BioSpot Update

Sweet Leny (another rescue dog)

Oh, my, there are lots of things going on with the Zees these days--all good. I'll be sharing some photos, etc. very soon showing what we've been up to lately.

But first (my sister's practically patented phrase), I have an update on the BioSpot situation here. You may or may not recall that I was in a big tizzy a couple of months ago about the terrible reaction our poor dog, Leny, had to an application of BioSpot. I was advised by that nice James TerBush of BioSpotVictims.Org, to file a claim with the company and did so.

I was pretty cynical about any success because when I phoned them they more or less blew me off with "an experienced vet's" analysis of our situation and a complete refusal to see any connection between the BioSpot application on Leny and her ensuing grand mal seizures.

However, I am so amazed!!! Yesterday I got a check in the mail from these people, reimbursing me for not only the cost of the product, but my veterinary expenses as well, so the check totaled $249.08.

As far as I am concerned, this means that they are willing to admit liability for problems caused by their product.

Interesting note though--the computer printout accompanying the check just has a bunch of numbers, but someone has handwritten "Veterinary expense reimbursement and Bio Spot refund"--as though they didn't want a permanent record anywhere.

Once again, for those wanting to file a claim: The phone number for the Risk Manager/Consumer Relations for BioSpot is 1-800-234-2269, ext. 2259.

Have the box of Biospot that you used handy, and a copy of your vet bill. They will ask you to submit the following:

1. Proof of purchase for the BioSpot that gave you the problem--either a receipt or the bar code from the package.

2. A copy of your vet bill.

3. A copy of the vet's notes from your visit.

By the way, after the BioSpot was discontinued and washed thoroughly off her skin, and once Leny got it out of her system, and once she completed a month's dosage of phenobarbitol to prevent further seizures, Leny has been just fine. No more seizures. And no fleas, interestingly enough--even without the application of deadly chemicals.

***
Update, May 2013: After we moved from Clovis (where Leny had the trouble with BioSpot) to Las Cruces, our new vet advised that there aren't any fleas where we live, so there is no need for anything to be applied to any of our dogs here.

However, I spoke too soon regarding the cessation of Leny's seizures. She continues to have grand mal seizures, usually one a month. We have no way of knowing if the onset of seizure activity was caused by the BioSpot or not.

Adverse Reaction to BioSpot

In my last post, Warning! Health Hazards from Flea and Tick Products, I wrote about how my dog, Leny, had a number of seizures after an application of BioSpot. Here is what happened next. 

Following the advice of James TerBush of BioSpotVictims.Org, I called the manufacturer of BioSpot, Farnam Pet Products. The phone number for the Risk Manager/Consumer Relations for BioSpot is 1-800-234-2269. If you are making the call, have the box of Biospot that you used handy, and a copy of your vet bill. After getting your information and a summary of the situation, they will ask you to submit the following so that they can refund the price of the product and consider reimbursement for the vet bill:

1. Proof of purchase for the BioSpot product that gave you the problem--either a receipt or the bar code from the package.

2. A copy of your vet bill.

3. A copy of the vet's notes from your visit.

I'm expecting that they will probably refund the cost of the product and will most likely deny responsibility for any adverse reactions and will thus deny the claim to have the vet bill reimbursed.

The reason I am feeling so cynical is that after I talked to the customer service rep, she transferred me to an Animal Poison Control Center, where they said they were not connected with the company that makes BioSpot. The rep there told me that her resident vet expert was telling her that my dog's 4 grand mal seizures after getting her BioSpot dose were just a coincidence, and due to something else. She suggested that my dog perhaps got into some human anti-depressants (there are none in my house)--somehow implying that my dog has opposable thumbs when I am not looking at her and that she is able to wrestle open child-proof lids on drugs that we don't even have. 

The Poison Control rep said that she would like to chat with my vet on the phone to explain to him that he came to the wrong conclusion in connecting the BioSpot with the seizures.

It was kind of creepy.

****

Update, May 2013: The manufacturer eventually sent me a check to cover what we had paid for the product and what we had spent at the vet's office. The check had no indication of what is was in response to, and there was no admission of wrongdoing on their part or on behalf of their product. Leny continues to have seizures about once a month. We will never know for sure if the product caused the onset of seizure activity.

Warning! Health Hazards from Flea and Tick Products

We accidentally poisoned our own dog with an over the counter flea control product. She is doing all right now, but I wanted to get this warning out to everyone I know. I will do more research and be able to provide more links and information over the next few days. Here is what happened:

Leny, our four-year old, much loved Lab/Sharpei cross, had four very frightening grand mal seizures yesterday, just two days after we gave her a dose of Biospot. We had administered other doses to her in previous months, at first with no problems. Last month she seemed uneasy and uncomfortable after the dose--I wish we had paid attention to our gut feelings then. 

Beez and I were out, but luckily my sister was here at the house when Leny started seizing. That good, brave Auntie Bucksnort got the pup right to the vet, though she was shaken up for the rest of the day after seeing the seizures. Leny is back from the veterinary hospital now and is doing well. The Biospot should be out of her system in another 3 days; her blood tests all indicated no visible lasting damage at present. She is on Valium for the next couple of days and phenobarbitol for the next month. 

We thought we could save some money with this cheaper alternative to Frontline. We are very, very sorry now and hoping that we have not inadvertently caused lasting damage to our good friend and beloved family member. Oh--and by "saving" on Biospot, we ended up with a $240 vet bill. Not that we hold that against the vet--my point is that sometimes what looks like a savings is far from it!

I found a website, BioSpotVictims.Org that has some great information on the problem. It has many, many firsthand stories from pet owners. The author of the site, James TerBush, has been extremely helpful, and has provided the following links (quotes from the sites are in italics; bolding is mine for emphasis): 

- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Increased Scrutiny for Flea and Tick Control Products for Pets.

This page was last updated 4/20/09 and reports as follows on an increased incidence of reported adverse effects: 

Adverse reactions reported from the spot-on products range from mild effects such as skin irritation to more serious effects such as seizures and in some cases death. Over 44,000 potential incidents associated with registered spot-on products were reported to EPA in 2008. Pesticide registrants are required by law to submit information to EPA on adverse effects resulting from the use of any registered pesticide. The seven products in the table below represent about 80% of that total. 

-National Resources Defense Council: GreenPaws, For People Who Love Their Pets:  

Over the last 8 years, NRDC helped remove six of the most dangerous toxics from pet products. But we need your help to get rid of the rest. 

The GreenPaws site has a list of flea and tick products that are harmful to pets, as well as an article on protecting against fleas and ticks without chemicals. 

BioSpot is one of the brands listed by the EPA as containing dangerous ingredients, and I would never go near it again anyway--but so is Frontline, so I'm not sure where we will turn next. I had been worried when I learned that some prairie dog populations are host to infected fleas that carry the plague bacteria. We are surrounded by prairie dogs here in eastern New Mexico, but looking at the Centers for Disease Control plague incidence map has eased my mind, since there haven't been any reported cases in this part of the state (for the reported years 1990-1997). So, I guess we will be trying some non-chemical flea and tick control methods. 

If you have any suggestions or stories about flea and tick control, please share them via the comments section.