Rimadyl - Fatal Reaction

[nabs]

I have used this drug for years under supervision from my vet. Not had a problem with any dog. BTW Carprofen is Rymadyl. It MUST be given with food. ALWAYS or it can damage the stomach.

[Stolzseinrotts]

Vernie, I am very sorry for your loss.

RIP Bailey.

We are another that will NEVER use Rimadyl, we are very very aware of what it can do to our dogs. We lost one of our dogs to this drug.

[stormie]

I was just saying that Rimadyl is exactly the same as Carprofen and Norocarp. So if the fatalities from Rimadyl are due to the lining of the stomach being stripped away and organ damage occuring, that's going to be from the Carprofen, and very unlikely to be something specific to just Rimadyl.

In dogs, Carprofen is a selective Cox-2 inhibitor, as is Previcox, Metacam etc. Cox's are enzymes that synthesize prostoglandins. The prostoglandins that Cox-1 synthesize are responsible for protecting the stomach and the kidneys. Cox-2 is associated with inflammation.

The way in which these drugs work, however, is known to vary within species. It is believed that many of these NSAIDS, whilst being Cox-2 selective in dogs, are not so target specific in humans, therefore they may inhibit both Cox-2 AND Cox-1 - hence the side effects noted and why they were pulled from use.

We know that in dogs, the NSAIDS that we use, eg Carprofen, Meloxicam, etc, are over 100 times more selective in inhibiting Cox-2 over Cox-1, so they predminantly reduce inflammation and spare the stomach and the kidneys.

But, they are not 100% in sparing Cox-1 and I guess its possible that some dogs are different, in the same way that the action can differ amongst species, may affect one dog more than another. Or maybe the excretion process in some dogs is different, so the drug stays within the body and builds up. Or maybe some dogs have lower levels of Cox-1 than 'normal' so those that may be affected may leave the dog with no protection at all.

[ish]

Thats very interesting Stormie - thanks for posting

[vernie]

i have just been on the phone to Pfizer...

they are pretty insistant that my case is rare, however after reading your posting, i believe that i am not alone.

if anyone else has gone through this recently, please notify them.

it may have been a bad batch.

[Nekhbet]

these same things have been going on for as long as I have known about Rymadyl. I used it because I was desperate but thankfully I learned of alternative pain relief and healing techniques before I euthanised a second dog to HD.

[Monah]

Im so sorry for everyone who has been affected, how tragic

I've never even been prescribed this drug, or heard of it, so thankyou all for sharing your sad stories.

The only drug my vets have ever given is previcox, and before that metacam. But always with a heap of usage directions. One of mine also has a cartrophen inj every 6 months. Is this dangerous? I only ever use the previcox if absolutley necc. maybe about once a month or even less.

I'm terribly terribly sorry for your loss vernie thankyou so much for the warning.xxxxxxx

[Nekhbet]

cartrophen and carprophen are two completely different things. The worst thing I've seen with cartrophen is that it has no effect at all, never seen a side effect

[westielover]

So sorry for everyone's losses

My vet prescribed Rymadyl for 10 days for my westie but I declined. I had googled Rymadyl and found sites where it is referred to as ryma-kill! Rymadyl seems to have fatal effects - especially on labs & german shepards. Also, long term use of rymadyl will probably lead to a fatal ending for any breed of dog.

I looked at alternate therapies for HD & osteo-arthritis and found acupuncture & liquid cumerone to be the best options for my westie. Liquid cumerone is made from tumeric which is known for it's anti-inflammatory properties. My 10 year old westie seems to be doing really well on this combination - so much so, that he has taken to rumbling around with my 18 mth old kelpie. You would never know that he suffered from any pain!

I think in this day and age when there are so many drugs readily available - one should question their vet for alternate options as well as the truth about the long term effects of drug use.

[goldchow]

Stormie I understand that Rimadyl affects the liver which is why vets are supposed to do blood counts and screening of the patient before and while this drug is being administered. I have never known any vet to do this even though the enclosed leaflet has recommended this procedure since Pfizer lost the first class action.

Obviously it affects different dogs and certain breeds differently, we've had dogs in the boarding kennels who have been on this drug for years with no effect. I'm aware of others who have taken it for one to several days and are dead within the month, sometimes three months later.

It all comes down to each and everyone of us needing to be very aware of what we're medicating our dogs with by asking lots of questions, understanding what side effects we need to watch for, doing our own research and checking out more alternative methods.

[Teebs]

We had a dog at the kennels who started to pass blood, he was very sick and it came down to the Rimadyl, took him off it and he was ok, one very lucky dog

so what the hell is the best thing for a dog with arthritis?

[Nekhbet]

so what the hell is the best thing for a dog with arthritis?

- warmth (even coolish days, jumper or pj's that cover chest and joints

- super strength fish oil

- chiro/actupuncture

- 1000mg glucosamine/chondroiten tabs

- a diet as free from artificial additives and grains as possible

- keep their weight right down, below 'average' if you can

[goldchow]

I've had a line which developed severe arthritis with no response to Cartrophen, and together with all that Nekhbet suggests above I've had best results with pure green lipped mussel powder which I used to get from my vet. Now using Technaflex with good results however every dog is different and what works for one may not work for another, a case of trial and error. Bowen Therapy can also assist.

[misselaineyus]

WOW! I'm a little shocked and thankful.

Vernie, and everyone else, I am very sorry to hear of your loss. This is completely disgraceful!

Recently we thought our 9 month old lab had injured his elbow, shoulder or hip and took him to the vet. He was prescribed Rimadyl. We were not once given any advice or warnings of undesired side effects (it was not our usual vet). However, as a nurse I am aware that all drugs have side effects. It has no doubt made me a touch complacent, I glanced over the brochure with little consideration. It is for this reason that I am quite thankful.

Never again. Thank you to all for a very informative thread. I had absolutely no idea that Rimadyl had such a fatal record with labs, or any other breed, and will never use it again.

[Brennan's Mum]

I am so sorry for everyone's losses on this drug. I have heard too many negative things about this drug that I highly doubt I would allow vet's to use it on my dog.

[Bully]

I am so sorry for everyone's losses on this drug. I have heard too many negative things about this drug that I highly doubt I would allow vet's to use it on my dog.

When Pele broke her foot when she was 9 months old she was sent home with Rimadyl (just the bottle, no leaflets, warnings etc ). Luckily I was well informed about the drug and refused to use it. I used homeopathic arnica.