I have a 13 year old spinone x pointer who collapsed last Saturday evening , she was fine seconds before this , I called the emergency vet but by the time they got round to calling me back she was up and walking ( albeit wobbly ) again , so it was decided to take her to the emergency clinic on the Sunday morning . I gave her a Rimadyl which I had from a while ago off one of my other dogs which settled her.

The vet on Sunday concluded that she had no feeling from her left hip down her leg and said this was down to age and being a large dog and he will put her on Rimadyl and see how she copes for a week then if she is fine will give repeat prescriptions for it , he made me aware that it can attack the kidneys and cause a lot of pain and death if not stopped immediately if she had a bad reaction to it. Thankfully she has been fine on it but I am now starting to worry as I have in my head that long term this won't do her kidneys any good , plus the fact I rescued her brother and he died of kidney and liver failure at seven years old. I guess my questions are , Do you think she needs to be on pain relief long term for numbness in her leg ? and also if anyone has used this long term with or without problems . I just want to get my head straight before I talk to my vet again on Monday , thank you in advance .

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One of my retrievers was on Metacam for a long time, several years. I believe it is similar??
She was about 11 and lived until she was 14. Given the age of your dog and I think am right in saying that when they say prolonged use, two years or more is meant, I reckon your dog will be around for a few more years. If the drug works and helps your dog now then maybe the dosage can be reduced at a later date. As your dogs leg is numb she may start to walk in a different way putting strain on other parts of the body which may cause pain which may be why the Rimadyl has been given.

I would seek the opinion of an orthopeadic specialist and get a proper diagnosis. As for the rimadyl it's early days and you may not have to use it long term or if you do it may only be needed at a low dose.  Personally at age 13 I would be happy to use it and have a comfortable dog if that makes sense:). You can always have blood tests to check kidney and liver function.

Hope she's feeling more comfortable soon :)

Non steroidal anti inflammatories do carry risks of kidney and gastrointestinal problems. I looked into this a fair bit when my then 6 year old collie was going lame. I wouldn't use them in a dog of this age if I could avoid them, (and I did manage to sort it out with supplements) but in a dog of 13 I think you just need to weigh up the pros and cons.

I did not come across anyone who had problems in the long run if their dog didn't react poorly immediately to the drug. That's obviously not to say it doesn't happen, but the benefit of the drug to your girl may outweigh the chance of kidney damage, at 13 in a fairly big breed I would probably take that route if I felt it helped the dog, there were not other realistic options, and there was no reaction to begin with. I would also be doing regular blood tests to check organ function.

Of course you could always try time and physiotherapy. It's still early days and if she was a fit and healthy 13 year old before perhaps it's something she could bounce back from :)

Someone has posted on another board I go on about the death of her older Lab 10 days after starting Rimadyl.  Unlike some her post is not a diatribe against ever using this drug at all but a suggestion of protocol to follow.  Labs, for some reason, are particularly subject to liver failure from Rimadyl.  It's actually pretty simple, do a blood draw and check liver values before starting it.  Do another one a few days in and another a few days again.

Your dog is not a Lab but the suggestion seems a good one for anyone with a concern.  Rimadyl has helped many dogs and I've used it short term myself on a previous Lab when she was young.

I definitely agree with an orthopaedic assessment.  I want to manage pain but I want to know where it is, what it is etc.  Her leg is numb?  Is she dragging that leg?  It's a mystery to me that a leg can be numb and not noticing something is wrong before the Vet tells me.  Wouldn't she have trouble moving that leg if she can't feel it?  Obvious trouble that you'd have seen?

I lost a 6 year old 4 days after being given Rimadyl for a sting but I agree you have to weigh the pros and cons.  I would be very wary of using it again but as relief for a 13 year old, then I'd certainly use it, looking out for any side effects of course, particularly pale gums and any disorientation.

Glad to see such sensible advice being given regarding the use of Rimadyl.  Several years ago a previous vet banned me for daring to ask about possible side effects of this drug ! 

Thank you everyone for the great advice , I will definitely be speaking with my vet again . I don't think her leg is completely numb , infact she has been fine up until she collapsed and was then turning her back left foot over afterwards . She is walking and running around fine now , bouncing like tigger for her breakfast and tea , bin shopping daily :) so she must be feeling a lot better . If her leg was numb I'm sure she wouldn't be able to do all of these things as well as she is managing , so will speak to the vet about next course of action.
I think I may ask what different drugs are available for pain relief if she still needs them and then weigh up my options .

My lab has had Rimadyl before and was ok on it, he has HD and has trouble in the winter months. He also has stomach acid issues though and this year was given Onsior instead and that was ok too

I also lost a dog shortly after starting rimadyl however I think the advise to check bloods liver function etc is excellent and if there was no alternative this is a route I would go down. I should add there were a number of serious things going on at the time Josie was given rimadyl she had just had a tumour on her jaw removed and then 5 days later had a torsion that killed her so rimadyl may only have been part of the picture tbh .

My lab was prescribed Rimadyl and presented side effects from this drug after only taking for two days,my vet will not use this drug,however I do know that this drug has been beneficial to alot of dogs.

Sheila