Hi

Has anyone had any experience of using this drug on their dogs? 

We were originally prescribed it by our vet as an anti-inflammatory for our Xterrier's arthritic hip and since the original incident he's been diagnosed as having "fits" which the vets have said they thought was caused by the pain in his hip.  Their advice was just to continue with the Rimadyl when he showed signs of being in pain.  In the last 12 months his "fits" have become much more frequent and more recently he's been drinking loads of water and has really bad breath so I decided to find out about Rimadyl and google'd it on Thursday.  I was shocked by the information that I found on the internet but the listed side effects confirmed my suspicions that it was the Rimadyl which was actually the cause of his most recent discomfort and it says that long term use can cause seizure's.  I spoke to my vet and told them that I'm not happy about continuing with the drug now and how I thought that from the information on the internet it may be the Rimadyl might be causing the "fits" but they didn't seem to agree. 

I am concerned that the drug might have been making my dog ill.  We have decided to stop giving him the Rimadyl as of Thursday and to see if we can get it to work its way out of his system.  After reading the topic on here about the magnetic collar I think that might be a better solution to his arthritis than drugs. 
If anyone else has their dog on this drug please look at all the information on the internet.

I think that we are doing the right thing and I think that we have been lucky that our dog is still here.  Has anyone else had a positive effect after taking their dog off this drug?

Thanks

If you search Rimadyl on this site, you'll find lots of personal experiences.

Claire, I think you are right in this instance to take the dog of the drug...I would go to another Vet for an opinion, or ask for a referral to a University Veterinary Hospital...I'm sure others, who have actually used Rimadyl, will be able to advise you further...personally, for me, I wouldn't use it unless the situation was desperate, or I had no other options. With Veterinary medicine, the same with Human medicines, that can be side effects that end up doing more harm than good! Good judgment is needed to find an acceptable balance! Best of luck, Dawn x

Known side affects of Rimadyl include siezures

Has your dog been blood tested Claire, to check his liver and kidney function? I agree with other posters - if your vet won't take your concerns seriously, seek a second opinion. Hope everything settles OK.

http://www.noahcompendium.co.uk/Pfizer_Limited/Rimadyl_Palatable_Tablets_20mg__50mg__ACYAIw-x0026_ADs-_100mg/-30976.html

In case your vet didn't give you the information, these are the specific warnings for Rimadyl - it doesn't includeseizures, but that's not to say it definitely doesn't cause them - it would have had to be seen and reported as a side-effect: and if your dogs seizures turn out to be linked, then it should be.

Hi

They took a water sample on Friday evening so I'm waiting for the results of that but no blood test's so far.  They have said in the past that they think the fits are a form of epilepsy and we never thought any different because they are the vet and you assume that they know what their talking about.  Now I'm not so sure because the fits started after he had been taking the Rimadyl and until now when he started drinking loads of water and had really really bad breath it never crossed my mind to link the two or challenge what the vet was saying. 

I love my little dog so much and it really upset me when I thought that we might have been doing him more harm than good.

Rimadyl, like all drugs can have unwanted side effects. Whether these side effects are acceptable will differ with each case, so deal with a vet you trust and take the advice you pay for. By all means ask for a second opinion but stopping drugs can make matters worse if for no other reason than it confuses the situation as far as the vets are concerned.

I don't want to worry you but the bad breath and drinking a lot can sometimes be linked to kidneys not working so well - and fits can sometimes be linked to that too. I would push for a blood test to check liver and kidney function if he was mine. Good luck.

Munrogirl76

Thanks that crossed my mind too especially with him drinking lots.  They will be able to test kidney function from his water sample though I think but like you say to get some blood test's might not be a bad idea either.

They can't test kidney function from a urine test...they CAN test for infection, Diabetes(or suspected Diabetes from a raised Glucose reading in his urnine) protein, ketones. However, only a BLOOD test can get a true picture of his electrolyte, kidney, liver function...as I said, I would be going to another Vet asap.

It is true that if someone/animal has been prescribed something they should take it...however(again!) if you suspect that more harm is being done and the medication is not for a life threatening condition, it is my view that you should stop giving it to him! If you were prescribed a medication and you suspected it was doing you greater harm than NOT taking it, would you stop taking it until you saw another Dr or Consultant because your GP wouldn't take your concerns seriously?

There is nothing stopping you from telling the 'new' Vet you see that you have stopped the medication as you were so worried!

> It is true that if someone/animal has been prescribed something they should take it...however(again!) if you suspect that more harm is being done and the medication is not for a life threatening condition, it is my view that you should stop giving it to him!

