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
Holy moly!! I didn’t ever put two and two together until today. My perfectly healthy dog started randomly having seizures about every 3 months when he turned 4 years old. I was always sold bravecto for fleas and ticks and was never once informed of the possible seizure side effects and they have still been selling it to me for him all this time. He is now 8 years old. I had to buy him special prescription food for his brain health when he was 6 and thankfully he hasn’t had a seizure since but I also haven’t given him bravecto in over a year. I’m so happy I saw this article. Me and my vet are gonna be having some words about This!!! My poor boy.
I believe that my 4 year old male cat (Yoda) has been poisoned by the use of topical Bravecto. We brought him for his annual check up on May 5, 2022 and he was fine. The vet prescribed Bravecta for Flea and Tick prevention since Yoda is an indoor / outdoor cat. I applied the topical solution between his shoulder blades as directed on May 8. That whole week Yoda became more and more lethargic and started vomiting. He was also shaking his head and scratching his ears. By the week of May 23 he had lesions on his face, under his chin, and on his neck. The area where I applied the Bravecto was raw and weeping. I took him back to the vet on May 28 as he was very lethargic and clumps of hair were coming out all around his neck and head. He had stopped eating and drinking. The vet weighed Yoda and he had lost just over 2 pounds, and he has lost more weigh since. The vet ran bloods tests, swabbed the raw areas of Yoda’s skin checking for Blasto, and checked Yoda’s ears for mites and fleas. The vet was not able to find anything that would explain Yoda’s sudden change in health. He gave Yoda a shot of antibiotics, and a shot of steroids. He said that he would call the drug manufacturer to report the reaction which the vet believed was to the Bravecta. Yoda seemed to be a bit better after the shots and did start eating small amount of wet food. However his behaviour is very strange as he is generally a very social cat, and he has now been finding places to hide in the house and is sleeping all of the time. This morning he was scratching uncontrollably again and shaking his head as if there was something in his ear. I don’t know what to do as I feel that bringing him back to the vet is just going to cost more money and that we aren’t going to get any answers or solutions.
My healthy American Eskimo was given Bravecto and nearly died. She immediately became lethargic and was adverse to eating. Then the vomiting, diarrhea and seizures started. Vet ran blood work and liver numbers were high along with pancreatitis. She was on IV fluids for two days as well as an appetite stimulant. Vet and Merck tried to say it was not the Bravecto and that she probably has an underlying condition. My golden retriever took it at the same time and is currently at the vet from vomiting, tender abdomen and dehydration. This drug is so toxic. I’m blown away that it’s on the market and vets say it’s safe. Please DO NOT give this to your pets. It’s poison to kill insects, that gets into your pets tissues and the toxicity could be deadly. Please add me to the class action suit.
We gave our healthy 7 year old cat bravecto and within a day she was lethargic, stopped eating and then died within a few days. We firmly believe it was the bravecto and would advise anyone to never use this drug!!!!!
Im so sorry for your loss, I’m going through the same situation. Did you test for gall bladder function or liver test to show some kind of toxicity in the bloodstream. I am scared to death
My cat is eating but he’s lethargic three days later, not sure how long this will go on for. I’ve read the reviews online now and would never have given this treatment if I knew then what I know now. Can’t believe the vet recommended this.
Hi, how is you kitty doing, mine is acting same way you described. Reading horrible stories is making my stomach churn.
I purchased Brovecto for my cat and 1.5 weeks later we ended up going to the vet for an emergency visit. He was lethargic and not eating, scratching and running a fever. . Lab work and antibiotics with pain meds. A few days later he was back at the vet with another dose of meds and not eating with vomiting while foam. He’s now unable to walk and can’t jump or do anything. It’s pretty much like watching him preparing for death. If I knew Brovecto would have been like this I would have never used it.
I gave my sisters dog as well as mine bravecto because my vet said it was safe. My dog got a lil sick but recovered. Her dog suffered from vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, he would not eat or drink. The speed at which he declined was unbelievable, two er vet visits, they gave him fluids and said his liver enzymes were high. Both the vet and Merck denied Bravecto being the cause but our dogs were perfectly active and healthy dogs before this. Sadly by day 3, he began seizing and shortly after he passed away. Bravecto needs to be taken off the market and they should be held responsible.
