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 Jake’s possible adverse reaction to taking the drug. The company allegedly denied that that Jake’s 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 wasn’t sure if Jake’s symptoms would be long-term and was still not sure if her dog’s symptoms were caused by the drug.
After more tests and a trip to a neurologist, the plaintiff’s veterinarian allegedly told her that he “presumed” that Jake’s diagnosis of meningitis was a result of “Bravecto toxicity,” 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 “tens of thousands of dollars” 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.
“Because 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,” 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 “highlight neurological events because these events were seen consistently across the isoxazoline class of products” and “to provide veterinarians and pet owners with the information they need to make treatment decisions for each pet on an individual basis,” 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.
“Every 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 Defendant’s unreasonably dangerous and defective product,” 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 Aren’t Safe For Pets
I too just realized that the medicine made my dog King, a purebred 10 month old German shepherd sick. He’s been having diarrhea for the past two weeks. After, $400.00 of vet bills, ( stool sample, comprehensive blood work, medications ( antibiotics )
he is still having the same issue! I hope these POS permanently remove their product from EVER VET HOSPITAL!
My prayers go out to all the families who are suffering due to the negligence of this company.
I too have just had to put my dog down after suffering tremors, loss of sight, severe painful muscle spasms, loss of appetite, and acute loss of motor control. I feel as though this company should remove this product so that no other pets have to suffer like mine did!
I gave my German shepherd bravcato and she started throwing up upset stomach and just not acting normal and I paid 62 dollars then had to buy other meds for her
My dog died yesterday at 6 years old; 3 days after taking Bravecto, he was in perfect health.
My puppy is not acting normal after Bravecto. He’s scared tired and aggressive. He’s not the same at all. From a couple hrs after I gave it to him.
mY SAM , began having a quite upset stomach and her skin began to have hotspots, allergic reaction and this would happen every time after she took the medication. We decide to take her off and she has been well since then… i spent thousands of dollars, thinking its her “allergies” but nope, these vet and there wester view of medicine is whats killing our friends. The holistic approach is so much better
I gave my fur baby chica Brevecto and after only using it only 2 times my baby girl has”focal” seizures that went from to one then year and a half the second to now she has several a week some lasting more than 12 hours, my vet has tried 2 different meds and really not much difference in her seizures, there’s only a couple more meds to try then off to a neurologist
I was prescribed the poison from my Vet whom I trusted with the well being of my fur babies. My 8 year old Lab threw it right up! Thank God! Her stomach just couldn’t tolerate the poison. My 4 year old wasn’t so lucky. :( She has started to show severe signs of Neurological problems such as dizzy spells, falling over, inability to use her hind legs, loss of eyesight, loss of appetite and just simple walking around is completely hindered. I read the damn label and even questioned the vet a 2nd time. I should have stuck to my first decision and threw this garbage away. But instead I trusted a licensed Vet and gave it to them anyway. BIG MISTAKE! This stuff is a horrible killer that needs to be taken off the market immediately. The lists of deaths is ginormous and if I had seen that first I would have never given that shit to her. My Vet will hear me! I will hound them until the swear they will never prescribe this crap again! DO NOT GIVE THIS TO YOUR ANIMALS! DON’T!
A little more then 3 months ago I gave my Australian shepherd Bravecto as per instructions from vet.About a week later Voodoo went lame in the rear end.We went back to the vet’s all the blood work came back negative for lyme and so forth.Voodoo had alot of strange symptoms to many to describe but I have all the vet reports and bills.Things seem to go from one organ to another.I gave my best friend in the world Bravecto and 3 months later he’s dead.Voodoo was a perfectly healthy dog and I also have the records to prove it.I have 6000 dollars vet bills on credit cards on a dog that passed away
I was using Bravecto on my cat (Elsa) for about two years without any remarkable issues. On March 1, 2021, I applied it as I usually do every 90 days, and it created an infection that traveled throughout her entire body. The spot where it was applied bled, developed pus, and all the fur came out. She began to shed large clumps of fur and then a secondary yeast based infection appeared in her ears. She was scratching excessively and scabs formed all over her body. Black dirt appeared throughout her fur, which was confirmed by her vet that it was not flea dirt, but was directly created by the infection. Elsa was given an antibiotic and a steroid injection on March 17, 2021. She has been bathed once and is to be bathed again using Dawn to gently clean her skin. Three of her vets have attended to her issues so this information is detailed in their visit reports. I tried to track the lot number via Chewy, where I purchased the Bravecto, but it was not able to be done. I wanted to know if there were any other remarkable incidences reported that were similar to what my cat experienced. Right now my main goal is to heal Elsa and get her back to being her normal self. I stumbled across this site and my stomach clenched. I wish I had this information much earlier. Elsa is such a sweet little soul and my heart hurts for her pain.
Pamela, I had a similar experience with Bravecto and my Cat Bella, it is was a horrible experience.
It was also in early March. The lot number for the tube of liquid topical application for 6.2 – 13.8 lb cat is: AM4709C exp 11/2022
Thank you. I am pursuing this issue through legal channels. Elsa is still not well.
My Cat Bella was only 8 lbs at the time 9544444382 stevieb.bernstein gmail.com
I gave Bravecto to my 1 yr 4 month old German Shepherd and my 1 yr 5 month old Siberian Husky. Later in the evening BOTH dogs vomited all the food they had eaten. I was worried and did some online research and found some bad news about Bravecto.
Never again. They should take this medicine out of the market. I live in the Philippines and what is happening to my 2 dogs makes me feel depressed. Bravecto should pay for this. Terrible company.