I would never ever use a Hartz product. Many many years ago I used some kind of flea meds made by Hartz on my young cat. She went into convulsions and I quickly soaked her fur with water and washed her well. She recovered but this was YEARS ago. Apparently their products still kill. I now only use Frontline.

I haven't bought Hartz products since the 80s. Back then Hartz Blockade flea spray was killing small dogs. This was before the flea pill or the dab on the neck.

I put it on my Doberman and thought she was rolling on the grass because the fleas were actively dying. It took a couple of years before I heard the news story and realized why I was throwing up every weekend and every few days.

I don't use Hartz products because most of them come from China and they don't have the same regulations we have here. Thanks for the warning. i hope your cats are doing well now. What a fright.

I saw this warning a couple of years ago and can't understand why this product hasn't been taken off the market....I wouldn't buy any product made by Hartz, nothing!

This is terrible, when you think you're doing something good for your fur-babies and in turn, you're really harming them....

Seems that Hartz products have caused so many problems someone started a web site.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Hartz

I'm sorry I didn't say I hope your cats are ok. Even back then Hartz didn't take blockade off the market they put a warning tag on the can.

Hey guys, not to worry, these aren't my pets.
This warning and letter was posted on our local city Cafe.
I had no idea. I don't use Hartz products, but not because they were/are unsafe.....I just don't use flea collars etc.
I absolutely don't believe in flea collars of any kind, the fumes aren't good for them.

After reading your comments, you bet your butt I won't be using Hartz products of any kind. Thanks for the heads up.

Why on earth are they still in business? Why haven't they been sued and put out of business? And they are a pet product manufacturer.

I agree about Hartz. They've had a bad rep for a long time now and there are many, many stories like this. How much is deserved and how much not I don't know. But I haven't bought a Hartz product in decades and won't. Why would I risk it on my pets that I love and am responsible for?

Thanks for sharing the warning.

I don't use Hartz products on my pets, but it's a well-known brand and too many people still make the mistake of buying it.

I've read that another OTC flea preparation is just as bad. I, too, wonder why these products stay on the market.

My friend's mom raised pet birds for years and said not to buy Hartz seed.

I have used cedar blocks and put them around
the house. Fleas take off at the smell of cedar.
Even cedar chips placed in boxes and placed around the house works.
Sew a mat, fill it with cedar chips for your dog or cat to lay on. No poison with cedar.

OMG! I just bought that Hartz ultrguard for my 4 Kittys. Thank you so much for posting this.

I will check with my Vet to see what he has. I'll be adding cedar chips too thanks to dollydolots.

I had no clue. Thank God I don't need to use anything for fleas with my kitties. Never have had too. Blessed I guess. I'm paranoid about anything for my pets about anything that comes from china since our precious Maggie Doggie died when they had the additive in pet treats a few years back. She was just over thirteen which is considered old for a black lab, but was in excellent health. Youthful as a very young lab. No ills what so ever before she the companies here started using additives from china.

The same sort of email has been going around forever. Sometimes Hartz is mentioned,sometimes Promeris and even Advantage products have been cited in these "scare the pants" off people emails.

I am sure that there have been instances where animals have had allergic reactions to products. I'm sure some have probably even died.

But if this email were even remotely true then every vet would be warning their patients. You wouldn't be reading it on a cafe wall. It would be prominently posted on the vet's wall.

There are a lot of products out there that I would never use on my pet. Before the droplet type flea treatments people used flea collars. Common sense should tell you that there are no 100% safe pesticides. I don't care what the advertising says.

Animals that spend most of their time indoors and don't live in flea zones shouldn't need monthly treatments. Once the fleas are gone give it a rest. You wouldn't give a your child monthly treatments for head lice "just in case". Why would you do it to an animal?

I'm not a fan of Hartz but I don't see them as any more or less evil than all the other pet stuff pushers.

Someone commented that they were told not to use their birdseed. Well duh. ANY birdseed should be a very minimal part of a birds diet. It's simply not all that good for them.

This again has the red flags waving but I haven't researched it yet. Hopefully some of you have.

I'm annoyed with people who just put flea collars on their animals and LEAVE them on them! That's animal abuse. You only put the collar on while they're out in the grasses and stuff. You take it off again asap. But people are lazy.

