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 have a 9 year old doberman and shes been taking bravecto chew for a few years and since starting the chews she has tumors all over her body and her eyes are clouded.My partner and i thought the problem was west va water and gave her bottled water but the lump and bumps were not there before she started these chews and my vet never told us that there was a 2018 fda report.Our first dobie died od heart issues and if i knew this chew was apestiside i would never allow my vet to give joy this drug can i sew my vet also for not advizing us of the side effects add my name please
my cats are dying of cancer three are gone another is dying od small cell carcinoma of the eye i have three cats left im just waiting for them to show up with cancer as well i loved my cats and spent thousands on them i feel guilty and responsible for giving a flea MEDICINE that killed them.
My 13 year old beagle, Amy Lee, had her first Bravecto chew Jul 6 2019. Four days later she had a sore on her backside that was treated with an antibiotic and Prednisone. At the time we weren’t sure what caused the sore, but I was a little suspicious of the Bravecto. After the 3-month period was up, I switched her back to Nexgard, a 1-month flea chew that she had taken safely for the last 3-4 years. We switched vets around this time and I expressed concern about the Bravecto to the new vet. When the vet tech brought out my flea meds, she was carrying a Bravecto pill. She must have read the records from the previous vet or the new vet didn’t pass on my concerns. When I told her I was a little concerned about the Bravecto, she said, but this is what I have/brought. I figured the vets office new best and if our pup ended up with another sore I would never give her Bravecto again. I gave her a second Bravecto on Nov 9 and 10 days later she had a large lump on her lip. After a biopsy, we would learn that our pup had Epitheliotropic Lymphoma. We attempted chemo, but on Jan 10 2020 we were told there was nothing more that could be done and we had to euthanize our baby. I spent months wondering how this could happen to a healthy and active 14 year old doggie. I went through my calendar agonizing over the details. I finally had a conversation with my sister, a nurse, who explained lymphoma to me. Then she reminded me that Epitheliotropic lymphoma occurs in the skin and that is why it progresses so quickly, because skin cells reproduce quickly. So, we had a bad (skin) sore after the first Bravecto and an even worse skin cancer after the second. What did Bravecto have to do with it you ask? I read that pesticides(Bravecto is a pesticide) can cause damage to cells and that cancer is caused by damaged cells. Further, older dogs lose the ability to repair cells properly. I believe strongly that Bravecto caused the death of our Amy Lee. I reported this to Merck Sep 2020, Case Number 2020-US-17784. I don’t understand why Merck would think a 3-month concentration of a pesticide is safe for pets, especially older pets.
My perfectly healthy cattle dog was given Bravecto on 7/27/21 . Slowly he started acting lethargic . We mistakenly thought he was sad because we had gotten a new puppy. Fast forward to the night of 8/21 I noticed he was wobbling when he walked . I spent the night with him on the sofa to monitor him . On the morning of the 22nd he fell to his side and urinated all over himself In front of my 4year old son. I scooped him up and took him to the animal hospital. He was diagnosed with IMHA . His body is attacking his red blood cells . They gave him a medication to attempt to stop his body from attacking his RBC bit this medication takes time . We have been literally buying time with expensive blood transfusions but we are almost out of time and money. I have no doubt it was this medication that hurt my fur baby. Our family is completely devastated emotionally and financially.
My 8 1/2 year old Yorkie is experiencing what seems to be muscle twitching from Bravecto which was administered 9 days ago. That very night he began licking and biting his front paws,
licking the air, twitching his head towards his tail and back legs, acting very restless and his skin felt warm. I noticed his breathing was a little labored and he was shaking at random times.
That night and every day since he just cannot get comfortable. Samson is a very loving cuddly dog who loves to lay on the couch with us when we watch TV and sleep with us in our bed at night. He did not sleep with us that night, as he does every night, but slept under the kitchen chair on the wood floor. He continues to do this every night since.
I took him back to the Vet the next day and they completed several tests unrelated to this problem. They did take his temp but it was normal. I had no idea this was a side effect of Bravecto. The vet never said it could have been a side effect. He was tested for Lymes disease with a blood test, his anal glands expressed, his legs checked for joint pain etc.. $349 later.
Since the day I gave him a 3 month dose of 4.4-9.9lbs, he’s been sleeping under the kitchen table and not himself. I gave him another bath today (he had one the same day I gave him the bravecto) but he continues to have these twitches and shakes a bit. His skin still feels warm to me as though he has a fever. I also noticed he is eating his food differently, he takes some out of his bowl, drops it on the floor and then eats a couple at a time.
Last night at 3:30 am I woke up with the thought that he is having a drug interaction to something. I remembered that this began the same night I gave him Bravecto and so began researching it and this is what I found.
Samson has always had sensitive skin and I was never able to use a topical flea and tick medication. I recognized this when he was a puppy and have never used it again. Samson has had Bravecto before and has had these symptoms before, but I always thought it was his quirky personality. There have been several nights where he has jumped on and off of our bed all night long and has kept us up. I cannot believe I am just making this connection and that my Vet has never once mentioned this could be from Bravecto. Especially after knowing my dog’s history with these types of these symptoms from topical treatments.
I am distraught and very upset that my Vet has not picked up on this.!!!I can only pray and hope Samson comes through this one last time. I will never give this to him again nor go to my Vet again.
How long can I expect these symptoms to last and what treatment is there for it?
Please contact me as i would like to file a laws uit against merck and be a part of this class action suit.
We gave our 5 year old pug “Piggy” Bravecto on July 23 which was a Friday. She immediately started to throw up, was listless, drinking large amounts of water and not eating. By Monday morning she was in the vet hospital and we found out her liver enzymes were off the chart. She stayed there for 2 nights with an IV drip. We brought her home on Wednesday and by Friday morning of that same week she was back in the hospital. Her red blood cells were very low and her white blood cells were off the chart. She had to stay and had a blood transfusion. The vet said if she that didn’t work she would probably only last a week. She is currently on 4 different medicines to deal with the liver enzymes, a special diet and trying to raise her red blood cell count while lowering her white blood cell count. She has to go to the vet 2x a week to have her blood tested since she is still not out of the woods. Has lost 7 lbs so she is a very skinny pug right now. I called mercks hotline the day she went into the hospital the first time and was given a case number. I was shell shocked that my perfectly healthy pug was so sick. The vet agreed it was because of Bravecto and talked to them. I just received a email yesterday from Bravecto offering me 500.00 but they are not admitting guilt. Not taking the 500.00. Piggy is everything to us and this is a slap in the face. I would appreciate more information about the class action suit. Please do not give your dog Bravecto!
Romeo, 2 year old male lab shepherd mix, started having seizures 12 days after chewing Bravecto, dignosed with idiopathic epiplepsy, has continued having grand mal seizures every two weeks or so, nearly a year, Merck paid 5 hundred dollars as gesture of good faith, but our expenses were around $6,000 including two overnights in vet hospital.
I’m so sorry that your baby and you are going through this it is horrible. I gave it to nine 9 days later December 6, 2017 he had his first seizure. 21 seizures over the years tomorrow he goes to a neurologist because the last two were really bad ?
I have a 15 year Persian, after applying brovecto he hid under my bed and won’t eat or drink anything.
Shortly after taking Bravecto my dog was diagnosed with Epilepsy. Within 2 months of seizures starting. She went blind. Now has to take medication 3 times a day for the rest of her life.
My 85 pound lab started having skin issues about a week after giving him Bravecto. He is now on allergy shots and has become aggressive to other dogs. He was NEVER like this prior to bravecto. I have been told that it takes 160+ days to get it out of his system and it has been well over that. I am afraid I may have to put him down.