Report: Pet Collar Linked to 1,700 Pet Deaths, Human Illnesses

A popular pet collar has been linked to 1,700 pet deaths and many illnesses in humans.

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Since 2012 the EPA has received reports of at least 1,698 pet deaths linked to the common flea and tick collar worn by cats and dogs, according to a new report. The report claims by June 202 there were over 75,000 reported incidents and over 1,000 reported human illnesses linked to the collar.

The findings were published by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting and USA Today on Tuesday.

"Under the Biden-Harris Administration EPA has returned to its core mission, which includes protecting our pets' health. We take every incident reported seriously and review these data to see whether action is necessary. EPA encourages pet owners to read the entire label before using the pesticide product and follow all directions carefully, including monitoring your pet after application to see if side effects occur. If side effects develop, the label tells the consumer to consult the pet's veterinarian immediately," the EPA told People.

Seresto collars are sold by Elanco. Elanco released the following statement regarding the report:

There is no established link between death and exposure to the active ingredients contained in Seresto. It is critically important to understand that a report is not an indication of cause.

The numbers referenced in the original article represent the number of reports received and do not reflect causality. So, if a dog were to be wearing a collar and experience any sort of adverse event, the collar would be mentioned in the report. Drawing a causal link from individual incident reports is misleading. Since its initial approval in 2012, more than 25 million Seresto collars have protected dogs and cats in the U.S. from fleas and ticks.

And, reporting rates have actually been decreasing over the life of the product. That said, we continuously monitor the safety of our products on an on-going basis.

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