Rimadyl

Pfizer marketed it for people, first, and they were dropping like flies, so they quickly and quietly pulled the plug on it and...began marketing it for dogs.

They say it's safe. There's a warning on the label, of course, and a directive to vets to do bloodwork before the drug is dispensed and to tell people about the possible side effects that Rimadyl can have. Most of them don't.

They say it's effective. It may be, for some dogs. But the dogs who shouldn't have it...the dogs who are old or have some condition that precludes their having it, the dogs who are sensitive to it...they die from it. The ones who do well may keep on doing well; then again, they may suddenly begin showing signs that they should be taken off the drug right away. Of course, if you haven't been warned, you don't recognize them.

My Angel died from it.

Angel lived a healthy, disease-free life until she was 12. Pretty good for a shepherd and she was going strong, but she wasn't as young as she used to be. When I took her to the clinic for a checkup, the vet worked her back legs to see how much mobility was there and noticed it.

"Doesn't seem to be the hips," he said.

I said, "It's bad in the morning when she first wakes up."

They know me at the clinic. They know I prefer the holistic approach and that I've had good results with it.

So, when he brought out the bottle of Rimadyl and said, "This will help her," I told him, "I don't want a
drug."

"It won't hurt her," he said; "it's a non-steroid." An NSAID, a non-steroidal anti-inflamatory.

Well, she was like a puppy for about two weeks, then she stopped eating. At night, she slept with me, so I could hear her labored breathing, hear her moving around, unable to sleep. She began to throw up bile.

At times, she couldn't hold her balance; she'd be walking along and just fall over. I took her to the vet and he gave her a shot and sent us home. She wasn't much better and a few weeks later, she couldn't get up at all. GSDs aren't small dogs; limp weight, she was too heavy for me to lift into my car, so I called the mobile vet service.

Angel died on my living room floor before they arrived, an agonizing death that I could not stop, could not ease, that I could only watch in anguish that I still feel, thinking of it.

And it should not have happened. It was not her time. But I didn't know the signs to watch for, didn't know this NSAID could kill, never received any information at all
on this drug from the vet who assured me it wouldn't hurt her. No bloodwork was ever suggested.

Most likely, he didn't know he should draw blood or tell me about those side effects; most likely, he hadn't read the label. Or he had the kind of blind trust in the drug companies that made him believe their assertions that adverse reactions were rare. They still say it, though the FDA says otherwise.

We live and learn, don't we? And our dogs pay the price for our learning.

Pfizer felt the strength of the outcry from all the heartsick dog owners whose dogs suffered or died as a result of being put on Rimadyl. The media and the FDA added to that pressure. Their label carries a strong warning now about this drug that is so safe. There's a link at the end of this article that will take you to their site where you can read it.

It's still prescribed, though, and vets are still failing to tell dog owners about the dangers and the warning signs.

So, do your homework. Don't take anyone's word for any drug, not anyone's, especially this drug, this killer, Rimadyl. Go to the sites where people are posting information about it. They know what they're talking about, they've learned the hard way, as I did, and they've done the research. The facts are there.

Make copies of them; print them out. Take the information to your own vets and make sure they know what they are doing...and what they should do...when they prescribe this drug.

There are other treatments out there for arthritis; maybe they don't work as fast but you don't have to watch your dog with anxious eyes when you give them, wondering if that little out-of-character thing he just did is a sign that you should be rushing him to the vet. It can happen so quickly you might fool yourself into believing nothing can destroy your dog's kidneys that fast...bleed him out if he has undiscovered Von Willebrand's disease, which is hemophilia...attack his skin, bring on neural disorders. It can. It does. Sometimes in just a few days.

Here's the link to Pfizer.

Here's a link to the most informative site on the Internet about Rimadyl. They have published reports of dogs who have done well on it as well as reports on dogs who have become very ill and died. The latter outnumber the former three to one. Rimadyl is still the leader in Adverse Drug Reaction reports by the FDA. But go read the information for yourself. If nothing else, be informed before you decide to use it. Odds are, your vet won't tell you any of this.

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

For my Angel,

Pat Hartman

Warning!

The Cox-2 inhibitor, Deramaxx, has now surpassed Rimadyl in the number of adverse events reported to the FDA. Think carefully before you use it!

