The America consumer spends half a billion dollars annually on products that kill fleas. Many of these products are not only unsafe for animals but also many have toxic effects on humans. The EPA, registers most of these products as safe pestcides. They are not safe.
On 02/11/01 I became brutally aware of Hartz flea products after using Hartz flea and tick drops on stray cat I had taken in. That day and the next few will forever stand out in my mind. I joking refer to that time as my ‘Hartz awakening’. I have fought to get Hartz flea products of shelves ever since.
I have “My story”, just as every victim of Hartz or other over counter flea product victim does. The stories only vary in the degree of sorrow, be it from the injuries or deaths these products have caused and the amount of money paid to save or try to safe an animal after their use. I have read thousands of them. Sometimes I cry but all the time I get angry. How dare this still be happening. How dare the EPA or other government entity not stop this. The reason is all to simple, GREED.
What you will be reading below is all factual and I hope it will cause you to help put a stop to this before more animals suffer needless harm and death.
I urge you to take action. File complaints, write letters, emails and make calls. Stay angry about this and do something. WE all must come together to put a stop to this. You must take the time to file complanits, write letters and make calls. And perhaps the most important thing of all is to tell people. Tell everyone you know. Tell people you see at the store looking at these flea products. Get the word out. By doing this you may actually help save an animal from injury and /or death. Become as animal advocate, especially if you have your own story.
Hartz has been producing dangerous flea products since 1987. At that time Blockade, was pulled off store shelves after the company admitted that it had caused 366 animal deaths and 2,700 injuries, as well as 56 human injuries
What follows are some high points of the past ten years regarding Hartz.
1999 WFMY News http://www.wfmynews2.com/2wk/2wk.asp?ID=1201
Regarding harm to humans by Hartz products, it turns out that Hartz settled out of court for a girl’s death from their flea shampoo.
Case details: Delbert Lee Campbell and Virginia P.
Campbell v. The Hartz Mountain Corporation, Colorado Federal District Court, Case No. 98-WY-1171-WD
The Campbell’s attorneys: http://www.zodrow.com/main/cases/env.htm
1/09/03
The EPA orders Hartz to recall their Flea and Tick Drops for re -labeling after thousands of complaints about injuries and deaths attriubted to the products.
In 2003 a case action was filed against Hartz Mountian. It was settled out of court on July of that year.The stipulations regarding settlements required that the orginal product or packaging, the sales reciept, Vet bills and a letter from the Vet stating that the cause for the treatment was reqiured directly from the use of the product must be sent in to file a claim. Claims would not be paid if the animals had died unless an autopsy had been preformed whiich indicated the use of the product was the cause of death. In addition the person filing the claim was required to sign a mulit paged do not disclose and information about Hartz agreement. The settlement pay outs were limited to the cost of the product and Vet bills. Nothing for injury or loss of the animal.
* I was involved in the class action and and refused to settle and give up the right to speak out about Hartz.
ASPCA CASE NUMBER from May 31, 2004 is case # 40034238
In August of 2004 we know that Hartz had recieved at least 58074 complaints. As this number was given to a person filing a complaint.
Those number are from 2004 Can you dare to imagine what the actual numbers are today? Horrifying thought isn’t it.
By the way these companies are awesome in their ability to get the EPA to believe that the reasons for most of these complaints are due to the American consumer being to stupid to (A) Buy the correct product for thier pet. (B) Read and follow the instructions. That was Hartz response back then and the EPA bought into it.
6/18/04 Sumitomo buys Hartz Mountain for $365 million
6/3/05 EPA and Hartz agree to recall, relabel and stop the sale of Hartz Fle and Tick Drops for cats and kittens, on 3/06. At that time they will put a new product on the market to replace their flea and tick drops for cat.
The Latest News Articles -
http://www.zootoo.com/petnews/epainvestigateshundredsoffleat-1368
EPA Investigates Hundreds of Flea, Tick Products. States that The Environmental Protection Agency is “intensifying its evaluation” of hundreds of spot-on flea and tick products, which contain pesticides and may have accounted for thousands of pet injuries and deaths in the past two years.
A “significant increase” in the number of reports prompted the EPA to investigate the individual commercial products and their major manufacturers, including Hartz Mountain Corp., Central Life Sciences and Bayer AG, according to EPA spokesman Dale Kemery.
