Bio Spot One-Step for Cats

sunnicat

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As some of you may know, I lost Sunni to a sudden, unexplained illness June 30th. She was a healthy cat with no medical history of problems, strictly indoors. I treated her with spot-on flea treatments because the dog comes in and out, and we have the two cats outdoors who come in contact with us and the dog. While I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping her protected from pests, I may have actually killed her.
I'm not one to accept "we don't know" for an answer, especially when it concerns my beloved animals. When the emergency clinic couldn't explain what was wrong with her, it was unacceptable to me. Once the shock of losing her wore off, I began my online research. I also asked myself, "What was different about that week?" Other than the obvious fact that we were gone on vacation and someone else was taking care of Sunni, the only change in routine was her flea treatment before we left.
I used Bio Spot One-Step for Cats on Sunni, as well as Angel and Percy the day before we left. Looking back, Sunni's behavior was unusual, but I chalked it up to stress over seeing the suitcases and the uproar of preparing for our trip. She didn't eat her food or drink that morning we left. According to Chere, my friend, Sunni was hiding when she came to feed her, she rarely saw her and her appetite never improved. Within 4 days, Sunni was vomiting. Still, Chere (and I) assumed some of it was stress, perhaps a hairball. She was eating again and using her litterbox, so I told Chere to keep an eye on her and let me know if she got worse. The next time I heard from her, she was taking Sunni to my mom's house for a trip to the emergency clinic. It was that night that Sunni died.
This post is to make people aware, after 2 hours on the phone with the EPA, the National Pesticide Information Center, Farnam (the manufacturer of Bio Spot) and the local PetSmart where I purchased the product.....Bio Spot One-Step is dangerous for cats and probably caused the death of our dear Sunni. Farnam is aware of the problem, and my case was not unusual. I won't release all of the details that I was given during our telephone conversation, but Sherri was very upfront and informative about this product. The original Bio Spot is still considered, by Farnam, as safe for cats. The new product is NOT. There is a huge legal mess over at Farnam, and we will probably see more about this in the near future.
Please, PLEASE...do NOT use Bio Spot One-Step for Cats. It is stronger than the original product, with a higher concentration of permethrin. Also, if you have dogs and use Bio Spot on them, please be aware that it can be fatal for your cats to come in contact with it by interacting with your dog.
Farnam has been very understanding and informative. I know they have no choice, considering the huge legal liability they could be facing, but it was still comforting to me to be heard and receive empathy from them. This is in no way a slanderous post about their company. I just want those of you considering using this product to be very aware of the consequences.
If this post is in the wrong place, please move it...I wasn't sure. I also apologize for the length, but I felt it was extremely important. Anyone with questions can contact me via private message as well. Thank you so much.
 

coaster

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I'm very sorry for your loss, but I think you are spot-on with your analysis. Bio-Spot uses the same ingredient as Hartz, and Hartz has received bad publicity for bad reactions from their flea treatments. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
 

xocats

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Thank you for sharing this important info.
What a sad way to lose your beloved kitty.

Let's keep bumping this thread so that more people will read it.
Lei
 

acarper21

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I am so sorry to hear that. Thats what meesed up my kitty for the rest of his life. Now he has some nerve damage. Hes not as active as you use to be or anything. I lost the cat I once had. i am glad to have him alive but its sad something like that had to happen. My kitty forgot how to walk, eat and everything. I had to teach him at 2 1/2. he has come along way and is now 5 but when I took him to the vet they gave him little chance of living but the vet stayed the night which was great considering his office closed at 6. his wife said she took him supper. He was determind not to lose Beavis my kitty. After 3 days I had him back but he was not back to normal. Had to be bottle fed, walked like a baby deer that was just born. Wouldn't do any jumping. And til this day if you have alot of children around screaming you can see his neveres bothering him. The hair on his back shifts to his head. I have to massage him to calm him, Other than that he has became a loving cat. But I hated myself for what I did. But you just don't know. I am so sorry you lost your possibly to it. Its a shame something put out can be so harmful. My vet says he loses 3-5 animals a week from it.
 

