PetArmor Plus Recall
You’ve probably seen them: new flea products have come on the market recently, claiming to be the same as Frontline Plus, but costing about half of the price.
One such product, PetArmor Plus has just been recalled.
The product packaging looks extremely similar to Frontline. And, the active ingredients are exactly the same.
Is PetAmor the same as Frontline?
Even though the active ingredients – fipronil and methoprine are the same, the inactive ingredients (which make up 90% of the product) are not. The makers of PetArmor, Cipla, located in India, do not reveal what the inactive ingredients are. Some vets feel that the inactive ingredients in frontline that help to spread the product over the skin of the animal work much better than the generic brands and leave less “grease” on the animal’s skin.
With that being said, a recent study that compared a similar generic product found that it was just as effective as Frontline was for fleas.
Why is PetArmor being recalled?
The recall was ordered by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia. The court ruled that PetArmor Plus infringes on patents that are owned by Merial, the makers of Frontline.
To this point 10 million dollars worth of PetArmor plus has been sold. The product was previously available over the counter at Wal-Mart, Sam’s and PetSmart stores.
Merial may be awarded damages. However, Cipla Ltd is filing for appeal.
Share your experiences!
Have you used Pet Armor Plus? What was your experience like? Leave us a comment below.
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About the author
Dr. Marie is a veterinarian treating dogs, cats, and pocket pets. Click here to ask Dr. Marie a question.
52 Responses to "PetArmor Plus Recall"
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I purchased pet armor from walmart & applied it to my 4 dogs, 3 adult dachshunds & one chihuahua mix. One of my dachshunds developed blisters all along her back. She was very uncomfortable if you touched her back. My vet told me the product burned her skin causing the blisters. He told me to NEVER use it again. I have learned a valuable lesson.
I have used it on my 2 cats several times. It is messier than Frontline, makes them really greasy for about a week. But WalMart should have told us about the recall, instead of just saying it was backordered.
I have purchased Pet Armor Plus after a few months of hearing about it, and I have 2 chihuahua’s Not a single negative reaction, Not a single flea, Not a single nothing, it works just as well as frontline plus just WAY cheaper. It’s ridiculous that Frontline can’t value a little competition. If a product has the same active ingredients how can it not work the same basically Pet armor plus is a generic form of frontline plus. All company’s do the same thing by releasing a generic version once the patent runs out and it saves the consumer money; which now a days is needed.
Just because your pets did okay on Petarmour doesn’t render the product safe. Just so you know, my cat almost died from petarmour. My cat is NOT the only cat or dog to almost lose her life to this product. NO it doesn’t kill every animal, or almost kill every animal, but considering grand mal seizures, tremors, and either almost dying or dying ARE what happens if one of the undisclosed poisons in it adversely affects a pet IT IS NOT WORTH GAMBLING TO USE IT, just to save a few bucks. The vet bills associated with having to treat a bad reaction to Petarmour are AT LEAST $1000!!!! So think about all I just wrote because a future pet you adopt might not fare as well as the pets you have now did. It’s also naive to assume a product is safe for all just because it was fine for yours—- although that isn’t a guarantee either. You are putting poison on your pets so they may wind up with cancers later.
Thank you for your comment…I totally agree!
I purchased this product for dogs at Walmart after the recall ( I didn’t know about the recall at the time). Walmart is not advising customers and refuse to remove it from the shelves. I called the company. They refused to give me the ingredients. They said as a consumer I have no right to know the ingredients. They would not let me speak with a supervisor nor give me a corporate phone number. This product is TOXIC TO CATS and no where on the packaging or inserts does it tell the consumer about the risk to cats. Walmart still refuses to remove this product saying that is not their responsibility. I will advise the product safety commission and my state attorney general’s office regarding this product Tell everyone you know DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT. KNOW THE INGREDIENTS ARE WHICH YOU ARE SUBJECTING YOUR PET TO! BE SAFE NOT SORRY!
When the FDA recalled a Hartz cat flea product years ago, I saw it on Walmart’s shelves. I called the FDA, they said, “The retailer can sell off the product that is still on the shelf !!!! BEWARE !!!
