A congressional subcommittee has demanded the recall of a popular flea and tick band that has been linked to the deaths of 1,700 pets and is believed to have caused tens of thousands more illnesses.
In a letter to the manufacturer of the Seresto collar – a top seller on Amazon and at major U.S. pet stores – U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) Demanded an immediate recall, citing reports that he was involved in 75,000 harmful incidents with pets and nearly 1,000 incidents involving humans, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“We believe that the actual number of deaths and injuries is much greater, as the average consumer does not know to report damage to pets to EPA, an agency that has apparently nothing to do with consumer pet products,” Krishnamoorthi wrote in the report letter.
The EPA, which regulates pet collars because they contain pesticides, also would not have done enough to address the sheer number of complaints it had received, according to USA Today, which first reported the dog collars on March 2 along with the Midwest reported. Research Reporting Center.
The Seresto collar “is the only flea and tick collar that combines a cocktail of two pesticides,” Krishnamoorthi wrote in a letter to Jeff Simmons, CEO of the manufacturer, Elanco Animal Health, citing EPA data. While that may make the collars more effective against fleas, “they can apparently also be more toxic to pets and humans,” added lawmakers.
An incident in which a 12-year-old boy slept in bed with a dog wearing the collar resulted in the boy being hospitalized for seizures and vomiting, Krishnamoorthi wrote.
In addition to demanding a recall and refund for Elanco customers, Krishnamoorthi, chair of the subcommittee on economic and consumer policy, is asking German pharmaceutical giant Bayer, who originally developed the collar, to release information about its toxicity.
Among the issues that lawmakers are looking at are all communications “between Bayer and Elanco during Elanco’s acquisition of Bayer Animal Health regarding toxicity or risk of death and injury to pets or humans from Seresto’s flea and tick collars and the transfer of liabilities, “the letter said.
Bayer sold its animal health division to Elanco last year for $ 7.5 billion. In 2019, it reported sales of more than $ 300 million from the Seresto collar.
Officials at Elanco could not be reached immediately for comment on Friday.
Officials at Elanco said Friday it is working with the congressional subcommittee investigation and “looks forward to explaining how media reports on this topic have been widely refuted by toxicologists and veterinarians.” The company added that “no action in the marketplace, such as a recall, is warranted, nor has it been proposed by a regulatory body.”
“There is no medical or scientific basis to initiate a recall of Seresto collars and we are disappointed that this is causing confusion and unfounded fear among pet owners trying to protect their pets from fleas and ticks,” Dr. Tony Rumschlag, senior director for technical consultants at Elanco, said in a statement to USA Today.
A retired EPA employee, Karen McCormack, disagrees, as The Post reported. The collars have the most incidents of any pesticide pet product she’s ever seen, McCormick told USA Today.
Seresto is one of the most popular dog collars sold on Amazon which has numerous disturbing reviews about the product.
“Ten days after putting the Seresto collar on my dog, she developed a neurological problem, diagnosed as meningitis of ‘unknown origin,'” wrote one customer. “She temporarily lost the use of her hind legs and the vet bills are already over $ 5,000.”
Amazon told USA Today through a spokeswoman that it is “reviewing” the product.