Seresto Flea and Tick Collars Can Injure or Kill Pets Class Action

Seresto flea and tick collars, from Bayer Healthcare, LLC, Bayer Corporation, and Bayer AG, are some of the best-selling collars for preventing pets from getting fleas and ticks. Unfortunately, the complaint alleges the collars have caused tens of thousands of injuries to pets and as many as 1,700 deaths because of the combination of three ingredients used in the collars.

The Nationwide Class for this action is all persons in the US who bought a Seresto collar, for use on a pet and not for resale, during the fullest period allowed by law. A Kansas Subclass has also been defined for all persons in the above class in Kansas.

The complaint alleges, “The danger of Seresto flea and tick collars is so severe that it instigated a Congressional investigation by the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy” that, after sixteen months of investigation, recommended a recall of the collars because, it claims, they pose a danger to both pets and humans.

Also, according to the complaint, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has received notices of around 2,500 pet deaths and over 98,000 non-death incident reports involving the Seresto collars. Still, the complaint alleges that the defendants in this case “have maintained and represented that Seresto collars are safe for pets to use.”

A number of other class action complaints have been filed about the Seresto collars. Earlier complaints about the product focused on the combination of two different pesticides—imidacloprid and flumethrin—used as the active ingredients in the collars. However, the complaint alleges, “The Seresto Collars’ ‘unique pharmacological synergism’ that Defendants tout results in increased toxicity.”

In addition, the complaint alleges that both substances have been found to have negative health effects on mammals. The complaint claims that the defendants “seemingly never engaged in any independent unbiased testing of the collars, but rather employed company-controlled studies…”

If that weren’t enough, the complaint alleges that the collars contain another, unnamed “trade secret” ingredient that also has toxic effects and “can enhance the toxic effects of flumethrin.”

Furthermore, the complaint claims that all of the above is exacerbated by the fact that the collars are supposed to be worn by pets for an extended period of time—eight months.

Finally, the complaint suggests that the collars may be emitting high doses of the pesticides, instead of gradually releasing them. The complaint alleges, “The quick effectiveness of Seresto Collars’ pesticides suggests that the pesticides are in reality spreading quickly in high doses—an unsafe dosage of this pesticide combination—instead of in small, steady doses over 8 months as indicated on the front of the packaging.”

The later pages of the complaint include heartbreaking photographs of pets’ injuries allegedly caused by the collars. The complaint asserts that the defendants knew or should have known that the collars are dangerous to pets and should not have portrayed them as safe and effective.

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Consumer
Tags: Deceptive Advertising, Deceptive Labels, Hazardous or Toxic Materials, Injuries or Death, Injury, Pets