You are correct. My cat almost died from this product Petarmour. I am on my way to pick her up from the vet after a two day stay. She had grand mal seizures and tremors for two days. BAD stuff— Obviously there is POISONOUS TOXINS amongst the ingredients they say consumers don’t have a right to know about. My cat’s fur is being sent off for testing. BUT because Petarmour made that arrangement, I don’t feel trustful of that… we shall see.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but anyone who knows anything about these products, not just frontline or advantage or pet armor, would know if it’s FOR DOGS it’s NOT to be used on cats. If you opened your eyes it DOES say “NOT FOR USE ON CATS”…. It may not say actual words but it always will have a cat in a circle with a line through it so for you to say they never told you is completly wrong on your part. You are also slandering them by saying do not use this for your own person reasons. Just because you have flea infested animals doesn’t mean that it won’t work on a person who actually does take care of their animals that use it just as a precaution for fleas. You need to bath your animals more and then you won’t be infested anymore.
This product gave one of my two dogs seizures… Horrible horrible seizures… I will never EVER use this product again and I hope this company get sued over the grief and pain it has brought to our families and pets… I’m looking to get my money back
Sorry about your dog. My cat had seizures and tremors. Thankfully she lived thanks to two days in the pet hospital. I am in fact on my way to pick her up now.
Have any of you actually read the article? It wasn’t recalled for toxicity issues, it was over patent infringement. Being that Frontline lost the patent for the active ingredients one can only assume that its over the nearly identical packaging. I haven’t see anyone attacking Fiproguard, the generic that is sold by petsmart and petco. The ingredients are identical, spoke to my vet about it.
There is no way to verify that the ingredients are identical. Your vet is incorrect about ingredients being exact between products. ALL of the ingredients are NOT listed or disclosed, so how would your vet know that? I’ve been at the vet for days because my cat almost died from Petarmour and my vet, who is very respected in her field, stated the product is NOT monitored at all, very few are. So noone is stupid or an idiot or whatever you wrote. Calling yourself common sense and then deciding that because ONE vet said something it IS so is not sensible. As much as vets do know, there are many things they do not—- I know people whose vet told them to feed their pets Purina for example… Gotta run, heading off to pick my cat up that PetArmour almost killed.
My daughter’s dog had the same reaction to this product as
G. Martel’s dog. The vet told my daughter to write a letter to thecompany to pay the vet bill. He said if they don’t, he has it on record and my daughter should sue the company.
I bought PetArmor Plus from Sam’s Club and used it on my 5 dogs. I was attracted by the same active ingredients and lower price. As far as I know, it seemed to work well (stopping them from scratching). But I distributed it down my dogs’ entire backs (the way Frontline’s instructions read) instead of pouring the entire contents between their shoulders as the PetArmor Plus directions state. I didn’t see how it would protect my dogs if it stayed in one spot. When my dogs wallowed in the grass and dirt, they had a greasy, dirty streak down their backs, which lasted for days. I tried brushing some of the excess grease from their hair, but I didn’t want to wash it off since it shouldn’t be reapplied for 30 days. Also, one of my dogs must have liked the taste of PetArmor Plus, because I kept catching him licking it off my other dog’s back, even after a few days. It does have a pleasant smell (why add fragrance to flea, tick product?), but I know it shouldn’t be eaten. Bottom line, I’m going back to using Frontline or Advantix. Even when those products got in my dogs’ hair instead of on their skin, it wasn’t greasy and I didn’t have to worry about it being licked off.
I love this product! It’s not being recalled due to a defect in the product. It’s the makers of Frontline wanting their cut of the profits! Frontline has had this corner of the market for more than a decade, it’s time to share.
I was very pleased with Pet Armor Plus and will use it again when it returns to the shelves.
I have used this product and it worked fine I never had a problem with my dog. Different dogs are allergic to different things Frontline did not kill any fleas so I changed and this pet armor does what frontline is not doing. Would buy it again. This is not a recall for adverse affects!! Read it again..it’ for the profit of frontline it’s recalled. ANY one can see this is for dogs and not cats..how dumb can you be see the DOG picture??
My husband and I have been involved in pet rescue for 26 years. As you well know, the cost of caring for pets can be astronomical. When PetArmor Plus came out, we jumped at the chance to try their product on our cats and dogs. We have used PetArmor from the beginning and can report that it has “NOT” had an adverse effect on our animals. Personally we feel that Frontline is fighting the issue of PetArmor Plus due to the fact that it is hurting them financially. Frontline charges way too much for their products. They’ve monopolized the market long enough. It’s time for someone else to be able to produce a similar product, at a lower cost. I believe in making a profit, but I don’t believe in ripping people off and taking advantage of them. Shame on Frontline for not offering their product at a lower cost. There are elderly people on a fixed income that cannot afford the high cost of Frontline.
So true!
Well said. To many people fall victim to frontlines propiganda. I have been using petarmor on my great danes with results identical to frontline and no adverse effects.
