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The makers of the Seresto flea collar face another class action lawsuit claiming the product causes pets to become ill and even die.
Lead plaintiff, Kevin Levensten, lodged the lawsuit in Pennsylvania federal court Monday, seeking to represent other state residents who purchased the allegedly dangerous item. Levensten claims that the makers of the Seresto flea collar, Elanco Animal Health Inc, along with parent company Bayer Corp, sold the Seresto flea collar despite knowing that substances included in the product could harm pets, as well as their owners.
Levensten, a Pensylvania resident, says that his dog experienced seizures after he used a Seresto flea collar. The plaintiff claims that the flea collar’s active ingredients, the insecticides imidacloprid and flumethrin, caused his dog to experience seizures after they were released onto his pet’s hair and skin when wearing the flea collar.
Levensten warns that the insecticides present a risk not only to pets, but also to owners and others who may handle the collars.
The class action lawsuit alleges that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revealed a connection between insecticides used in the Seresto flea collar and as many as 75,000 reports of harm to pets and even humans. Levensten claims that the flea collars have been linked to 1,698 pet deaths and 1,000 reports of harm to people.
Indeed, earlier this year, a joint investigation between USA Today and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting revealed that the agency received thousands of reports of human and pet injuries and illnesses linked to Seresto flea and tick collars.
Elanco Animal Health and parent company Bayer now face legal action, including at least one other class action lawsuit over the Seresto flea collar.
Problems in pets reported to the EPA allegedly include rashes, seizures and even death. People have reported suffering from rashes, neurological issues, heart palpitations, nausea, eye irritation, ocular pain, ocular redness, blurred vision, eyelid edema, numbing, skin lesions, rhinitis, urticaria, pruritus, erythema, conjunctivitis, nasal irritation, and nasal discharge, says the class action lawsuit.
Levesten points out that the Seresto flea collar is the only product of its type on the market that contains the insecticide flumethrin; however, Elanco Animal Health fails to warn consumers about health risks associated with this substance.
The class action lawsuit notes that the inserts in Seresto flea collar packages only warn of rare occurrences of “scratching, redness, and hair loss” and does not instruct pet owners to remove the collar if these occur. The inserts allegedly say that “dermatitis, inflammation, eczema or lesions” occur only “in very rare cases” and fail to warn of any human health effects.
Despite the lack of warning, Levesten says that Seresto flea collars present severe health risks to pets and their owners. The plaintiff wants to represent potentially hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania residents who purchased a Seresto flea collar between March of 2015 and the present.
The class action lawsuit accuses Elanco Animal Health and Bayer of violating state consumer protection laws, breach of warranty, fraud, and negligence. Levensten is seeking damages on behalf of class members, as well as attorney and court fees.
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.
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190 thoughts onSeresto Flea Collar Caused at Least 1,700 Pet Deaths, Says New Class Action Lawsuit
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My Dog was 12 years old and he had wore the seresto collar last year and I bought him one In may 2022 and he died with in that week he acted almost like a siezure and he didn’t make it thru the night. Why did I never hear about the dangers of this collar before
We never used flea collars on our pets until the last few years after our dog and cat had fleas, and the vet recommended it. We had to put our cat down on friday riddled with lung cancer at 15 years old. I feel so suspiscious these flea collars had something to do with that. We are a non smoking household, and she is an indoor cat. I can’t imagine how she could develop lung cancer like this.
We had 2 dogs die within 2 months of each other about 3 yrs ago. The girl was 14 and I think it was mostly old age. To this day I can’t explain why the boy passed. He had just turned 8 and no health issues what so ever. In the matter of a month he went from neck soreness.. to not walking on one foot.. then his 2 back feet then not at all . He was bleeding out the day we put him down. There’s still no reason to explain his sudden and awful passing. The female had other flea meds . The boy had these collars for many years… which makes me wonder. We got our new dog on it last year and no issues so far but I’m not sure if I feel comfortable enough to continue use. Has anyone had similar issues with it causing rather quick paralyzed pets and possibly bleeding issues?
The vets were not very helpful in a cause at the time. Said it was originally a slipped disk that would require lifetime pill but overall fine.then next week he had lost ability to walk on one rear leg. They gave another med and anti inflammation shots.. but the following week he lost feeling in the other rear leg. They couldn’t explain why.. but hopeful he’d recover. When he couldn’t move at all the following week or 2 we kinda knew he wasn’t going to make a recover but we tried to give him a good chance.
I don’t understand these recalls at all! My girlfriend or rather my previous girlfriend turned me onto them a little over two years ago when I was still with her about six months before we broke up and I didn’t find out about the recall until after we had broken up so that entire time I’ve been using these things without knowing they were being recalled so you explain that to me if you can! I’m on my third one right now and My dog hasn’t lost a step!
I’ve had her for almost 14 years and she still runs around like she’s a puppy! Somebody please respond to this, I would love to discuss it with you!
My female Lab that I had to PUT DOWN, going on NINE YEARS AGO, was probably one of the very FIRST documented cases of these defective ANIMAL KILLERS. She developed a baseball sized tumor on her front haunch within the FIRST 24 HOURS after wearing it. I removed it IMMEDIATELY. It was too late. I STILL GRIEVE. Best dog I’ve EVER had.
was using these collars on both my Shipom and my cat. the first sign was my cat, she hated it from the jump – normally this wouldn’t bother her. ended up not being able to keep hers on, she would take it off herself somehow. i kept my dogs on him because i took him outside of course, didn’t seem to bother him at all. fast forward to now – took him for a simple check up and now thousands of dollars later with no clue what the problem is. from my regular vet basically giving up – to specialist visits twice a month. he’s never worn anything else and he is only going to be 2 years old in July 2022. please help with any advice
I put a “large dog” Seresto flea collar on my HEALTHY 6 year old ABKC Champion 130lb American Bully. on November 1, 2021. In December I noticed his lymph nyods on his back legs were swollen. I immediately removed the collar but it was to late. February 2022 he was diagnosed with Lymphoma & died on May 6th 2022.
I have been using soresto on my dog for about 8 years and my cat for about 3. This is the first I have heard about how bad it is. My dog is actually deteriorating really quickly right now. Rapidly progressing muscle weakness. Vets have no clear diagnosis. I will removing the collar and giving her a bath.
It also correlates perfectly with my “contact dermatitis” I have developed on my hands.
I have a small poodle who used to wear an anti fleas and ticks Seresto collar. When I read the averse affects the collar was having on pets it matched exactly what happened to my dog. She started developing lesions around her body and they were very noticeable in her belly area she also became a more lethargic dog out of the blue. I feel very lucky that my dog is still alive especially after hearing the passing of other people’s pets. I truly believe that the Seresto collar is to blame for the lesions and lethargy that my pet experienced. I would like to be part of the class action lawsuit.
We used Seresto on our cat several in different stages of her growing years starting at the age of one. She just turned six. We have used other brands also but Seresto caused rashes around her neck, listlessness, and seizures. We discontinued ALL flea collars and meds when she turned five. I use a flea comb on her everyday and she has been flea free for six months. In the past three years I have developed skipping and fast heart beats. I am now under a doctors care. If this stuff causes problems in our lives and our pets, compensation should be allowed. Feel free to contact me anytime. Goldie turned 6 years old this month and still suffers health problems.