Hate is a strong word. And I don't use it lightly. But its true to say, I hate Bob Martins healthcare products and other similar pet shop brands.
"Why?" I hear you ask. Well, as dramatic as this is going to sound, its a sad fact that I've seen
Bob Martin flea treatments kill more cats than fleas. The problem with these pet shop brand flea treatments is that the dog applications contain permethrin as an active ingredient; an ingredient which is incredibly toxic to cats.
When accidentally applied to cats, it affects their central nervous system which causes fitting; heart breaking, devastating, uncontrollable fitting. I witnessed two kittens, only 6 months, who's owner thought it would be safe to share a <10kg dog flea treatment application between the two cats. Sadly they started showing neurological symptoms within the hour and descended into fits within a short amount of time. They were both put under anaesthetic for nearly 24 hours to stop the fitting and limit the damage to the brain but sadly they never woke up when the anaesthetic was withdrawn.
I know people prefer these flea and worm products because of their price, and you're probably just thinking we want to make money by you purchasing products from the us, but the fact of the matter is, we don't like seeing you waste money on products which experience has taught us, don't really work. We'd rather you spend a little more money on good quality, safe products that we know will work first time, wherever you choose to purchase them from!
International Cat Care, a leading cat organisation and charity, is campaigning for changes in these products' licensing to help protect cats lives. Visit their
website to learn more and sign their petition.
If you're worried you cat may have come in contact with a permethrin product, contact your vet surgery IMMEDIATELY.
Nice article, well done. Everyone in the vet profession is sadly so familiar with these ineffective products causes tragedy when applied incorrectly. Sadly, I have also seen seizures and other, less severe side effects caused by CORRECTLY applied products. It's heartbreaking.
ReplyDeletePlease be more specific with the information: bob martin produce more than one flea treatment and this one refers to the "spot on" product which contains a different active ingredient to their "flea clear" which actually has the same formulation as frontline - unless we are to claim that also kills cats. It's also misleading to claim it is a pet shop brand - as the flea treatment being referred to is actually licensed as AVM-GSL this means anyone can sell it, even supermarkets. Consumers must do their own research or ask questions before using any medication. It is true that dog flea treatments deffinatly do not mix with cats however there are qualified SQPs in pet shops who will be able to correctly advise on the correct and safe use of animal medicines.
ReplyDeleteAll Bob Martin Products are trash! do not use them any, not the spot on not the collars not anything with Bob martins on or any of the super markets own brands, use things that are secure and safe and prescription only from the vet or Frontline from the Pharmacy!
DeleteI wouldn't trust the Flea Clear one either, my sister's cat was left with a huge chemical burn with it. And yet, has no problem with Frontline!
DeleteMy adopted cat has a scar around her neck, fur missing . We couldn't figure out where the hell it originated from. The vet explained that most likely, previous owners had her wear one of those ant-flea collars and that gave her a bad reaction. Many crazy humans, and animals are their innocent victims :(.
DeleteNeither my current or previous vet use frontline for cats either. Both however offer a pay monthly direct debit for flea, worming, vaccine and check up services which makes it much easier to budget for all the standard stuff they need from the vet in a given year.
DeleteJust a shame a veterinary treatment nearly killed my dog so it isn't always best to go to the vets either...
ReplyDeleteNatural treatments avoiding any chemicals work best for my dogs and cats and they actually work!
Hi Abbie,
DeleteThat's terrible that a veterinary advised product caused such a dramatic outcome. May I ask what actually happened? I have been an RVN for 13 yrs and have never seen this happen before.
It must have been very frightening for you but hopefully all is well now.
It was horrific, thankfully she was only 2 years old and very healthy, but she started acting like she was drunk couldn't stand up, salivating then progressively got worse until she started fitting. Had 3 emergency trips to the vet in 12 hours because I couldn't leave her, the vets wanted her there but she was worse as soon as I wasn't with her (she's very anxious around strangers and other animals) so the vets taught me what to do and I had to put something up her bum to try and stop the fits.
DeleteIt literally started happening half hour after I gave her the treatment (the one that does worms and fleas, can't remember what it's called) and lasted 24 hours.
