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
Have been using for about 3 years on my 8 yr old chihuahua, have noticed some vomiting and diarrhea and lethargy but then seems fine the next day. Will not use anymore.
One week after giving my dog Bravecto, she developed seizures. She had previously been a perfectly healthy 6 year old Boxer/Lab/Shepherd mix. Though no veterinarian could pinpoint a cause of the seizures, they claimed her symptoms were due to ingesting a toxic substance. YET they each denied Bravecto as the cause of the toxicity. My poor girl suffered for months with the seizures until she became so bad we had to put her to sleep. I will be joining this class action suit against Merck.
Nearly lost my furbaby to this medication. Out a bunch of money as I bought a years worth and he only took one and his reaction was so bad I took him off immediately.
My cat missy had a adverse reaction to Bravecto. Luckily the emergency vet recognized it as her reacting to it and treated her appropriately. That said the vet who prescribed it never spoke about adverse reactions. Took months and several treatments to get her snapped out of it. Which I paid for out of pocket. Bravecto has no business being on the market. It’s horrible stuff
I want to be added to this list.we moved to new port richey florida from pgh pa in 2018 and the vet said it was safe and that we should put her on it so she has been on bravecto since 2018 ..I have stopped giving it to her bacause she had a couple issues one being a terrible rash in between her nail pads and issues with her shoulder and hind leg ..I want to be added to this lawsuit…..
I have 2 doses of Braces to to my previously healthy and bullet proof dog. After the first dose he was a little off colour, but after the 2nd dose he developed seizures and ataxia, internal bleeding and supposedly out of the tumours on the liver and kidney. This was in a young, previously very healthy dog. He was euthanized in a short time in a very bad way. This should NEVER have happened. It possibly also affected our other young dog, and since then we have spent approx $19,000 on the “mystery illness” that afflicts him
My dog had very bad skin reaction on his inner thighs and belly and was lethargic after taking it. Never again!
I gave my 18 lb dog, the love of my life, 5 total doses of Bravecto. Despite his vet knowing that he had a history of seizures this drug was deemed safe for seizure-prone dogs. My dog began showing neurological symptoms in between doses but because he never had a symptom immediately following a dose I never realized that his symptoms were due to Bravecto. Also, since there was no specific dosing instruction (some are told every 90 days, or every 3 months, or 4 times per year) my dog was given 5 doses within 11 months because of how often I was told to dose him. This was WAY TOO much for him and he died after suffering pain and loss of use of his hind legs and was diagnosed with blood vessel cancer. I still have not recovered from his death and it was 3 1/2 years ago. I will never forgive myself for giving him this poison. The guilt is overwhelming. I pray that this lawsuit is successful. This drug needs to be taken off the market.
I unfortunately didn’t know and signed Merks waiver after my Maggie refused her 3rd dose of Bravecto. I broke the pill up and made her take it in some lunch meat. Her 2 doses prior she would throw up, lose her appetite and wouldn’t eat or drink for days, with diarrhea. The 3rd dose caused seizures, tremors and ataxia. She turned all gray in the face, age 5 yrs old. I then lost her to a possible tumor that caused a disc herniation according to my vet. No autopsy unfortunately. This was 2015-2017.
I gave my dogs Bravecto in early 2019. All seemed to be fine in the first months. However, both Border Collies, which based on their fur color had Merle genetics, died in September and October respectively of hemangiosarcoma. The vets I speak to say, coincidence because Border Collies are prone to the disease. However, human medical professionals (I am a physiologist at a medical school) Immediately ask what environmental toxin did they encounter. Personally, I believe that the drug alters the gut microbiome, making vulnerable animals even more at risk. I have researched the possible links in Merle Border Collies but can find only one study looking at genetic vulnerability in “at risk” Border Collies but that study ended after three months. It has seemed to me that with animals it is so easy to dismiss things as coincidental. I am considering preparing a review article on pesticides and the gut microbiome.