Seresto Flea and Tick Collars Blamed For 1,700 Pet Deaths

Attention pet owners! Almost 1700 pet deaths have been linked to Seresto, a popular flea and tick collar used on cats and dogs.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, tens of thousands of family pets and hundreds of humans have been sickened by the Seresto collar developed by Bayer and sold by Elanco.

Seresto is a collar worn by your dog or cat that kills fleas and ticks. The collar must be snug allowing only two fingers to fit beneath the collar and neck to ensure it's not too tight.

Seresto’s active ingredients, imidacloprid and flumethrin, are stored in the collar and released in low concentrations over your pet's hair and skin surface for 8 months. The collar is supposed to be safe for cats and dogs.

USA Today reports that "since Seresto flea and tick collars were introduced in 2012, the EPA has received incident reports of at least 1,698 related pet deaths. Overall, through June 2020, the agency has received more than 75,000 incident reports related to the collars, including nearly 1,000 involving human harm."

Karen McCormack, a retired EPA employee, tells USA Today, “The EPA appears to be turning a blind eye to this problem, and after seven years of an increasing number of incidents, they are telling the public that they are continuing to monitor the situation...But I think this is a significant problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.”

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McCormack accuses the EPA of failing to inform the public of the potential risks associated with this product. She says the collars have the most incidents of any pesticide pet product she’s ever seen.

Have you or your pet been injured by the Seresto flea and tick collar? I was using it on my dog, Lexi. After taking it off I found a white powder around her neck and she is now itching and scratching non-stop. No doubt she's having a reaction to the collar.

[H/T USA Today]