Merck Animal Health has been hit with a class action lawsuit by consumers who claim that their dog and cat drug Bravecto contains a pesticide that is harmful to pets.
Bravecto tablets and topical medications are used on both cats and dogs, and are marketed as a way to prevent ticks and fleas for up to three months.
Plaintiff Valerie Palmieri says she paid just under $50 for one Bravecto chewable tablet to treat her 78 pound German Shepherd Jake for fleas and ticks.
After taking the pill, Jake started to vomit, did not eat, and began to show symptoms of lethargy, according to the Bravecto class action lawsuit. The plaintiff reportedly took Jake to the emergency animal clinic after the dog was no longer able to walk.
Palmieri claims that she contacted Merck to talk about Jakeโs possible adverse reaction to taking the drug. The company allegedly denied that that Jakeโs sickness was caused by Bravecto but offered to pay for the emergency room visit.
However, the company would only pay if she signed an agreement which would release any claims against the company, according to the Bravecto class action lawsuit.
The plaintiff states that she refused to release her claims as she wasnโt sure if Jakeโs symptoms would be long-term and was still not sure if her dogโs symptoms were caused by the drug.
After more tests and a trip to a neurologist, the plaintiffโs veterinarian allegedly told her that he โpresumedโ that Jakeโs diagnosis of meningitis was a result of โBravecto toxicity,โ which was contrary to what she was told by the defendant.
Since he ingested the drug, Jake has continued to have neurological episodes, according to the Bravecto class action lawsuit. In September of this year, he reportedly fell down a flight of stairs and broke his leg. The plaintiff claims that she has spent โtens of thousands of dollarsโ treating Jake after he ingested Bravecto.
Palmieri says that when she purchased the tablet, the packaging and materials enclosed therein did not state that neurological adverse reactions were possible when taking the pill. In addition, the defendant allegedly did not tell veterinarians about the possible safety issues that the drug posed to pets.ย ย
โBecause Defendant failed to disclose the risks of Bravecto to consumers and misrepresented the safety of Bravecto, consumers would be reasonable in purchasing Bravecto to treat their pets in a safe manner,โ the class action lawsuit notes.
The Bravecto class action lawsuit also states that in September 2018, the FDA issued an alert about the possible neurological events that are associated with medicines like Bravecto to treat fleas and ticks.
The FDA has subsequently asked manufacturers to change their labels to โhighlight neurological events because these events were seen consistently across the isoxazoline class of productsโ and โto provide veterinarians and pet owners with the information they need to make treatment decisions for each pet on an individual basis,โ according to the Bravecto class action lawsuit.
The plaintiff states that the defendant now discloses that there may be some neurological reactions to taking Bravecto, including tremors, ataxia, and seizures.
โEvery consumer who purchased Bravecto without being informed of the true facts about its health and safety risks prior to purchase was injured at the point of sale when, instead of obtaining a safe flea and tick medication, they obtained Defendantโs unreasonably dangerous and defective product,โ the Bravecto class action lawsuit states.
Did you purchase Bravecto for your pet? Leave a message in the comments section below.
The plaintiff is represented by Mark A. Dicello, Adam J. Levitt, and Amy E. Keller of DiCello Levitt and Gutzler LLC and Jessica J. Sleater and Ralph N. Sianni of Andersen Sleater Sianni LLC.
The Bravecto Class Action Lawsuit is Valerie Palmieri v. Intervet Inc., et. al, Case No. 2:19-cv-22024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
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1,807 thoughts onBravecto Class Action Says Meds Arenโt Safe For Pets
My vet said Bravecto was tested and safe. In my opinion, the Bravecto tablet they provided poisoned my dog. He died.
My Yorker had a severe adverse reaction to Bravecto.
How do I get in this suit? I just saw a Bravecto commercial on tv. I cant believe they are advertising it. My dog died on christmas day 2019.
Pagan got his first dose of Bravecto on May 30, 2019. His second dose August 23, 2019. The second dose would have been good through November 23, 2019. I didnโt get him any more for the winter. Though the summer, off and on. he would have diarrhea. At the beginning of November he wasnโt wanting to eat his dry food, I was mixing dry, grain-free food with FreshPet, then it got to be hard to get him to eat his FreshPet. December 8th he started getting sick. I took him to the emergency vet on the 15th at Angel of Mercy. He was diagnosed with liver damage. The medications the vet gave him were not helping. I also tried natural remedies like Milk Thistle to detox his liver and Yarrow which is very good for digestive system problems. It saved my dog Harley when he had Pancreatitis. I gave him a high calorie, high nutritional supplement from Petco and bought Ensure High Protein. He would occasionally eat solid food but not much. Nothing helped. December 25 when I woke up he was much worse and jaundiced. He couldnโt hold his head up or stand, his breathing had gotten even worse. I took him to Angel of Mercy emergency hospital to euthanize him. He died in my arms while we waited to see the doctor.
My 1 year old puppy got so sick from Bravecto & now Iโm quickly going into debt from vet bills
My 3 year old dog died Monday 2/24/2020 after taking Bravecto. She first presented with rash/hives all over her body and a few days later she started with diarrhea, urinating pure blood, seizures and she was jaundice.
