Health Canada
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Consumer Product Safety

Incident Report

Subform I: General Information

1. Report Type.

New incident report

Incident Report Number: 2008-3668

2. Registrant Information.

Registrant Name (Full Legal Name no abbreviations): x

Address: x

City: x

Prov / State: x

Country: x

Postal Code: X

3. Select the appropriate subform(s) for the incident.

Domestic Animal

4. Date registrant was first informed of the incident.

25-SEP-08

5. Location of incident.

Country: CANADA

Prov / State: QUEBEC

6. Date incident was first observed.

23-AUG-08

Unknown

Product Description

7. a) Provide the active ingredient and, if available, the registration number and product name (include all tank mixes). If the product is not registered provide a submission number.

Active(s)

PMRA Registration No. 19480      PMRA Submission No.       EPA Registration No.

Product Name: PRO BORADUST INSECTICIDE DUST

  • Active Ingredient(s)
    • BORACIC ACID (BORIC ACID)

7. b) Type of formulation.

Application Information

8. Product was applied?

Yes

9. Application Rate.

Unknown

10. Site pesticide was applied to (select all that apply).

Site: Res. - Out Home / Rés - à l'ext.maison

11. Provide any additional information regarding application (how it was applied, amount applied, the size of the area treated etc).

I would like to know what can be done to make it mandatory for exterminators to issue warnings ( in paper form since sometimes a person can forget to talk about it) about the pesticides they're using and possible dangers to pets (even it it's only a small danger). I realize I can't get my cat back but I would like the lives of other animals to be as safe as possible as I'm sure I'm not the first one to lose a pet like this. I think I could spare other pet owners a lot of grief. I thought the PMRA would be the ideal people to contact. Your help in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Yours truly, (name)

To be determined by Registrant

12. In your opinion, was the product used according to the label instructions?

Unknown

Subform III: Domestic Animal Incident Report

1. Source of Report

Animal's Owner

2. Type of animal affected

Cat / Chat

3. Breed

Domestic Short Hair

4. Number of animals affected

1

5. Sex

Female

6. Age (provide a range if necessary )

4

7. Weight (provide a range if necessary )

Unknown

8. Route(s) of exposure

Skin

Oral

Unknown

9. What was the length of exposure?

Unknown / Inconnu

10. Time between exposure and onset of symptoms

>24 hrs <=3 days / >24 h <=3 jours

11. List all symptoms

System

  • General
    • Symptom - Death

12. How long did the symptoms last?

Persisted until death

13. Was medical treatment provided? Provide details in question 17.

No

14. a) Was the animal hospitalized?

No

14. b) How long was the animal hospitalized?

15. Outcome of the incident

Died

16. How was the animal exposed?

Accidental ingestion/Ingestion accident.

17. Provide any additional details about the incident

(eg. description of the frequency and severity of the symptoms

At the end of August an exterminator from (company) came to rid the ceiling of my balcony of a bees nest that was actually up in the ceiling, not the typical round behive. The guy told me that it could take up to 5 days to get rid of the bees. I had been living with the bees for well over a month. My 4 year old cat went out that day (Saturday), (I never even thought about the bees period). I saw her that evening at 8:00 when I was going out for dinner but she was lying on my steps (not the balcony). I wanted her to come in but she didn't want to and went over to the tree to sharpen her claws. That was the last I saw of her. Despite my efforts to look for her in the neighborhood the next day since she hadn't come home, I didn't find her. That Monday morning I got a phone call from my vet's office. A man called them since he found her and she was wearing her tags with their number on it. She was dead. I contacted the man to make arrangements to pick her up that evening when it was convenient for him. I talked to him and his wife. He said they were backing out of the driveway Sunday morning and that's when he saw her. He checked her at that time; she was dead and already stiff. I had asked him if she looked like she had been hit by a car or something, he said he didn't think so and that she looked fine, there was no blood on her. I went out of town that evening and buried her. The next day when I came home, I saw a white powdery substance all over the floor of my balcony. I normally hadn't gone out on the balcony because ther bees had been there for over a month and the condo corporation never toodk care of it when I emailed them when it first was starting up. Since the hive was up in the ceiling, I never even thought of checking the floor. I found out that the exterminator used boric acid for the bees nest which they claim it is safe for pets. I called the vet and found out that if it was ingested, it could be poisonous. (Company) another company, also said was safe for pets and after I told the woman that the vet said it can kill them, she told me that her husband went to college for that and that he should know. I immediately informed her that my vet would know more about it. (I was not impressed with her!). So here's what I think happened. I think my small, healthy, 4 year old cat, who had a clean bill of health a month before this incident, had her shots, had a healthy appetite and was in good spirits that Saturday morning before she went out, went onto my balcony at some point, and got this white powder on her paws and in her hair. Anyone who knows cats at all, knows they are very clean animals and groom themselves all the time. I think she groomed herself, ingested the boric acid that would have been in her hair and on her paws, and it killed her. I immediately vacuumed up the withe powder on my balcony since neighbourhood cats also come to my balcony and I didn't want them to have the same fate as my poor little cat. I think her death could have been prevented if the exterminator had given me a leaflet explaining the dangers of pesticides. Had he said something like 'don't let your pets or children in the area' and given me a pamphlet, it would have triggered in my mind, not to let Markie out. Then again, after hearing that (company) told the condo corporation that boric acid is safe for pets, he wouldn't give any kid of warning... Either they're stupid or outright lying. Boric acid can be used to clean your pets eyes but a topical solution isn't the same as ingesting it. You can put rubbing alcohol on an open wound, it might sting, but it's not the same as drinking it, it can kill you if your drink it. Hindsight is 20\20. I never even thought of the bees and never mad the link that stuff might have been on my floor considering the nest was up in the ceiling of the balcony. (to be continued in supplemental information)


To be determined by Registrant

18. Severity classification (if there is more than 1 possible classification

Not Applicable

19. Provide supplemental information here