An investigative report published in USA Today is questioning the safety of one of the nation's most popular flea collars. The investigation, conducted by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, reviewed thousands of complaints filed by pet owners with the Environmental Protection Agency.
The report links thousands of pet injuries and hundreds of deaths to the Seresto Flea Collar. It claims the EPA has documented at least 1,698 deaths, and 75,000 incident reports related to the collars.
13 ON YOUR SIDE reached out to Elanco, the company that makes the Seresto Flea Collar. A spokesperson provided us with a statement. "First, it is critically important to understand that a report is not an indication of cause. What those numbers represent is the number of reports received, and do not reflect causality. The spokesperson goes on to say, "if a dog were to be wearing a collar and experience any sort of adverse event, the collar would be mentioned in the report." They say drawing a link between the two could be misleading.
Seresto collar was first introduced in 2012 and the company says it has protected 25-million dogs from fleas and ticks. Elanco says it does take any reports of adverse events seriously and does evaluate and report them to authorities if necessary.
The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting says the chemical in the collar has also had an adverse affect on at least 1,000 people. Documents list ailments as rash, hives, numbness and headaches.
To read the complete article go Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting.
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