amyspear

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OMG I can't believe it. I treated both of my cats with this last weekend. And it didn't even get rid of the fleas! My female's neck has a big sore where I put it on her, but I was in denial about it telling myself that her brother must have bit her again. Now I'm sure it was the medicine! Is there anything I can do to help it now that it's already been a week???
 

sharky

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so sorry for your loss... otc stuff needs better warnings..
 

acarper21

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Originally Posted by amyspear

OMG I can't believe it. I treated both of my cats with this last weekend. And it didn't even get rid of the fleas! My female's neck has a big sore where I put it on her, but I was in denial about it telling myself that her brother must have bit her again. Now I'm sure it was the medicine! Is there anything I can do to help it now that it's already been a week???
Did it appear after the application? If so you contact a vet.
 

hissy

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Wash the area with Dawn liquid detergent and hot water and call your vet. Take the package if you still have it in with you.

Don't think this just applies to cats, products on the market for dogs and horses that contain either Pyrethrium or permethrin can also do long term damage. I made a vow this year, no more chemicals over the counter for any of my animals.
 

xocats

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Important info. for all of us. Please keep bumping so other will read it too.:bump:
 
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sunnicat

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:bump: Due to the fact that I've seen several postings about Bio Spot being used, I wanted to get this moving again. Thanks!
 

ripley601

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OMG!! Those are a couple of awful stories. I hope neither of you are blaming yourselves for this. You were only doing what all of us do, protecting your babies from dangerous diseases that can be transmitted from flea and tick bites, to both our pets and us. I cannot believe That this product is still on the market. Is there a disclaimer on the package? Other than the basic blah blah blah stuff? Does it say ANYTHING at all about it killing our beloved babies or causing severe and irreversable nerve damage?
Thank you for posting this, hopefully everyone reads this ESPECIALLY all the new pet owners.
Hey heres a thought. have you guys ever gotten one of those pettition emails? The ones the will link you to an artical or have the information attached right to them . You type in your email or your name and it counts as a signature. Perhaps something like that to try and get this garbage off the market?
 
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sunnicat

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Originally Posted by ripley601

OMG!! Those are a couple of awful stories. I hope neither of you are blaming yourselves for this. You were only doing what all of us do, protecting your babies from dangerous diseases that can be transmitted from flea and tick bites, to both our pets and us. I cannot believe That this product is still on the market. Is there a disclaimer on the package? Other than the basic blah blah blah stuff? Does it say ANYTHING at all about it killing our beloved babies or causing severe and irreversable nerve damage?
Thank you for posting this, hopefully everyone reads this ESPECIALLY all the new pet owners.
Hey heres a thought. have you guys ever gotten one of those pettition emails? The ones the will link you to an artical or have the information attached right to them . You type in your email or your name and it counts as a signature. Perhaps something like that to try and get this garbage off the market?
I did blame myself for awhile, but I'm getting better about that. There is nothing on the package that states anything about a disclaimer. It was only by calling Farnam that I received the information that it could be fatal to cats. Fact is, the new One-Step is a MUCH stronger version of the original Bio Spot.
Oh, and I am sooo angry at PetSmart!! I went in there Saturday to get Sophie's food and checked to see if the manager had taken the Bio Spot off the shelf. Nothing, even after my phone conversation with this woman. It's still sitting there. One young couple with a new cat was considering buying it. Needless to say, I told them of my experience. I'm not trying to badmouth Farnam, but the thought of even one more person going through what I did with Sunni just makes me ill.
I'll have to look into your idea about the petition. Thank you for the idea!
 

