I had researched the best flea treatments online, based on what works best, and gone to the store to find Advantage or Frontline. Not finding those, my friend found Sergeants Gold, which she had used successfully on her cat. I thought twice about buying it, but because I thought it might not be effective, little did I know…
and for the sake of the companies reading this….I want to state here. I READ AND FOLLOWED ALL THE DIRECTIONS EXACTLY AS STATED.
After putting it on my cat, she went off her dinner and was acting strange, but some weird feeling moisture on the back of your cat’s neck is bound to make them uncomfortable so I didn’t think much of it. My friend reassured me that it was fine on her cat. Later that night my cat went off her dinner, which isn’t uncommon, but didn’t sleep on my bed that night, which was strange. I found her hiding in the morning, not waking me up to be fed, and she still wasn’t taking any food. Not realizing the seriousness of it I went out to run errands, and yesterday evening when I arrived home, 24 hours after applying the Sergeants Gold Flea treatment, she was acting really strange, depressed, lethargic, making strange twitching movements, seeming very unwell and still not eating. I immediately started googling the product, and to my dismay found out that I had poisoned my cat. There are no words to describe the horror I felt, as someone who gives my cat the very best raw food diet, and healthiest lifestyle…how could I have possibly been this ignorant to use a product that basically poisoned my cat….and now threatens her life….
I immediately gave her a bath, but already knew that it had been too long since the product was on her. Regardless, she did not move while I bathed her, and definitely perked up slightly after having it washed off. Before I could read anymore I was already on my way to the animal hospital. They diagnosed her with neuro-toxicosis from the Sergeant’s, with symptoms of a very high temperature and ear twitching and not eating. They recommended that she be admitted to be monitored and have iv fluids and meds, but I chose to take her home with the oral version of the anti-seizure meds. I watched her like a hawk all night, scared out of my wits and helpless that there was nothing I could do now but wait and see what happens and hope that her system can process the poison. This morning, she peed on the bed, which is completely out of character…
Finally, after two more baths, and 42 hours after giving her this horrid stuff, she ate some sardines (the only thing she was interested in), the twitching seems to be gone, and she’s just acting a bit fragile and unwell.I’m horrified that something I purchased in a store, and gave to my cat, could have killed her. I’m sure that the extremely healthy diet I feed her contributed to her not having a more severe reaction. I have been beside myself with worry that I was about to watch her die.
Now hopefully the worst is over. I’ll be using only natural home-made remedies from here on in, and making as much of a stink about this as I possibly can. My heart goes out to all the families of pets who were worse off. This is just unimaginably awful.
3 Comments Received
March 19th, 2012 @4:10 am
I just applied Seargents Gold to my cat last night and to my surprise she didn’t sleep on my bed last night, which i thought was very strange. She didn’t wake me this morning to eat and that was even stranger. All night she was rubbing her neck, where i applied the medicine. She would rub her back and neck on anything possible. I washed it off this morning and she is still acting weird! I am so angry that i put a product on my cat and she may be in danger. She’s a 9 month old and i only put half of the kitten product on her and it still made her very uncomfortable! My two other cats are fine, but she may be more sensitive since she is younger. I am angry and don’t have the money to take her to a vet. Although she isn’t twitching, just seems very abnormal! There should be some warning on these cheaper products saying there is a chance that your animal may have seizures and die! We as parents of animals, shouldn’t have to research online to find out to our horror, that we may have just euthanized our animal, in a very cruel way! I am very angry and sad my cat is being tortured by my hands, without my knowledge!
March 19th, 2012 @10:03 pm
Yep, its the same thing….and its because she’s small and she’s sensitive.
I would wash her several more times, make sure you get it off. Don’t use hot water because it will seep into her pores more. Then make sure she gets plenty of fluids, try and get her to drink, or try and squeeze some drops into her mouth. If you can get her to eat that will be good too.
Watch her very closely. For at least the next 24 – 48 hours. If you see signs of twitching (or seizure) you should take her to the vet. They will be able to give her liquids and anti-seizure medication (Robaxin), and hopefully it will cost less than $100 in total. Unless she is having continuous seizures, there is no need to have her admitted. I would at least call your vet and explain what is happening and get some advice as well.
My cat is totally fine now, but it took a full 3-4 days for her to completely recover and go back to her normal self. Hopefully you will see some improvement by tomorrow. But you do need to make sure its completely washed off by washing bathing her twice, and then watching her carefully. Make sure she is comfortable and try feeding something special, as she may just be being picky on her food because she is sick. Make sure the litter box is clean and everything is perfect for her.
Good luck. Hugs
April 22nd, 2012 @8:04 pm
Deanna
April 22nd, 2012 @8:02 pm
I have the solution to flea problems! We too were victims of Hartz, fortunately no one at our house died. However, flea problem waged on until we found a little bottle of gold! Brewer’s Yeast and Garlic with linoleic by NaturVet. It’s fan-freakin-tastic!!! No, it’s not a miracle product that works overnight, or even in a month, but it does work. You can use it on any animal, not cat/dog specific. It took about 6 weeks for all of the fleas to be gone in all 9 of our cats, but hey- we have a lot of cats! It’s safe to use on elderly as well as kittens- we have both. It’s a chewable tablet based on weight. If your cats/dogs don’t want to chew it, you can either crush it and mix it with a treat or use a pill pusher to get it down them- I need to do this with my older cats. One of the best features is that this stuff makes the lost hair grow back! The quality of the fur is thick, shiny, healthy and they seem to shed less. The action of the brewers yeast and garlic combined make the animals un-tasty to the fleas. The linoleic acid and omegas are just plain good for them. A bottle of 500 tablets is about $10. No chemicals or poisons. It’s the best $10 you’ll ever spend.
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