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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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1,791 thoughts onBravecto Class Action Says Meds Aren’t Safe For Pets
I gave my cat Bravecto and within a day she was having focal seizures. I got her every blood test and every treatment including an MRI and she is in perfect health. I’ve spent almost 8k on her treatment, and she now takes anti seizure medication every day, but still suffers from constant focal seizures and ataxia. There is almost NO scholarly research on this, and I have been consistently ignored by vets and Bravecto, despite being in the medical field myself. I know what I’m talking about, and I know what neurological damage looks like.
My dog has been on Bravecto for a number of years with no known side effects. Two days after receiving his three month dose with food,he did not want to eat his breakfast but after lots of coaxing he did. A couple hours later he progressed to restlessness and often drinking water, to vomiting up all his food. He continued to vomit three more times during the hour. He went to lay on the couch and was shaking like he was cold. The shaking stopped a few minutes later. He got off the couch and walked into the kitchen when his legs began to shake and he went down. He was having a full blown seizure, foaming at the mouth and thrashing around for between two to three minutes. An hour and a half later we were at the vets office where they took blood work . All his liver numbers were sky high! We told the vet about the Bravecto. The vet said it was unlikely to be that and instead asked if he was subjected to mold. ????? NO! Not that we were aware of. He said it could be Cushings Disease. Our research does not support that at all. $755.00 later he sent us home with Liver Supplements and three syringes of Midazolam in case he seizured again. Our dog was able to walk out of the vet as it was about six hours after his seizure. He was very tired and slept a lot the next day. This all happened on Christmas eve and I would not wish this terrifying experience on anyone. We believe it was the Bravecto and we will NOT be giving him this product again.
I gave my 7-year-old cat Bravecto for the first time three months ago. She started having focal seizures a few weeks later. I finally took her to urgent care a few days ago after she had a more intense seizure. There’s no way to know for sure, but after reading about the side effects of this drug, it makes sense this could be the reason for her suddenly suffering from intermittent seizures. I will never give it to her again. I gave it to my previous 2 cats and they were fine. But I really do think the Bravecto has something to do with this. I’m wondering if they might go away once the drug is out of her system? It’s been almost three months. I’m praying permanent damage hasn’t been done to my sweet girl.
After being on the medication Bravecto for over three years, my Yorky began having violent seizures and continues to have them to this day. She takes two different seizure Medications, has trouble with her gait (often loses balance & falls) and at times exhibits aggressive behaviors.
This drug killed my beautiful pitbull Cleopatra at the age of 7 years.
My small dog name Sid vicious was in perfect health prior to taking bravecto. I was told it was safe with little to no side effects. No label warning about heart murmurs and heart diseases.
He took it for two summers before being diagnosed with heart disease causing him to be unable to receive a much needed surgery.
I asked multiple vets, I read multiple papers. I did what I thought was right for my pet. And now his life is being cut short, I am spending thousands on treatments all over a medicine I paid for him to take.
My dog never had heart problems his mother never had heart problems he was so healthy before taking bravecto. After the first time taking it he threw up, wouldn’t eat, had soft stool, tremors, and starting coughing alot. I can’t believe I gave this to my dog, I can’t believe vets pushed this product on our animals.
I kept every récite for this product.
My dog Duke has been on Bravecto for 4 years and has developed agressive behavior to the point of nipping people. These episodes started after giving him Bravecto.
I’m am devastated! my older dog with a history of liver failure, was given Bravecto by our vet. I said no- he is too sensitive to chemicals and they asssured me this one was safe and made me feel like a negligent pet owner if I did not use it. Now my dog is having tremors, falling down, and it seems to be getting worse and the vet keeps making excuses for it being from old age etc… not wanting to admit it was this poisonous Bravecto! How can I help my dog now or get this crap out of his system!! Please help us!
My cat Milo was completely normal had his annual exam with vaccines and my vet recommend Bravecto topical it was to protect him for 2 months. She never went over adverse effects with us. We stated seeing a decline in Milo’s health 2 weeks after application. He stated shaking his head violently, we called the vet to get him seen they I’m sorry we are booked up you will need to yake him somewhere else. I was dumbfounded by that remark. Ok so I found a Vet 2 hours away he was seen and I was told nothing but a fever give him these antibiotics he will be fine if not bring him back. Well he did not get better he continue to decline. I took him back to the vet they did blood work and urinalysis said the only thing they found was low white blood cells. They totally omitted his elevated ALt and bilirubin in his urine suggesting a liver problem. They said oh he needs a feline aids and leukemia test ok well that was negative 2 days there at the vet and his diagnosis was FUO (fever of unknown origin) brought him home Milo’s health still declining now losing weight as he is not eating. Has nausea and vomiting. He was hiding and stopped grooming. Well I took him to different vet did blood work, xrays and ultrasounds liver enzymes extremely elevated and bilirubin in the urine, no blockages found he was diagnosed with cholangiohepatitis in which this cat had not been exposed or had any gut infections ever. Researched Bravecto adverse affect liver elevated enzymes, called Merck of course they stated their vet and my vets × 3 determined it wasn’t the medication. Milo was completely normal prior to the administration of Bravecto. He is now on 8 weeks of antibiotics and he is completely traumatized by taking pills twice a day. This is traumatic as his cat mom as I feel that he resents me for giving him medication. I have spent around 1500.00 in trying to help him.
Mon chat Moustache a été traité par bravecto en janvier 2023. 10 jours après, il se paralyse de l’arrière train, ne s’alimente plus, bouge de moins en moins, fièvre élevée (proche des 40), ne va plus dans sa litière. Visite chez le vétérinaire qui ne comprend pas, monocytes élevés, suspicion d’infection inconnue. traitement d’antibiotiques et cortisone. Le chat a été sauvé. Il n’a pas eu d’autres problèmes depuis 8 mois. Nul doute qu’il a été empoisonné par ce “médicament”. La vétérinaire a, depuis, fait un signalement pharmacovigilance après un autre cas similaire dans son entourage.