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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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1,797 thoughts onBravecto Class Action Says Meds Aren’t Safe For Pets
My 12 year old Rottweiler just received bravecto and now has seizures. He is now on phenobarbital to take care of them. If bravecto is is the system for 3 months how do you get rid of it and treat the seizures for at least that time. I love my dog. I hope he makes it through this horrible time.
Took my 11-year-old cat to the vet for a urinary issue. They found fleas on her. We had treated her for fleas 2 weeks earlier and informed the vet of that. She said that wasn’t a problem and that the cat should be treated again. Two weeks later my cat has lost a lot of weight, hardly eats, shakes continuously, and can barely stand up. We were not informed of any possible health hazards with this product. I’m beyond upset and pretty sure my sweet Gracie will not survive much longer!! Heatbreaking!!
I gave my 13wk old puppy cyrus bravecto 3days ago and he has a rash scabs/ sores under his armpits and is not eating the same n im very worried about him after reading the comments
I got my Tracy Dec 31st 2019. Happy, healthy 6 yr old blue Merle collie. Bringing her to Texas I ask the vet they recommended Bravecto. “That what they give in this area” ahe had shedding problems, red on stomach, and leakage from her nipples. I took her back to the vet more than once, and they thought it was allergies. Then I moved to Arizona. Tracy seemed to flourish here. Her shedding was down and she was the toast of this small town. Such a loving and eager one for pets. She would bark at people for them. The sand fleas are terrible here and were biting her bad,so I called her vet in Texas and my son sent it to me. Two weeks she started having wobbly back legs and our walks every night were cut down to a minimum, then stopped. Then I noticed her confusion and easily tiredness. Now 5/6 weeks in she’s having seizures. Cluster and grand malls. Vet here said that I would have to take her to las vegas for hospitalization and gave me some doggie vicodin. I spent every hour last night up with her struggling through one seizure after another screaming for help. I see no alternative but to put this absolutely beautiful dog down. It breaks my heart, she was such a sweet loving girl who didn’t deserve this fate. Had I known this was the reaction that could happen, if I were better informed
I would never given her this awful poison.
I got my Tracy Dec 31st 2019. Happy, healthy 6 yr old blue Merle collie. Bringing her to Texas I ask the vet they recommended Bravecto. “That what they give in this area” ahe had shedding problems, red on stomach, and leakage from her nipples. I took her back to the vet more than once, and they thought it was allergies. Then I moved to Arizona. Tracy seemed to flourish here. Her shedding was down and she was the toast of this small town. Such a loving and eager one for pets. She would bark at people for them. The sand fleas are terrible here and were biting her bad,so I called her vet in Texas and my son sent it to me. Two weeks she started having wobbly back legs and our walks every night were cut down to a minimum, then stopped. Then I noticed her confusion and easily tiredness. Now 5/6 weeks in she’s having seizures. Cluster and grand malls. Vet here said that I would have to take her to las vegas for hospitalization and gave me some doggie vicodin. I spent every hour last night up with her struggling through one seizure after another screaming for help. I see no alternative but to put this absolutely beautiful dog down. It breaks my heart, she was such a sweet loving girl who didn’t deserve this fate. Had I known this was the reaction that could happen, needless to say I would never given her this awful poison.
My dog was on Bravecto for 6 months when she began to have seizures. She would have one here and there then one a month then 2 a month. It didn’t take long until they were several times a day. She never had a seizure before ever.she was just 10 and very healthy. She was a Boston Terrier. She died just 1 year later having seizures one after another til 4 in a row when her little heart gave out. This was 2019 when the drug was fairly new I think. It was never mentioned by her vet of the side effects. It was only mentioned how well it worked against flea n tick. I still miss her every day. I hope these drug companies and vet are held responsible.
My vet gave my yorki the wrong dose of Brevecto she is 9.1 pounds and was given the dose for a 22 pound and up. She started having problems stairing, loosing control of her hind legs, face jerking and hallucinating. I took her back yo the vet and he did exray of her spine and said had some disk issues. Tried to give me a few packet of brevecto for her next treatment which I declined. He did not charge me for the visit because he admitted they issued the wrong dose. He said he callef the makers of Brevecto and they said there wss no way the overdose would do this to het. She is doing some better now she doesn’t sleep as good as she use to, loud noises bother her, her face still twitched some and she still looses her hind leg at times.
Is the lawsuit still going on? My dog was taking Bravecto. His last dose was in August of 2022. At the end of August, he had his first seizure. He is on anti- seizure medication. I thought it was working, but today, he had 7 seizures. He is currently in the ER for observation. I was never aware of any of these risks.
We rescued a Boston Terrier in July of ‘21. We took him to the vet initially and had him checked out and was fine. In February of ‘22 he was given Bravecto. In April he had a seizure. In May he had another. He was put on anti seizure meds after the second one. It is now October and he just had another seizure while being on the anti seizure meds. Now his liver isn’t handling the anti seizure medicine so we are having to lower his original anti seizure meds, add another anti seizure med, and a pill to help his liver.
This medicine should be banned and all these people who have had their pets hurt by this medicine should at least have their medical bills covered. It is such an helpless feeling to watch your pet go through something like this. They depend on you to protect them.
My dogs personality completely changed around the time we started bravecto. He lost all of his affection behaviors. Over a period of two years on it he completely decompensated. He was completely healthy in every way but neurologically when we had to let him go and the vet couldn’t figure it out. I had no idea it could be this medication until after it all happened
I gave my cat Bravecto 2 months ago, he has lost hair and had a big scab where I put the medication on his back. I called Merck and they said that can happen and told me there should not be any other problems. My cat stopped eating and was vomiting a few weeks ago. The vet could not find anything other than gastritis. After not eating for 8 days, I had to put him down. He was only 7 years old. Now I think it must have been the Bravecto, its too much of a coincidence for a healthy young cat.