ProMeris - Adverse Reactions or Urban Legend?
Whether this particular incident happened or not, it is important to mention here that any drug or treatment, taken orally or topically, prescription or over-the-counter, has the potential to cause an adverse reaction. The same is true even if the medication was administered previously without problem. For this reason, if I need to medicate my pets, I always like to give the medication while I will be present; at least for an hour or two, if possible.
If you suspect that your pet is having or has had an adverse reaction, please call your veterinarian immediately. If you have questions about safety or reactions, please contact the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about pesticides such as ProMeris and other flea and tick treatments -- for pets or environmental use.
Related reading and in the news:
- ProMeris Flea and Tick Control
Manufacturer web site - Promeris Manufacturer Response
(PDF format) - ProMeris Safety Warning
David Emery, About.com Guide to Urban Legends - Contact the EPA About Pesticides
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Pet Health Questioned Over Pet Product
News Channel 6 - an NBC affiliate based in Paducah, Kentucky.
May 24, 2008 update: Viewer stories (email and from comments) along with a link to the official Fort Dodge response, have been published here.
Comments
The email that is circulating around the Internet concerning an adverse reaction that allegedly occurred after using ProMeris may be true, or it may have been written by a sales rep for a competing product. Regardless, it’s important to know that ALL flea and tick control products are poisons (neurotoxins) and can cause severe adverse reactions in animals.
It’s best to thoroughly investigate ANY product before giving or applying it to your pet.
No product is 100 percent “safe.”
One should take the time to explore holistic options for flea and tick prevention. There are wonderful all-natural products on the market that do not contain harmful chemicals.
If your animal companion has a flea and/or tick problem, perhaps all that is needed is a change to an all-natural homemade diet, one that supports the immune system so that parasites and bugs are naturally repelled by the animal’s body. A good holistic vet can consult with you and come up with a tailor-made nutrition plan that is perfectly suited for your pet and your budget.
In spite of what manufacturers would like you to believe, they (and not even your vet) are not the experts regarding your pet’s health. No one knows your pet better than you do. It is up to you, as the pet’s guardian, to research, research, research, and then finally listen to your gut instinct BEFORE you ever agree to anything for your pet.
To further put things in perspective, if you would not use products in or on your human baby or yourself, stay away from them completely. When in doubt, do without!
All flea and tick meds cause reactions, but I’ve been hearing more complaints about Promeris. I have also had issues with it. Not reactions - but the fact it doesn’t work. My vet who had switched completely to Promeris, switched completely back to Frontline after only a month. They have a FILE of complaints.
Perhaps all meds have issues… but this is a bit scary just how many issues promeris is having. I never had issues with Frontline, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it as they say.
My bulldog just threw up for the third time after getting her first dose of Promeris. I wish that were an urban legend.
Jameson, I know how you feel. My cat’s eyes streamed like crazy and she threw up three times after I used Promeris. I was advised by the ASPCA to bathe her with a solution of Dawn dishwashing detergent, which worked…but I think I’d prefer dealing with fleas any day over attempting to bathe a cat! I too wish this were an urban legend.
Applied Promeris to my 6 year old Chow mix.
Terrible skin rash developed & fur fell out in clumps.
Hopefully this is all that will occur.
Had to take her to the vet, now on antibiotics.
Will be contacting the company that sells this crap.
The first treatment went fine, except we still had ticks. The second treatment was 38 days later. I came home about two hours later and found her in the middle of the yard with her mouth on the ground with gravel in it, couldn’t hardly get her to wake up enough to get up and walk. She was shakey and twitching all over. This was on Friday afternoon. I took her to the vet on Monday afternoon and they shaved the spot on her back and down her side where the treatment burned her skin and was losing her hair. (about one and a half times of a softball)
She is still unsteady and lethargic and still has twitching problems of the head and front legs. When she is sleeping you have to shake her very hard and yell at her to wake her up.
I have used Frontline for years without problems, my vet switched to ProMeris this year, wish I had never given her the second dose. PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS ON YOUR DOG !!!
My dog’s heart rate dropped to 48 after one dose of ProMeris. I got her to the vet and she was given an injection of Antisedan, which perked her up. I also gave her a bath as advised. But she relapsed within 3 hrs with a heart rate of 40. She ended up in ER for IV fluids and another dose of Antisedan, in addition to another bath. I applied the product as directed; I am a former vet asst with 16 yrs experience. Will go back to Frontline. My vet and the ER vet both told me they are seeing many similar reactions, and from what I understand, my case is not isolated.
