Hi
I am so angry and upset as I took my 16 month old Westie to the vets yesterday
as he has been having problems with his hind legs.The vet touched his spine and
he got very angry and obviously in a lot of pain.
He gave him Rimadyl and before we left
I asked my vet specifically about side effects and he told me there where none.
I left with the drugs ,but no leaflet about the medication.
My dog is not well after one dose and I am not giving anymore to him,he is all wobbly
lost his appetite,drinking tons and tons of water.
Done my reaearch and found there are many side effects, so why did my vet say otherwise.
Got another appointment at a different vets as I am so disappointed by my vets for not telling
me of these side effects.I feel so let down by them.
So sorry for the moan, but I am so upset.

Sorry to hear about the problem your boy has.  Unfortunately all drugs carry a risk and it's wrong of the vet not to give you the possible side effects especially as you asked if there were any. You have every right to feel annoyed and let down, your boy has reacted adversely to the drug and it is horrible to see him suffer when you were trying to help him :(  You are doing the right thing not to give him anymore. 

I imagine the vet prescribed this to ease the pain, but really you need to find out exactly what is causing the problem with his legs and causing the pain so that the problem can be treated.

If you have any glucose, you can add a spoon of this to his water which should help give him a bit of energy.

I see that you are off to see another vet and I would be asking to be referred to a specialist, and remember to write down everything you want to ask before you go and don't feel that you can't take up the vets time, this is what you are paying for.

Hope your boy makes a full and speedy recovery, let us know how you get on.

All drugs, in fact anything a dog may ingest can have a side effect would think you vet meant he/she had no reason to believe that they would cause any side effects. This type of drug was produced and is supplied in place of the steroid tables that were previously supplies in cases where is was necessary to reduce swelling to avoid further damage and/or pain.

Some people and some dogs do have a problem with NSAID (non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs) but there are thousands that use them to great advantage. You vet should have said there was a small chance of your puppy reacting badly and then you would have to use a less effective product. Could be that he may react to the injection but not to the Rimadol tablet or that the injection was a different product and the pup may be ok with the tablets.

Once owned a dog that reacted to a worming tablet so badly it could have killed him, so one never really knows what will be a problem and how bad  that may be. You can't really go through live not treating things in case there may be a problem one has to hope there is not.

The symptoms that you describe could also be due to severe pain and not necessarily the drugs. 

I would rule out everything before assuming that its a side effect to the medication, especially if he is wobbly after having pain in his spine. Its probably more likely due to the condition he was originally seen for. Your dog was not well before the first dose so it may not be the dose that was the problem. Whilst rimadyl can have side effects i believe these are usually down to long term use or older dogs with already compromised livers etc.

> I would rule out everything before assuming that its a side effect to the medication,

personally I would err on the side of caution and assume it was a side-effect untill the dog had been seen by the vet.
My dog has used Metacam (NSAID) on a few occasions and allthough it has been a wonder-drug for him you really can't ignore any change in behaviour/appetite etc., I'm sure that the advice leaflets accompanying Rymadyl will say much the same as Metacam - "if adverse reaction occur, treatment should be discontinued and the advice of a vet should be saught" . Also reactions  "occur generally in the first treatment week....in very rare cases may be serious or fatal"

Hopefully the OPs dog has not suffered an adverse effect from the drug, but they are right to be concerned and seek the advice of a different vet (the first vet should have pointed out the possible side effects).

Thinking along a different line I think this dog should see a vet again sooner rather than latter, the problem may be the drugs or it could be the physical examination or just the damage or sickness the dog is suffering becoming worse.

So please do not assume the worsening condition of the dog is just one does of the drug but seek further advice as soon as possible.

I am very suspicious of Rymadil as I am sure it was a contributing reason for a fatal gastric torsion my flattie had but There was alot more to the story. I think I posted a while ago the whole story.
It can cause gastric problems in suseptible animals and sometimes other side effect and vets do seem reluctant to comment  that being said it can be a very helpful drug the same being said for metacam.
I would go back to your vet and talk to him if you think there are problems, dont wait, maybe metacam may be better for your dog

I was told since that both drugs should always be given with food not on an empty stomach to help prevent problems.
Good luck   

Just re read your post. Definitly go back to the vet and mention the water thing that was similar to my Josie and I had not seen that before in any dog even after exercise