We have used this product on rescue dogs and it is the ONLY product that has stopped ticks. Frontline does NOT do it nor does K9Advantix. But it is the petarmor Plus that has worked. I hope it is back on the shelves soon. Never had one negative reaction to it in our dogs.
i have a Jackrussel that its been throwing up yellow liquid (i think it could be Vilis) and I’m suspicious that it could be due to her flea medication. I currently have used PetArmor from walmart. Any ideas you think could be doing this to her? Thank you.
I have 5 dogs and I love PetArmor Plus. It works just as good as Frontline Plus and doesn’t iritate my dogs’ skin, doesn’t smell, and isn’t greasy. I hope they can change the packaging and start selling it again soon.
I usually use Advatage, but my dogs and cats seem or maybe the fleas are now immune to it after using it for years. I purchased PetArmor at Sam’s Club a year ago it worked great. Now Walmart carries it and Frontline as well. My husband went to Walmart had coupons and came home with Frontline. I was happy that he got the “good stuff” at a dollar less than the generic PetArmor. Frontline did NOT work on my dogs and cats and 8 week old kittens after 2 applications. So today I sent him to Walmart to get the PetArmor. Can you believe the generic worked better than the name brand? First and last time we try Frontline Plus. Hopefully we get the same results that we had with PetArmor. It worked great. If not I’m going back to Advantage. The fleas down here in Florida give us a run for our money!
By the way I forgot to mention that the Frontline Plus had left open sores on 3 of my adult cats. The other two adult cats were fine and the 3 kittens too. It was unfortunate that it only worked for 2 days. I will let you know if the generic comes through for us again as it did last spring.
i have a 17 yr old cat and have always used Advantage on her. I was a little nervous using Pet Artmor on her at her age. It is greaser than Advantage and I still saw fleas on her when used the flea comb days after I applied the Pet Armor…never had this with Advantage and I used Advantage very sparingly with her & even gone a yr or 2 between treatments because it’s chemicals
I have used this product repeatedly on my 3 dogs. They have been flea free with no adverse reactions. I did notice that it was a bit more greasy than the Frontline, but the cost difference make up for the temporary inconvenience. I am on a fixed income, as I am a retiree, it was sure nice to be able to purchase a working flea product at a reasonable price.
I just finished a box of Frontline Plus and although the first 2 tubes worked well, the third did not work at all. The fleas were still there 12 hrs later, then 36 hrs later. Its been 3 weeks and I am losing the battle since I cannot reapply for another week. Too bad, because I was reluctant to switch. Now I will be trying the new generics as well.
Just so you know, Frontline plus may be reapplied after only 2 weeks… and it may be applied right after a bath but be certain the pet is completely dried first…. this information is on the Frontline plus FAQ webpage here… http://www.frontlineplus.com.au/puppy_love/dogs_frontline_FAQs.asp
If that URL does not work, just google the terms ” Frontline plus + FAQ”
I find it disturbing that as soon as a product is recalled people start to jump on the bandwagon. People are failing to realize that its not a recall for performance. It’s because frontline makers are greedy. I have used frontline plus for all of my dogs. We tried pet armor and it worked just as well for us but we spend summers up north here in Michigan and we had to switch to k9 advantix 2 for its mosquito and black fly protection. Hasn’t anyone ever tried a shampoo that didn’t work for them? Or a lotion that made them itch or even had food poisoning? Animals are the same. I had my dog on nutro venison and brown rice…she was scratching and going blald I tried 3 other foods. She’s allergic to grain. So she’s has to be on a sweet potato and fish. I didnt start calling nutro telling them they made my dogs hair fall out. Dogs have allergies and sensitivity to products probably more so than human. There is nothing wrong with frontline except thwy need to stop monopolizing the market. There’s nothing wrong with pet armor. So stop saying its defective cause it didn’t work for you… It is possible your dogs allergic to it or chemical makeup or environment makes it less effective.
I have used Frontline on my two toy poodles for years with no adverse reactions. I decided to try Petarmor to save some money and put it on both of my dogs as usual. One of my poodles was not affected by the change in any way. The other dog immediately developed a bright red inflamed should and upper back area and was in much discomfort. I bathed him to remove the chemical from his skin and a week later he had a nasty peeling situation all over the grapefruit sized area where the chemical had been applied. I have ordered more Frontline and hope to have the same good results from it on both of my poodles. We have a problem in our area with lime disease and need to prevent ticks from feeding on our little guys. Since the burn only occured on one of my two dogs, I can only presume he had a sensativity to some of the inactive ingrediants that are differentt from the frontline.