Despite being sworn off Hartz forever, I did look at Snopes when I read this post. There is nothing on there (that I could find) about Hartz.

Hartz is a cheap K-mart-style product (I have nothing against K-Mart and shop there myself) and I wouldn't use anything like that on my beloved pets. Anything I use is directly from the vet. Even they are fallable. But I trust the vet more than Hartz. Has anyone ever seen a Hartz product on their vet's shelf? I haven't (and I've been to many vets over the years).

Suzie, I too checked out snopes prior to posting the topic.
I trust snopes, and nothing was there.

Because the first couple posters had similar horrible experiences with their own pets, I believe this about Hartz.

Wildchild, you mentioned not feeding birdseed to pet birds.
Forgive my ignorance, but what DO you feed them?

A few years ago I put the Hartz spot on flea stuff on my outside cat and she starting foaming at the mouth!!! Thank goodness nothing else happened to her. I threw the rest away. I was trying to save money by buying this at the grocery store, but I learned my lesson. Now I only get my flea stuff from my vet.

I just read an article a few days back that the flea medicines can cause allergic reactions or seizures in some animals. No brands were mentioned that I can recall.

You can find negative things about almost all products. I can't believe the witch hunt that has gone on with Hartz here. Did anyone even bother to check the other brands?

Here is a link that might be useful: EPA investigation

I imagine that all flea medications carry warnings of what to watch for in the case of an allergic reaction....Advantage, Biospot, Promeris, etc

Here is a link that might be useful: Flea medication warnings

NEVER NEVER EVER use Hartz Mountain flea products. I had a terrier that died of lung cancer six months after applying HM flea powder to her.

carla35 - I see no "witch hunt". It's people commenting on a crappy (IMO and that of others) product. Problems with Hartz products have been encountered for years, well before the internet made them easier to find.

And I'm sure it's not alone - just because we're talking about Hartz here (because, after all, that is what the OP specifically posted about) doesn't mean that anyone is saying all others are fine.

Of course negatives can be found on any product. Can you find anything GOOD posted about a Hartz product, other than their own advertising?

Jasdip,
Bird SEED is not good form MOST birds (I don't know about finches, just parakeets and Parrots). There are bird food "pelets" that are made for the birds that are MUCH MUCH better for them. Seeds are like feeding a kid candy rather than real food. Problem is that birds are unlike any other animal, they WILL starve themselves rather than eat new things, so the change-over to pelleted food must be made VERY VERY gradually.

Vickey-Mn

Not sure what your after Susique, but there are 2 five star reviews from people who have used the product at the link I posted. (And one review who, it appears hadn't used it, but would like to make his case against Hartz known).

If you don't find this has been mainly a Hartz bashing thread, I think you need to re-read it 'cause that's almost all I'm hearing. A pet could have an allergy to any brand. And, just because you pay more and a doctor gives it to you, doesn't mean it's 100% safe either. I just saw horror stories of another brand (that hasn't been mentioned here) with the same type of problems but I don't want to bad mouth another name. It appears flea medicine especially with the skin application method is a problem all round --and is not specific just to Hartz.

Why most people on this thread are talking about "Hartz" being the problem, and not mentioning the "skin application method" as being the problem, is beyond me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hartz Cat

Well, sorry to hijack the thread and turn this into a flea medicine issue instead of Hartz thread... but, here you go... the EPA talks about it... and as they note, many of the problems are due to not reading the directions...giving dog drops to cats, not following weight guidelines, etc... I didn't read it all, but Hartz does not appear to be singled out.

"One very important factor that consumers should consider is a recent Environmental Protection Agency warning about flea medicines, issued on March 17, 2010. The EPA believes there are safety issues for pets relating to the use of spot application flea medicines (the kind that you apply to the pet's skin using drops). You can read about the warning in detail here and read the EPA press release here.
The EPA describes a "significant increase in adverse incidents" from flea medicines and is planning on increasing its oversight over labeling requirements to make dosage instructions more precise. The EPA received roughly 45,000 complaints of negative reactions to flea medicines in 2008 - most of them minor, but including 600 reports of deaths of the pet. Many of these problems tend to result from misuse or improper use of the products, so here are some key things for you as an owner to watch out for:..." (see the link for more info)

I understand there can be real allergic reactions even with proper application. The medicine is strong and has to be to kill fleas...some animals are going to have problems with it, but, I personally question the intelligence of someone who films their cats' bad reactions to a medicine instead of bathing or trying to seek medical help for them -- I'm just saying, I wouldn't be totally shocked if the cats in the video had been given dog drops, or if directions weren't followed exactly and the cats were able to lick the medicine or something.

