Hartz Ultraguard almost killed my cat

Hartz Mountain Corporation has a deplorable safety record over the years. They aren’t the only manufacturer with an unacceptable safety record, BioSpot and Sergeant’s are also deplorable, but since your problem resulted from Hartz’s products you should know that their appalling history goes back to the late ’80’s and ’90’s when their product, Blockade, was pulled from the market because of a terribly high number of pet injuries and deaths. It was later reintroduced and again had problems. Hartz was cited and fined for not accurately and promptly forwarding consumer reports to the EPA as all manufacturers (and registrants) are required to do. In the early 2000’s they were required to make numberous package labeling and directions revisions on both their cat and dog insecticide ingredient products. In 2005 the EPA, probably the most lax oversight agency in the federal government, forced Hartz to terminate their cat and kitten products, issuing a Cancellation Order against Hartz’s products containing pesticide ingredients. The number of cat and kitten injuries and deaths was stunning and even the EPA could no longer ignore it. Please also report this incident to the National Pesticide Information Center, at 1-800-858-7378. They maintain a database of pesticide-related illnesses for the EPA. The EPA uses this database to determine if dangerous pesticide products require specific action in terms of safety requirements, including up to removal from the market. Don’t let Hartz, Sergeant’s, BioSpot or any other manufacturer get away with the devastation they are causing any longer. These manufacturers count on victims’ owners taking no action or simply complaining for a week or two and then going away. Please take the time to report this terrible tragedy. I’m very sorry this has happened to you and your cat. Thank you for telling your story.

Hi, I had absolutely no idea about this site or even heard of hartz products and i wish i did before i used it on my 3 month old kitten! We already bathed him in flea shampoo which was sufficient however we decided to use Hartz flea spot treatment for a prevention. My cat experienced some sort of an allergic reaction we thought, twitching, rolling around and scratching like crazy. We had no idea about the Dawn dish soap so we used a mild Ivory soap with lots of water. I am HOPING this will be fine, he seems to be a bit better then earlier.
Why is this product on the market?!
Please don’t use any HARTZ products on your pets, this gave me an anxiety attack as i am still trying to cope.
Dec 3 2010

Here’s a message I sent to Hartz thru both their e-mail and facebbok page. here’s their reply also. I tired to ask them some more questions by the same media, and as you can see, they have me blocked from posting anymore to their facebbok page.
Robert Antoniniposted toHartz
19 hours ago ·

I recently had two of my family pet cats die from Sergeant’s Sentry Purrscriptions Plus flea treatment for cats. They were both poisoned by the product which I followed all of the directions. The product killed our family pets and I reported it to Tractor Supply where I purchased the products and to Sergeant’s. Both told me that if I had the original purchase receipt they would consider reimbursing me for the product. Both were not interested in the loss of the animals. There is no recourse for the consumer who is basically their test facility and R&D department, for these pet products. They sell the product which is basically not regulated because it is for animals and not humans (the FDA told me they were not interested either) and to contact the EPA because it is a pesticide. The EPA keeps stats about cases where the animal dies or is harmed so they can go back to the manufacturer and have them change the formulas, but in no way supports the loss of the animals. I’ve called the PA Dept. Of Ag, who basically also just wants stats on what pesticides are harmful to the animals. But this is all done after the fact, if an animal is harmed or killed by the product. Look at the labeling on these things—it is not even appropriately labeled for children poisoning, yet, no one will do anything about it—because it’s basically the EPA’s problem, who is flooded with other matters, and is only for animals and therefore not regulated. The consumer, you and me, are killing our own animals in the process, to do the testing on this stuff because the manufacturers do not want the blame for animal testing, so that the OEM and the EPA can keep stats on what is effective and what is not. Frontline, Hartz, etc, have all changed their formulas etc, because of these catastrophic results. Even the vet association’s do not care—they make money off of animals being poisoned, ASPCA, SPCA, ANIMAL PLANET, ANIMAL RADIO, etc, all know that these products are harmful—yet nothing is really being done about it, except to tell people over the radio, etc., to consult a veterinarian first before using these products. No one will give you any info about it, or regulatory info. Sergeant’s will not talk about it, nor the EPA. Everyone I talked to said these companies are too large to do anything to them. Sergeant’s sent me a sympathy card for killing my two cats—I wonder if the Son-of –Sam, or John Wayne Gacy sent out sympathy cards to their victim’s families after they murdered people—It’s a nice way of saying” I murdered your family members—oh, I’m sorry”. This stuff could also be fatal to children and there is really no product packaging or control to that effect.
I need some legislative help, –I have one of the cats frozen at vet’s waiting for a toxicology test—the problem is they want about $400.00 on up to do it—I don’t have those kinds of funds—but a good vet, lawyer, etc can get involved and find out what’s going on with this stuff. I want the PA dept. of Ag to test the dead cat, but have not gotten a response as of yet. Check out: “ Lawsuit against Senrty Pet Care”, facebook page, and also” Hartz products are killing our pets”, facebook page to see some horror stories. How bout some help to put an end to this murdering of our pets?
Are these companies not ashamed of the products which they are selling for our pets?
Like ·
Hartz
Hi Robert. We appreciate the time you have taken to share this important story with us. We are sorry to learn of your cats’ experience. However, Sergeant’s Sentry Purrscriptions Plus is not a product manufactured by Hartz Mountain Corporation. Hartz does not have, and never has had, any affiliation with the Sergeant’s company.

All flea and tick control products applied topically, whether sold over the counter or through a veterinarian, must be tested for safety and efficacy prior to registration with the EPA for marketability. Since Hartz Mountain is in the pet-product industry, the safety and well being of your pet is of extreme importance to us and each product is marketed with this in mind.

The safety of Hartz flea and tick products is a top priority for Hartz, and our commitment to pet protection is supported by a wealth of facts and information, including the proven low toxicity of Hartz UltraGuard® products in the U.S. Looking to the future, we will continue to partner with the EPA on both a federal and state level to provide better products that are not only safe and effective for our pets, but are also friendly to our environment.

We stand behind all of our products and appreciate the time you have taken to contact us. For more information on Hartz Brand Flea & Tick products, please refer to http://www.HartzUltraGuard.com.
Hartz Flea and Tick Control | Flea Treatment for Dogs and Cats | Hartz UltraGuard
http://www.hartzultraguard.com
Wondering how to get rid of fleas? Hartz UltraGuard provides flea and tick treat…See More
16 hours ago · Like
Robert Antonini Interesting. By the way, have you checked out, HARTZVICTIMS.ORG, about the number of pets your products have already killed. If your products, thanks to you and the EPA is so safe, why is the internet filled with heartbreaking stories of how you products killed “our” family pets? By the way, I’ve had a Hartz flea collar on one of the pets first, until I seen where it was burning his skin.
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