I have used frontline plus for yrs my current pet is 10 yrs old and recently diaognoised with diabeties. I have bought a packages of Pet Armor plus and then one pk of Pet Armor due to not being able to buy Pet Amour plus at the time. But I find no problems with the Pet Armor or Pet Armor Plus works just as good if not better then Frontline Plus.
I don’t recommend this product to anybody! yes it is cheaper than Frontline but it doesn’t work and it is messy! my poor dogs are covered in fleas and i have to wait 2 more weeks to apply Frontline! what a waste of money!!!
I have used frontline on my boston terrier for almost 12 yr. I used the petamour once and he broke out down his back into big sores..I took him to his vet and had to have him on antibotics for 10 days to clear up the badly irritation down his spine. I notified PetAmour and also spoke with ASPCA guess the are in with them.
Now I am afraid to even use any thing on him..but have a way to go for the dry skin to go away and his hair to grow back. He got his medicated bath today..we are making progress.
Frontline, Whine, Whine, Whine, you can’t bust pet owners with your overpriced crap no more! Pet Armor works fabulous! Bwahahahahah
I have a 3 year old American Bulldog/Bull Mastif Mix, and she is allergic to just about anything. My Husband purchased the Frontline Plus, and it worked the first two times, and after that it didn’t work. The Pet Armour did the same thing, “NOT WORK”!! So if your concerned for your pets health, try CAPSTAR!! It is a pill, and it is 100% safe, and it gets rid of all living fleas. This is idea for inside animals, or if you just have one animal that can’t have fleas spread from each other. You can get them pretty cheap at any of the popular animal product websites. Good luck!!
Capstar is great for getting rid of adult fleas that are currently on a dog or cat but there is absolutely no residual effect. If your pet has fleas, there will definitely be flea eggs and larvae in the environment. If you don’t have a product with residual activity then you’re going to continue to have problems. A similar product that does have residual activity is Comfortis. It’s a chewable pill given once a month.
I’m going to buy PetArmor instead just to force Frontline to lower their ridiculous prices! They are done ripping ME off!
We have 3 dogs (lab, lab-pyrenees cross, and great pyrenees) that have been on a variety of flea & tick products including Frontline, Comfrontis, and Advantage. We started using PetArmor Plus last summer due to the high cost of Frontline and Advantage. I had no idea about the recall of Pet Armor until reading the postings on this website today. Our dogs never had a reaction to any of the flea medications we have given them in the past. They didn’t have a reaction until we gave them their first batch of Pet Armor this year. My husband always put the spot on treatments on the dogs and spread it out by putting several spots from head to tail. This year I put the PetArmor Plus on them and followed the directions, putting it between the shoulder blades on their spine. Within 4 hours the dogs had bright red patches all over them but primarily on their head and neck. By the next morning, those bright red patches had turned into raw patches with no skin. Something that the manufacturer is putting in PetArmor Plus is VERY TOXIC. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the active or inactive ingredients. I am furious with Cipla, the manufacturer of PetArmor Plus. They’re promoting and selling this stuff as “the same as Frontline” when they know that it is NOT. And odds are that they knew before they started producing and selling PetArmor Plus what adverse reactions would result from the ingredients they used. Even though the chemical structure may be basically the same, manufacturers take short-cuts or make changes during the manufacturing process that results alteration. We may pay more for medicines and chemicals produced in the USA, but at least we have recourse if there’s a problem. With China, India, etc. it’s BUYER BEWARE !!
Thank you very much for sharing!
I wanted to point out that there actually was no recall on PetArmor Plus because of reactions. Rather, the drug infringed on a Frontline patent and was recalled for legal issues. With that being said, as with most medications, if something seems to good to be true (i.e. greatly reduced cost) there is probably a reason for it!
