Could your pet be in danger? An I-Team investigation
Mar 1, 2004 8:45 pm US/Eastern
Could your pet be in danger? I-team reporter Joe Bergantino investigates.
Joanne Plumer treats all of her dogs like members of the family. So she
immediately noticed something was wrong with her 13-year-old dog named April.
Joanne Plumer: "She couldn't stand up any more, she couldn't eat, her mouth
was full of blisters, her fur was falling out."
It all started the day after April got a shot of this heartworm medication
called Proheart 6. Three weeks later, April had to be put to sleep.
Joanne Plumer: "We were devastated with April. We were totally devastated
with April. She was my baby."
Within a few weeks, Joanne’s other dog, 10-year-old Cuji, also treated with
Proheart 6 got very sick. Cuji died three months after getting her shot.
Joanne Plumer: "She went completely blind. Then you know, she started
coughing and coughing and she couldn't catch her breath and we checked her out and
she had complete kidney failure."
These are not isolated cases.
Our I-Team investigation has found that in the past two and a half years the
FDA has received more than four thousand reports of dogs getting sick after
getting a shot of Proheart six. And more than four hundred dogs have died
nationwide. The FDA says it's been able to link Proheart six to a small percentage
of those cases. But even those numbers are, in the FDA's words, "a cause for
concern", and the agency is investigating.
In fact, the FDA has twice told the makers of Proheart 6 to change its
labeling. Most recently, asking the company to add that there have been rare reports
of death.
Dr. Bob Rogers: "I think this is just the tip of the iceberg."
Veterinarian Bob Rogers wonders why the FDA c has not taken the drug off the
market.
The FDA’s answer: it believes the medication could potentially save the lives
of more dogs than it harms.
But Dr. Rogers disagrees.
Dr. Bob Rogers: "I have seen veterinary drugs pulled off the market when
there were less deaths involved than this."
As for the manufacturer of Proheart 6, a company called fort dodge animal
health, it declined an on-camera interview but released this statement saying:
Millions of U.S. dogs have benefited from the heartworm protection provided by
Proheart 6.
The reports submitted to the FDA represent a fraction of 1% of the total
doses sold. And the product has been proven to be safe. Donna Sadoski doesn't
believe that. Her eleven-year-old dog Sammy went blind after getting a shot of
Proheart 6.
Donna Sadoski: "I wonder how many animals will be put to sleep? How many
animals will have life threatening problems they will have to deal with for the
rest of their lives before someone stops this medicine from actually being given
to them."
The makers of Proheart 6 say they do not believe their heartworm medication
caused Donna's and Joanne’s dogs to get sick.
But the FDA continues to investigate, at this point asking the company to
find out if there are any impurities in the drug's formula that may be causing
problems.
If your dog becomes ill after being treated with Proheart 6, you should
report it to the FDA’s center for veterinary medicine. The number to call is
1-888-fda-vets. Or visit thier website at www.fda.gov