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-   -   Beware this medication-Assurity (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=76663)

Fred Gruner April 26th, 2011 10:19 AM

Beware this medication-Assurity
 
We recently had Assurity applied to both our cats. This is a fairly new Topical treatment for fleas.
Within two hours, both suffered allergic reaction and scratched all the fur off the sight where the Assurity was applied.
Don't use this until you talk to your vet.
It might be best to stick with what you are already using.

chico2 April 26th, 2011 04:37 PM

Thank you for the warning!!

FurryMom April 26th, 2011 06:19 PM

Wow!!! That's awful, I hope your kitties are okay!

kathryn April 26th, 2011 06:32 PM

Thank you for the warning. I really refuse to use any kind of new flea/tick products as it is unless I check into it first. Frontline, Advantage (Multi & Regular) and Revolution leave me enough options and all work fine for me :thumbs up It is made by Eli Lilly which is generally a reputable company, but this is a brand new ingredient found in this product.

FurryMom April 26th, 2011 06:53 PM

Probably using a brand new ingredient because those flea/tick meds are starting to not work. Here in the south a lot of people are complaining about their dogs and cats having ticks and fleas, even though they use Frontline. My kitties don't go outside so I don't use anything on them. The dog gets a bath in Eucalyptus Dr. Bronner's, then a message with jojoba oil and eucalyptus essential oil. He hasn't had fleas, yet. Neem oil is also good. But, cats can be very sensitive to essential oils, so you have to be very careful!

14+kitties April 26th, 2011 07:42 PM

This product seems like it's in the States right now. Look for a name change if it makes it over the border.
I hope your cats are ok now. :fingerscr

I use Diatomaceous Earth in the Catuary and around the doorways of the house. So far, knock on wood, it seems to be working. I also add food grade DE to the cats' food on a regular basis.
[url]http://www.dirtworks.net/Diatomaceous-Earth.html[/url]

ladygator04 May 21st, 2011 05:45 PM

Don't use Assurity for Cats
 
Last week I applied Assurity for cats to my 5 yr. old male cat and he acted like something was after him. He would run around trying to get away from it. Then he tried to lick the medicine off. He did this for a couple of days then his hair started falling out and his skin turned very red. Now for the last two days all he wants to do is sleep. He will get up to get his food in the morning and in the evening. I plan to take him to the vet Monday if he is not a lot better.
Don't use Assurity!!!!

Koteburo May 27th, 2011 07:34 PM

@ladygator
:S I hope your kitty gets better really soon.

And yes you have to be careful with flea and tick medications, recently I heard of a case of 2 cats, same medication (it wasn't Assurity) one had no effects at all the other cat had a bad reaction to it, started getting weak, vomiting and diarrhea after like 1 hour of administrating it. The owners took him to the vet immediately now he's fine but it was a dangerous episode.

Also a vet told me a really tragic story about people that without knowing used tick medication for dogs on a cat. Immediate reaction, the poor baby died in about 30 mins from poisoning :(
He told me "NEVER ever use dog medication for ticks on a cat". I never forgot that warning.

Thanks for the heads up.
Mine are indoors so they don't get fleas but you never know, and it's good to be aware.

H.P. May 27th, 2011 10:24 PM

That must be a pretty common reaction to it, it is mentioned on the label, along with a number to call and report reactions:

Sensitivities, such as hair
sparseness or hair loss or skin irritation or
discoloration or salivation, may occur. If
sensitivities occur or persist, contact your
veterinarian. If you have questions regarding the
use of this product consult your veterinarian,
your cat’s health care expert. For technical
assistance or to report an adverse reaction, call
1-888-545-5973.

Fritzi112 May 31st, 2011 04:02 PM

Assurity
 
I too bought and used assurity on two of my cats, and had pretty much the same reults as all of the other posts. Is there a wesite where we can post these results to alert other pet owners about this medicine and the possibles results of its use

Fritzi112 June 1st, 2011 11:38 AM

Did some research since my last post. These sites are rather interesting to read.

