Hartz Flea and Tick Medications are poison!!!

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Esmeralda

Well-Known Member
#1
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but it is a pretty serious subject. Sorry if this is in the wrong place. Feel free to move it :)

I am posting this all over the net because I am just so pissed off right now and people need to know about this!!!

I have a kitten, a senior cat (12 years-old and my baby) and a dog whom I adore. I figured all those prescription flea and tick meds were just basically the same thing as Hartz only way over-priced, so I thought I was being clever by saving all that money using Hartz Gold on all 3 of my beloved pets. Boy was I wrong!!! Almost immediately, my oldest cat started throwing up and foaming at the mouth. Thinking she had somehow managed to ingest some of the "medication", I called the emergency number on the box. I talked to a man who said to just wash it off and give her some tuna juice to get rid of the bad taste and everything would be fine. I was relieved, but skeptical, so I Googled "Hartz Gold poisoning" and found this site with hundreds of stories of pets who have been poisoned by this product. My heart almost stopped after reading the first account of the death of someone's cat, so I immediately called the Emergency vet.

Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Hi, I just put Hartz flea medicine on my cat and...

Vet: Oh, that stuff is bad.

Me: Well, she must have ingested some of it because my cat started throwing up and now she's foaming at the mouth.

Vet: She probably didn't ingest any of the product at all. It's just THAT poisonous even when absorbed through the skin. Have the tremors started yet?

Me: No, but she's licking her chops a lot.

Vet: That's because she's nauseated. Hartz flea medicine is basically poison and can attack the nervous system, causing tremors and seizures. Pets die from it all the time.

Me (freaking out): Do I need to bring her in? Will she be o.k.?

Vet: What you need to do right now is take some Dawn soap and wash her entire body THREE TIMES, concentrating specifically on the medicated spot. She will probably be o.k., but keep a close eye on her and if she starts having any other symptoms, bring her in right away.

So, I bathed her three times and scrubbed that spot for all I was worth. After drying her off, I checked on the kitten and he was licking his chops rapidly. So into the tub he went for a triple dip with some dish soap. I didn't need to wait for symptoms to start manifesting themselves with my dog, and he too got the three bath treatment. Now I am sitting here, with 3 very wet and very pissed-off pets, cursing Hartz and watching the animals as closely as possible, praying that I reacted in time to prevent anything really serious or even fatal.

Please boycott this evil company and all of their products. It could save your pet's life.
 

soliloquise

Well-Known Member
#2
I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but it is a pretty serious subject. Sorry if this is in the wrong place. Feel free to move it :)

I am posting this all over the net because I am just so pissed off right now and people need to know about this!!!

I have a kitten, a senior cat (12 years-old and my baby) and a dog whom I adore. I figured all those prescription flea and tick meds were just basically the same thing as Hartz only way over-priced, so I thought I was being clever by saving all that money using Hartz Gold on all 3 of my beloved pets. Boy was I wrong!!! Almost immediately, my oldest cat started throwing up and foaming at the mouth. Thinking she had somehow managed to ingest some of the "medication", I called the emergency number on the box. I talked to a man who said to just wash it off and give her some tuna juice to get rid of the bad taste and everything would be fine. I was relieved, but skeptical, so I Googled "Hartz Gold poisoning" and found this site with hundreds of stories of pets who have been poisoned by this product. My heart almost stopped after reading the first account of the death of someone's cat, so I immediately called the Emergency vet.

Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Hi, I just put Hartz flea medicine on my cat and...

Vet: Oh, that stuff is bad.

Me: Well, she must have ingested some of it because my cat started throwing up and now she's foaming at the mouth.

Vet: She probably didn't ingest any of the product at all. It's just THAT poisonous even when absorbed through the skin. Have the tremors started yet?

Me: No, but she's licking her chops a lot.

Vet: That's because she's nauseated. Hartz flea medicine is basically poison and can attack the nervous system, causing tremors and seizures. Pets die from it all the time.

Me (freaking out): Do I need to bring her in? Will she be o.k.?

Vet: What you need to do right now is take some Dawn soap and wash her entire body THREE TIMES, concentrating specifically on the medicated spot. She will probably be o.k., but keep a close eye on her and if she starts having any other symptoms, bring her in right away.

So, I bathed her three times and scrubbed that spot for all I was worth. After drying her off, I checked on the kitten and he was licking his chops rapidly. So into the tub he went for a triple dip with some dish soap. I didn't need to wait for symptoms to start manifesting themselves with my dog, and he too got the three bath treatment. Now I am sitting here, with 3 very wet and very pissed-off pets, cursing Hartz and watching the animals as closely as possible, praying that I reacted in time to prevent anything really serious or even fatal.

Please boycott this evil company and all of their products. It could save your pet's life.
I heard about this a few years ago so why the hell are this company still in business :( hope your animals are now ok
 

unbearable

Well-Known Member
#4
Thats seriously worrying, I just cant believe they are still allowed to make this product :mad: Because i have a rabbit as well as cats (rabbit catches fleas of the cats) i wont trust any flea products from pet shops anymore, i go straight to the vet and get it sorted, its expensive but well worth knowing its been recommended by a vet.

Hope your animals are doing okay
xxx
 

BlackPegasus

Well-Known Member
#5
Flea and tick treatment is one area I don't go cheap. The cheap one's tend to be more dangerous and always caused mine to get sores and lose hair. Also careful on what pet food I feed but not what the vets recommend.
 

Smashed__

Well-Known Member
#6
my dogs are on frontline or revolution but If I payed the vet bills or had a chance in Texas to start them up on Holistic flea preventatives without getting fleas I would in a heartbeat. It's cheap and safe.

How are your pets?
 

bhawk

Well-Known Member
#7
is this product in the uk?
Also beware what vets recommend as many times their vetinary training is funded by 'brand names' and in return they recommend it!
i only give my animals fresh food. my ferrets have a diet of rabbit, crow and day old cockerels, my dog is on raw rabbit carcasses (absolutely amazing, best condition ever)
and my birds are fed on rabbit, pigeon, crow etc (whatever they catch)
 

bhawk

Well-Known Member
#8
i also wash my dogs using a mint and teatree shampoo for humans! work a treat!
with feeding raw carcasses i do however have to treat for worms more often but i am more than happy to!
 

Random

Well-Known Member
#9
Sorry to hear that. I hope they're doing OK. I don't need to use that stuff on my dog because she stays indoors but I'd be freaked out if that happened.
 

Smashed__

Well-Known Member
#11
i also wash my dogs using a mint and teatree shampoo for humans! work a treat!
with feeding raw carcasses i do however have to treat for worms more often but i am more than happy to!
thats really strange. I'm transitioning my ferrets onto a raw diet (not whole prey) and so long as food for any animalis fresh(or cleaned and frozen) and of good source I have never heard of people treating for worms. if its really common you might look into the stock you use. Do your dogs get more than just rabbit?
 
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