Rimadyl - Fatal Reaction

[Bullbreedlover]

So very sorry for your loss vernie.

Unfortunately the side effects to rimadyl can be quite devastating.

This has been known by vets for many years now yet they still prescribe the drug.

Many vets will offer another drug which is safer for your pet.

I urge anyone whose dogs may need to go on this medication to insist that their vet offer another alternative if possible.

Some dogs can be on rimadyl and have no side effects, for others they are not so lucky.

[Kelpie-i]

I am feeling really sick to my stomach reading this thread. My GSD boy, albeit 16 years of age, died in January after a bout of seizures. The week prior to him having the seizures he was prescribed Rimadyl by the vet for severe arthritis. Apart from arthritis pain and some dementia, he was generally well until the seizures. Could it have been the rimadyl that caused the seizures that took his life? Bloods were taken in September last year and all functions were normal.

OMG.....did I kill my dog I am so very sorry to hear of your loss Vernie...absolutely tragic!!!

Edited July 10, 2010 by Kelpie-i

[Nekhbet]

there is an alternative, ask for Norocarp I found it much kinder

[Cosmolo]

I thought norocarp and carprophen were similar to/ the same as rimadyl? Sorry to everyone who has lost their dogs.

[Rebanne]

sorry for the loss of your beautiful boy. I have used rimadyl with no problems so far but I have also read that labs are in the high risk catergory for reactions to it. This was years ago when it 1st came out.

[Sankari]

That is very interesting to know about the Vitamin E /Arnica being good for inflammation. Thanks for posting that BD

My dog has had a ACL repair done almost 8 weeks ago, and she was prescribed Rimadyl chewables for 7 days. However never again will I let her be on these drugs. I went through far too much with my previous Golden Retriever who died aged 6 years, she had severe HD ED and Arthritis and over the course of her 6 years was on Rimadyl, Metacam, Cartrophen injections and Zydol all from the vet and each eventually caused problems (vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy) to her and of course in the end her stomach had ulcers because of long term use on the drugs. Her death was due to Lymphoma not drug reactions, but it does go to show just how common these reactions are that vets do not inform their clients about :D

Vernie: It will take time for your family to come to terms with Bailey being gone, in the meantime we are here if you need Keeping you in my thoughts.

I'm sorry to everyone else who has lost their dogs to the dreadful drugs, I cant possibly imagine what you have all gone through with losing your dogs to these horrible drugs.

[aussielover]

I'm so sorry to hear about bailey RIP

Thankyou for posting this though, I was unaware that labradors were more prone to bad reactions to rimadyl. I will not let Mindy or any of my future labs have it now.

Does anyone know if metacam or previcox have similar incidences of adverse reactions? They are also NSAIDs but diferent active ingredient.

[pebbles]

I've used Metacam for Mickey's leg when he shows pain, mainly from running around like an idiot. He would possibly only have 2/3 courses during 12 months, then just for 2/3 days until he stops limping, this has been the oral one. When he got the mystery illness a few weeks back and the first Vet I went to insisted it was arthritis despite my saying it wasn't, she gave him a Metacam injection on the Monday and told me to give him the oral twice daily for 5 days. On the Tuesday afternoon he had two seizures. I stopped the Metacam, phoned the Vet to tell them and they said to keep using it! No way, too many memories of Ben's reaction to Rimadyl! I took Mick to a friend's Vet at Ballarat and Mick is ok now and it wasn't arthritis. Anyway, it's made me very wary of using Metacam again, even the oral.

[Nekhbet]

rimadyl and Norocarp both contain Carprofen but the rest of the tablet is god knows what crap. I weaned my dog off to Norocarp too as that was sending him to an early grave through not being able to walk.

Although some dogs respond well to carprofen, it is capable of causing liver and kidney problems in some animals, and in the early days of introduction there were significant anecdotal reports of sudden animal deaths arising from its use.

This medication has been found to be deadly for some dogs, as witnessed by the FDA receiving more than 6,000 bad reaction reports about the drug manufactured by Pfizer. As a result, the FDA requested that Pfizer advise consumers in their advertising that death was a possible side effect.[citation needed] Pfizer refused and pulled their advertising, however they have included "death" as a possible side effect on the drug label. Plans call for a "Dear Doctor" letter to be issued to veterinarians and a safety sheet will be attached to pill packages.

