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
Our 15 year old shi Tzu was given Bravecto by the vet without warning us of side effects.
She started having neurological symptoms within 12 hours of taking Bravecto followed by a grand mal seizure which required a ER stay. She is on keppra for her seizures and has ongoing issues.
We detoxed her for 9months but the neurological damage is permanent.
My dog Harry a top pedigree golden retriever was given Bravecto and the next day he collapsed. We were given many diagnoses which were wrong as I knew he was fit before Bravecto. To cut a horrendous 3 months of terrible illness story short he had a pericardial window operation which was fine for 6 weeks then he ended up having lungs drained 4 times over 8 weeks and then we had to make a disission to have him put to sleep. It was the worst time of our lives. My 16 year old daughter lost stones in weight and was deeply depressed for a long time after loosing her best friend
My Aussie bulldog Bella has passed because of bravecto..
She was 1 year, after 1 st dose she became Ill with severe runs, and vomiting, this went on for months with out there being a medical reason.
Costing us about 3-4k.
The vet when I asked assured me it was not bravecto..
Next dose I was nervous to give her but was assured last bout of illness was not bravecto. This bravecto dose She she was diagnosed of having a nurotoxin where she fitted for 3 days under sedation…
In the vet for 8 days turns out the nurotoxin had caused her to be brain dead. The exact thing that happens to the fleas and ticks. The vet has not ever seen any thing like this before. We had to put her to sleep. It has emotionally destroyed our family, my 9year old autistic son is not sleeping he is extremely distressed. We all are and now have another 2000 vet bill. And not our beautiful girl to cuddle.
we have always given this to our 3 year old cav. she has displayed neurological issues for 2 years. I had no idea there may be a connection!!
Our golden retriever Jack died at 9 years old after taking bravecto. Our vet refused to consider it was bravecto.
My 3 year old labrador Tug McGrowl started having seizures after taking Bravecto. I was very concerned about giving it to him and was told only about diarrhea and vomiting not seizures. Liars!
I lost my 7 year old Golden Retriever in 2017 after giving him Bravecto. He had a veterinarian appointment where he got a clean bill of health. The vet recommended Bravecto which he got that evening. Through the night he had extreme vomiting and diarrhea. In the morning he stopped eating. He laid on the floor and drooled. I took him back to the Vet and he thought the dog had cancer. I asked him if Bravecto could have caused it and he refused to admit it could have been the cause. After two weeks of not eating and extreme lethargy I decided to put him down. He was healthy at the first Vet visit but two days later they tried telling me he had cancer. It came on suddenly after taking Bravecto.
My Vet recommended this for my 3year old golden retriever. It’s all she’s ever had. ?.
My nightmare began with the first dose of Bravecto I gave to my cat Penny on May, 17, 2017. I gave her a total of 4 doses over a period of a year. I was constantly questioning the vet about her odd behavior; rapid breathing, muscle tremors, falling down, anxiety, weakness in her back legs, hyper sensitivity to touch and sounds, coordination problems, loss of fur, aggression, drooling, severe weight loss, unable to groom herself… I kept telling him it look like something neurological to me. If only I had turned to the internet instead of my vet, Penny might still be alive today. Instead I got reassurance that she just had an allergy or her equilibrium was off or she must have fallen or been in a fight with another animal. I constantly asked the question: Could it be from the Bravecto? I suspected it was, but I was fed the standard lie responses, “the flea and tick medicines (poisons) are thoroughly tested and safe for all animals”, “we have never seen a reaction to these treatments before” and the biggest lie… “I give Bravecto to my cats”. Many blood tests, cat specialist and even a holistic vet… no one could find anything wrong with her. Out of complete frustration, I quit hauling her to vets and letting them poke and prod her, I didn’t believe any of them anyway. She lived for another year, if you want to call it living, but her transformation was heartbreaking. She looked like a very old cat, hunched over, barely able to walk, missing fur, death walking. She was 6 years old. She was diagnosed with Encephalopathy and Trigeminal Neuritis. She had Ventroflextion of the neck, Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome and Feline Dysphagia. In the end she couldn’t swallow and choked on what little food she did get down. Penny died on August 10, 2019 at 8:30am. I set her free. I want to be part of this class action lawsuit for Penny. I want Merck and all the other pharmaceutical companies to stop killing our pets!!
My Sheltie puppy was given Bravecto and immediately got intense diarrhea for days. Sometime later, he developed seizures and is on 2 kinds of prescription meds and CBD oil to keep them under control for 5 years now.