vet’s bills and proof of purchase, which I did almost a month ago. Haven’t heard from them yet. Called customer service, but they don’t know anything, and won’t give me the phone number to consumer affairs dept.

I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS COMPANY IS ALLOWED TO OPERATE AND SELL THEIR POISON IN STORES!

By: Kasey

Kasey — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:00:20 +0000

I’m livid after reading all these stories! My boyfriend and I just went through the same thing yesterday with our 8 month old pug, Gatsby. I noticed some fleas on him, and decided I would pick up a flea treatment at the store, to tide him over until I had a chance to get to the vet. I told my boyfriend to put the treatment on Gatsby on Monday, since he had the day off from work and could take him to the vet in case a reaction occurred. Well, he had a reaction alright! Just like every animal that has come in contact with this horrible product! When my boyfriend noticed the reaction, he gave the dog a thorough bath. Gatsby then spent the rest of the day isolated in the bedroom, which is very unusual for him. When I came home, our puppy was shaking his head, scratching violently at his neck, biting his feet, and rubbing up against everything he could. Thankfully, we got him into see the vet later that evening, and she seemed shocked that these over the counter flea treatments are still sold in stores. At this point, our dog was panting heavily and drooling quite a bit. But our vet assured us that he would be fine after a couple days, once the poison has left his system. She gave us some muscle relaxers to help with his twitching and hopefully relax him so he could finally get some rest. Now, a day later he still seems very itchy and agitated. He has scratched the back of his neck so much, it’s red and raw looking. We put his fleece dog coat on, and that has calmed him down and keeps him from itching that sensitive spot. He is eating and drinking more frequently, and getting more playful. It’s such a relief to see our playful little boy coming back!

I called the Sergeant customer service line today and spoke with a customer representative. I had to wait on hold for at least 10 minutes, which leads me to believe they must be swamped with complaints about their product. She asked me to explain the problem, and I did in full detail, making sure to mention the fact that my boyfriend did apply the product just as they specified. When I mentioned the raw red spot on the dogs neck, she said “just for future reference, you need to apply the product from the neck, down the back. Don’t just apply in one spot. That could have caused the skin reaction.” This really pissed me off! She was trying to accuse us of doing something wrong, even when I JUST explained that we followed the directions carefully. And I said “Don’t worry, we don’t need that advice anyway, we won’t be using this product in the future!” I asked what documentation she needed in order to get a refund on both the product and reimbursement of the vet bill. She didn’t seem shocked, and asked me for my address so she could send me an “Adverse Reaction Complaint Form.” Obviously this company is well equipped to handle the influx of complaints coming in about their products.

So in the meantime, I’m stuck feeling like an awful pet owner. I should have done my research, but I thought I could trust a product sold at my local grocery store. It blows my mind that this company is still in business and selling their products without any limitations.

By: Kat Muir

Kat Muir — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:59:11 +0000

Wow I’ve given this product to my dog before and she’s never had a reaction, but was her reaction quick..Within two hours she couldn’t even stand or support her weight, was constantly shaking..I knew it had to be the flea treatment because there was no other reason why she would be acting this way, so on instinct i ran her into the bath and washed her really good. Then while she was laying down I found this website and was horrified to read all your stories, especially that apparently white dogs have a higher risk of reaction, shouldn’t that be on the box? I mean my dog is almost pure white. I felt so bad she couldn’t even shake the water off her back. Luckily I decided to give her another bath, and she seems to be doing better now, I’m glad that I caught it as soon as I did, but I just am so amazed that this product is still for sale especially after the clear volume of people that have had bad problems with the product. Like most of you out there I’m sure, my dog is my child..and as soon as she couldn’t stand or walk I was terrified and started crying. I hope they ban this product! Not worth killing dogs and cats over!

By: Jessie

Jessie — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:15:15 +0000

I have yet ANOTHER terrible story to add about the effect that Sergeants Gold had on my 2 yr old Shitzu-Beagle mix “Liddles.” I applied the flea medicine late Monday night to my dog after finding a few fleas on her. (Usually I use Frontline on her but I didn’t have the $ to afford another dosage for her and I was desperate to make her fleas go away) That night the only unusual thing I noticed about her was that she did not sleep in our bed with me curled up in our feet, she slept sprawled out on the bathroom floor. I just figured it was a little warm in our house for her so the cool bathroom floor cooled her down?? I honestly didn’t think anything of it. The next morning she didn’t want to go outside to potty, & she didn’t beg at my daughters high-chair while we were eating breakfast. A few hours later she became really distressed & uncomforable, yelping & twitching her back right leg, & arching her back in agony. At this point I still didn’t think it could be the flea medicine because after all isn’t it suppossed to help the dogs rather than harm them? I put her in the tub and bathed her with some medicated tea tree oil shampoo – she was instantly relieved. I thought the problem was solved so I relaxed a little bit. Later that night we came home from being gone for a few hours & couldn’t find her in the house (normaly she greets us at the door) She was hiding in my daughters room on the shelf of the changing table. My automatic reaction was to freak out and pick her up. I could tell where she had been itching & back her back because it was close to bleeding. I got online & goolgled “dogs allergic reaction to flea medicine” & got the idea to bathe her in Dawn dish soap. The I googled “Sergeants Gold” & luckily found this website where I got the idea of the Benedryl & Vitamin E Oil. I bathed Liddles in Dawn & it brought her relief for a few minutes. So I kept bathing her every half hour making sure to rinse her very well. I could tell in her eyes that she was appreciative of the baths. I gace her 1/2 tablet of Children’s Benadryl. I tried anti-itch cream & it didn’t help much. So I washed it off & poured Vitamin E Oil all over her back & it brought relief to her. The only thing I found to help 100% was petting her back where I had applied the flea medicine the day before. Something about the constant touch soothed her burning skin. We fell asleep on the living room floor last night & about 4am this morning she was able to walk herself into the bedroom & jump up on the bed. She was still shaking & twitching but nothing compared to what she was before. I am writing this Tuesday morning & Liddles is resting on the back of the couch, still isn’t completely back to normal but has majorly improved. First & formost- I hope my story HELPS someone who was as desperate as me relieve their dog if they make the mistake of buying this product. Because when I was frantically searching for any remedies for my poor dog I know is that I wanted to find something to help her. As for the company supplying this product I hope the get sued off their ass one of these days in the near future. I WILL be spreading the word!