It was one of the scariest things I have ever experienced, and thankfully never since and she is now 5 1/2.
I had never used it before, and have never used it since. The vets phoned the manufacturers and apparently it's a side effect that occurs in 1 in 10000 dogs.
I've lost all faith in chemical treatments now and just use natural stuff, and have never had fleas, ticks or worms (have wormcounts done) since! I just couldn't risk going through something like that again or putting another dog through that.
I just feel so lucky to still have her here.
Everything contains chemicals
DeleteI too have been in the veterinary profession for about 13yrs and have sadly seen the accidental application of flea products. The sad thing about this is that pet ownes are trying to do the right thing. A product that holds such a risk should be placed in a place where the correct advise is available and not in a shopping aisle?
ReplyDeleteThere are far more excellent flea products available than bad one's but it's the advice that's important. As with any drug given to humans or animals alike.
Having seen many seizuring cats myself, I would love something to change with these types of flea products, sooner rather than later for the Owners and the animals.
this article concerns me ... we have had rabbits in the past and used the spot on product. Currently, we have, two dwarf Netherlands; what is our best option? Could anyone here advise me please? thanks.
DeleteMany animal charities will help over the phone. Not sure what's in ur area, maybe AWL or RSPCA? Even ur local vet may answer because they hv a safer option themselves.
DeleteI too have witnessed this during my time nursing. It was just awful to see the results and sadly the cats didn't make it.
ReplyDeleteAs for natural treatments mentioned by Abbie, of course we'd all love to only give our pets natural products, but the fact is, there are some amazing drugs specifically created for differing ailments and as preventative measures. Vets and Vet nurses train for years, and their training is on-going throughout their working life. There are specialists and scientist continuously working to find new and better treatments for the vast array of issues a pet could face that sadly natural remedy alone is not potent enough to make a real difference. These people chose this profession because they want to help animals and their owners. They are not doing this line of work for the money. Most people don't realise that many nurses only get a minimum wage, yet do the job because they love it, even with it's unsociable long hours. I would say by a country mile, my several years nursing were the best ever and most enjoyable.
Many vets are happy to discuss natural treatments for lots of issues, and many natural remedies can accompany veterinary treatment. My last Rottie rescue had both veterinary and natural remedy treatments for her Osteosarcoma which gave us another 8 happy, pain free months with her before loosing her to something completely separate at the age of 10.
Thank you for sharing this info, I hope many people listen and choose wisely.
How terribly sad, that could so easily hv bn avoided ... Common sense has to come into effect somewhere too, tho.. Anytime u give anything to ur pet, u shld be thinking, "It's designed for an 10kg dog or a 100kg human with organs between 3 & 35 times the size of my pet's organs - Is it suitable?" - Every single time ... I often think there shld be licensing requirements for not only selling pet treatments, but for being allowed to have a pet at all (or a child for that matter) ... Human beings are lazy; there are thousands of animal charities out there who will advise on these matters over the phone for free, & many vets too, as they'll often hv a safer option .. & how hard is it to go to ur local library & ask for help looking the subject up in a reference book? ... If all else fails - use 'Google Scholar'! ..
ReplyDeleteYour post should really be titled "Why I hate pet owners who confuse cats with dogs"… If I was manufacturing dog products I wouldn't expect dumb owners to confuse cats with dogs, in the same way I wouldn't expect equine owners to confuse their horses with Zebra…….
ReplyDeleteThe point is that this happens so often that it's obvious that people need guidance. The lady who thought she could divide a 10kg product between her cats and dogs would have been told not to do this if she had purchased the products at her vets where advice on application of the product is always given.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would never buy over-the-counter meds for my dog. Having said that, I’ve been shocked by the cost of medication and treatments since I moved back to the UK. I lived in Japan for 16 years, a country with a higher cost of living than the UK, and yet the cost of medication in this country is nearly triple that of Japan. And don’t get me started on things like x-rays which are closer to four times more expensive in the UK. I’ve checked around to make sure that it wasn’t just my vet that was expensive, but prices seem to be the same everywhere. I have asked a couple of vets for an explanation but to no avail. My guess is that far more people have private pet insurance in this country than in Japan, and this is what has driven up the cost of treatment in the UK. However, for people like myself, whose dog was already 10 years old when I returned to the UK, insurance was not an option. Instead, I’ve forked out something like £1,800 in the past 12 months, considerably more than I spent in my dog’s entire 10 years in Japan...