The agency is not, however, recommending or requiring any companies to recall their products.
Kemery says the EPA is not targeting specific companies — just the products that may have contributed to the 44,263 incident reports the EPA received in 2008. Approximately 1,200 of those reports accounted for animal deaths.
The numbers mark a sharp increase from the approximate 28,000 incidents pet owners reported in 2007.
“There has been this increase and there is definitely a concern,” Kemery said. “That’s why we are investigating this.
Contact For Mr Kemery
[email protected]
April 24, 2009
Oakland SF Chronical
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/23/BA63177TIM.DTL
Group says flea collars for pets endanger kids
The Natural Resources Defense Council urged federal regulators to remove the products from the market
EPA 5/09
Increased Scrutiny of Flea and Tick Control Products for Pets
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/flea-tick-control.html
5/12/09
Monterey County Herald
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124329165300152331.html
EPA investigating spot-on flea treatments
5/13/09
NewsOK.com
http://newsok.com/pet-products-draw-warning/article/3369133
Pet products draw warning
5/18/09 KOCO
http://www.koco.com/asseenon5/19495582/detail.html
Resources, Web Sites For Flea/Tick Poisoning Story
5/20/09
WTHR
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=10397339&nav=menu188_2
Pet owners concerned about flea and tick medications
5/21/09
Defiance Crescent News
http://www.crescent-news.com/news/article/4592100
Some flea and tick medicines could lead dogs and cats to increased risk of injury
5/25/09
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124329165300152331.html
Fur Flies Over Flea Treatments
5/28/09
KEYC
http://www.keyc.com/node/22712
Flea Treatment Side Effects
Hopefully reading this has enlighted you to just how bad these products and given you the urge to want to, ”do something about this” All the information and contacts for filing complaints for victims and others wanting to stop the injustice and the suffering of our animals from greedy companies can be found on the , “Need Help’ page. Please join the fight and help us stop this. Thank you!
Suggested Information sites-
BioSpotVictims.org An awesome collection of informational articles
http://www.biospotvictims.org/articles.html
Against Hartz
http://www.geocities.com/againsthartz/
Hartz Victims Memorial Quilt
http://www.geocities.com/hartzquilt/
*Note Both the above sites must be moved as geocities is closing
3 Comments Received
June 24th, 2009 @9:28 pm
Dani, thank you, this is an excellent article you have written. It contains a lot of facts and very good advice in terms of the importance of people taking real action. However, let me simplify one of the most important actions a pet owner can possbily take–the reporting of the incident to the National Pesticide Information Center. The NPIC has the responsibility to compile the database of incidents for the EPA. It’s critical–absolutely critical–that the EPA receives these incidents. Only because the EPA could not ignore the number of cat and kitten injuries and deaths did they finally take significant action against Hartz in 2005 with a Cancellation Order. Please, pet owners, report all incidents to the National Pesticide Information Center, at 1-800-858-7378. Don’t let Hartz, Sergeant’s, BioSpot or any other manufacturer get away with the devastation they are causing. These manufacturers count on pet owners grumbling, complaining and crying for a few weeks, but taking no further action. Please take the time to report these terrible tragedies. And put pressure on Hartz by reporting the incident to Hartz as well–1-800-275-1414. They are required by federal law to compile these incidents and report them accurately, promptly and properly to the EPA. Hartz has been cited and fined in the past for not doing this–keep the pressure on them.
August 20th, 2009 @11:45 am
Thanks for adding that last point. I called them today to report my cat’s bad reaction to Sergeants Gold Squeeze On he had last night. He raced around the room, was in extreme stress and very anxious. He looked woozy and slid on the floor a couple of times and became very lethargic. We bathed him and tried to get off the oil from the drops. He improved but is still lethargic, I’m monitoring him closely still. Very scary stuff…
February 15th, 2010 @10:20 pm
I am a class action lawyer in the San Francisco area, investigating the toxicity of Hartz and Sargent flea products and the possibility of filing a class action against the companies. I am very sorry for your loss and o-pain. Please contact me if you would like to talk about your experience and help us get these products off of the market.
Thanks very much.
Jacqueline Mottek
Positive Legal Group
[email protected]
415.302.5371 (cell)
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