Here is a link that might be useful: Safety Guidelines for Flea Medicines

carla35 informs us about everything. I did not realize this was a witch hunt.

How did this forum funtion before she joined?

What is it about posters that try to post facts instead of emotionally based undocumented hysteria that gets so many people's panties in a twist? Carla took the time to share factual links and she gets slammed for it? Bad Carla. Don't confuse us with facts. It makes our brains ache. LOL

I guess for some people ignorance is bliss but I would like think most would be open to learning the facts. Silly me.

If one is concerned about this type of stuff why not ask your vet? I see this kind of thing all too often here. People trust what some doofus posted on a blog or what some minimum wage clerk at a counter said over their own vet or doctor.

All I'm saying is that with Hartz my cat foamed at the mouth. With Revolution purchased from the vet - no problems. Good enough for me.

And I'm just saying after using Frontline for many years and having 5 cats and 2 dogs on it half the year, I have never had any kind of reaction. And there were my other cats and dogs who have passed on. The ONE time I tried Hartz flea med on my cat, she foamed at the mouth and walked like she was dizzy, almost fell over. Vet said Hartz is crap.

Every morning my husband stops at the local convenience store for coffee and visiting after fishing. One of the employees there bought a Hartz product for her cat and it damn near killed it and she used it as directed. This was last week. She's an intelligent lady so I'm sure she used a cat product on the cat.

I do believe it when I read about the danger of Hartz's products and I wouldn't buy them for any reason. I was actually glad she told DH about it because a couple of times he's wanted us to use Hartz products and I always refuse to do it. Now he believes me.

There are just things/products that I won't skimp on, and pet stuff is one of them, much as I would like to save the $$$. Maybe it's 'cause I worked for a vet and saw a lot of the things that can happen, I don't know, but I don't think it's worth the risk. I've seen dogs lose all their hair on their necks from Hartz's flea collars, too and that's not a normal reaction.

Cats and puppies are far more likely to experience adverse reactions to flea products. Years ago it was recommended that only flea powders be used and that they be used with caution and washed away once they did the job. Even flea baths were deemed too harsh.

Another thing many people don't realize is that many heartworm tablets also have flea preventative. So some people who use both may be unknowingly overdosing their pets. Ask if you pet is already receiving flea protection through their heart worm meds.

Flea and heart worm preventatives are a wonderful science for animals that need them. If you live in a mosquito invested area heartworm meds are a must. But too many pets are on heart worm meds year round when they might only need them at specific times of the year,when traveling or never depending on where they live.

The same can be said for flea medications. Once the fleas and eggs have been dealt with then enough of the treatments already. There are some environments where regular flea maintenance may be required but not every household pet needs to be dosed with pesticide every month.

I have two large dogs. Both had fleas just once in their lives. The Lab as a puppy and the Rot when she first came to us in her later life because she was often at the dog park.

These dogs have "natural" flea prevention. I leave their coats alone except for brushing. All the dogs I know that have skin and flea problems are constantly being bathed as if they were children. They are dogs. They have natural skin oils that need not be washed away.

A muddy dog can be simply hosed down if needed but the full bath thing with shampoo, conditioner and cologne etc. is way over the top for many dogs. My dogs get a bath maybe twice a year or if they roll in something really disgusting. They don't smell, they don't have skin problems and they don't have fleas. They are brushed and their ears are cleaned. Their nails are kept short, one by nature and one who needs regular clipping and dremeling.

Please take a look at what you are doing to your pets. If there is a medical reason for doing something like extra bathing then fine. But don't just do things because every says so.

I am extremely lucky to have an honest vet who doesn't push unnecessary things but even some practices out there are really pushing products for profit these days.

I'll get off my soapbox now.