On Friday June 12, 2009, I purchased Sargeants Gold for my Chihuahua (Spike). My husband and I applied it as directed at 8:30pm, within 30 minutes he started panting, twitching, scratching, and his skin turned red as fire. We immediately put him in the bathtub and washed him with Dawn dish soap, before we could get him out of the bathtub he started gasping for air, we got him out of the tub and called our local emergency animal clinic, they told us to bring him in asap. We got him to the animal clinic and the vet on duty told us that Sargeants Gold was pure poison, he gave Spike some shots and observed him for several hours and then told us to take him home and watch him. Within about 2hrs he started getting worse, he was gasping for breath, his muscles were spasming, and he was burning up with fever. By this time it was Saturday June 13 at about 7am so we called our regular vet and he said bring him in now. We got him to the vet and he examined him and said the Sargeants Gold we had put on him poisoned his bloodstream. He gave him a shot of muscle relaxant because he was having small seizures, he gave him a shot of steroids, he gave him a shot of anti-inflammatory, then he gave him a very large dose of anti-poison medicine to absorb the poison in his system, he also gave him antihistimines that he has to take twice a day for the next 5 days. It is now about 8pm Saturday night and he has improved a lot, but he is still very sick. The vet told us we were lucky because he will probably make a full recovery and so many others that are brought in have died from this poison these people are selling.
So this poison these people are selling and calling it medicine and safe to use for $15.00 for a 3 month supply almost killed a very much loved member of our family.
2 Comments Received
June 16th, 2009 @8:54 pm
I had a similar experience with my older Shep-Chow mix. He was very ill for about a week — didn’t even want to go on his routine 3x daily walks. He would go about to the end of the driveway, and just be unable to walk further. I should’ve known better, and now, am very hesitant to administer ANY type of topical flea medication. A friend of mine had a chow with a reaction to another popular PRESCRIPTION brand, and feels the same. I bought a dose of another brand, recently, because of a major flea attack on my old boy, but I’m watching him very carefully for any signs of distress… he’s also on anti-biotics at the moment, for a skin infection, so it will be hard to tell, but yes, SARGENTS GOLD IS VERY DANGEROUS!
Combing with a flea comb, regular bathing, and keeping the pet healthy may be the best way to prevent flea infestation, but not as ‘fool proof’ — but I’d rather have to deal with a few parasites daily, by combing, than a sick or possibly dead family pet.
June 24th, 2009 @4:47 am
Thanks for the advise. I am at a total loss at what to use on my shiz tzu, she had a bath, grooming and Advantage applied, all done at the vet. She stays covered in fleas and has allargy to the bites, so the poor little girl scratches all the time, its not time for another dose of Advantage, I purchased the 6 month pack. I just bathe her with Dawn, but am worried I will dry her skin, trying to rid her of fleas.
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