People PLEASE….. When you apply this type of stuff just think about yourself. Would you like a rash? Do you use chemicals? If the answer is no then read on… From one regualr pet owner to another here goes… First thing you do to your animal is to actually get rid of the fleas and the eggs left behind then use an ingestable pill to keep them from liking your particular animal. Or better yet GOOGLE it! 100 million people can not be wrong using natural stuff to keep fleas away. I’m talking a minute extra work to add something to your dog or cats meals. Fleas do NOT like all animals. First of all you need to VACUUM and WASH bedding. (yours and the pets) Make sure you dump the vacuum dirt into a sealed bag and dispose of it outside. Speaking of Vacuum, 2 things…. #1. Make sure you do it everyday till all fleas and their eggs are gone and #2. This is a great place to use that CHEMICAL flea treatment you bought… Put it into the vacuum bag so when fleas are sucked in they DIE! (if you have a clear vacuum that you dump out you will NEVER use flea stuff again after putting in in there. Watch what it looks like when you try to dump it out, if you can. Maybe it has already adheared to the plastic tub and burnt the plastic….) Next lets move on to your pet… The regular BLUE Dawn dish washing liquid when used like a flea shampoo (ie. apply and keep rubbing it in all over for about 5 minutes use the flea comb and wash them off. ) is very effective but keep in mind dish soap dries your skin so use your favorite friendly conditioner to keep away the dryness and voila! Fleas and eggs gone. If you are afaid to bring the animal inside then use a WET cloth with rubbing alcohol and watch the fleas just jump off to live… then you can bring them inside and wash them off. Neotodes (that you get from the local nursery) can work in the yard to get rid of the fleas or a 2 time pest control person can do the same. 2 times because they kill live fleas not eggs and the eggs hatch about every 2 weeks. Remember to walk the animals elsewhere for 2 days after spray I say better safe then sorry. Your animal RELIES ON YOU to KEEP them SAFE!
And finally, to the pet owners who said…. the box didn’t say it was toxic to cats….. You should NOT own a pet!! If a cats picture was on the box would you use it on the dog? OMGosh…. Dog picture on box = Dog
Cat picture on box = Cat
I debated on whether or not to publish this reply. There are some good points in it, but I wanted to clarify that it is very uncommon that natural methods alone will get rid of fleas. Some of the things you mentioned will help to cut down on numbers, but I have found that you almost always have to use a prescription strength flea product. And trust me, in 13 years of practice I’ve dealt with thousands of people who are struggling with flea issues! I’ve written a full article on flea control here: http://www.askavetquestion.com/your-pet-has-fleas.php
Petarmor may not have been recalled for health reasons but having used Frontline on my English Sheepdog for 10 years I purchased Petarmor in Walmart and applied it as the instructions. She developed a large deep sore on her back which had to be treated with antibiotics. I guess I got off lightly – she seems OK now but now not sure if I want to use anything on my baby girl
I am a small breeder of Great Pyrenees. Ive never lost a live born pup. I used the Pet Armor which states it is safe for pregnant canine. I used the product one week before one litter and 2 weeks prior to a second litter for the first time ever. I lost 12 puppies and Im devestated. My pups are like children to me, as they are to most. Buyer beware!!!!!!!!!!! Im currently trying to see if I can prove the Pet Armor was the culprit that I suspect. This is the greatest tragedy I have ever experienced with any pets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Product claims it is safe for pregnant canine. I used it once on my 2 pregnant Great Pyrenees. I lost 12 live born pups which are like children to me. Im just a very small breeder but I have never lost a live born pup until using Pet Armor. Buyer beware!!!! signed DEVESTATED
I have been using frontline on my miniature schnauzer for years. He has never had an adverse reaction. I purchased Pet Armor and applied as directed and within a day he developed large pus-filled lesions between his shoulder blades and on his sides. I’ve been reading about neurotoxin side effects and 75,000 complaints and I’m not waiting another day for him to see a vet. I’m extremely upset I didnt read the label more closely for all of the ingredients. It’s a shady practice and there are too many complaints of lesions for this to be a sensitivity issue.
After using PetArmor for 3 straight months on my cats and getting no results (except for their fleas getting worse), I’m going to pay the extra $12 and get the Frontline…such a small price to pay for my cats’ comfort!
These retards that think Pet Amor was recalled because of anything other than “trademark infringement” are just too dumb. Can’t they read? Also, if your dog had a negative reaction, it’s just like humans- sensitivity to an ingredient! Simple as that! It can happen with ANY product. And if you used a dog medicine for a cat-then you are ignorant, and I feel sorry for your pets you dumb**s!
I purchased Pet ArmorPlus and applied it to my 2 Siberian Huskies. Great stuff; it works just as well as Frontline Plus. This will be my 3rd summer using it. I’ve had NO PROBLEMS!
I used the regular Petarmour and had no issues. Walmart was out of Petarmour but had Petarmour Pro Advanced. This was a huge mistake! My dog had 2 seizures in 2 days and has blisters on the area it was applied. It didnt even kill the fleas. I had to get antibiotics for him to take and an antibiotic wash to put on the blisters. Do not buy this crap!
Used this on 3 of my Persian cats and 2 of them had burn type of sores on their necks/shoulder blades – I will not be using this product again.