Saw a story on the news tonight, and it mentioned a lot of problems with Seargeants Gold and negative reports online, so I had to check it out, because about a month ago, I also made the horrible mistake of using that product, for the first time, on my dogs. SEVERAL dogs, and just before bedtime. Luckily, some of the dogs sleep inside, (or they might have died), but unluckily, the problems that resulted cost all of us a night of no sleep and tremendous worry. (The outside dog disappeared, for the first time ever, for a whole day).
First we noticed the dogs began scratching like crazy. Like they wanted to tear their own skin off. They had never acted badly after any previous flea product. I thought the med was aggravating the fleas and they were biting the dogs. I just didn’t know. But it just kept getting worse, and one dog began drooling, unbelievably dripping, and gagging, and her collar got so tight I had to remove it, she definitely got hit the worst. And my husband said somehow it got on his face and was burning like fire. I took the dogs one by one to the tub and bathed them furiously, rinsing well, and used my own coconut conditioner, to soothe. Just doing what my instincts told me to do. Then I raided the refrigerator, offering their favorite foods, expensive meat, and bread and milk. They ate, which made me feel somewhat better, thinking it might help dilute the medicine (or possible poison) in their system, and thinking, as long as they had appetite, they might not be dying.
The dogs were miserable. They scratched, and whined for hours, though it did start to slowly diminish. I was scared for them, but it was during the night hours and the clinic was closed. I just knew I had to do my best to help them or they might die, especially the one that drooled. I was with them all night long, worried to death.
I knew it was caused by the Seargeant’s Gold, no doubt whatsoever, because it hit ALL my dogs just after application. But I thought it was due to me misjudging my dog’s weight, (though I didn’t use the whole tube), or my dogs were allergic to it, or I just got a couple of bad packages. I was just so relieved that they got better, I tried to forget about it and resolved to never buy it again.
But after seeing this on the news tonight, and that so many were affected, now I regret NOT doing something about it. And I am very angry. And what I want to know is: Where is this stuff made? AND WHY IS THIS STUFF STILL ON THE SHELVES?
6 Comments Received
August 28th, 2008 @10:37 pm
You saw it on the news? Great! Where are you from? Let everyone you know about this!!! Spread the word!
August 29th, 2008 @4:02 am
The newstation that aired a story about a Richmond KY couple that regrettably used Seargents Gold to their dogs was: WKYT 27 of Lexington KY. It aired at 6:00 pm On 28th of Aug. and you can see the video on their website. Hope they find a good lawyer!
September 2nd, 2008 @10:35 am
Hi lu ecton,
I am posting on behalf of Sergeant’s. I’m very sorry to hear about your experience. I do want you to know that Sergeant’s does take this matter very seriously. We definitely want to hear from anyone 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. We want to make sure that your dogs are in good health and assist you with any further questions you are having. Naturally reading this post is more than bothersome to us.
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 only as directed, applying the exact dosage and amount that is intended for your dog. Since you have multiple dogs, it is important to separate them from each other (and all other animals or children in your home) for at least 24 hours to ensure that they do not accidentally ingest the product by grooming on one another. 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. Your instinct to wash the medication off was correct. The best thing to do is wash your dogs with dish soap if you see them having a reaction.
Sergeant’s wants to help pet owners make safe choices, which is why we expanded our “Look at the Label” educational campaign and website http://www.lookatthelabel.com to educate consumers on proper application and use of flea and tick control products. Each case is different, which is why we think you will find the information on http://www.lookatthelabel.com helpful in answering many of the questions you may be having right now. 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.
Again, we are very sorry to read your experience want nothing but the best for your dogs! Visit http://www.lookatthelabel.com for useful tips and please let us know if you have any questions at all, as we would be more than happy to assist you further.
Best,
Julie
September 16th, 2008 @9:05 pm
Here is the web site to the News Report on Sergeant Reaction to Sergeant Gold Poisoning
http://wkytarchives.com/watch?v=3499
September 21st, 2008 @8:51 am
I have two dogs one belonging to myself , the other is my wifes. Her dog ( Teedoe ) is a male Teecup Yorkie, he weighs in at about 3.5 pounds . He is a very loving and most positivly beautiful dog , really is like a family member. He demands to eat with us out of a plate ” clean ” and needs a glass of milk with every meal. My dog is a brutie Pug and at 28 pounds he is far bigger yet he is only 8 months old.
Now that you have a view of the dogs I will tell you that our experience was horrific and by the end Knuckles was dead ! It started with an infestation of fleas that prompted us to treat the house with an array of pesticides as well as our dog’s whom got baths and soaks, just about everything you could think of. Finally it all paid off leaving us with hardly any fleas. My wife then learned from a vet that we should try some frontline for added protection into the future. We bought some generic drops that are applied behind the neck as well as the tale bone so we did as directed. Our Yorkie never even had a adverse symptom of any kind and the Pug at first showed no sign of pain or ill effects. The next morning we awoke to only find our Yorkie begging for attention and a bathroom break, I never even suspected that anything was wrong with Knuckles but then as I went to his basket or bed he was laying in a position that revealed his state automatically. My little buddy was laying in a pile of dried foam of his own slobber and appeared as if his back had been broke ! He was dead and going stiff which told me he had been dead for awhile. I took him to our vet and asked him to look for a possible motive and after a series of questions as well as some deducing the vet concluded he died violently from a convulsion due to the flea drops from either licking a place he had rolled around on or just plain absorption into the blood from the skin ! His skin more severe around the area applied was cracked ,had dried blood and was just down right painful looking !! His skin all over really was red cracked and almost looked as if it was falling off but the two spots ” behind head on neck ” & ” talebone area ” looked like it melted under contact with acid !! It was terrible, I would love to make the people responsible for that pet product or hazardous material as we call it, pay like are pet did !! Maybe the guy who made that crap needs to wear some for awhile !!??
Tragic
The Crabtree
January 14th, 2011 @1:32 pm
OMG this is horrible! During a routine vet exam of my dog (100lb big dog) we found 3 fleas. Went to the store and they were all out of frontline. So (thinking Sergeant’s was as safe) we bought this brand. My dog was writhing in pain all night long! 3 + baths later and his whole underside is still covered in chemical burns. Also, my boyfriend and I are covered in rashes on our faces and arms from trying to wash the toxins off of our dog. DO NOT USE!
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