My wife’s 8 yr old rat terrier had a seizure and died suddenly early one morning shortly after her 3rd dose of bravecto. She had blood coming from her mouth. She died in my arms before we could get her to the vet. I was the worst day of our lives. She was a perfectly healthy dog before that. We have a 12 yr old chow and a 3 yr old German shepherd and had just received the topical bravecto by mistake so I was looking it up to see if the topical was as effective as the chews when I saw the Class Action lawsuit which led me to all of your terrible losses. Needless to say we won’t be using bravecto ever again. I’m so sorry for all of your losses.
Although I cannot prove it because my dog has been cremated I absolutely 100% believe that bravecto killed my dog. She started having seizures about a month after we gave her bravecto when it first came out. She would have seizures about once a month and that came down to about twice a month down to once a week to almost every day before she died. I would love to know how I can be put on as a plaintiff against the class action lawsuit against bravecto
I recently gave my pet Peace Bravecto and now she has bad sores on her body. I can’t find any side affects where it says it caused sores and extreme itching.
My 112 lb lab has awful sores. This only happened after bravecto was given by his vet.
I just came back from the Vet where I was verbally attacked & called a “crazy hippie” by the owner who insisted she’s never seen or heard of any of this in all her years. Her assistant even claimed her pet was on it & never has problems.
I went in to ask WHAT IS YOUR PROTOCOL when a pet has ADVERSE REACTIONS?
I was told They have NONE yet at the same time they were telling me how all drugs have adverse reactions. They kept contradicting themselves but the Vet owner focused on attacking ME for her inability to even consider the Bravecto had anything to do with his symptoms.
When I requested the names of these 2 people I spoke to, she even went so far as to text me: “Melissa Walk, DVM/Owner (like I said, come at me – I look forward to it – It’ll be a blast!!). I’m sorry that you needed a service dog for whatever you have gone through in your life but please note that usually when we have complaints of this nature, it is always people that need service dogs. Please speak with your therapist ASAP. You also spoke to: Heather Oliva, CVT/Practice Manager. Deziree (Front Desk Manager). ;)
When or if you make that complaint to the Florida board, make sure to go ahead and send the record from the other clinic as well so it can be dismissed quickly and efficiently. If you don’t send it, we will. Also, it’ll be great if you send this message trail and recorded call we are about to send you because it’ll be amusing for them.”
I’m actually more concerned about her mental stability because she is threatening me over MY bringing this to their attention! Not once did they even entertain a civil conversation where the Bravecto could have potentially been the cause of his symptoms. Instead, she decided to attack me and my character claiming “you declined further diagnosis which immediately dismisses any liability on their part!”
I’m so beside myself by the treatment where I pointed out that I stated how my Buddy was experiencing these KNOWN Symptoms since I gave him the Bravecto on March 15th. I had surgery on March 29th and was gone for just over a week but when I returned he was NOT the same dog I last saw. He hadn’t been eating & it hadn’t even dawned on me the connection until the other day when I found out about the class action lawsuit & how they’ve known.
So, WHY & HOW are these Vets able to get away with this behavior & then treatment of their paying clients on top of it all!?
I’m so beside myself — and even more concerned by this Vet owner’s vindictive tone & threats. I’m even wondering what this person is capable of with the way she’s treated me.
Wow Lana I cannot believe how horribly you were treated by veterinarian Melissa Walk!!! Please share the city you live in so that way I will make sure I never go to her!!!! And I’ll never use Bravecto again!! #bravecto #melissawalk
Clearwater, FL
I gave my dog the semperica trio witch is the same class of drug to my puppy,he started having seizures a couple weeks after the one and only dose I gave him,he is on medication for the seizures, see a neurologist June 3rd. Hopefully we can wean him off of the medication. He had some terrible seizures,and I know it was the semperica!