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
Our beautiful rag doll/Russian blue cat, Monty was given a dose of bravecto in March 2021 , he soon began to lose hair and has large patches of bare skin all over him still now ! He looks like he has had chemo !!! His coat has never recovered 😒. Trips to the vet have been useless and costly ….. we have e even tried natural remedies, but nothing helps. We cannot believe that this drug has caused such problems and unbelievably, it is still available !,,,
On friday July 1st, I had a happy, energetic dog named Jake. At dinner I gave him a Bravecto with his dinner. About 24 hours later, he was lethargic, ate alittle of his dinner and then vomited. As the evening went on he started having trouble walking and he stopped eating and drinking. The next morning he was worse, had a seizure and looked as though he was going to die. I took him to the emergency hospital and now I no longer have my sweet boy. If I had known the risks of this medication, I would never had given to my dog. There is not enough information out there about the dangers of this medication.
We had to tragically put down my Cane Corso due to seizures. A month after given Bravecto, he starting experiences seizures. The vet said he would not get better because they started to happen more frequently and it took him hours to come out of it. I am devastated to lose my loving dog.
My one and a half year old Boston Terrier was given the oral Bravecto flea treatment this morning. Tonight she had a full body seizure with a lot of foam from her mouth. It lasted for about two minutes. My son recorded the frightening event. I wish we would have researched the product instead of relying on our long time vet.
My 89 lb pit bull has been having diarrhea and vomiting just 7 hours after Bravecto. Taking him to the emergency vet now.
He had a clean bill of health a couple of months prior.
I took my lab to the vet on June 7th of this month and he got a clean bill of health. His vet put him on Bravecto. This morning on June 28th he died. I spend about a 1000.00 on trying to help him with nothing working. Bravecto was the only thing that it could have been.
My vet didn’t mention nothing about side effects. Just got him on it. This should not be allowed. We trust vets.
Same here. I believe God led me to check out this drug before l used it on my cat. I am so disappointed with my vet and am demanding a refund!
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I believe that my 12 year old mix dog got seizures after given bravecto at the vets a couple of years ago, I never put 2 & 2 together until reading this. I was given some today for my new dog but guess it’s going in the trash
My German Shepard had been taking Bravecto for about a year . Two days after giving her a tablet she had a massive seizure which caused immediate blindness,loss of balance,loss of fecal and urine control and brain damage. Unfortunately the veterinarian wasn’t able to help her and we had to have her put down.
My dog has been on Bravecto for 6 months. She just got diagnosed with lymphoma. My new shipment of Bravecto arrived from Chewy and I have been so reluctant to open the box. My gut just kept saying something is wrong. Now I’m reading all these comments and someone’s dog also suddenly gets diagnosed with lymphoma. This is horrible!