Two months ago, I thought I was being a responsible dog parent.
I live in Denver with my husband Mike and our 6-year-old Border Collie, Bailey.
Fresh Seresto collar every 8 months. Premium food. Annual vet visits. I was doing everything "right."
Or so I believed...
That's why when Bailey started acting strange on a Thursday evening, I almost dismissed it.
It was so subtle I nearly missed the signs.
Bailey seemed restless. He kept pawing at his collar and shaking his head.
"Maybe the collar is just tight," I told Mike. "He'll get used to it."
But at 3:17 AM, Bailey made a sound that will haunt me forever.
A deep, guttural cry of pain.
When I found him seizing in the hallway with foam coming from his mouth, my heart stopped.
I threw on clothes and raced to the emergency clinic.
The emergency vet's words hit me like a freight train: "Acute neurological distress. Without immediate treatment, he could have permanent brain damage."
Six hours and $4,847 later, Bailey was stable.
But then Dr. Rodriguez said something that shattered my world:
"This was 100% preventable. The root cause isn't genetics—it's chronic chemical poisoning from his flea collar."
"But it's a Seresto collar! My vet recommended it!" I protested.