Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.
Seresto Flea Collar Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: A Florida consumer, John Czerniak, sued Bayer and Elanco Animal Health Inc., the former and current owners of the Seresto brand of flea and tick collars.
- Why: The lawsuit stems from allegations that the Seresto collars can sicken and kill pets.
- Where: Czerniak’s lawsuit is playing out in federal court in Pennsylvania.
At least one of the class action lawsuits claiming owners of the Seresto brand flea and tick collar knowingly sold a product that can sicken and kill pets is progressing through the courts.
On Friday, a class action complaint filed by Florida Plaintiff John Czerniak against Seresto’s former owner Bayer and its new owner Elanco Animal Health Inc. was transferred to an Illinois court for pretrial proceedings.
Czerniak filed the lawsuit in April, alleging his dog Romeo developed seizures and skin irritation while using the Seresto collar, and that the seizures only stopped when he removed the product.
Czerniak’s class action lawsuit is purely seeking economic damages for the Class, rather than relief for any personal injuries or wrongful death, Law360 reported.
His is one of at least three class action lawsuits filed regarding the Seresto collar, after a bombshell report on the Seresto flea and tick collar by USA TODAY and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting.
Journalists discovered that, since Seresto collars were introduced in 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has received incident reports of at least 1,698 pet deaths related to the product and done nothing about it.
Since the report was released, a Congressional subcommittee called on Elanco to voluntarily recall the flea and tick collars, but the company declined to do so, saying there was no evidence that the collar was to blame for the animals’ deaths.
Since the Seresto collar hit the market in 2012, the EPA received more than 75,000 incident reports related to the collars, including the 1,698 pet deaths and nearly 1,000 involving human harm.
Between 2013 and 2018, 907 incidents were reported with humans, 19 of these incidents deemed severe.
One included a case of a 12-year-old boy who slept in a bed with a dog wearing a collar who started having seizures and vomiting and had to be hospitalized.
The collar was developed by German pharmaceutical company Bayer and sold to Elanco in 2020. Elanco spokesperson Colleen Dekker said the company had sold more than 25 million collars and an incident report rate of .3 percent, and it had investigated all the reports of death and found no link to the active pesticides, USA Today reported.
“There’s nothing that suggests it’s the active ingredients in the collar that’s at fault,” Dekker reportedly said.
In March, weeks after the first report of incidents surrounding the Seresto collar, a class action lawsuit was filed against Elanco alleging the company misrepresented the safety of its products.
In May, another lawsuit against Bayer Corp and Elanco was filed in a Pennsylvania federal court, claiming the pair sold the Seresto flea collar despite knowing that substances included in the product could harm pets and owners.
Have you used a Seresto flea collar on your pet? We want to hear from you! Tell us what happened in the comment section below.
The lead plaintiff is represented by Daniel C. Levin, Nicholas J. Elia of Levin Sedran & Berman LLP, and Scott D. Levensten Law Firm, PC.
The Seresto Flea Collar Class Action Lawsuit is Levensten v. Elanco Animal Health Incorporated, et al., Case No. 2:21-cv-02364 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Don’t Miss Out!
Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
- Midwestern Pet Foods Hit With FDA Warning After Inspection of Dog Food Facilities
- Recall Check: Wet Noses Dog Treat Brand Recalled Due To Elevated Levels of Vitamin D
- Diamond Pet Foods Grain-Free Products $8M Class Action Settlement
- Recall Check: Sunshine Mills Dog Foods Recalled For Toxic Mold Contamination
176 thoughts onClass Action Alleging Seresto Collar Can Kill Pets Advances to Next Stage
I used seresto dog collar for 16months in that time I noticed my dog was still itching and scratching.he was tired and didn’t have much energy.so I took it off and never used it again.its been about a year and he has more energy still itching but that’s what dogs do sometimes.i will never use that brand again.
I purchased two seresto collars for my two English bulldogs. Both of them developed chemical burns in less than a weeks time of wearing these collars. My male bulldog has a large chemical burn that is oozing clear liquid and my female bulldog has lost all her hair around her neck and ears along with several small sores that are oozing clear liquid.
My cat started to lose her hair and meowed constantly. I bought 2 seresto collars from Petco and chewy. Each were fake. I immediately removed the collar and waited until the pet store got some in. We had a few weeks of fleas but better than my cat losing her eye sight. AliExpress sells gale seresto wish someone could put a stop to these. I called and recorded my call to chewy and I sent emails.
My brother used them and his cat has seizures and it cost a fortune in vet bills
My dog got very noticeably sick after putting this collar on him last December. He is older, but is very much active… usually walks 4-7 times a day, eats a lot, and loves to play.
After we put a soresto collar on him, he stopped eating, wasn’t walking, pooping, and was clearly uncomfortable. Once I saw his left eye close shut, I knew something was wrong.
