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
We have given our Lhasa Apsa Bravecto and he is now dying of liver cancer. I called Merck to question the drug only to have then panic wanting to know every vet we had Winston to. How does one become included in this law suit? Merck never returned my call.
We just realized the harm that bravecto has caused to our family dogs! About 2 years ago our bearded collie took bravecto and we didn’t know of any problems with bravecto and then one day she just collapsed and could not walk and she did not respond to us. We had to put her down. I still cry over her. NOW, our yorkie had seizure after seizure last night. Now he can not see, hear, control his bladder and just walks very quickly in circles. He does not respond to us at all!!!!! It is Sat here and we will have to take him to the vet Monday and have him put down! This is terrible that a drug company puts this kind of product out that kill your beloved animals. They are our family!!!! We are devastated! Can you please have someone contact me about the class action law suit? The company should not be allowed to do this!
I took my then 4 yr old Shiba Inu, Lucy to a new vet after moving back to Texas from Japan. When Lucy and I arrived at the vet, she was her normal self, wanting to met everyone, running up and down the floors smelling and sniffing and her happy, joyful self. Vet recommended Bravecto for fle abs tick prevention. I explained she had never had a flea or tick but he thought it was best and spoke highly of it. Took the box and went home and feed my little girl her dinner and decided to give her the flea treatment “bravecto” from the vet visit. She spit it out so I buried it between cheese and she ate it, of course she loves cheese!
Within and hour I was watching tv and I hear something strange that I’ve never heard before coming
From bathroom. I went to check it out, and to my shock and confusion my girl is basically head down in toilet drinking the bowl dry of water!!! I pulled her away which she resisted she wanted more water. I took her to her bowl which was empty. That’s strange I had just filled it up. When I sit her down she looked up at me with a look I will never forget to this day, she was lost in her own brain, didn’t have a clue,
Blank stare at me like I wasn’t there at all. She feel to the ground. Still staring a fix stare at nothing! What is wrong? I picked my girl up and rushed her to the vet. Upon arrival my vet informed me he had only ever had one other problem with a dog acting this way after Bravecto? What??? ( Jan Rosenbalm) he said she clearly isn’t the same girl I seen less than 2 hours ago. She was sick very sick, he was doing blood work, X-rays and more test and still not able to figure it out. He informed me he wanted to give her more fluids and keep her overnight, I asked if I could take her home as there would let be any one with her during the night there and he agreed and ask me to bring her back the next morning. All night I was up with my girl, walking into walls, falling over,
Peeing on herself, throwing up in house. She’s never done any of this! The next morning comes and she is still weak and confused.. I had managed to find info on Bravecto online and read this is very common side affects with a lot and so many have died after taking this treatment! When I arrived at vet I explained what I found and asked him to contact Merck which he did and got a case number and I also asked doe him to notify FDA which he did. After 3 days of daily visits and a year of Lucy on treatment and a lot of attention she is better. We do not know what long term affects she will or may have.. but one thing is for sure what happened to my Lucy that evening was because of Bravecto !
I had my Dogue de Bordeaux (Rusty) at vet for regular visit and to refill his prescriptions for heart worm and flea and tick. He was given bravecto for 100+ lb dogs. He wouldn’t take it so I cut into quarters to make it more manageable. Within 10 minutes he regurgitated two of those pieces. I waited an hour and gave him the other two pieces, which he did keep them down. The next day he was foaming at the mouth (more than normally would be for this breed). Within two days he appeared to have injured himself because his hind legs were stiff and he could barely walk. He wasn’t his normal playful self. 4 days after his condition continued to deteriorate so I took him to vet emergency hospital because my vet could not see him. By the time I got him to hospital to get him out of car he couldn’t walk two steps without collapsing. He spent two days in vet emergency hospital…
They diagnosed him with Myasthenia Gravis.. it’ll be two weeks before we get results of blood test. He still cannot control his motor function in his legs. At best he can sit up. He is very lethargic and cannot hold food down.
It wasn’t until he was ill and I started looking around that I learned bravecto was linked to several neurological complications in animals. My Rusty will hopefully make it to his third birthday in July. Since he’s been home I’m having to hand feed him and assist him around in and out of house. I absolutely know I would never have given my dog the bravecto had I known the risks of neurological complications… Rusty was around 117 pounds prior to taking bravecto… he is now 107… this is less than a weeks time… if this test is positive for Myasthenia Gravis, it’ll be for the rest of his life… if he survives past this weekend.
He will never be on bravecto again.
I gave Bravecto to my two girls one month before they came intovseason. In the first litter of 10 pups, one pups tail curled back on itself at the tip. The second girl also had ten pups and one was born with a front limb deformity which has resulted in the pup being euthanized. No other explanation nor any other pups have ever been born with any issues. We will never use this product again. It’s been a heartbreaking lesson.
My golden doodle has been taking good bravecto for 18 months. She seems to get lethargic and loss of appetite for a few days after taking medication. Why hasn’t the vet to,d me about this, they just sell meds to make a profit. What should I be giving my dog that is safe for flea and tick control? Can I join class action suit? My dog is a service dog, and she is my life support. I can’t be giving her meds that are poison. Please advise.
6-17-21 I called this company today to ask if this fire and tick medicine could be harmful to my senior dog of 11 yrs old. Small chawinnie about 18 lbs. she was diagnosed with Cushing about 2 yrs ago and I didn’t want anything to be harmful. They told me and I quote “ there have been no studies done with dogs with Cushing and this Med ( bravetco) .. on the same note we have no reason to believe that it would cause any harmful affects. Have not had any reports of out drug affecting an older dog with Cushing I think it would be ok but if you want have your vet call us and a senior advisor to discuss any of that”!!! Thank god no one has called to fill script or I would have have given it to her prior to seeing this post. God is good. And I pray for these dogs amd cats that did get the drug. May they have a speedy recovery. As for this company maybe law suite will teach them how to be honest. My little Sasha needs no set backs. I want her with me for as long as god will allow !! Shame on them. Check everything all the time !! Will post this on social to maybe help save another animal from this crap
I gave my Cavalier bravecto and it caused him to have permanent tick like episodes he’s now been dealing with since I first gave him that awful medication.
Was this given orally or topical to majority of these pets? I was going to try the topical on my 6 month Aussie mix and now reading this I am hesitant and perhaps will just continue with Wondercide and Dr Mercola Flea and Tick each week instead as an herbal spray. I also bought Diamatecious Earth with Neem I can apply topically.
My one year old newfoundland puppy died within a week of being administered Bravecto. Within a couple of days he became jaundiced, urinated dark orange, became lethargic, vomited blood, and died very quickly. Post-mortem biopsies of his liver determined his death to be caused by liver failure secondary to toxicological damage. I am interested in being involved in this class action lawsuit against the manufacturers of Bravecto.