Warning About New Flea Preventative ProMeris
One of the great things about the Internet is the ability to spread information quickly, what becomes called “viral.” As an animal rescuer, I subscribe to many email digests to get the latest information on animals needing help but also rescuers sharing their experiences that may help us. Below is an email I received from a rescuer in Florida regarding her use of the new flea preventative ProMeris. As with any new medicine, you should consult with your veterinarian before making a switch.
This is a very important message to my family & friends who have
dogs-cats–and to alert you to the hazard of using a new Flea & Tick
Preventative called ProMeris .This is a new product designed to be a more effective product than
other flea/tick treatments that was just released this year. It is available
thru a vet and not currently on-line. I got ProMeris this week for my 7
dogs (6 Huskies & 1 Golden-Airedale) , and the results were
debilitating for nearly all of them-including me. Since my incident this week, my
vet has pulled it from distribution and alerted the manufacturer, Fort
Dodge .Here are my results: Within less than 2 hours after applying, 4 of
my dogs had vomited from 2-4 times, 3 were disoriented and stumbling, 1 was
dragging his back leg, 1 was salivating. I had very similar symptoms
like an allergic reaction-my lips were swollen, eyes very red, mucous
membranes such as eyes, nose, and mouth were stinging. I was very disoriented-
dizzy equilibrium and not able to drive. To make this a short story-all 7
of my dogs were admitted to the hospital for veterinarian care, and 3 of them
remained for care, IV fluids and observation for 24 hours. I was in the
emergency room. I’m home now and so are the dogs. We’re all feeling
much better. Vet bills were over $2,500 and Fort Dodge is paying for
these. Not only can the product cause this reaction, it has a highly noxious odor
that permeated the house and is just starting to dissipate after 3
days.Your dogs/cats might not have the same reaction, but given my
experience-I wanted to help you all become well-educated about the product.Kathryn
I still advocate for the use of Comfortis as we use it on all our canines over 14 weeks. In looking through Google, I found another site listing reactions to ProMeris.
on April 21st, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I read your post with great interest and, like you, I care deeply about the health and safety of all pets. My name is Ryan Noonan and I am in the communications department with Fort Dodge Animal Health, makers of ProMeris. Part of my job is making sure pet owners have information about our products and I wanted to share with you some details relevant to the post about ProMeris.
Let me assure you that our first priority is providing safe and effective products to ensure the health and well being of all pets. We take reports of adverse events very seriously and I wanted to make sure you received information directly from us.
You can link to www.promeris.com to see a more detailed account, but quickly, a veterinarian contacted us to report six Siberian huskies and one mixed-breed dog from the same household exhibited vomiting, lethargy, pruritis (itching) and behavior change several hours after receiving ProMeris. The clinical signs reported are similar to those observed in dogs following deliberate oral exposure to ProMeris during safety studies conducted prior to the approval of ProMeris.
ProMeris is a topical product and should be applied between the dog’s shoulder blades and directly on the skin. Please see www.promeris.com/dogs.html for a detailed description of the application procedure, which is slightly different from other products. It is also important to understand, as with any topical product, there may be some dogs that are uniquely sensitive to it.
I hope this information sheds some light on this topic. If you have questions about ProMeris, please speak with your veterinarian, as he or she is best person to talk to about your pet’s health. I also encourage you visit our Web site www.promeris.com for additional product information.
on April 21st, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Let me reiterate that this is not the first warning I have received about your product. What concerns me is that it is not only affecting dogs, but humans as well. I have discussed the emails I have received with my vet and they chose not to sell it because of the incredibly noxious odor that it left in the building after the rep opened it.
Most rescuers are familiar enough with flea and tick products to know how to apply them. But I have received enough information from multiple rescues of adverse affects to not subject our pets or volunteers to the same.
on May 27th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I TO HAVE USED THIS PROMERIS AND ABOUT 12 HOURS AFTER PUTTING IT ON MY DOG, SHE WAS LETHARGIC FOR 2 DAYS!!! SHE STILL ISN’T ACTING LIKE SHE IS FEELING WELL. I WARN OTHERS NOT TO USE THIS PRODUCT