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 have been giving my doxie Bravecto for several years without adverse affects. However, I will no longer risk his life by giving him this product.
I gave my dog Jagger, a healthy 6 year old Bravecto for the second time. Within 2 days he was blind, ataxic and had tremors. He began to seize, lost the ability to walk and had to be euthanized. It was heart shattering. Bravecto killed my best friend.
Same here. Ataxia, diarrhoea and sudden blindness. He lived for another 10 months but it was a very tough time. Luckily he was already 13 but he was so healthy before; he could have lived another 2-3 years.
My vet suggested it, I did give it to my dog. She got sick but I thought it was just giving her something new. She seems fine but I have never purchased it again.
Our young doberman has had 4 doses of Bravecto on the recommendation of breeder and vet.
After the 3rd chewable tablet she developed a cough and breathing issues. When she struggled to get up we took her to the Vet who diagnosed kennel cough and put her on steroids and antibiotics. She improved slightly but was still off her food, lethargic, irritable, had a urinary tract infection and discharge from eyes. The vet put it down to coming in heat.
We then gave her another dose of Bravecto and all her symptoms were back in full force. It’s only at this point that we made the connection between her symptoms and Bravecto.
Needless to say we won’t be giving her another dose and just hope that she recovers fully after this dose has worn off. We’re giving her milk thistle and dandelion for liver support and it seems to be helping.
I would like to be added to this class action lawsuit.
I needed a flea preventative for my dog and the vet prescribed Bravecto. She said many of the shampoos and other over the counter flea medications were toxic and that Bravecto was very safe and effective. A few days after my dog had his second dose, he became very lethargic and wouldn’t eat or drink anything. He lost a lot of weight and was not active like he usually is. After seeing comments about this medication from people around the world, we stopped giving it to my dog. His health improved but he definitely gave us a scare there. We are just glad we stopped giving it to him.
My dog was given Bravecto on 12-18-19 and a week afterwards he developed all of the published side effects for this drug. I would like to be added to this class action lawsuit.
My vet suggested Bravecto for my dog and he has had it twice. He does act nervous now and is not the same but I never attributed to the medicine until now. I won’t give it to him ever again.
Our dog, 65 lbs, has been taken Bravecto for about 3 years now. Never knew this about possible side effects.
My vet gave me bravecto for my dog. He had seizures the day and was bleeding out of his nose for 2 days. We had to put him down. If I had the maker of this pill in front of me I would stuff it down his throat and make sure he or she swallowed it. That was my baby they killed.
My dog was given Bravecto and ended up with seizures and collapsing. He was treated by the vet and recovered, but has permanent neurological damage – his back legs shake all the time. Can I join this class action?