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Popular flea and tick collar, Seresto, contains two active pesticides, has killed at least one dog, and has been linked to the deaths of 1,698 other pets, a new lawsuit claims.
A class action lawsuit was filed against Elanco Animal Health Incorporated for its Seresto flea and tick collar in a federal court in California this week, with plaintiffs Faye Hemsley and Aitana Vargas alleging the company misrepresented the safety of its products.
The lawsuit comes after a joint investigation into the Seresto flea and tick collar by USA TODAY and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. Journalists discovered that, since Seresto flea and tick 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, as reported by Top Class Actions.
If you bought a Seresto flea and tick collar for your pet, you may have a legal claim whether your pet got sick or not.
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, USA Today reports.
In the recently filed class action lawsuit, Hemsley blames the two active pesticides in the collar, imidacloprid and flumethrin, for the death of her 13-year-old terrier mix Tigger Shadow, saying the dog died suddenly one month after purchasing the collar.
Vargas alleges in the class action lawsuit her 10-year-old Siberian Husky developed cancer on her neck, where the collar had been placed for two months.
“Had Plaintiffs known the Seresto collar Products would cause, or increase the likelihood of causing, serious injury and/or death, they would not have purchased them,” the lawsuit states.
Since the collar hit the market in 2012, the EPA received more than 75,000 incident reports related to the collars, including 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. Karen McCormack, a retired EPA employee, told USA Today the Seresto collar had received the most incident reports of any pesticide pet product she had seen.
The EPA, which is in charge of regulating products that contain pesticides, had known about the incidents and risk for years, but had not informed the public, the lawsuit alleges.
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 reports.
“There’s nothing that suggests it’s the active ingredients in the collar that’s at fault,” Dekker reportedly said.
The class action lawsuit is looking to represent anyone living in California who purchased the Seresto flea and tick collar for their dog or cat since March 22, 2017, along with anyone living in Pennsylvania who purchased the collar for their dog or cat since March 22, 2015.
The plaintiffs are seeking classification of the Class, injunctive relief, damages, legal fees, and a jury trial.
Did you know flea and tick collars contained pesticides? Let us know in the comments section below!
The plaintiffs are represented by George V. Granade and Michael R. Reese of Reese LLP, Spencer Sheehan of Sheehan & Associates, P.C., and Steffan Keeton of The Keeton Firm LLC.
The Seresto Flea and Tick Collar Class Action Lawsuit is Vargas, et al. v. Elanco Animal Health Incorporated., Case No. 2:21-cv-02506-CBM-KS, in the U.S. District Court Central District of California Western Division.
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30 thoughts onSeresto Collars Responsible for Dog Illness, Death, Says Class Action
ADD ME !! I Live in Florida . I bought this for my dog. It made her itch and cause a very bad rash on her. Took over a month for her to get over theitching after multiable baths
Why only Pennsylvania and California? I live in Mississippi and have bought 5 of these collars for my dogs
I bought that collar thinking it was one of the best. I gave it to my son who put it on his dog. Some time later the dogs tits turned hard, one after another. He took her to a vet who said she had cancer. They operated and a few days later at home she passed away
Hello,
My furry kid “Buddy” wore Seresto Flea & Tick collars for years! I thought I was giving him the best protection from fleas/ticks, that was on the market & it was recommended by our veternarian too. I had NO IDEA these collars had pesticides that could potentially make him ill or worse kill him! Had I known that, I wouldn’t have put it on him! I love Buddy like my child & I wouldn’t do anything to harm him. The Seresto Flea & Tick collars caused Buddy to have serious side effects over the years. At first the side effects were mild. He’d itch/scratch more than usual & he seemed a little lethargic at times. After 5+ years of wearing these toxic collars, Buddy barely ate his food, he didn’t have an appetite. He moved so slow. He didn’t want to play, go for car rides, or take walks, which was his most favorite activity! He seemed to be depressed & his eyes looked so sad & his furry little ears rarely perked up. It was truly heartbreaking. Then I read an article about a year ago, saying the Seresto Flea & Tick products were causing fatalies in animals! WHAT?!?
I IMMEDIATELY took the collar off of Buddy & bathed him in Dawn dish soap! I’m happy to say that he’s made great progress in recovering from the toxins. He’ll never be 100% his old self, he lost years of this life being sick from the toxins, but he’s happier & healthier now! That’s all that matters!
HOWEVER, Bayer should be held accountable for their deciept & greed! There’s no way they can make up for the years that my little guy suffered, but they can be made to face the consequences for their wrongful deeds. Please contact me regarding this class action. I would like to be apart of the group that brings Bayer to justice. Thank you.
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