Pfizer acknowledges a problem with some dog owners, especially the consumer group which mounted a campaign dubbed BARKS, for Be Aware of Rimadyl's Known Side-effects (including loss of appetite, wobbling, vomiting, seizures and severe liver malfunction). The drug company is reported to be contacting pet owners who have told their stories on the Internet, and is offering to pay medical and diagnostic expenses for some dogs who may have been harmed by carprofen.[citation needed]

General symptoms to watch for include:

Loss of appetite

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Increase in thirst

Increase in urination

Fatigue and/or Lethargy

Loss of coordination

Seizures

Other symptoms which can indicate a problem, and which are worth raising with a vet include excessive drinking or urination, blood or dark tar-like material in urine or stools, jaundice (yellowing of eyes), unusual lethargy and so on.

Other side effects of Rimadyl include:

Black, tarry stools or flecks of blood in the vomit

Drowsiness

Staggering, stumbling, weakness or partial paralysis, full paralysis, dizziness, loss of balance. [6]

Change in urination habits (frequency, color, or smell)

Change in skin (redness, scabs, or scratching)

Change in behavior (such as decreased or increased activity level, seizure or aggression). [7]

Excess use of Rimadyl can lead to gastritis and ulcer formation. [8] It is also believed that in some breeds of dogs it may induce kidney and liver damage.

Carprofen should not be administered to animals that are also being given steroids (one of the primary risks of this combination being that it can cause ulcers in the stomach). In dogs, it is recommended that the dog be taken off carprofen for three full days before ingesting a steroid (such as prednisolone).

According to the official Rimadyl website, the drug should not be given at the same time with other types of medications such as other NSAIDs (aspirin, etodolac, deracoxib, meloxicam, tepoxalin) or steroids such as dexamethasone, triamcinolone, cortisone or prednisone. However, dog owners whose pets have been administered Rimadyl and have experienced side effects are highly recommended to contact a veterinarian as soon as they appear and to stop the therapy.

Also, Rimadyl must be used with caution and within the closely monitoring of a veterinarian in dogs with liver or kidney disease, dehydration, bleeding deficits, or other health problems. Rimadyl is not recommended for use in dogs with bleeding disorders (such as Von Willebrand's disease), as safety has not been established in dogs with these disorders. [9] Also, it has been not yet established if Rimadyl can be safely used in pregnant dogs, dogs used for breeding purposes or in lactating female dogs.

Several laboratory studies and clinical trials have been conducted to establish the safety of using Rimadyl. Clinical studies were conducted in nearly 300 dogs, coming from different breeds. These dogs have been treated with Rimadyl at the recommended dose for 2 weeks. According to these studies, the drug was clinically well tolerated and dogs treated with Rimadyl did not have a greater incidence of adverse reactions when compared to the placebo-treated animals.

There is a number of factors that might however contribute to the high incidence of adverse drug experience reports received for Rimadyl by the Center for Veterinary Medicine in the late 1990s. These include:

The type of drug;

Wide use;

Duration of use. While the side effects from Rimadyl are known to occur within a short period of time after administration, it is believed that long-term use may actually result in a higher risk for adverse reactions;

Senior dog use. Older dogs are generally more prone to side effects caused by carprofen.

Interesting to see it used to be used in humans in the 80s but was pulled off the market due to costs and also caused stomach upset/ulcurs. I suppose not to lose money on a product they gave it to dogs. Very dangerous for cats by the way.

ETA if you read up on Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatories in general we still dont 100% know the mechanism of function of these drugs. So it becomes a balance of probabilites. I would rather now people take their animals to an alternative practitioner for a try and natural/dietary remedies instead of whacking them straight on NSAIDS - they fix nothing. In fact in already injured dogs they create further injury as the animals pain is masked, they feel invincible and use that injured part. I would rather my dog whinge a little then go for a run and hurt himself further. My GSD Krueger was given a week of Norocarp after hip x-rays, after they wore off the poor bugger could barely get up he had over done it and caused more problems instead of pacing himself as he usually did. Now NSAIDS are resevered for emergencies.

Edited July 10, 2010 by Nekhbet

[vernie]

I have just finished writing a letter to Pfizer.

I feel a bit better now.

I don't mean to scare anyone into not using it as I have heard that it actually does wonders for some doggies.

However, after sharing my story and reading about your experiences, I will never use it again (and will probably question everything else!).

I just feel that I needed to get it out there to help make others aware and to perhaps spare folks the grief that I went through.

