The product named Sargeant’s Gold Flea and Tick Squeeze-on for dogs caused my 6-mo old puppy to have irritated, red, inflammed and weeping skin on a large area of her neck. The reaction began about an hour after applying it as directed and began with general restlessness, whimpering, and scratching at her neck. I have since repeatedly washed the neck area with mild soapy water and applied topical products that are vet-recommended for allergic reactions in dogs but it is only showing more widespread inflammation on her skin and is now appearing infected. She has a vet appointment in the morning and luckily, has shown no neurological problems so I think she will survive. I called the Sargeant’s company (part of Hartz) and filed a concern , got a case number, and requested reimbursement for my dog’s medical bills as well as the money back that I spent on the product. It is clear to me that Hartz needs to stop selling this product even if this kind of effect only happens to “some dogs” and is according to Sargeant’s representative, a “self-limiting” condition. My puppy had to suffer because of their negligence and I am furious. I will continue to warn everyone I know about this product and other Hartz products. I also called the EPA but could only leave a message so I hope they get back to me. I encourage everyone involved to take action. I will be seeking out a class action lawsuit on this and other boards.
5 Comments Received
May 9th, 2011 @4:41 am
Sergeant’s is not part of Hartz. They are two separate companies.
Sergeant’s Gold Flea and Tick Squeeze-On for Dogs is no longer shown on Sergeant’s website. It was quietly discontinued several months ago due to a significant number of reported adverse reactions.
Here is what the EPA had to say about cyphenothrin (the main active ingredient in Sergeant’s Gold Flea and Tick Squeeze-On for Dogs) pet treatments:
http://www.biospotvictims.org/EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0842-0005_2_.pdf
Excerpt from page 14:
“There have been several reported pet incidents involving the use of cyphenothrin pet treatments on dogs. From January 2006 to November 2009, there were 149 reported mortalities, 367 major reported incidents, 13,455 moderate reported incidents and 32,713 minor reported incidents. From all reported pesticide related pet incidents, cyphenothrin products account for 10% of the total reported pet mortalities, 13% of all major incidents, 54% of all moderate incidents, and 65% of all minor incidents. Some of these incidents resulted from cyphenothrin products co-formulated with pyriproxifen, and it is unclear whether one active ingredient or the other, or an emergent effect from the formulation is responsible for these incidents.”
When you consider that Sergeant’s was the only manufacturer of cyphenothrin pet treatments for dogs, that is simply astounding.
Shame on Sergeant’s for not recalling those products!
May 14th, 2011 @9:43 pm
This happened to my dog too:( Last night, I used this treatment on my dog and he went berserk!!! He whined and rolled on the carpet. He scratched and tried to bite his back. He couldn’t sleep and cried most of the night. I felt so sorry for him. Today, I gave him a bath and he was still scratching but better. He is sleeping now. Poor little guy. I don’t see any skin irritation and will check again tomorrow.
On another note, what strange is that I used the same treatment on my previous dog and he didn’t have any reaction. Guess some dogs are OK with it and some aren’t. But I will NEVER used this treatment again. Thank you for your post.
May 17th, 2011 @7:58 am
It happened to my dog too. It started about 2 hours or so after I applied it yesterday. But this was the Sergeant’s Evolve-21. DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT!!!!! I put it on both my dogs, but only one had this reaction. I was up all night with her, gave her 3 baths and Benedryl. I will never use it again. She is a little better this morning, but has been rolling on her back and scratching at her neck most of the night and still today. I’m pissed!! This could have been so much worse, but I’m still concerned and will watch her closely for the next few days. I wish I would have done some research before using it!! Lesson learned. Product is in the garbage!!
June 5th, 2011 @6:40 pm
I am concerned after reading the above. Today I bought a 3-dose box of Sergeant’s Evolve-11 Flea & Tick Squeeze-on for Dogs…active ingredients Etofenprox 55%, Pyriproxifen 2.2%. As of now I have not put it on my dogs, and will likely not now….even though the chemicals in here are different than in the above cases. Holy Sh*t.
June 5th, 2011 @6:46 pm
On a related note, does anyone know of an inexpensive flea preventative that is reputable and known to NOT cause all this grief to animals and their owners? Any comments would be appreciated.
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