I bought Sentry Natural Defense Spray by Sergeants believing it was the best thing I could use to treat fleas on my cat as its marketed as 100% natural. I wouldn't rub pesticides and toxins on my skin so I would never apply them to my animal either. When I discovered this "safe" and natural product I was glad to read it would be a "safe" alternative for my pet. I used the spray on my cat Axsel as directed on the label. As he was oily after applying the spray, he kept licking and licking himself. Within just one hour Axsel showed signs of motor neuron disorder as he was unable to walk correctly, contracted full body spasms that were approximately three seconds apart and suddenly had a very hot belly, chest, under arms and legs. Axsel eventually started to smell burnt. For the next 24 hours I continued to wash him with a cloth and gave him another bath in attempts to get the product off of him. The side effects continued to get worse. He would sit in a daze, not play with his toys, was mostly unresponsive and lethargic with droopy eyes.... and continually would lick, lick lick the oils on his fur. On January 3, around Midnight, I called the poison hotline on the back of the spray bottle. I spoke to a woman who was adamant that there is no way for the spray to poison a cat. She said several times there is no possibility for him to have a "systemic reaction" from the product. Obviously she was either ignorant or trained to lie. She said to just give him a bath with dish soap. She said the only reaction Axsel could possibly have from the product is skin irritation. I begged to differ and opted to call my vet in the morning as Axsel was obviously seriously ill. If I had believed the woman on the poison control hotline and the information she provided me, (adamantly denying any toxic possibilities from the product and attempting to lead me to believe nothing serious could possibly happen to my cat from using the product), I may have put off taking Axsel to the vet and could have a dead cat right now. Thankfully, based upon the fever, the suffering and obvious motor neural deterioration that we were observing, we knew better. As a result, I called the vet early in the morning of January 4th. They told me to bring Axsel in immediately! They said they see this ALL the time with over the counter flea treatments. The cat's spasms and motor neuron damage can gradually get worse, turn into seizures and they can be, and have been fatal. Apparently every single ingredient in this 100% safe and natural flea treatment is extremely poisonous to cats and dogs. Axsel in fact DID HAVE A "SYSTEMIC REACTION" to it.
I wish I had known that there can be such dramatic, deleterious and potentially fatal side effects of this product. The product clearly can be dangerous. It can be dangerous even used as directed. There is NO warning of side effects, potential symptoms to look for, or instructions to immediately try to wash off the product if detrimental symptoms are observed, either on the label or on the company website. As a matter of fact the product instructions claim that the product can be used "as often as needed, 100% safe and natural, (just don't spray in eyes, nose and genitals.) I wish I had known sooner that there are other's who have experienced this with the Sentry Natural Defense product by Sergeant's. I have read 100's of complaints and discovered that this same exact reaction has happened to 1000's of animals according to the many reviews and complaints I have read by owners on a number of web sites. I never would have bought this product if I had known, as the companies labeling leads you to believe it is safe, and even the poison hotline "assistants" lead you to believe it is safe... even while the animal is clearly ill, suffering and undergoing spasms in your arms.
When I took Axsel to the hospital the staff immediately whisked him away. Fortunately about 4 days after coming home from the vet's, Axsel was out of the woods and I knew he would be fine as his improvement was substantial. Thankfully today, he appears mostly recovered.
Without adequate warning labels, this product should be removed from the shelves. My cat almost died. If I hadn't had the common sense and sensitivity to know that something was drastically wrong, in spite of the misinformation provided by your poison control hotline, we would have lost a dearly beloved member of our family. From my experience with your poison control hotline, it would appear that your employees are trained to deny any serious reactions (which can lead to even more animal suffering and deaths). I repeat, this product did not state any side effects. In fact on your web-site, in the FAQ area, it even states:
Question: "My pet grooms himself. What happens if my pet ingests some of this product?"
Answer: "Nothing. The active ingredients in the SENTRY Natural Defense products are all natural ingredients and are safe of ingestion. However, your pet may have a bad taste in his/her mouth. Simply give your pet a treat or something to drink to help with the bad taste."
The above is UNTRUE and misleading. Yes, each ingredient is "natural" but they are also completely toxic to cats and dogs. My cat ingested the oils by licking his fur. Within 1 hour he contracted total body spasms, soon after could no longer walk correctly and contracted a fever. Those were the initial immediate reactions. That is a "systemic reaction". A toxic reaction from ingestion of the product. Axsel was contained in the bathroom for 8 hours to fully dry from his bath. It was in the bathroom I applied the spray. He was not in contact with anything that he wasn't regularly and daily used to being in contact with the exception of your Sentry Natural Defense Flea spray. Axsel's bath is and always has consisted of the same natural aloe shampoo for animals, then a towel dry.
This entire experience had been very emotionally disturbing and draining to say the least. Do not whatever you do purchase this product for you pet. I even gave the name of the product to a lady I had met who wanted to take a natural route to treating her cat's fleas, before I used it myself, and when I called her to tell her that my cat was in the hospital and NOT to buy this product... she told me she already had and it burned all the hair off her cat's back from the spine down through the tail.
Just google warnings and dangers of this product for yourself...Get more detail about Sentry Natural Defense Natural Flea and Tick Spray for Cats and Kittens, 8-Fluid Ounce.
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