The vet gave my jack russel mix a dose of this stuff. She is completely zoned out and breathing slow with a slow heart beat. We took her back to the vet and they said it should be gone in a few hours, its normal. That was Friday, and today is Saturday. I called them and they said they’d get back to me. I don’t like this stuff. They gave it to her for her fleas AND her momma-mange. I wanna go back to the old mange medicine. She’s actually alive when she takes it…..
Promeris has been a miracle for me and my dog. My five mo old red heeler had been suffering from demodectic mange. She was covered in bump and inflamed and itchy skin. She was constantly scratching and biting everywhere on her body. It was awful. Then our vet gave us Promeris. I gave her the dosage and didnt really have any problems with the smell. I later researched the product on the net and could have kicked myself for not doing it before i put it on my puppy. However now i am grateful that i didnt because i probably would not have ever given her the Promeris. In exactly one week she is basically “good as new”. The only adverse reaction that i noticed was that she had diarrhea the next day but that could also have come from her vaccines. Promeris worked great for us!!!
I’m on my third dose of Promeris with my dogs. They have had few side effects other than a slight lethargy which lasted only a day.
New drugs like Promeris will have to be used instead of Frontline shortly, because fleas and ticks are building up an imunity to Frontline.
I have heard that it is important to wash your hands after giving Promeris… I have heard of cases where dogs licked each other or their owners and have gotten sick. That’s why it’s put on the dog’s back so they can’t lick it.
One other not is that the internet is a much bigger entity and more in people’s lives today than when Frontline first came out. Frontline probably had similar problems (and less people making things up. It’s important to be sceptical about anything you see on the internet not matter where and who claims to have posted it.
My friend just lost her Best Puppy in Show over the weekend due to using ProMeris. It was stated in the initial report from the necropsy that the dog suffered anaphylactic shock from a chemical substance, and is currently being sent to the University to verify.
The dog showed signs of lethargy and would not eat, was not drooling, and was dead within 12 hours.
A little mutt (probably part Shiba Inu) took up with my dad 6-7 years ago. This dog was feral, so Dad hired a professional trainer to help him socialize the dog and teach her basic obedience. The trainer fell head over heels in love with the dog, and when Dad died, the trainer took the dog.
Yesterday the trainer called, devastated, to let me know that the dog had died. At her vet’s recommendation, she had switched from Frontline to ProMeris. She applied ProMeris for the first time on Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday morning, while she and the dog were taking their first walk of the day, the dog suddenly collapsed, seizing violently. She convulsed hugely for about a minute — seizures so strong that her body actually came off the pavement. Then she died.
The trainer has worked with dogs, breeding and training, for more than 30 years. She absolutely knows how to apply flea medication properly. She presently has no other dogs in her home, so the dog didn’t lick ProMeris off another dog. There is little chance that the dog ingested the drug. The proper dose was used, it was applied properly, and less than 24 hours later an otherwise healthy dog was dead.
It’s possible ProMeris was not at fault, that this is just coincidence, but given that this dog had no history of seizures yet died from a seizure soon after receiving a drug known to cause seizures, it’s suspicious. The dog’s body has been sent to a medical school for necropsy.
my dog collapsed and almost died 6 hours post application of this product. he displayed a lot of the symptoms previously mentioned and his heart rate was 40. thankfully i was around to start emergency treatment, (I am a qualifed veterinary nurse), whilst waiting for the vet to arrive.
on contacting the company i discovered that not only are they not surprised by the severity of the reaction but there are european clinical trials being done in september to find out why! I was so angry as we are still selling this product in practices.
my boss is having a meeting with one of the reps in a few weeks and i would appreciate it if people would find the time to email me their experiences.
many thanks
mandygvn79@yahoo.com
My mom put ProMeris on her 13 year old Jack Russell last month and he developed a red skin rash, but she wasn’t sure if he had gotten into something like poisen ivy or if it was the ProMeris. The ProMeris hasn’t worked as good as the Frontline had but her vet recommended that she try it again. She put the ProMeris on him for his second application a month later, yesterday, and after an hour she left, when she got home six hours later he had a seizure and then was very lethargic. She managed to get the vet to meet her at the clinic and the vet shampooed and rinsed him three times. His temperature was low, she gave him an IV with medication added to it. His temperature was still low and his glucose level was slightly elevated, but they thought that could be because my mom had fed him while trying to get in touch with the vet. The vet recommended not letting him get too warm or too cold and too watch him closely. This morning he seems much better. He is still not 100% and is panting but is not as lethargic and seems more normal. She will take him back at some point to have his blood levels checked again to make sure that he does not have liver or kidney damage.
