A heartbroken owner claims his French bulldog puppy died after suffering a severe allergic reaction to a Wilko flea treatment.
James Whitley applied the high street store’s £2 Dog Spot-On flea repellent, manufactured by Bob Martin (UK) Ltd, to his pet dogs Ronnie and 19-month-old Reggie.
But moments later Reggie began ‘frothing at the mouth’ and despite the desperate efforts of vets, died less than 24 hours later.
James Whitley with his beloved 19-month-old French bulldog puppy Reggie
Mr Whitley claims Reggie died after ingesting the Wilko flea treatment
Mr Whitley applied the high street store’s £2 Dog Spot-On flea repellent, manufactured by Bob Martin (UK) Ltd, to his pet dogs Ronnie and 19-month-old Reggie
Mr Whitley, from Bletchley in Milton Keynes, claims he used the treatment on his dogs before and neither showed any signs of an allergy or reaction.
He has since shared a warning on social media which has amassed more than 35,000 shares.
The 69-year-old said: ‘Reggie showed symptoms within minutes of the product being applied. He started frothing at the mouth and shaking and refused to go out for a walk.
‘Within half an hour [of applying the product] we’d taken him to the vets and 10 minutes later he was in hospital.’
Reggie died in hospital the following day and vets sent a sample of the treatment away for testing.
Reggie died in hospital the following day and vets sent a sample of the treatment away for testing
Mr Whitley added: ‘We realised straight away that it was the flea treatment. There was no other reason why he acted the way he did.
‘When we spoke to the vets they both agreed that it was the flea treatment that was probably the problem.
‘There’s a danger there that the smell is attracting pets and making them lick it off their fur.’
Mr Whitley is now campaigning for pet products to carry warnings, claiming the Wilko treatment did not make clear the product could cause a reaction.
He has since shared a warning on social media which has amassed more than 35,000 shares
Mr Whitley added: ‘The vet said Reggie could have licked it off one of his shoulder blades where the treatment was applied’
A spokesperson from Wilko said the store would be carrying out a full investigation
A spokesperson from Wilko said: ‘Thousands of hard-working families have used Wilko Dog Spot On Flea Repellent satisfactorily and this is the first time we’ve had feedback like this. So, in collaboration with the manufacturer we will be carrying out a full investigation.
‘We would ask any customer who has an issue with a Wilko brand product or a product purchased from one of our stores or wilko.com, to call our customer care team or to return it to store.’
A Bob Martin spokesperson declined to comment but confirmed they were aware of the complaint and said an investigation was underway.