OK, my bad. Due to finances i switched to a less expensive (HARTZ ULTRAGAURD PRO) flea treatment for my cats…all 4. two days after i was sitting w the Matriarch of our lil cat family while reading the paper outside and noticed her breathing was very labored. At first my thought was, well, its hot, so i took her indoors, but she wouldnt raise her tail in that friendly way and just sat where i laid her. i knew something was wronG. i immediately took her to the vet. He asked all the normal questions and when i revealed i had changed her flea treatment and what it was…he sighed and said thats most likely our problem as HARTZ PRODUCTS ARE KNOWN IN THE INDUSTRY TO CAUSE BREATHING PROBLEMS AND DEATH IN PETS! Of course, we had to eliminate a whole list of other possibilities. There was x rays…blood work, etc. In the end she was found to have flluids building up in her lil lungs…no illnesses! We bathed her thourougly and she was given a steroid injection to help w her breathing and antibiotics as a preventative measure as the steroids will compromise her immune system a bit. I am hoping this will save her life. For now we are just waiting. Final cost? 400 dollars and the stress that comes with the thought of losing a beloved pet! The vet said it was because of the HARTZ product, and this is well known about the ingredient ETOFENPROX. While HARTZ MOUNTAIN may be legally covered…not sure about that one…they are morally challenged! Shame on them. Proclaiming themselves as pet product company and STILL using this chemical. I for one will tell my story to ever pet owner i know! My sympathies to those who have lost loved companions. Our voice needs to be heard concerning this. Peace
5 Comments Received
June 9th, 2011 @2:03 pm
I’ve got the exact, same problem with my cat. It’s SO SAD!! I hate watching my cat breathe with so much difficulty. All we can do is hope that he recovers.
June 10th, 2011 @3:46 pm
I cannot tell you how sorry I am that this has happened to you and your family. Please know that this happens to thousands of pets and families every year and you are not the guilty party. It is Hartz and the other manufacturers of these over-the-counter topical pesticide spot-on’s that have created this reprehensible tragedy and it has been going on for decades. Unfortunately, the federal agency established to protect consumers and American citizens, the Environmental Protection Agency, has been completely complicit–actually an enabler–of the devastation to animals and pet owners.
I would strongly encourage you to take action and fight back against these products and the manufacturers. Please call Hartz (1-800-275-1414) and also call your state Attorney General and the EPA (703-305-7090) and the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC). Believe me, Hartz will not be happy to hear from you and will NOT want you calling the EPA or your Attorney General or the NPIC. You should be sure to insist that Hartz reimburse you for your veterinary expenses–do not take no for an answer–and let your state Attorney General know the outcome of that demand. Additionally, please, take one other important step to help yourself and other pets and pet owners. Please take the time to report your incident to the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC). This organization works with the EPA to compile the database of incidents and statistics that will be analyzed and used as a basis for corrective action. The NPIC can be reached at 1-800-858-7378. They are very professional, courteous and efficient. This is a critical step in the public forcing the EPA–one of the most lax oversight agencies in the federal government–to do the right thing and get these neurotoxin pesticide ingredients out of the marketplace. I have spoken with people at the EPA who, “off the record”, completely agree that these products are extremely dangerous and should not be in the marketplace but feel they cannot do anything about it.
Hartz Mountain has one of the most deplorable safety records in the industry with these pesticide products. Their disgraceful safety record goes back to the late 1980′s with their product “Blockade” which caused immense damage to animals and also injured humans, prior to Hartz having to remove it from the marketplace. Since then they have been fined, forced to make labeling changes and had their cat and kitten product cancelled by the EPA in 2005. In spite of this late and lax action by the EPA, Hartz and other manufacturers continue to develop, distribute, market and sell pesticide neurotoxins that injure and kill pets by the tens of thousands each year. It’s reprehensible that Hartz, BioSpot (Farnam), Sergeant’s, Summit VetPharm (Vectra and Vectra D) and others continue to injure and kill thousands of pets–-it’s absolutely unacceptable. We should all do whatever we can to prevent this from happening to other animals and families. Communications to the proper regulatory agencies, manufacturers, NPIC, the media and politicians are critical steps. The media actually frightens the manufacturers more than any entity I’ve mentioned. Your Attorney General is another person Hartz does not want to hear from. All the best. Again, I’m very sorry this has happened to you and your pet. I understand the pain and sense of guilt. I hope you’ll translate that anger into constructive action and do everything you can to ensure these products are taken off the market. All the best.
June 14th, 2011 @9:38 am
Don’t just tell it, FIGHT it. My bill went up to 1500.00! Sergeant’s product. I too needed to cut corner with budget. Seizures every hour. He was at the point where he could not even stand. He would not respond to the normal seizure meds. After 10 days in the vet and deciding to uthenize him, the vet decided under recommendation of a specialist to flush out the ammonia’s in his system. It worked but he has to be on it forever. I filed my claim under referral of the vet. Of course, they claim I improperly applied it but I am appealing. I have contacted the EPA and they are not even aware of all the cases even though Sergeant’s claims they send all the claims to them. I aim to get these products pulled from the market. You can help by filing your own claim as well. It wil save the life and suffering of anothe animal. Posting these accurances does not do anything because most consumers to not research these products beforehand. Your pet may recover but be assured he will have long term affects from the poison like mine. Please, do something. Take a stand!!!
May 1st, 2012 @9:43 pm
In October of 2010, I used Hartz flea treatment on my precious snowshoe. Within minutes I noticed a serious change in his behavior. If anyone here has a snowshoe siamese, you know that they are fun little guys with a lot of personality. Even in very hot weather he would find away to laze about playfully. But he was suddenly lying flat on his side, head down, and very still. I could hear and see his efforts to breath. He was not responding to my attention and seemed to be trying to fall asleep.I took him to the vet and told him what had happened and he gave him a bath and I think a shot. But even after that and observing him for an hour, he said I had to take him to the emergency animal hospital. I was so scared! This cat is more than our pet, he’s family. I drove him to the hospital in another city, crying and talking to him the whole time. He stayed there several days during which time his organs failed and he had to stay in an oxygen tent. After a lot of serious medical intervention, he finally got better. Although I had to take him into the regular vet the next week for a tox screen to make sure everything was still working okay. I also kept him inside and watched him constantly for several days. The combined bills of the vet and the hospital were over $1000. He had a terrible reaction to the chemical tetrachlorvinphos which is a cholinesterase inhibitor. Be very careful to research the ingredients in any flea medication before using them on your beloved pets! All OTC meds have dangerous pesticides.
May 1st, 2012 @10:01 pm
I see this post is from 2011. I really hope your cat baby got better!
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