A subcommittee of Congress has demanded that a popular collar for fleas and ticks be recalled in connection with the deaths of 1,700 pets and which is thought to have caused tens of thousands of diseases.
In a letter to the maker of the Seresto collar – a top seller on Amazon and at major U.S. pet retailers – U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) Called for immediate recall, citing reports that he was involved in 75,000 harmful incidents against pets and nearly 1,000 incidents involving humans, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“We believe the actual number of deaths and injuries is much greater, as the average consumer would not know to report pet damage to EPA, an agency that appears to be unrelated to consumer animal products,” Krishnamoorthi said in wrote the letter.
According to the US EPA, which first reported the problems with the collars to the Midwest on March 2, the EPA, which regulates collars for pets because they contain pesticides, has not done enough. Center for Investigative Reporting.
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 its manufacturer, Elanco Animal Health, citing EPA data. While it may make the collars more effective against fleas, it may also appear to be more toxic to pets and humans, the legislature said.
An incident involving a 12-year-old boy sleeping with a dog in bed led to the boy being admitted to hospital due to seizures and vomiting, Krishnamoorthi wrote.
In addition to demanding a recall and refund for customers, Krishnamoorthi, chair of the Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee, is asking German pharmaceutical giant Bayer, which originally developed the collar, to release information about its toxicity.
Among the issues facing lawmakers are all communications “between Bayer and Elanco during the acquisition of Elanco from Bayer Animal Health regarding toxicity or the risks of death and injury to pets or people from Seresto flea and tick collars and the transfer of liabilities, ”According to the letter.
Bayer sold its animal health division to Elanco for $ 7.5 billion last year. In 2019, it reported revenue of more than $ 300 million from the Seresto collar.
Elanco officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
Elanco officials said Friday they are cooperating with the congressional subcommittee’s investigation and “look forward to explaining how the media reports on this topic are widely refuted by toxicologists and veterinarians.” The company added that “no action on the market, such as a repeal, is justified, nor has it been proposed by any regulatory agency.”
“There is no medical or scientific basis for initiating a recall of Seresto collars, and we are disappointed that it causes confusion and unfounded fear for pet owners who want to protect their pets from fleas and ticks,” said Dr. Tony Rumschlag, senior director for technical consultants, said. 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 products she has ever seen, McCormick told USA Today.
Seresto is one of the most popular collars sold on Amazon, with numerous disturbing reviews about the product.
“Ten days after she placed the Seresto collar on my dog, she had a neurological problem that was diagnosed as meningitis of ‘unknown origin,’ ‘one customer wrote. “She temporarily lost the use of her hind legs and the vet bills have already exceeded $ 5,000.”
Amazon told a spokeswoman for USA Today that it was “reviewing” the product.