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 Jakeโs possible adverse reaction to taking the drug. The company allegedly denied that that Jakeโs 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 wasnโt sure if Jakeโs symptoms would be long-term and was still not sure if her dogโs symptoms were caused by the drug.
After more tests and a trip to a neurologist, the plaintiffโs veterinarian allegedly told her that he โpresumedโ that Jakeโs diagnosis of meningitis was a result of โBravecto toxicity,โ 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 โtens of thousands of dollarsโ 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.ย ย
โBecause 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,โ 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 โhighlight neurological events because these events were seen consistently across the isoxazoline class of productsโ and โto provide veterinarians and pet owners with the information they need to make treatment decisions for each pet on an individual basis,โ 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.
โEvery 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 Defendantโs unreasonably dangerous and defective product,โ 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 Arenโt Safe For Pets
I purchased this for my two boxers and whithin 8 hours they were both throwing up and diarrhea for several days. Lots of fluid and anti nausea meds and slowly had to put them back on food. They were very weak for several days.
Yes we purchased it October 2018. My 8 year old male boxer now takes phenobarbital for seizures.
I started the Facebook group called Does Bravecto Kill Dogs in 2015. It became apparent very quickly that this drug was causing neurological and other issues to dogs. I stopped running the group after I received emails fe Merckโs Pharmaceutical that I found very threatening. The European medicine agency required seizure warnings week before the fda did. But Merck did not change the warnings in the USA until they were forced to. Even though the topical cat version came out and testing showed neurological issues. My dog dies after taking it. Official diagnosis at only 1.5 years was kidney cancer. I believe the drug is too hard on the kidneys of dogs with underlying issues. It was not tested on dogs with any health issues. A medical doctor in the UK spoke out about it in a magazine and was also threatened by Merck. Over 4 years ago Merck tried to payoff Lydia Call. One of the first people to report neurological issues. I will gladly talk to any lawyer.
Sorry, that should say that the EMA required seizure warnings WELL before the FDA did.
3 yr old healthy min schnauzer began kidney failure 2 months after taking this drug. We lost him 5 months later. Dash Cooper our little baby boy.
Rigsby, my 7 year old mixed breed, 68# neutered male had 3 doses of Bravecto and had his first seizure in May 2019. He has had a seizure every 33 to 47 days since. His last dosage was July 2019, before I deduced that this poison was the cause of these seizures. I regret giving him the July dosage. I have been giving him supplements with milk thistle in hopes that his system will clear this neurotoxin. He has always been extremely healthy, energetic and is so so smart, my heart breaks believing that I poisoned him. We have to stand for our pets and be their voice. My prayer is Merck pays out so much for the loss and damage of pets and it changes how these companies can market poison.
My cat had Bravecto and has been having neurological episodes since. No issues ever prior to exposure. Medical conditions that could cause it has been ruled out.
He has started seizure medications to see if that will help calm it down. It is still a daily struggle for him.
My story is very similar. My Sweetpea started having seizures after Bravecto. Merck stated that Bravecto diodes not cause seizures. They also paid some medical bills. However when the emergency vet wanted an MRI , Merck said they would pay but wanted me to sign a waiver, hold harmless and not to repeat any of it. I declined. Unfortunately, my Sweetpea was put down, due to 5 to 7 seizures a day. She was an Australian Shepherd Mix and was only 4 when I poisoned her with Bravecto!!
When the Facebook page was started โDoes Bravecto kill Dogsโ. I was one on the first members. After a couple of years, I could not continue to be on the page. It was just too hard.
Make Merck pay for what they did to our fur babies.
Vets here recommend Bravecto. Im not happy the impact it has had on my dogs.
As recommended, I treated my dogs with Bravecto. Two of my dogs,both Pomeranian,later became pregnant. Each dog later had five and six pups each. The pups were all thriving and healthy up until a certain point. At approx 3-4 weeks, one by one, each pup deteriorated very quickly. One minute they were feeding and perfectly fine. The next, their whole demeanor changed, they became weak, started with excessive salivation, and then would start having seizures in my hands and die within minutes. Iโve never ever experienced anything like this and the only thing that I was able to connect it with was the administration of bravecto. The dogs were gone before I could do anything. Extremely distressing. Especially for my children watching on. These dogs were purebred Pomeranian, the stud was unrelated to the mother, the pups were girls and boys. Just absolutely heart breaking.
I gave this to my dog twice , the first time he had stomach issues, the second time he went down hill.
If u need more information I will gladly help