ReplyDeleteMy cats died. From sargents flea control do not. Use
ReplyDeleteI've used Effipro for my cat and whilst she doesn;t like it when it's applied. it seems to do the job ok.
ReplyDeleteIs there any other product that you would recommend for us?
Hello All
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your feedback. I cannot recommend any products in particular because I don't want to look like I'm selling, but I would say products sold by pharmacies, vets or pharmacy registered petshop (this tends to be larger stores). They will ask you questions about your pet before they allow you to purchase any products to make sure they're the correct products. Some flea treatments are prescription only so a vet will need to examine your pet to legally be allowed to prescribe the product. I would just say that products that you can pick up off a shelf without any questioning aren't the best.
And remember everybody, if you're registered with a good quality vet service, they will give you free healthcare advice and answer your questions. Don't be afraid to ask; that's what veterinary professionals are there for.
Thank you again for all your feedback.
It also applies to wormer meds. I had used a product from wilkinsons for years on my cats no problem on sept 2nd 2006 i gave my cat twiglet her second dose like stated within minutes she started drooling excessively phoned ystrad mynach out of ours vets they said its normal. An hour later she started toppling over phoned vets and asked should i bring her down they said again its normal as its the wormer killing the worms. This went on through sat night into sunday when twiglet actually fell asleep. When she woke she wouldnt eat phoned vets again they said the wormer would put her off her appetite each time i spoke to a vet. They are the ones trained in animal care. My twiglet felt cold so wrapped her in a warm blanket phoned vets again told them she felt cold to touch again was told all this is normal for the first 48 hours. By 8 am on the 4th sept 2006 i was at my vets with twiglet the vet actually stated she was in a moribund state half dead to those who dont know the term vets kept her there put her on ivs 9pm on the 4th sept 2006 vet phoned me to say she was fitting they were trying to get it under control said they would ring back they rang back at 9.30pm to say she was fitting again i asked to go to see her they said i cant as building is locked for security which is rubbish if they had a fire they would need to open building to get out they said they would ring if anything happened they rang me at 11.38pm to say twiglet had been fitting for the last 30minutes they couldnt control it anymore it would be best to pts asked again can i be with her when that happens they said no my baby died at 11.48pm the wormer had packed up her kidneys she was a healthy happy 5 year old on the saturday 2nd sept before the wormer by the 4th sept she was gone i will never forgive myself for giving her that wormer. Got in touch with company to complain about it and day what it had done vet sent letter to company after reading ingredients on box and phoning toxic control they had a number of deaths from one of the ingredients had a letter bsck off company while they were sorry for my loss its the first complaint they had received about product I explained not all cats are the same just like humans. They offered me 10pound voucher as a goodwill gesture told them were to put it. A month later all the packaging on wormer had been changed saying there could be contraindications to cats. Heard no more 2wks ago went into wilkinsons and the manageress asked me about how i got on with the company about cat it is nearly 8 years that happened. So can only assume another cat somewhere has had the same fate
ReplyDeletei know you are not to use the dog flea treatment on cats but what about the cat flea treatment? when needed i usually use the tablets capstar for both my cats and dogs and they work fantastic. Id run out so got some flea drops for my cats. Terry was fine but gismo started being sick, constantly, which turned to bile sick, then diarrhea which also went a bile colour. he couldnt even keep fluids in him. I took him to my vets who said no nothing to do with the flea treatment he is a old cat and it looks like he has liver disease and it would be kinder to TPS. I said no and took him home with the intention of getting a second opinion from another vet, as i knew it was the flea drops. i then decided to just nurse him myself. It took me 2 weeks of feeding little and often, fresh fish, chicken etc to get him to come round as once he has stopped being sick he just would not eat. this is about 4 months ago and hes still putting the weight he lost back on as he must have lost half his body weight in those couple of weeks
ReplyDelete