This stuff is dangerous!
My dog–a 10 yr old wheaten terrier–is having a reaction to ProMeris today after applying it for the first time, yesterday afternoon. She was very groggy this morning, eyes glazed, looked as if she’d been under anesthesia. She had occasional shuddering, back leg twitching and weakness in back legs. No vomiting. She seems to be less groggy now at noontime. When I called the vet’s office they said it was likely she’d ingested some and that it should wear off in a day or so. While it’s possible that she was petted last night and then licked a hand, we won’t be using this product again.
The rumors about Promeris are not rumors. We had unfortunatly let our Vet “test out” promeris on our 15 week old dog. I wish we learned more about it ahead of time.
It was a near fatal reaction to the medicine. 72 hours of hoping that the dog would keep breathing. It also created unstoppable hair loss, which we are still trying to solve.
I say…listen to the rumors…DO NOT RISK YOUR PETS LIFE. Promeris is not GOOD!
Our 60 lb. Chow mix had been administered Frontline for years, with effacacy and no adverse reaction. Our Vet changed the script to Promeris with no verbal side effect warnings. Upon administration of the first dose (there was NO internal ingestion), our dog within 3 hours experienced stumbling. lethargy, disorientation, drooling, rapid heart rate and respiration, huge thirst, and finally a seizure. Neither our Vet, nor the ER Vet were aware of these side effects because of “the newness of the product”. After viewing all the reports on so many websites, this hardly seems to be Urban Legend. I feel Promeris is unsafe and should be pulled from shelves and NEVER be prescribed by any knowledgeable Vet!
I tried ProMeris on my 2 1/2 pound teacup shorkie, because my vet said that this new treatment is especially good for tiny dogs. He has been very groggy all day, but he did eat and drink a lot. I am pretty worried about him because he is so small. I will be calling my vet tomorrow. We have a German Shepard who uses the generic drops, and they have been fine, the only reason I asked the vet about my tiny dog is because all the generic stuff is for larger dogs (meaning more than 2 lbs.) I hope I didn’t do the wrong thing by trying this medication!
My four month old puppy (jack russel cross) developed mange. Really horrible stuff. Took him to the vet started him on a dipping routine. 3ml dip to 1 litre water - every five days. That didn’t work. Second time round to the vet, more injections, more hair loss and more itching. The vet gave me ProMeris to try for mange. I have 2 cats and 2 dogs none of which have fleas or ticks. So why the vet prescribed ProMeris - I don’t know. I fortunatley didn’t have any side affects as many of you did, but his condition did not improve. His hair is falling out a lot more than it was in the beginning and bites himself like made. We are on round THREE to vet tomorrow.
My heart is sore for all of you who lost their little furry children.
For all of you out there who have used or are thinking of using Promeris, I recommend that you don’t. I have ten dogs so, needless to say, once we started having a flea problem it escalated out of control very quickly. We tried Frontline, Hartz bansect and sergeants products. All with no luck. I heard of Promeris from our vet and decided to give it a try. I applied the product according to the package directions. The smell was horrible. I had to take all of them outside for several hours before the smell was tolerable enough to bring them back in. After approximately 12 hours, 9 of my ten dogs became ill. They were very lethargic, had no appetite and we practically had to force them to drink water. My daughter and I became light headed and we both suffered terrible headaches just from the smell. Everyone was back to normal a day later but we could still smell the product. Now, a week later….. we still have fleas. It is not a product I would recommend or ever use again.
I applied Promeris to my Chihuahua. Within hours she became lethargic, fearful and aggressive. This lasted for 48hrs. As a vet-tecnician, I suggest you leave this product alone. My baby is feeling much better today (day 3) but I will never use the product again. (We removed all of this product from our shelves.)
A vet student who boarded her horse with me told me about Promeris. I have a dog with Demodectic Mange that was a year round problem. After one application, he stopped itching, his hair grew back. his energy is back, eyes bright, and he and I are both thrilled! I have had nothing but good results with this product, and will continue to use it. Vigorous hand washing after administering it is needed.