The following was provided to us by Jane Sinclair. Also, visit B.A.R.K.S.
The Doris Day Animal League magazine, "Animal Guardian", has an article on Rimadyl in the Fall, 2000 issue, page 17. You can get a free copy of this issue by going to this link:
QUOTE
Miracle Cure Can Be Deadly
The best-selling drug known as Rimadyl, which has enjoyed remarkable success as an anti-inflammatory medicine for pets, has been found to be deadly for some dogs, as witnessed by the FDA receiving more than 6,000 bad reaction reports about the drug manufactured by Pfizer. As a result, the FDA requested that Pfizer advise consumers in their advertising that death was a possible side effect. Pfizer refused and pulled their advertising, however they have included "death" as a possible side effect on the drug label. Plans call for a "Dear Doctor" letter to be issued to veterinarians and a safety sheet will be attached to pill packages.
Pfizer acknowledges a problem with some dog owners, especially the consumer group which mounted a campaign dubbed BARKS, for Be Aware of Rimadyl's Known Side-effects (including loss of appetite, wobbling, vomiting, seizures and severe liver malfunction). The drug company is reported to be contacting pet owners who have told their stories on the Internet, and is offering to pay medical and diagnostic expenses for some dogs who may have been harmed by Rimadyl.
Rimadyl sales continue to grow as does support from veterinarians.
While the drug has proved helpful to many dogs with arthritis, it has
proven deadly to some dogs. Make sure if your veterinarian prescribes
Rimadyl that you thoroughly discuss the possible side effects so you can
carefully monitor your dog's health.
UNQUOTE
[Note: PGAA's female Golden Retriever Maddie had a very close call after using Rimadyl -- it's not a miracle drug for all pets -- be careful!!]
The following e-mail was received by PGAA on November 23, 2007 and provides another warning that a decision to use Rimadyl must be made very carefully:
QUOTE. My 4 yr old sheltie had some hip discomfort, so I had him on herbal supplements. My vet told me 2 put him on Rimadyl twice a day, ( he only weighed 35 lbs.). I soon noticed his breath got bad, his gums rucky, he couldn't keep up on our 2-3 mile walks. I feed my dogs organix dog food, dancing paws vitamins and grilled chicken breast, turkey, salmon etc. It never occured to me that my vet would have put my dog on an unsafe drug. I had his blood tested and his kidney failure levels where very high. I tried to figure out what we had done wrong???? Then I looked up rimadyl . Now my wonderful companion whom we loved as a child, has left us last monday, and that is the only cause I can find. My vet never blood tested Dartanian b4 putting him on Rimadyl, or during and NEVER warned us about side effects. I pray others will find out b4 it's 2 late 4 them. Sadly, Victoria and Mark Hammer, e-mail: victoria@brightdsl.net UNQUOTE
The following e-mail was received by PGAA on January 17, 2008 - another instance of severe reaction to Rimadyl.
QUOTE. One of your post comments has saved my dog’s life. I have a four years old Cocker Spaniel (22 lbs) named Suave. I took him to the vet last week for a discomfort in his back foot, the doctor said that Suave probably had sprained his toe and put him on Rimadyl 25 mg. twice a day. I started the medicine that night (Thursday, January 10/2008) by Saturday morning Suave was almost having a seizure, he was shaking all over, couldn’t stand up and his pupils were fully dilated, he wouldn’t eat or even drink water. I checked the medicine on the internet and found about the side effects. We took him right away to the hospital, his liver tests came out abnormal and he spent three whole days at the hospital, We picked him last night, he still very sick, he could hardly stand up for more than three minutes. We ended up with our loved dog sick and a bill of almost one thousand dollars from the hospital. All of this because of the Rimadyl drug. I am not sure where to go next with this but I will make sure that people is aware of this deadly drug. paolavarg@yahoo.com UNQUOTE As of January 18th Sauve has still not recovered and is unable to hold his head up - 8 days after receiving Rimadyl.
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