[goldchow]

I really feel for you and the loss of your lab. I lost a much loved Chow 10 years ago who was given Rimadyl for 4 days for a torn knee catlidge. He appeared to improve slightly but was depressed and stumbled alot which I put down to his injured knee. One afternoon he was noticably more lethargic and very weak and despite all my efforts, was gone within four hours.

I did lots of research, tried to reason with the vet who assured me Rimadyl was safe however the coincidences and the symptoms spoke volumes. Obviously there are some dogs who do very well on this NSAID however its small comfort if its your dog that is included in the supposedly small percentage of dogs who do die as a result of taking this drug. I will never allow it to be administered to any of my dogs ever again.

Its well to note that Zenecarp is the same drug marketed under a different name.

http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/rimadylfr.html

[woodbyne]

OMG this sounds exactly like my dog had rimadyl on the Wednesday morning by Thursday lunch couldn't stand up we had thought it was due to his spondlitis pinching his spinal cord which was what the rimadyl was for. Too late for us to autopsy him i just assumed his spondylitis has damaged his spinal cord hence not being able to walk. Now i'm doubting that but too late for testing as we sadly had him euthanised.

I just wanted to let everyone know about my first and last horrible experience with the anti-inflammatory drug 'RIMADYL'.

My beautiful black Labrador Bailey, came back from the vet one night, 2 weeks ago with the diagnosis of a slipped disc in his back and a perscription for Rimadyl chews. We returned to the vet the following morning (following our vet's advice) for some x-rays, however Bails had appeared to make a full recovery so we were sent home again to rest and continue on with the perscribed medicine.

The following week Bails was fine... pretty much back to his normal silly self - Until tuesday. :p

He refused to eat his breaky (very unusual, infact, he has never not eaten his food) and looked a little lethargic. That evening i went to feed him dinner and he ignored it completely.

When i went to give him his bickie at bed time, he stumbled in the back door and fell over. He was so weak and couldn't get up.

We rang the vet who told us to come in the next morning.

We took him to the vet on Wednesday morning. She took a blood test and found that he had an extremely low red blood count and a very high white blood count. He then had an x-ray which showed internal bleeding. Bailey's results indicated that he was suffering from critical Anemia and he underwent a blood transfusion straight away.

We saw him on wednesday night and he seemed like a new dog compared to the previous 24 hours.

He died at the vets at 4.30 that morning :p

The autopsy showed that his stomach was riddled with gastric ulcers.

My poor Bailey never had a chance. he was only 7 years old.

The vet said that he had suffered from a rare reaction to the drug thjey had perscribed for him to make him better.

Yesterday i discovered that there has been a civil law suite against Pfizer, the manufacturer of this drug due to it being implemented it an abnormally high amount of doggy deaths.

Our vet has registered our dogs fatal reaction with board of vetinarians to help make others aware.

I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced anything like this?

It all happened so quick, and now our family is without it's beautiful furry friend. :p

I would hate anyone else to go through what we have.

[stormie]

rimadyl and Norocarp both contain Carprofen but the rest of the tablet is god knows what crap. I weaned my dog off to Norocarp too as that was sending him to an early grave through not being able to walk.

Although some dogs respond well to carprofen, it is capable of causing liver and kidney problems in some animals, and in the early days of introduction there were significant anecdotal reports of sudden animal deaths arising from its use.

This medication has been found to be deadly for some dogs, as witnessed by the FDA receiving more than 6,000 bad reaction reports about the drug manufactured by Pfizer. As a result, the FDA requested that Pfizer advise consumers in their advertising that death was a possible side effect.[citation needed] Pfizer refused and pulled their advertising, however they have included "death" as a possible side effect on the drug label. Plans call for a "Dear Doctor" letter to be issued to veterinarians and a safety sheet will be attached to pill packages.

Pfizer acknowledges a problem with some dog owners, especially the consumer group which mounted a campaign dubbed BARKS, for Be Aware of Rimadyl's Known Side-effects (including loss of appetite, wobbling, vomiting, seizures and severe liver malfunction). The drug company is reported to be contacting pet owners who have told their stories on the Internet, and is offering to pay medical and diagnostic expenses for some dogs who may have been harmed by carprofen.[citation needed]

General symptoms to watch for include:

Loss of appetite

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Increase in thirst

Increase in urination

Fatigue and/or Lethargy

Loss of coordination

Seizures

Other symptoms which can indicate a problem, and which are worth raising with a vet include excessive drinking or urination, blood or dark tar-like material in urine or stools, jaundice (yellowing of eyes), unusual lethargy and so on.

