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
I use it on my dog but probably won’t use again.
Cocker spaniel bitch PTS with brain tumour at just 2.5 years old. Had bravecto all her life. Rest of litter were fine.
Bravecto nearly killed our one year old dog Jack a few years ago! Several hours after his first dose he began vomiting and by morning he was pooping blood. our poor dog had cramping and bloody diarrhea for three months straight! This was a nightmare for our whole family! He needed to be let out every hour or two during the night! It was so awful to see him suffer like this knowing he was a perfectly healthy dog just hours before ingesting this poison! Our vet who sold us Bravecto took zero responsibility! We spoke with Bravecto and we received a case number but yet they took zero responsibility!
Not even a follow up call to see how jack was doing!
I have a mini Aussie I gave bravecto to that my vet gave me in 2017. She became very ill, couldn’t hold her head up, couldn’t walk for 2 weeks and slowly recovered to a status that she can function but has never been the same. She is very slow mentally and can’t jump. She does not respond normally to being called or normal stimulus.
I Contacted my vet and he treated her several times afterward with steroids and antiobiotics. He denied that bravecto was a factor in her behavior and illness. I have not used bravecto again and believe it is a horrible product. I have told my story to several people. I do not believe this product should be on the market!!!
My dog of 18 months died in September i2018. After an extremely aggressive for of lymphoma after taking Bravecto . We had him from 4 months to 18 months our vet pushed the Bravecto.
Our 12 year old Maltese/Bichon’s flea med was changed without our knowledge to the 3 month dose of Bravecto. He showed symptoms the afternoon after taking it and rapidly declined over the next 9 days and was euthanized on day 9. Bravecto was notified and accepted responsibility and paid over $1000 in vet charges. I have a recording of my my vet telling me Bravecto accepted responsibility. I signed no waivers. I also have pictures of the daily decline of our dog. I definitely want to be part of this law suit to get Bravecto off the market. It killed our dog.
We had to euthanize our beloved 12 year old yellow lab (in May 2018), about 3 weeks after her 1 and only dose of Brevecto. She developed terrible skin lesions with loss of hair and open, bleeding sores all over her body. Our vet tried multiple medications to counterattack the poison (Brevecto), but our pup eventually stopped eating and drinking. We couldn’t stand to watch her suffer. I contacted Merck when Lola first showed signs of adverse reaction. They of course denied responsibility, but paid all costs of medications and euthanasia. Our hearts are broken. I have saved all records and copies of communications with Merck which through the course of the event, they came to insist such communication be made be phone not email. I’m sure they were wary of what was in writing.
My dog got sick in December within hours of taking the pill. She had diarrhea for three weeks and multiple vet trips before she was better. No more Bravecto in this house either.
I’ve used bravecto on my Bernese puppy and haven’t seen any issues but terrified what could happen if i continue use. Please add me!
Count us in!! 2 yrs ago, our repro vet advised us that Bravecto was the only flea/tick med approved for pregnant and/or nursing bitches. So – we switched our girl to Bravecto (shortly after being bred for the 1st time). THAT pregnancy was uneventful & the litter was healthy. She stayed on Bravecto (as it was the only flea/tick med. reported to be safe for use with breeding girls). 1 yr later, she was bred again but didn’t conceive (ok – these things happen). We did question the vet, at the time, and were reassured that, because the manufacturer reported that Bravecto was safe, it wouldn’t be the cause of a missed pregnancy. So, she stayed on Bravecto and was bred again 1yr later (Bravecto now having been in her system for 2 years). She lost 1 fetus inutero & gave birth to 1 pup, who died 3ds later. Timing coincided with “word on the street” being that there might be a problem w/Bravecto, so we stopped using it. She’s now been off Bravecto for 1yr & we hope to successfully breed her again in 3 or 4 months. Fortunately, she has, otherwise, remained healthy but we have often wondered if Bravecto was the culprit!