DEAR READERS: Please see the following from Dogs Naturally magazine:
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"Thousands of pet owners experienced devastating and deadly effects (from) Seresto flea collars. Since 2012, they trusted the company’s safety claims. Now Elanco, the company selling these dangerous products, has agreed to a $15 million court settlement.
"Two pet owners filed this class-action lawsuit in California. They allege the company misled consumers about the safety of Seresto collars. The suit states Elanco 'misrepresented the product through affirmative statements, half-truths, and omissions regarding the safety of the product.'" (Full story: dogsnaturallymagazine.com, Oct. 24)
It is notable that no warnings are given to refrain from petting any animal wearing these insecticidal collars, with children being especially at risk. Nor is there any instruction not to allow treated dogs to enter freshwater ecosystems, even though these insecticides are documented as detrimental to aquatic life.
All externally applied and orally administered anti-flea and tick products containing imidacloprid and fipronil should be prohibited. Two alarming studies on the subject are "Distribution of fipronil in humans, and adverse health outcomes of in utero fipronil sulfone exposure in newborns"
(by Young Ah Kim et al., published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, 2019) and "Multiple neonicotinoids in children’s cerebro-spinal fluid, plasma and urine" (by Bernard Laubscher et al., published in Environmental Health, 2022).
Below are some additional issues of concern regarding Elanco and animal health.
-- In 2020, Elanco Animal Health completed its acquisition of Bayer's animal health division. Bayer probably needed to focus on other branches of its business -- namely, on dealing with thousands of lawsuits over its glyphosate herbicide, Roundup (which Bayer took over from Monsanto).
According to law firm Miller and Zois, "As of October 2024, Monsanto has reached settlement agreements in nearly 100,000 Roundup lawsuits. Monsanto (has) paid approximately $11 billion. ... Although these settlements account for nearly two-thirds of all Roundup claims, Monsanto estimates that 54,000 active Roundup lawsuits remain." (For details, see lawsuit-information-center.com/roundup-lawsuit.html.)
-- Another Elanco product is a feed additive called Paylean, which is marketed as a way to make pigs, turkeys and cattle put on more muscle and less fat. Paylean contains ractopamine hydrochloride, which can be regarded pharmaceutically as a psychoactive drug -- making animals feel tense, anxious and potentially more aggressive. This is an added stressor on these sentient creatures in the already-crowded conditions of factory farms. Additionally, animals given this drug often suffer from severe lameness.
Cooking does not eliminate ractopamine from meat, and some studies have raised concerns about its indirect impact on cancer development. It has not been allowed in the European Union, nor in almost 160 other countries, based on the 2009 European Food Safety Authority’s opinion on its safety. (For details, see drfoxonehealth.com/post/pharmaceutical-cruelty-in-animal-farms-consumer-beware.)
-- Elanco also sells Posilac, a bovine growth hormone product. Specifically, Posilac contains recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), a synthetic version of a hormone that increases milk production in dairy cows. RBST has been banned in Canada and in the EU for animal health concerns, including the risk of severe pain and distress for cows. (I testified against the FDA's approval of rBST when the product was first brought out by Monsanto, but approval was a "done deal" with the U.S. government.) Note that this product is not used in organically certified dairy products.
-- Elanco has posted an advisory for its widely used immunosuppressant drug, Apoquel, for dogs with skin problems. The notice (elanco.us/products-services/dogs/atopica-cyclosporine-capsules-usp-modified) includes several warnings. These include: "Atopica is a systemic immunosuppressant that may increase susceptibility to infection and development of neoplasia. Wear gloves during administration and wash hands after administration. ... Use with caution in dogs with diabetes mellitus or renal insufficiency."
The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, Division of Surveillance reviewed the Apoquel website and determined that it "makes false or misleading representations about the risks associated with Apoquel." For more details, and safer alternatives, see my post here: drfoxonehealth.com/post/apoquel-risks-and-alternatives-for-dogs-with-atopic-dermatitis.
-- Elanco is one of the Big Pharma companies lobbying against restrictions on antibiotic use in farm animals. For details, see the article "Narratives of Delay" by Michaela Herrmann for Sentient Media: sentientmedia.org/animal-pharma-industry-overuse-of-antibiotics.
(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.
Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)