Coming up to two weeks on Monday my little Patt had an op for wedge sulcopasty and tibial crest transposition and had a pin and tension band fitted ( luxating patella)  She has been on strict cage rest etc and Friday she had her stitches out. She was doing really well and was putting her foot down to ground when standing ( not walking yet) and vets very pleased with her.

However Friday evening she had the runny bums and this carried on over night. Saturday morning when it was light I could see big splodges of fresh bright red blood in the poos. I decided not to give her the Rimadyl that morning and called my vet. She said definitely to stop the Rimadyl and if I was worried to pop her down to the surgery otherwise see if it improved and to call any time I felt she was getting worse.
I have Pro-Kolin in my med box and have begun using that and am giving her boiled chicken and mashed potato with the water it was cooked in to make sure she is having enough liquid. This morning the poo is slightly formed ( mr whippy ) but there is still fresh blood.

My gut / maternal instinct is that she is not a truly sick dog, she is not lethargic and laying around, quite the opposite, she gets excited when I get her lead to allow her to mooch in the garden and know that if allowed offlead she would be chasing every bird in sight. She cannot wait to get her nose in the food bowl and even though she is not and never has  drunk a lot of water she takes the chicken water willingly.
She had 3 more days of Rimadyl so that means she had been on it for almost 2 weeks. I have read the facts about this drug and have to be careful that I don't over react and blame it for her tummy problems when it may have nothing to do with it, but there is always that fear at the back of your mind when you read all the terrible stories. Because of the cage rest etc I have been with her 24/7 and know that she has not picked up anything in the garden.

I would be grateful for any of your views whether I should wait and see what happens or whether I should run to the vets as fast as I can, although as mentioned before I don't feel I am dealing with a 'sick' dog here as she is very lively and bright.

I wouldn't worry too much; if it is a reaction to the medication it's relatively minor, and you've done the right thing by calling your vet and stopping the meds so the gut irritation will recover. As you say, she doesn't sound like a poorly dog, so I'd just give her easily digestible food, little and often, and I'm sure she'll make a good recovery.

I do think you're right, and it isn't a mad dash to the vet.  But when I had a bitch with the same op last year, I didn't use Rimadyl.

I feel certain that you'll see a difference now you've stopped it.  My girl would have chased the birds too, so your comments struck a cord!  :-)

Gastric problems can be associated with rimadyl in susceptible dogs. I would stop it or talk to vet about another drug if still needed. Hopefully it is only a temporary. Problem and she will soon be well

I know some dogs have tolerated rimadyl,not mine though,will never use this drug neither will my vet,

Sheila

My cocker spaniel was prescribed a few days of rimadil after he partially ruptured a disc in his back. Thankfully it didnt require surgery but the specialist did say if he got any upset tummy to stop using the pain relief and give him a ring.

Since starting the Pro-Kolin and the boiled chicken she has not had a poo since 3am this morning, so around 12 hours. I hope this is a good sign, although I don't expect things to be normal for several days, at least this is hopefully an indication that things may be settling down. I will have to see the amount of blood that passes next time she goes.( fingers crossed it won't be so much)