[url]http://factoidz.com/new-elanco-assurity-for-cats-flea-control-product-with-spinetoram-is-it-safe/[/url]

[url]http://www.biospotvictims.org/Assurity.pdf[/url]

[url]http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20100324129[/url]

if you look at the patent information for Assurity, the patent states the carrier to be benzyl alcohol. Benzyl alcohol is a wicked ingredient despite also being considered “organic”. It is a solvent for inks, paints, lacquers and epoxy resins. You can even use it as a photo developer


Assurity for Cats by Elanco is the first pet product to contain spinetoram. It will only be sold through vet offices, which is a marketing choice that some companies use to keep the costs high on their products and give consumers a sense of quality

I sent Elanco two e-mail stating the problems we encountered with Assurity, along with photos. Also ask for data on their study they did with cats prior to release of this product. (got no answer on that one), but gave a case number (6303) and a number to call. Wonder if case numbers started at 1

hope this enlightens pet owners when choosing

redheadk August 23rd, 2011 10:19 PM

Assurity will burn your cat!!
 
I found other threads because my 11 yo cat has been burned by this HORRIBLE product! It's a common side effect and is toxic to you cat! PLEASE DON'T USE THIS PRODUCT!!! I'll be reporting it to the EPA when I get back from cussing my incompetent vet out in the morning and demanding a tox screen for my girl! I just moved to this area and my last Vet was a Cat Specialist and only used human grade medications for all surgeries and was a bit more pricey but I felt worth it! Like an idiot I didn't think to check behind this new Vet because I was used to superior quality. Please don't use this product. Many Many Many people are complaining about Assurity and it's just too harmful.

redheadk August 24th, 2011 08:37 AM

Just got off the phone with the Vet that prescribed this medicine and they were SO rude! I calmly told them what happened and the laughed and said, 'So she's allergic to it, no big deal.' I explained that I expected my Vet to do research on their products before prescribing them and she got mad. 'It's not OUR fault your OLD cat has become allergic to this!' was the final statement that made me angry. I told her to remove my other cat's upcoming appointment and that I would seek professional care for my pets. NEVER did they even ask about seeing her! I've filed an SAE with the company who has to notify the EPA. I just can't believe this is simply an allergic reaction when it's happening to so many animals!

insleywinsley September 6th, 2012 08:10 PM

i registered with this site solely because of this thread.

i purchased assurity from my vet three days ago and am wishing i had read this thread sooner. i live in the south and even with "top brands" like frontline and advantage the fleas come back within a week, so i sought out a vet thinking the products they sold would be a) more effective and b) SAFE. wrong, wrong wrong!

the fur has matted severely where assurity was applied; one cat has ripped all the fur out at site of application. thankfully her skin does not appear irritated. her behavior is normal. i have cut as much of the matted hair off my other cat (hoping to avoid her scratching it out) as possible, and in me fiddling with it (i keep trying to bend the stalks hoping to make them softer) i have found a white powdery residue floating into the air. this cat's behavior is more lethargic since application, and i am going back to said vet to demand they see her free of charge to make sure her systems are okay as a result of the unsafe, toxic product they sold me.

when i adopted a cat i made a commitment to her health and well being for all of her life, and in using assurity before doing proper research i feel like i have failed. i'm despondent that she is not her usual self, and that this is my fault.

do NOT use assurity. and everyone else, i hope you kitties were okay, and if they weren't i would very much like to know as i am fretting about my own.

thank you.

lgp13 December 3rd, 2012 06:31 PM

Assurity saved my cat from suffering. Don't advise someone NEVER to use a product.
 
[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]I also registered solely because of this thread because Assurity saved my cat Ziva from a life of misery and hairlessness and I hate to see the product not be given its due for the good it has done.

My mixed-breed long-hair cat was a rescue kitten and came to me at weaning. She was a frail little thing and bringing her through respiratory infection at 10 weeks was a triumph. Getting rid of fleas was not a problem and she grew and flourished until she was about six-months old when she started scratching and biting her hair out. After many trials over months and months of working with our vet -- and poor miserable Ziva with a hairless bottom, neck tail, ears, and other hairless patches Assurity was the only product that killed the biting lice that were plaguing her. She had a terrible allergy to the biting lice and Assurity saved her and I'm thankful for the product. We, of course, have to use the product on her companion, Compo, to keep him free of fleas and biting lice and he has never shown any negative reaction to the product. (With his lush thick coat we would have never known the other products were not effective against biting lice as he was completely healthy, had a beautiful thick coat of fur, and thus was apparently was not allergic to the same biting lice that were ruining Ziva's life, and slides showed he had just as many of the blood sucking critters as she did.)

I feel bad for people whose beloved pets have had such horrendous reactions to this product! The stories are heartbreaking and I don't want to see a kitty suffer like these stories have shown has happened -- but think about those of us whose pets need this product. Veterinarians and pet owners should act more responsibly in dosing their pets. They should check for a reaction before pouring a whole dose of anything on a cat. But the product should not be faulted for poor veterinary practice. It is a great product in the right situation. What if humans banned penicillin because some humans had allergic reactions to it? This isn't the right attitude to take!