Other side effects of Rimadyl include:

Black, tarry stools or flecks of blood in the vomit

Drowsiness

Staggering, stumbling, weakness or partial paralysis, full paralysis, dizziness, loss of balance. [6]

Change in urination habits (frequency, color, or smell)

Change in skin (redness, scabs, or scratching)

Change in behavior (such as decreased or increased activity level, seizure or aggression). [7]

Excess use of Rimadyl can lead to gastritis and ulcer formation. [8] It is also believed that in some breeds of dogs it may induce kidney and liver damage.

Carprofen should not be administered to animals that are also being given steroids (one of the primary risks of this combination being that it can cause ulcers in the stomach). In dogs, it is recommended that the dog be taken off carprofen for three full days before ingesting a steroid (such as prednisolone).

According to the official Rimadyl website, the drug should not be given at the same time with other types of medications such as other NSAIDs (aspirin, etodolac, deracoxib, meloxicam, tepoxalin) or steroids such as dexamethasone, triamcinolone, cortisone or prednisone. However, dog owners whose pets have been administered Rimadyl and have experienced side effects are highly recommended to contact a veterinarian as soon as they appear and to stop the therapy.

Also, Rimadyl must be used with caution and within the closely monitoring of a veterinarian in dogs with liver or kidney disease, dehydration, bleeding deficits, or other health problems. Rimadyl is not recommended for use in dogs with bleeding disorders (such as Von Willebrand's disease), as safety has not been established in dogs with these disorders. [9] Also, it has been not yet established if Rimadyl can be safely used in pregnant dogs, dogs used for breeding purposes or in lactating female dogs.

Several laboratory studies and clinical trials have been conducted to establish the safety of using Rimadyl. Clinical studies were conducted in nearly 300 dogs, coming from different breeds. These dogs have been treated with Rimadyl at the recommended dose for 2 weeks. According to these studies, the drug was clinically well tolerated and dogs treated with Rimadyl did not have a greater incidence of adverse reactions when compared to the placebo-treated animals.

There is a number of factors that might however contribute to the high incidence of adverse drug experience reports received for Rimadyl by the Center for Veterinary Medicine in the late 1990s. These include:

The type of drug;

Wide use;

Duration of use. While the side effects from Rimadyl are known to occur within a short period of time after administration, it is believed that long-term use may actually result in a higher risk for adverse reactions;

Senior dog use. Older dogs are generally more prone to side effects caused by carprofen.

Interesting to see it used to be used in humans in the 80s but was pulled off the market due to costs and also caused stomach upset/ulcurs. I suppose not to lose money on a product they gave it to dogs. Very dangerous for cats by the way.

ETA if you read up on Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatories in general we still dont 100% know the mechanism of function of these drugs. So it becomes a balance of probabilites. I would rather now people take their animals to an alternative practitioner for a try and natural/dietary remedies instead of whacking them straight on NSAIDS - they fix nothing. In fact in already injured dogs they create further injury as the animals pain is masked, they feel invincible and use that injured part. I would rather my dog whinge a little then go for a run and hurt himself further. My GSD Krueger was given a week of Norocarp after hip x-rays, after they wore off the poor bugger could barely get up he had over done it and caused more problems instead of pacing himself as he usually did. Now NSAIDS are resevered for emergencies.

I just checked all our NSAID pamphlets. Rimadyl, Carprofen and Norocarp all have similar Side Effects and all mention that there have been rare cases of death.

Metacam and Previcox have no mention of death...

[Bellatrix]

I am so terribly sorry for your loss. How heartbreaking! :D

I have only ever given Metacam or Previcox and have always given it with food.

Good on you for writing that letter, they need to know and thank you for informing all of us. It is very unfortunate but at least have in your mind that your beautiful boy is in a better place. Biggest Hugs....

[Kelpie-i]

I really feel for you and the loss of your lab. I lost a much loved Chow 10 years ago who was given Rimadyl for 4 days for a torn knee catlidge. He appeared to improve slightly but was depressed and stumbled alot which I put down to his injured knee. One afternoon he was noticably more lethargic and very weak and despite all my efforts, was gone within four hours.

I did lots of research, tried to reason with the vet who assured me Rimadyl was safe however the coincidences and the symptoms spoke volumes. Obviously there are some dogs who do very well on this NSAID however its small comfort if its your dog that is included in the supposedly small percentage of dogs who do die as a result of taking this drug. I will never allow it to be administered to any of my dogs ever again.