fatkitties

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(I'm new here, BTW). I was wondering how the Bio Spot compared to Hartz. I must say I'm not too surprised, though
I've pretty much made it a rule that the only chemicals I use on my pets are from my vet. The cats (I have 2) only get treated on an "as needed" basis. Which means that they get treated when they have a problem, which has been one time each, so far. Gizmo had fleas and ear mites when we found her, so the vet gave us some Revolution for her, and it cleared that right up. Sasha had ear mites when we found her, did the Revolution, and they were gone, too. I had the three dogs on a monthly dose of Revolution for fleas/ticks/heartworm, but the $48 a month for that was getting a little expensive. So, since I haven't seen any fleas in the house/on the cats, I decided to drop the flea control and go with heartworm pills. A lot easier on the checkbook at $21 a month (I have two big dogs and a small dog). I had considered the Bio Spot, but decided to ask my vet first. Kept forgetting to ask the vet! A lot of people assume that just because it's sold in a pet store, it's safe for the pets! I won't use ANYTHING without asking my vet first. And I try to be a minimalist when it comes to using chemicals/pesticides on my pets.
 

crazybash

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Originally Posted by sunnicat

As some of you may know, I lost Sunni to a sudden, unexplained illness June 30th. She was a healthy cat with no medical history of problems, strictly indoors. I treated her with spot-on flea treatments because the dog comes in and out, and we have the two cats outdoors who come in contact with us and the dog. While I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping her protected from pests, I may have actually killed her.
I'm not one to accept "we don't know" for an answer, especially when it concerns my beloved animals. When the emergency clinic couldn't explain what was wrong with her, it was unacceptable to me. Once the shock of losing her wore off, I began my online research. I also asked myself, "What was different about that week?" Other than the obvious fact that we were gone on vacation and someone else was taking care of Sunni, the only change in routine was her flea treatment before we left.
I used Bio Spot One-Step for Cats on Sunni, as well as Angel and Percy the day before we left. Looking back, Sunni's behavior was unusual, but I chalked it up to stress over seeing the suitcases and the uproar of preparing for our trip. She didn't eat her food or drink that morning we left. According to Chere, my friend, Sunni was hiding when she came to feed her, she rarely saw her and her appetite never improved. Within 4 days, Sunni was vomiting. Still, Chere (and I) assumed some of it was stress, perhaps a hairball. She was eating again and using her litterbox, so I told Chere to keep an eye on her and let me know if she got worse. The next time I heard from her, she was taking Sunni to my mom's house for a trip to the emergency clinic. It was that night that Sunni died.
This post is to make people aware, after 2 hours on the phone with the EPA, the National Pesticide Information Center, Farnam (the manufacturer of Bio Spot) and the local PetSmart where I purchased the product.....Bio Spot One-Step is dangerous for cats and probably caused the death of our dear Sunni. Farnam is aware of the problem, and my case was not unusual. I won't release all of the details that I was given during our telephone conversation, but Sherri was very upfront and informative about this product. The original Bio Spot is still considered, by Farnam, as safe for cats. The new product is NOT. There is a huge legal mess over at Farnam, and we will probably see more about this in the near future.
Please, PLEASE...do NOT use Bio Spot One-Step for Cats. It is stronger than the original product, with a higher concentration of permethrin. Also, if you have dogs and use Bio Spot on them, please be aware that it can be fatal for your cats to come in contact with it by interacting with your dog.
Farnam has been very understanding and informative. I know they have no choice, considering the huge legal liability they could be facing, but it was still comforting to me to be heard and receive empathy from them. This is in no way a slanderous post about their company. I just want those of you considering using this product to be very aware of the consequences.
If this post is in the wrong place, please move it...I wasn't sure. I also apologize for the length, but I felt it was extremely important. Anyone with questions can contact me via private message as well. Thank you so much.
so very sorry for your lost.....I think I would call the head office about that flea lotion that you put on her also my vet told me not to use anything on a animal without talking to him first...he said baby shapoo also works for flees....
 
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sunnicat

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Bio Spot and Hartz are both dangerous. Stay with your instincts and only use products that your vet states are safe for your cats. There is no disclaimer on any of these products as far as the possible health hazards for our babies. I'll be using Frontline on Sophie. There are many places to buy it without breaking the bank, too. I won't ever risk using OTC medications on my animals again.
 
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