I am an RN and I know that one person should never tell another person what medications they should or should not take. These decisions should be carefully considered with the advice of your doctor. In the same way I think we as pet owners should not tell other pet owners to NEVER use a product. Yes, we should share our negative experiences so others are aware that there may be a problem but the ultimate decision of whether a product might be the one to save a pet from long-term suffering should be an informed decision made between the pet owner and their veterinarian.

Ziva and Compo will be three in March. This is Ziva's first Christmas with a full coat of hair. After she was cured of biting lice it took a long time for the mostly Angora cat to come into he full coat. Both my husband and my son have brought to my attention just this week how thick and beautiful Ziva's coat is looking and feeling. And Compo is handsome as always. Both get their monthly dose of Assurity (there is never matting or residue, even in the long-haired cat, as we carefully part the hair and apply the product to the skin) because we want them to stay beautiful and healthy for many years to come.:cat:[/FONT]

Quay May 4th, 2013 04:43 PM

Our cat died 1 1/2 weeks after applying Assurity to her. We called the company and asked for the adverse side effects after she became very
ill. To the point she could not walk at all. The company vet gave us the
run around about it. Blamed it on her age and anything else she could come
up with. Told us the only side effect was the loss of hair where it was applied.
She never lost her hair!

The day before she died we took her to our vet to find out what was wrong with her. She had quit eating, drinking, could not use her back legs, would fall over and was listless. Our vet thought it might be due to her having had a tooth removed 4 weeks earlier with a dental.

When our vet looked up the adverse side effects our cat, Foxy had all but one. No diarrhea. when she came to one of the words she had a wide open eye affect and her hand went to her face. I have never seen the word before, so I asked her. She told us the word was for not being able to walk!
I could not afford the necropsy on our cat, but between our vet and us we
believe that Foxy died from Assurity.

pattymac May 5th, 2013 10:13 AM

I have pretty much stopped using anything on my animals. I bought a few tubes of Advantage a few years ago but since moving west I haven't had any issues with fleas or ticks. I check the dog and I'm pretty darned fast with a flea comb. I keep the dog flea free so the cats don't have any problems with them. It's been years since any of my cats have had any stuff on them. If the dog's been in tall grass or out somewhere, a quick combing with the flea comb gets the little buggers even before they have a chance to bite

Rfargason September 16th, 2013 02:39 PM

The same thing has happened to one of my cats. I put the Assurity on her yesterday around 3 pm and when I woke up around 1:45 this morning to go to bathroom I noticed she was sitting oddly and when I tried to get her to stand up she didn't have any control of her back legs. Our vet doesn't open until 8:30 so around 8 this morning when I read your post my boyfriend and I immediately washed the assurity off of her before taking her to vet. They seem to think it may be a blood clot even though she doesn't present any of the other associated symptoms. They have had her on IV fluids all day trying to flush her system but are still unsure of what is causing her lack of control. They spoke with people from the manufacturer who are (of course saying) it is not from their product. Unforunately I don't have unlimited funds to have an echocardiogram done and all of the other tests needed to rule out heart disease or a slipped disc, etc. How soon after you put the mediciation on your cat did he lose control of his legs?

[QUOTE=Quay;1057260]Our cat died 1 1/2 weeks after applying Assurity to her. We called the company and asked for the adverse side effects after she became very
ill. To the point she could not walk at all. The company vet gave us the
run around about it. Blamed it on her age and anything else she could come
up with. Told us the only side effect was the loss of hair where it was applied.
She never lost her hair!

The day before she died we took her to our vet to find out what was wrong with her. She had quit eating, drinking, could not use her back legs, would fall over and was listless. Our vet thought it might be due to her having had a tooth removed 4 weeks earlier with a dental.

When our vet looked up the adverse side effects our cat, Foxy had all but one. No diarrhea. when she came to one of the words she had a wide open eye affect and her hand went to her face. I have never seen the word before, so I asked her. She told us the word was for not being able to walk!
I could not afford the necropsy on our cat, but between our vet and us we
believe that Foxy died from Assurity.[/QUOTE]

Koteburo September 16th, 2013 07:27 PM

This thread is old however I'm hoping someone here has experience with that flea medication.
How's your cat hanging on? :fingerscr


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