new prodect ProMeris-flea&tick prevention

[lute]

This is Jo Bell and 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 http://www.promeris.com/consumer/ .

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.

This is a general message going out to roughly 150 loved ones of mine. Given the number, I will not be responding to email replies—thanks for understanding.

[Cinder & Smoke]

"This is Jo Bell ...

... alert you to the hazard of using a new Flea & Tick Preventative called
ProMeris http://www.promeris.com/consumer/ .

... 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. ..."

Just WHO IS "Jo Bell" ?

If you Google.com search using "ProMeris reaction", you can find several references to
folks having "problems" with this new ProMeris product ...
but a LOT of the citations from the multiple sources all seem to "quote" this
same e-mail from "Jo Bell" that is quoted above.

Would be nice to hear from a few folks who sign "DVM" behind their name!

Sounds like a repeat of the disasterous "Heart Worm Reactions" from a few years ago.
Might be wise to really Check this Out before allowing it to be used on your Critters!

/s/ :confused: Phred

[Spiritwind]

You know.. I just don't know I how feel about ProMeris yet, but I haven't known anyone pesronally to use it yet. I don't like to use new products until they are out for a while either.... But...

From working at vet clinics for the past 9 yrs, ProMeris has Amitraz it.. which is what they use for mange dips for dogs with demodex. Granted the mange dips are MUCH stronger and all over the body, I have seen it cause reactions to dogs similar to what was discribed in the message above... which is why the vet I most recently worked for would pre treat the dog with an injection to hopefully prevent side effects before we did the dips. Also Amitraz smells HORRIBLE! (like the e-mail stated) and would burn my eyes horribly when I was doing mange dips and I was wearing googles and rubber gloves up to my elbows to keep it off my skin!

I just don't trust using it with my Collies just yet... until its been out longer and more widely used....

[ramanth]

Sounds like a repeat of the disasterous "Heart Worm Reactions" from a few years ago.
Might be wise to really Check this Out before allowing it to be used on your Critters!
Agreed. I'll definitely steer clear.

[lute]

I don't know who Jo Bell is. I just got this as a forward in my e-mail this morning.

I asked the vet I work for if we were going to carry ProMerris and he said no. He didn't like some certain ingredients in it. I don't remember which ones. We only carry Frontline Plus and Revolution. I take my vet's opinion seriously and will not use ProMeris on my dogs. I hate the thought of putting chemicals on my dogs anyway so I only use Frontline Pluse and only when I see fleas, ticks or if the dogs are scratching a lot.

[boxerdog]

Hi, I have been following this reaction and I have heard the reason Jo Bell got sick is because she had hugged/kissed the dogs after the promeris had been put on. It is just hearsay but this would certainly explain why she got so sick and nothing else like this has been seen. If this is what actually happened it really makes me question this reaction more and more. I have come into contact with it when putting it on my dogs and have never had any problems....and I am a very unlucky person, if something is gonna happen it always happens to me!!!

[zoey]

thanks for this info. i will not be purchasing this product.
sorry you and yours have had to go through so much. hope that smell is completely out of your life soon.

*hugs*

[lute]

Hi, I have been following this reaction and I have heard the reason Jo Bell got sick is because she had hugged/kissed the dogs after the promeris had been put on. It is just hearsay but this would certainly explain why she got so sick and nothing else like this has been seen.
I don't know about you, but I like being able to love n hug my doggies after I apply Frontline. Above all I believe that if contact alone can make ME sick there is no way I am putting it on my dogs.

[Catlady711]

This same 'warning' was already mentioned in another THREAD (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=141316) which I made a lengthy reply to based on our hospital's experience with it since last fall and the recent seminar I went to regarding this product. Someone also added to that their positive experience with the product on their boxer.

It's not a good thing to use email or a few oft quoted experience of one person, or even two people, as a basis for your judgement on anything. If you have questions on a product ask your vet, research reputable animal health sites (ahaa, javma, avma, cornell, etc), and find the product inserts online whenever possible for more complete information.

Emails or quotes from one person's bad experience out of thousands, or tens of thousands does not mean the product is to be avoided at all costs for everyone.

For all we know the person did not apply the product correctly (which is my guess) or follow the directions properly, or the person could be a rare person that is highly allergic to certain things that the vast majority of the population is not. The quoted bad experience is a one sided story and should be taken with a grain of salt unless other reputable/verified information is found.