For thousands of dog owners, the mere act of trying to prevent fleas and ticks from infesting their pets has turned into an unimaginable nightmare. In a startling investigation, USA Today reported that Seresto, one of the most popular flea collars on the market, has been linked to nearly more than 1,600 pet deaths between 2012 and June 2020.
Worse still, it appears regulators have not taken any action on warning pet owners that the collars could be dangerous.
Documents obtained by USA Today and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting through a public records request from the Center for Biological Diversity showed that the EPA, which regulates flea and tick collars, received incident reports of at least 1,698 pet deaths, and more than 75,000 incidents of harm — including nearly 1,000 involving humans — related to Seresto collars up to June 2020.
Seresto was first introduced to the market in 2012.
"The EPA appears to be turning a blind eye to this problem, and after seven years of an increasing number of incidents, they are telling the public that they are continuing to monitor the situation," former EPA employee Karen McCormack told USA Today.
"But I think this is a significant problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later," she said, adding that Seresto has had the most incidents of any pet products she's ever seen.
The collars employ a pair of pesticides embedded in the collar's plastic that spread to the animal's fur to kill off fleas and ticks. As USA Today reported, those two pesticides, flumethrin and imidacloprid, have a "synergistic effect" on fleas and ticks when used together, but neither is considered harmful for humans or pets by the EPA.
However, Nathan Donley, a senior scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity, told the outlet that the effect of those chemicals isn't necessarily limited to just the insects. "For whatever reason, this combination is just nasty," he said.
In product reviews on Amazon, where Seresto is a top-seller, pet owners have described serious reactions to the collar, including itching, vomiting, diarrhea, and neurological issues.
"Our Australian Shepard developed severe itching and became very irritable after installing this Bayer Flea and tick collar. She started running into walls in our home and became very delirious," wrote one dog owner.
"After about 2 weeks after using the 3rd one, I noticed some neurological problems," wrote another. "He was weak in the rear legs, lethargic, had a head tilt to the left and unable to control his BM. At first I thought it was his age, he will soon be 12 years old. I removed the Seresto collar just to see if it was a reaction. I gave him a bath with Dawn dish soap to remove any of the chemicals from the Seresto collar. After 12 hours, he was much improved, after 48 hours he was almost back to normal."
And a spokesperson for Elanco, which makes the Seresto collars, told Insider that the USA Today investigation didn't hold up to scrutiny.
"The article is misleading and misses several key pieces of information, leaving a skewed impression for readers," Keri McGrath said. "The numbers referenced in the original article represent the number of reports received and do not reflect causality. A report is not an indication of cause."
McGrath also noted that the Seresto collars are sold in 80 countries worldwide, all of which have subjected them to their own health tests and found them safe for sale.
"No pesticide is completely without harm, but EPA ensures that there are measures on the product label that reduce risk," a spokesperson told USA Today. "The product label is the law, and applicators must follow label directions. Some pets, however, like some humans, are more sensitive than others and may experience adverse symptoms after treatment."
Portland, Oregon based veterinarian Elizabeth Trepp told Daily Paws that she's "never" had any problems with Seresto and has recommended the collars to her patients, but it's still worth looking into.
"While the article itself doesn't have great statistical information, I do feel that maybe the safety studies should be looked at or perhaps some new safety studies should be done," she said.
"My takeaway is that it should be looked into. I want to recommend the best safe products for my patients, and therefore as a vet I rely on agencies like the [Food and Drug Administration] and EPA to do their due diligence."
h/t: USA Today
