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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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1,793 thoughts onBravecto Class Action Says Meds Aren’t Safe For Pets
This is interesting. Please reach out to me my dog started having seizures when she was about 2-3 years old after taking Bravecto.
I have been giving my dogs Bravecto and they are itching scratching and having adverse reactions to this medication, had to take them to the vet for allergy shots and something to calm them down!
I have 3 dogs they have been taking bravecto for over 2 years. The smaller one is 11 year old start having back legs shaking as if he was shaking from being cold. I thought age related maybe? But knew it was not normal. Second dog a boxer started slipping on hard wood floors about5 months ago. Thought mYbe nails needed clipping again or doggie boots. Didn’t work. Trip to vet and she said it look like DM, Degenerative Myeopathy. The bad part is if this was cause by bravecto it can not be Reverse. Sad!
I’ve got a 2.5 yo GSD who has had bravada every 3 months for.most of his life. He hasn’t had any side effects that I am aware or. I’m not sure if I just got lucky, or if I should be worried. Definitely going to look into alternatives.
I gave bravecto to my dogs but never saw seizures but my doberman developed a mass on her lung that did kill her and i wonder what chemicals are in these chews
My dog had a seizure and we thought it might be related to his heart murmur but after seeing 162 pages of comments and every other one mentions seizures I’m convinced this medicine caused it.
My dog has been limping badly , xrays show no explanation. She just turned 2. Just gave her a 3rd dose of bravecto, connecting the dog,beach instance of barely being able to walk connects to 24 hrs after taking the drug. The limp lasts months. Currently she can barely walk
Kristina Mooney Riley
4h ·
My service dog took the 3 month Brav… treatment over a month ago and has been diagnosed with P.I.E. Syndrome
Often the antigen causing the disease is not identified. The chronic presentation starts with a persistent, non-productive cough with harsh breath sounds. The sudden onset syndrome presents with respiratory distress, inappetance and often fever. He has been fighting for his life 2 and1/2 weeks and has a big mass in his lungs. I told the 4 different vets about the Brav… he took and not one would even listen to me oh no that isn’t the problem, this and that and this PIE is condition they cant explain how he got it, but no way its Brave..o. My dog is only 3 yrs old and struggling on 5 meds etc. He was perfectly healthy and now he is dying.
Diesel, or lab , was given barvecto recommended by our vet 3 months later seizures started. Couldn’t figure why. Next dose time gave again. Again seizure a few days later more violent l this time. Couldn’t figure it out. I wrote times dates what I saw and how long seizures were. Showed vet video. Full grad mal . Lived.. time for next dose husband said wait go back when did you start this med and when was seizures we found a pattern. We called company per vet they told me 1-10000 labs get seizures from it. It they would call my vet. When they called my vet the number was 1-100 labs develop this. I can put diesel on preventative seizure medication but that would cause liver and or kidney failure in about 3 yrs or go with quality vs quantity. The seizures are slowing down some are grad mal other not as bad. One day he will die because this company didn’t expres this could happen when it first came out
I’ve been giving my dogs Bravecto for years! Never knew it had adverse side effects from it! I have 4 dogs with seizures, one with liver problems and one that just died last year from a heart condition! We go to the vet yearly! All shots are always up to date! So it took me by surprise when the Vet told me that one of my babies had a serious heart condition and it took about another six months after that before she died! Never did my Vet mention it might be their flea and ticks medication. Maybe she didn’t know about the side effects herself now that I’ve learned they weren’t listed! Whatever’s the case, my dog shouldn’t have had to die if I would have known not to use this medication! I would have never taken that risk with their lives!