My cat ended up in the hospital For several days after ingesting bravecto. He had major kidney issues. The aspca poison line insisted it wasnโt the bravecto because they had never seen that reaction. but I know it was the bravecto.
My dog died from liver failure due to Bravecto. I read several articles saying that dogs and cats have died from liver or kidney damage.
My dog had vomiting, tremors, and hind end paralysis all within an hour of receiving Bravecto. He was taken to an emergency hospital and most of the symptoms resolved after a week. A claim was filed with Merck and they did cover the cost of his emergency visit and a trip to the neurologist, however fully denied that Bravecto was the cause, although the Merck veterinarian we spoke with had a difficult time believing himself! We have a case number and would like to be kept up to date on this. My dog has lasting effects because of this supposedly safe medication.
Our perfectly healthy 5 year old Brittany spaniel suddenly became very ill within 24 hours of receiving his first dose of Bravecto on 1/1/2020. His illness presented as vomiting and diarrhea at first. After a few days, we contacted our vet to see what we could do to help him. We gave OTC famotadine (Pepcid) to help settle his stomach. When this did not work and his condition became worse, we took him in to see the vet and he was given antibiotics and additional medications for stomach upset. His problems continued and worsened to bloody diarrhea every hour or two and vomiting for 6 weeks. During this time, we had many tests performed including various blood panels, an ultrasound of his abdomen, and an endoscopy of his GI tract (with multiple biopsies), which, unfortunately, lead to a diagnosis of gastric lymphoma. We have begun chemotherapy along with traditional and non-traditional (Eastern medicine) approach, to see if we can save his life. We are administering detox drugs multiple times a day. I am even administering vitamin B12 to him at home. He is beginning to feel much better, but we are told this type of cancer can not be cured, but only possibly put into remission. None of his 5 vets and/or specialists will say that it is or is not a cause of Bravecto toxicity. No one wants to speculate for obvious reasons, but we know our pup and he was the picture of a healthy and fit dog until the day following Bravecto administration. We have filed a case with Merck. They do not want to accept responsibility, but did send a representative (and a Merck Veterinarian) to our primary vet for further discussion. They mentioned assisting us with our medical bills, but after several weeks we have received nothing. They also didnโt want to accept full responsibility because, on that same day, we also administered Interceptor for his heartworm prevention. That med, however, passes through the system within 24 hours, unlike Bravecto that remains in the body for 112 days (even though the mfr recommends giving it every 90 days). We are sick. We are heartbroken, and we have spent over $3K in diagnosis, medications, treatments, etc. with no end in sight. The only end would be our dog passing, and we are doing all that we can to prevent that from happening. I am sharing our storyโฆ the story of โMoeโโฆ to help others see that no matter how โsafeโ the drug manufacturer claims their medication is, it is NOT safe for all. If sharing this story can help save one petโฆ one familyโฆ from experiencing what we have had to go through, then I am thankful for the opportunity to share.
I am a dog-savvy individual. I have loved many pets in my lifetime, and even had a small farm . I am an active volunteer with a national rescue and have assisted hundreds of pets, volunteers, etc. with their fosters and many dogs with special needs. I do my homework, I do extensive research, and I am an advocate of both traditional and non-traditional medicine for my four-legged family members.
The drug manufacturer needs to take responsibility for their actions, the efficacy of their drugs, and the safety of the pets that are given their products. I realize that itโs big business, and that making money is the bottom line for these pharmaceutical manufacturersโฆ but at what cost? If any of their corporate leaders has/had a pet that may go through anything like what we have had to go through, and does nothingโฆ then shame on them.
I love my dogsโฆ
We gave our baby Zoe one dose of Bravecto and it was all down hill from there. Our baby started having seizures just prior to the time for her next dose was due. Needless to say, within a year of receiving that dreadful medication, we had to put her down due to her developing many additional symptoms. It has been 3 years and we still are not over losing such a huge part of our family. This medication should have never been placed on the market. We are definitely interested in being involved to stop other family members from being fatally damaged from this toxic drug.
We had a young energetic white German Shepherd, who we gave Bravecto to prevent fleas and ticks. She started having seizures when she was 2 years old. Sometimes, sheโd have multiple seizures a day. Twice, she went into a seizure that didnโt stop. She had to be taken to an emergency vet hospital to stay several nights. She had testing done (bloodwork, MRi, spinal, etc). Merck knows about Libby (Liberty). I reported her seizures to them, and they did get in contact with her vet. We were never contacted again. Libby loved to run, but the seizures robbed her of that. After one of her stays at the vet hospital, she came home to us not being able to walk. We had to rig a harness for her hind legs. She eventually was able to walk again, but her hind legs remained weak and she unsteady. Libby died 2 years after her seizures started. She was 4 years old. She was a huge part of our family, and especially for my hearing impaired son who had previously had an animal phobia. She was the first dog we had after he got over his fear of dogs. He picked her out and He trained her. He was devastated at her loss.