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.
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.
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
30 thoughts onSeresto Collars Responsible for Dog Illness, Death, Says Class Action
Please add me to the lawsuit. My 3dogs died after wearing the collar 3 days.
Please add me
Please add me to this Seresto collar cat deaths . I had 2 cats to die recently from these collars.
Please add me to the seresto collar lawsuit my pup developed lesions hair lose etc
Please add me to this class action lawsuit against Seresto. I put a Seresto collar on my dog holley in October of 2018. By January 2019 she was placed on phenobarbital for seizures. My poor dog still suffers to this day. Not to mention how expensive the vet bills have been.
My pug got very ill from this add me please
I’ve had 2 cats die from that flea colar..and 2 more sick and about to die..
I don’t trust anything from Bayer! My 13 yr old also died from the collar. Bayer also bought Monsanto’s roundup!! Gastroenterologists are recommending Iberogast which is supposed to help people with GI issues, which Bayer also owns!!! It’s all about the money and we are paying for it out of our pocket and emotional. Sick!! Start a class action in NY please!!!!
Add me. My furry friend suffered seizures ( I thought it was because he missed my son who had gone away for college) my friend had no H of having seizures. Sadly my furry friend went to dog heaven due to osteosarcoma
Add me I contacted top class about this several months ago but never heard back. I have proof from the vet my dog had seizures after putting a collar on her yet she has no seizure disorder. Was random.
Add me