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 used this on both my male and female Jack Russells..
After about 1 year I started to notice tremors and a dlaimentefinite changr in personalities.
The died after two years of use.
Add me as a claiment.
Yes please add me to this I have proof that I bought Bravecto and my dog sick.
Iโve been using Bravecto for years, never an issue, but am very concerned reading this.
I used bravecto for the past for yrs, but now I am worried about my sogs health.
add me
Add me.
I gave this product to all 3 of my dogs
I have used the medication on all 3 of my dogs. I had to discontinue on one of them because of severe reactions. Also, one of my dogs has neurological issues. Didnโt know it could be caused by this medicine.
add me please
My 3 dogs use bravecto and THANK GOD they are ok. Iโm going to let my GF know so she can discontinue and look for a safer way. This ainโt right now we canโt even give our dogs a flea treatment cus it can kill them? Not fair at all