Its well to note that Zenecarp is the same drug marketed under a different name.

http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/rimadylfr.html

goldchow, same here. One minute my GSD is fine, albeit in pain due to arthritis and after 3 or 4 days on rimadyl, appetite stops..he starts to wobble and stumble whilst walking, very disoriented most of the time which I was putting down to old age and then finally the seizures and death. Vet tells me he had something sort of brain disease which went undetected...my left foot!! I am now pretty much convinced it was the rimadyl which took his life. I am very angry and extremely upset.

[nabs]

This drug MUST be given with food. It must never be given on an empty stomach. I am sorry for your loss.

[Erny]

goldchow, same here. One minute my GSD is fine, albeit in pain due to arthritis and after 3 or 4 days on rimadyl, appetite stops..he starts to wobble and stumble whilst walking, very disoriented most of the time which I was putting down to old age and then finally the seizures and death. Vet tells me he had something sort of brain disease which went undetected...my left foot!! I am now pretty much convinced it was the rimadyl which took his life. I am very angry and extremely upset.

Oh dear, Kelpie-i :D . Hard part is you won't know. Please don't blame yourself in any way.

[Nekhbet]

I just checked all our NSAID pamphlets. Rimadyl, Carprofen and Norocarp all have similar Side Effects and all mention that there have been rare cases of death.

Metacam and Previcox have no mention of death...

Rimadyl, Carporfen and Norocarp are derived from propionic acid (as is Ibuprofen, Naprogesic, Duraprox etc), whereas Meloxicam and Previcox (firocoxib) are derived from Enolic acid. Similar effect, different drug.

As I said I wonder if there is something else in the Rimadyl that causes problems as the active ingredient itself is not necessarily the whole issue (which is Carprofen) Or there is a genetic component to the problem where some breeds are more susceptable. Like I said Rimadyl was a human drug too expensive to mass market, so it was tossed into the veterinary market instead. It was never designed with animals primarily in mind.

A basic warning on Rymadil chews

•RIMADYL should not be used in dogs exhibiting previous hypersensitivity to carprofen.

•As a class, COX-inhibitory NSAIDs may be associated with gastrointestinal and renal toxicity. When NSAIDs inhibit prostaglandins that cause inflammation, they may also inhibit prostaglandins which maintain normal homeostatic function. The most frequently reported effects have been gastrointestinal signs.

•RIMADYL, like other drugs of its class, is not free from adverse reactions. Owners should be advised of the potential for adverse reactions and be informed of the clinical signs associated with drug intolerance.

•Serious adverse reactions associated with this drug class – including but not limited to gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic signs – can occur without warning and in rare situations result in death. Owners should be advised to discontinue RIMADYL therapy and contact their veterinarian immediately if signs of intolerance are observed.

•The use of parenteral fluids during surgery should be considered to reduce the potential risk of renal complications when using NSAIDs perioperatively.

•The safe use of RIMADYL in dogs less than 6 weeks of age, pregnant dogs, dogs used for breeding purposes, or in lactating bitches has not been established.

•Studies to determine the activity of RIMADYL given concomitantly with other protein-bound or similarly metabolized drugs have not been conducted. Drug compatibility should be monitored closely in patients requiring additional therapy.

•Concurrent use of RIMADYL with other anti-inflammatory drugs, such as corticosteroids and NSAIDs, should be avoided or very closely monitored.

how many vets have let owners know of this?

[AnimalMad]

My 5yo SCWT suffers from arthritis and is borderline needing to have his ACL done on his right leg. He has been taking Rimadyl on and off as needed for the past 12months and is also on Carporfen & Metacam. I am yet to see any issues with him other than him refusing to take any tablet. I make sure the tablet is always given with a full meal. Am i one of the few who's dogs have never had issues with this drug?

Sorry for the loss of your beautiful Bailey xx

[Nekhbet]

My belgian is currently on Norocarp and Tramadol (WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!) for some pain she has in her back end. God knows what it is but she couldnt move without squealing. I have her loading dose of 100mg and now she gets 50 today plus she's in a crate until she's better.

My other dogs also got it with with a full tummy. Unfortunately the rottie vomited constantly and then had trouble keeping food down at all, as soon as he ate a little he would heave until his guts were empty and had diarrhea.