I agree.
My dog is on Metacam (NSAID similar to Rimadyl) for ED, on a 'as & when needed' basis, there is no problem with me giving him Metacam for a week or two and then suddenly stopping.

"It is important to stop therapy and contact your veterinarian immediately if you think your dog has a medical problem or side effect from Rimadyl therapy. If you have additional questions about possible side effects, talk to your veterinarian." - this is from a "Owner Information About Rimadyl" leafelt.

I hope you get the the bottom of your dogs problems soon, it must be such a worry :(

To test kidney function they will need to do a blood test - they can test how concentrated the urine is from a water sample and whether there is protein in it, but only a blood test will give an accurate result of kidney function, as newfiedreams says. I am surprised with him having fits over that length of time that they haven't blood tested before now. If I was you I would have a word with them in the morning. :-)

The vet has called today to say that they found nothing wrong with the urine sample but they would like to do blood tests.  They are a reasonably new vet as we have only been with them since May so maybe they can get to the bottom of his problems.

Even though he was fly biting on friday night we managed to get him to settle down with no med's and he's been fine over the weekend :-)

Thanks for all your advice

I understand your concern with Rimadyl, but I must warn you from searching the internet for actual facts on Rimadyl.  The side effects are listed directly on Pfizers web page (all adverse events must be reported).  The problem with the "Rimadyl side effects" is that most dogs currently using Rimadyl are older dogs experiencing pain.  And unless full panel bloodwork is drawn, it is hard to know if there was a "pre-existing" condition, which manifest coincidently around the same time Rimadyl is started.  I had my 13yr old dog on Rimadyl for years, and it should be noted that he had a pre-existing liver problem that I knew of before I started the Rimadyl.  I gave the Rimadyl on an as needed basis.  It worked wonderfully, he was so painful from arthritis that he barely moved, and certain points I thought his arthritis would kill him before his liver did!!!  But with Rimadyl he could go up and down the stairs!! 

The main concern is that you do not medicate with ANY aspirin, motrin, and etc.  This will most likely kill your dog.  The affects to the GI alone should be scary.  So many times I have seen complications with owners self medicating their animals with what is in their medicine cabinets, it never ends well.  It does not take very many doses to cause a GI bleed, it has been studied that even the lowest dose of aspirin in dogs can cause a GI bleed.  Another side affect of Aspirin, just like humans, the platelets are affected, this will not show on bloodwork, because the platelets are there, they are just not working.  Which meets clotting time is affected greatly!!!!!!!! Tylenol in cats is a death sentence, it changes the red blood cells so that oxygen can not bind to the cells, causing oxygen starvation through out the body! And the saddest thing is there are dozens of websites telling people how safe aspirin is to give, this is the most dangerous thing to do!!!!

If you still do not wish to continue with the Rimadyl, there are other options one being Deramaxx which is a non-carprofen pain relieve especially for dogs.  Keep in mind that when every changing from Rimadyl to Deramaxx there is a 14 days wash out period before Deramaxx can be started.  The other options is Tramadol, which is a human prescription pain reliever, but can be used on dogs and cats.  Also for the "fits"  I would have a liver profile done ASAP to check liver function, which is the number one reason why dogs who do not have epilepsy seizure.

I am not trying to talk up Rimadyl because I work for a vet...I dont make money selling these drugs, I just think it is sad that people are more willing to talk about a bad experience instead of a good one.  And what could be conceived as a side affect is an underlying problem that should be worked up immediately.  I hope this helps!

Actually protein and ketones in the urine indicate kidney function.  If protein is spilling over into the urine, the kidney is having some sort of deficiency in the filtering process.  Keep in mind, that a kidney infection will also cause protein to spill into the urine.  The concentration and pH of the urine also indicate kidney function.  Also the types of 'Cells" found in the urine can indicate kidney issues.  Also bilirubin in the urine also indicates a liver or kidney issue.  You are right in the fact that it is not the most accurate in diagnosing a problem but if there is something major going on it it will show in the urine.

Yes, but you agree to the fact that you CAN'T tell accurately what the Kidney function is doing by an inaccurate urine test! It may detect protein as you say, but it can't tell the source of the protein! I'm sure we both agree that in order to make an accurate and urgent diagnosis you need a detailed basic metabolic panel! As I'm sure you are aware, seeing as you seem to think my advise needs clarification! Urine tests can only detect whatever they're set up to detect...we don't know if they just use a basic urine test strip or whether they charge a higher price for a more detailed urine test strip that detects great discrepencies!