I immediately looked up the collar on Google, and the articles began appearing instantly. I wish I had researched this hazardous product before I ever put it on my baby. He’s lucky to still be here… however the collar left his left eye damaged; I have to live with this (upset and guilty) everyday.
I am so upset. He now has gone blind in his left eye, and he is very difficult to let me care for it. Now everyday… I have to be scared for what is happening… and I have to PAY $ for trying to help him at the vet.
He is lucky I got the collar off before the chemicals gassing him to death or got his other eye, but it IS a problem that him and everyone in my family, but most importantly, HE HAS TO DEAL WITH. He literally was (and still is other than the eye) a healthy dog, and now has to live with his left eye completely messed up.
He now (from the chemicals gassing him) developed chronic dry eye, which quickly just became him blind in his left eye). And now his eye produces green goop (from lack of tears). It upsets me every time I see it, and he is very difficult to let me clean his eye, or put eye drops in.
It makes me so upset… that he could’ve had a healthy run at life but now has that taken from him… BECAUSE OF BAYER! He was a healthy dog person putting the collar on, and quickly got very sick! With irreversible damages. ;(
This isn’t a one day problem, we both have to live with it now FOREVER. BECAUSE OF BAYER, my poor baby’s eye got forever damaged…. And it upsets me so much!
I feel so guilty for not researching this collar before using it. If I did, I would’ve never used it. I warn everyone I see that has a pet to not use these collars.
It disgusts me there are sinister people who care about profiting rather than take a hazardous product off the shelf. These collars gas your pet to death if you don’t take it off quick enough.
At the very least, I’d like Bayer to pay for all my medical expenses I now am responsible for. I’m just a college student, and now because of Bayer, I have to give my little money I have to try to help my pet.
Please contact me regarding being a part of the lawsuit
Thank you
My precious 11 year old Chihuahua became blind early this year. She is the sweetest dog I’ve owned. I am so sad. I took her to the vet and an eye specialist. They both don’t know how it happened. She has been wearing a Soresto collar. Please add me to the lawsuit.
In May of 202O I bought two new Seresto flea collars from Walmart for my Bassett hounds . By June my oldest Bassett Nicholas age 12 & My Winston age 4both had developed a cough I thought it may be allergies so by July 4 2020 Winston was gravely I’ll I took him to the emergency vet where they did supported care with oxygen He seemed to improve for a few days I took him to the vet where his chest X-ray showed fluid or what they called a possible foreign object in lung region. The X-ray was not the best quality however I trusted the vet to preform exploratory surgery on Winston. The veterinarian was puzzled about Winston health & still did not have answers for me . After the surgery Winston continue to decline with weight loss foaming at the mouth falling down . I took the collars off of both of dogs at that time but it was too late for Winston.He died on August 9 2020 in my arms . Strangely Nicholas who is 14 now is still alive but has the same cough. Both of my boys were heartworm neg . I know without a shadow of doubt I poisoned my dogs by buying the long acting flea collars I will live with regret the rest of my life .
We purchased a seresto collar for my golden retriever and it was put on my dog on October 18 2021, several weeks later we noticed some scratching so I checked the area and there was mild irritation, however the instructions say this is normal and no need to remove the collar, as it should go away in 1 to 2 weeks, after 1.5 weeks of very scant scratching I checked it again, this time there was an area of what looked to be small scabs or crust approximately a 2 inch long area following the collar
direction, and at that exact time I pulled his hair back to check his neck better and there was a reddish imprint under the fur of the exact size of the collar width, mainly on his right side and 3 to 4 inches long, I removed it immediately and applied Microcyn AH wound and skin care, approximately 2 weeks later he vomited, however we didn’t associate this with the collar, he seemed ok, very sadly he was not, 5 days later he urinated on the floor, not at all normal for my dog..We noticed respitory difficulties and I immediately called the Emergency Vet, my very much loved and forever will be (Chauncey) passed away on December 10 2021, with no major health issues, when I looked in to it and realized there were others who lost pets due to this collar, I was physically Sick that I had used something on my pet..that more than likely led to his death, the sadness, and heartache because of this is ongoing.
Our 8 year old cat started loosing hair and major raw spots started coming up after wearing the collar for 3 days. We called the vet and made an appointment to take him in and that night he passed away. A few weeks later we put a collar on our 10 year old beagle and the same thing started happening to him … We immediately removed the collar and after 2 days we could see improvement. Thankfully we were able to save our dog but everyday we mourn the loss of our sweet boy. These collars need to be taken off of the market … They are killers!
My 8 pound pom mix with No Medical issues, including using Seresto for years…
Had 6 cluster seizures in less than 12 hours of a new seresto collar October 2021.
2 emergency vets, including Cornell university at night.
And a neurologist 2 days later say it wasn’t the collar!
I weaned him off the Keppra seizure meds after a week.
He has not has a seizure since that day.
I had immediately removed the collar and bathed him with Dawn soap in between seizures That day.
That was the suggestion of Alanco when I called their emergency phone number.