Click to return to Canine Health Links.



Rimadyl

	Pfizer marketed it for people, first, and they were dropping like flies, so they quickly and quietly pulled the plug on it and...began marketing it for dogs. They say it's safe. There's a warning on the label, of course, and a directive to vets to do bloodwork before the drug is dispensed and to tell people about the possible side effects that Rimadyl can have. Most of them don't. They say it's effective. It may be, for some dogs. But the dogs who shouldn't have it...the dogs who are old or have some condition that precludes their having it, the dogs who are sensitive to it...they die from it. The ones who do well may keep on doing well; then again, they may suddenly begin showing signs that they should be taken off the drug right away. Of course, if you haven't been warned, you don't recognize them. My Angel died from it. Angel lived a healthy, disease-free life until she was 12. Pretty good for a shepherd and she was going strong, but she wasn't as young as she used to be. When I took her to the clinic for a checkup, the vet worked her back legs to see how much mobility was there and noticed it. "Doesn't seem to be the hips," he said. I said, "It's bad in the morning when she first wakes up." They know me at the clinic. They know I prefer the holistic approach and that I've had good results with it. So, when he brought out the bottle of Rimadyl and said, "This will help her," I told him, "I don't want a drug." "It won't hurt her," he said; "it's a non-steroid." An NSAID, a non-steroidal anti-inflamatory. Well, she was like a puppy for about two weeks, then she stopped eating. At night, she slept with me, so I could hear her labored breathing, hear her moving around, unable to sleep. She began to throw up bile. At times, she couldn't hold her balance; she'd be walking along and just fall over. I took her to the vet and he gave her a shot and sent us home. She wasn't much better and a few weeks later, she couldn't get up at all. GSDs aren't small dogs; limp weight, she was too heavy for me to lift into my car, so I called the mobile vet service. Angel died on my living room floor before they arrived, an agonizing death that I could not stop, could not ease, that I could only watch in anguish that I still feel, thinking of it. And it should not have happened. It was not her time. But I didn't know the signs to watch for, didn't know this NSAID could kill, never received any information at all on this drug from the vet who assured me it wouldn't hurt her. No bloodwork was ever suggested. Most likely, he didn't know he should draw blood or tell me about those side effects; most likely, he hadn't read the label. Or he had the kind of blind trust in the drug companies that made him believe their assertions that adverse reactions were rare. They still say it, though the FDA says otherwise. We live and learn, don't we? And our dogs pay the price for our learning. Pfizer felt the strength of the outcry from all the heartsick dog owners whose dogs suffered or died as a result of being put on Rimadyl. The media and the FDA added to that pressure. Their label carries a strong warning now about this drug that is so safe. There's a link at the end of this article that will take you to their site where you can read it. It's still prescribed, though, and vets are still failing to tell dog owners about the dangers and the warning signs. So, do your homework. Don't take anyone's word for any drug, not anyone's, especially this drug, this killer, Rimadyl. Go to the sites where people are posting information about it. They know what they're talking about, they've learned the hard way, as I did, and they've done the research. The facts are there. Make copies of them; print them out. Take the information to your own vets and make sure they know what they are doing...and what they should do...when they prescribe this drug. There are other treatments out there for arthritis; maybe they don't work as fast but you don't have to watch your dog with anxious eyes when you give them, wondering if that little out-of-character thing he just did is a sign that you should be rushing him to the vet. It can happen so quickly you might fool yourself into believing nothing can destroy your dog's kidneys that fast...bleed him out if he has undiscovered Von Willebrand's disease, which is hemophilia...attack his skin, bring on neural disorders. It can. It does. Sometimes in just a few days. Here's the link to Pfizer. Here's a link to the most informative site on the Internet about Rimadyl. They have published reports of dogs who have done well on it as well as reports on dogs who have become very ill and died. The latter outnumber the former three to one. Rimadyl is still the leader in Adverse Drug Reaction reports by the FDA. But go read the information for yourself. If nothing else, be informed before you decide to use it. Odds are, your vet won't tell you any of this. http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/rimadylfr.html For my Angel, Pat Hartman

	Warning! The Cox-2 inhibitor, Deramaxx, has now surpassed Rimadyl in the number of adverse events reported to the FDA. Think carefully before you use it!


		Click to return to Canine Health Links.