That night he seemed very sleepy, and I put this down to the injection, but he was still eager for his dinner. Hamish loved his food, and it would take more than an injection to change that. On Saturday I began giving him the tablets he had been prescribed, and he no longer seemed as sleepy, but back to normal. On Sunday he still appeared to be doing well, but that night, for the first time in his life, he did not finish his dinner, and even refused his doggie biscuits.
By Tuesday, Hamish had stopped eating altogether, and nothing would tempt him. I was a bit concerned, and although I suspected he may just have a tummy bug, I decided to withhold his medication just in case it was a reaction to the drug. First thing on Wednesday morning I had him back to the vet. Perhaps he has a blockage of the bowel, was the reaction this time, because he was a bit tender in this area on examination, and no, the tablets would not have caused any problems as they were extensively used and didn't have side-effects like this. So I left Hamish to have his x-ray to check out his bowels.
That afternoon I went back to collect him and was greeted with good news and bad news. First off, there was no blockage and everything there was in order, but, it was found he had hip dysplasia. This is when the hips no longer fit into the pelvic sockets, and in his case the sockets themselves were worn away. He would have to have major surgery I was told, and they believed that although it was bad, they could help him. Fine, that was a worry, but why has he stopped eating? This had them all baffled, but they decided to take a bl
ood test t
o see if that produced any answers. Meanwhile, I was told to continue with his medication untill the blood results came back.
Back home, I still felt uncomfortable about giving him the tablets, so I decided against it. Hamish would still eat nothing. Then on Thursday afternoon I received a call from the vet to say she had the results of his blood tests. It was not good news. The results showed Hamish was in renal failure, which basically means his kidneys were not working. The next few weeks was a nightmare I will never forget, and even now I can't talk about it any further other than to say Hamish did not recover.
Now you may think this is sad, but I should remember the good things, and the years we had together. HAMISH WAS TWO YEARS OLD.
I realise that it would appear that Hamish, due to the severity of his hip dysplasia, did have health problems, but what Rimadyl can do is ulcerate the lining of the stomach, causing internal bleeding and prevent the dog from eating due to the pain. The other side-effects related to the drug are renal and liver damage.
WHAT I UNCOVERED.
Initially, I refused to give up on Hamish, and one of the things which baffled both the vets and myself, was the not eating. Even if he did have renal failure, this was not usually how the illness presented, and indeed not how it proceeded. So I used the internet to see if I could find anything or anyone who could help, and after endless, fruitless, searches, I came across a story which sounded identical to mine. Then I looked further on this site and found more, and what all these people were blaming was a drug called Rimadyl.
Now at his point, the name, Rimadyl, meant nothing to me, but out of curiousity I dug out my receipts from the vet detailing the medications Hamish had been given; and there it was. The initial injection and tablets he had been given was Rimadyl. Coincidence? I called my vet immediately regarding
this, but she t
o this day denys this drug caused any problems.
So is Rimadyl a killer drug or not? To write here all the pros and cons on this drug would take forever, so I'll just give some of the guidelines the company which make the drug have issued. They believe it is as safe as any other drug in this catagory, but maintain that a veterinary surgeon should always discuss the possible side-effects with the pet owner before it is prescribed. There is also a leaflet that accompanies the drug which should always be given out with any tablets prescribed. Now although my experience involved renal failure, the most prevalent side-effect is in fact liver damage, which for some reason affects labradors and retrievers more than any other breed. It should also be established whether the patient has any underlying liver or kidney problems before treatment begins, and regular blood tests are advised throughout the period of use.
Now, although my experience with this drug was bad, there are thousands of dog owners who swear by it. It has given many dogs a better, painfree, life, so therefore I would not say avoid it if it is suitable for your pet. What I am saying is, look at the pros and cons first, and make an educated decision.
What I hope to achieve with this opinion, is general awareness of what your pet is being given. Contrary to the advice of the manufacturer, many vets do not discuss this drug's use, and administer it quite freely. I myself would never entertain Rimadyl ever again, and even though my vet knows this, my border collie had a lump removed a couple of weeks ago, and when I read the invoice detailing her treatment, I was very angry to find she had been given Rimadyl as a post-operative analgesic. So if by writing this, I save even one dog from suffering or dying needlessly, I will be happy.
For anyone who is interested in finding out more about this drug, I have added the following links, although a sear
ch engine will bring
hundreds more.
This link is for the actual leaflet which comes with the drug.
http://www.pfizer.com/ah/mypet/mydog/dhealth/d ripkg.html
This one is about a lawsuit against the company, and other links.
http://www.gooddogmagazine.com/rimadyllawsuit. htm
I should also have mentioned that Rimadyl is LETHAL to cats. Several cases have been reported of cats accidently getting hold of these tablets, and not one has survived. So please take care if you use this drug