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Pfizer Sued After Dog Dies From Rimadyl Toxicity



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 7th 11, 12:19 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
Char
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Default Pfizer Sued After Dog Dies From Rimadyl Toxicity

http://www.pharmalot.com/2011/08/pfi...adyl-toxicity/

A controversy over a painkiller for dogs may be bubbling up again. A
Colorado couple have filed a lawsuit against Pfizer for allegedly
failing to adequately warn that its Rimadyl med, which is a
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, can cause severe harm. The issue
mirrors the substance of a class-action lawsuit brought in 1999 by
hundreds of pet owners, but that Pfizer subsequently settled in 2004.

Now, though, the publicity over this new lawsuit might prompt a new
round of litigation, given that Rimadyl has been known for years to
consistently generate a large number of adverse events (see this
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/drugs/2005-04-11-dog-pain-usat_x.htm).
These include a reaction that Pfizer vets call Rimadyl toxicity, which
is mentioned in the prescribing information, although death is listed as
a rare event (which you can find here
https://www.rimadyl.com/default.aspx).

“It’s an inherently dangerous drug for many dogs and it’s not really
clear which ones can be affected. We need more research.” She maintains
that hundreds, if not thousands of dog owners are encountering the same
problem.

  #2  
Old September 7th 11, 10:14 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
Jo Wolf
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Posts: 479
Default Pfizer Sued After Dog Dies From Rimadyl Toxicity

Puzzlement..... Why aren't they suing the vet who prescribed it? It's
hard to get vets to stop using it, or to do chem levels before starting
Rimadyl, and doing periodic follow-up labs....

Obviously, the vet world needs some safe non-opiates for pan relief....
or to use more opiates, which opens another whole bag of worms....

If dogs are like humans in that some drugs or combinations are effective
for some, and not for others, and for some types of pain and not for
others, the non-steroidals and non-opiates that have a pretty decent
(apparent) level of pain relief are going to be a long time coming.
This is a problem with humans that is becoming more apparent.... with a
new study that was in the news today. And dogs can't tell us much
that's easily interpreted by us humans....

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA

  #3  
Old September 8th 11, 12:41 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
buglady
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Default Pfizer Sued After Dog Dies From Rimadyl Toxicity


"Char" wrote in message
...
http://www.pharmalot.com/2011/08/pfi...adyl-toxicity/

A controversy over a painkiller for dogs may be bubbling up again. A
Colorado couple have filed a lawsuit against Pfizer for allegedly
failing to adequately warn that its Rimadyl med, which is a
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, can cause severe harm.

................I didn't check out any of the links,but if that's all they
got, then they'll lose, as after the number of ADEs for Rimadyl, the
guv'mint made them put "death" as a possible side effect on the literature
that's supposed to go to clients when they want to prescribe this drug.

......Additionally I would have thought Metacam was more in common use after
surgery.

buglady
take out the dog before replying


  #4  
Old September 8th 11, 01:56 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
Char
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Posts: 771
Default Pfizer Sued After Dog Dies From Rimadyl Toxicity

On 9/7/2011 5:14 PM, Jo Wolf wrote:
Puzzlement..... Why aren't they suing the vet who prescribed it? It's
hard to get vets to stop using it, or to do chem levels before starting
Rimadyl, and doing periodic follow-up labs....


The vets are told by Big Pharma that it's safe. Of course, that is done
because BP is only interested in profits, not our pets and not us.


Obviously, the vet world needs some safe non-opiates for pan relief....
or to use more opiates, which opens another whole bag of worms....


The human world needs some safe pain relievers too. Not many people
realize the harm done by what we have presently, including and
especially nsaids.


If dogs are like humans in that some drugs or combinations are effective
for some, and not for others, and for some types of pain and not for
others, the non-steroidals and non-opiates that have a pretty decent
(apparent) level of pain relief are going to be a long time coming.
This is a problem with humans that is becoming more apparent.... with a
new study that was in the news today.


What was the study about? Got a link?

Char

And dogs can't tell us much
that's easily interpreted by us humans....

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA


  #5  
Old September 8th 11, 04:13 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
Jo Wolf
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Posts: 479
Default Pfizer Sued After Dog Dies From Rimadyl Toxicity - Char

It was on the MSNBC medical news page on Wed. Will try to remember to
post the url after i do email. Not the study report itself, but
reporting on it. The study was looking at (Hold onto your hat, this
sounds weird, but it made sense.....) how many people had to take what
dose of what drug before a significant number reported satisfactory
relief from pain. It was a retrospective study.... using patients'
reports to their doctors, as recorded in medical records. They
obvioulsy couldn't go out and arbitararily give multiple drugs and
combinations of drugs. To keep the source and type of pain standard,
they looked at records of people who had teeth pulled. I recall one rug
required 2.5 people to get it in that dose before one person reported
relief. Codiene wasn't very effective at all.... that one I recall.
The general finding was that NSAIDS, non-NSAIDS weren't very good, and
neither were the codiene based drugs, but some combinations were. One
good one was acetomenophen (Tylenol) and Ibuprofen in combination....

Patients and nurses kept telling surgeons, Years Ago, that Demerol was
not very effective for most surgical pain. Finally some
anesthesiologist did a study and came up with the no-news-to-us that
Demoral was only a "medium" pain reliever with significant respirary
depression. Soon as that hit the journals, we started going back to
good, dependable morphine, which is a good pain reliever and also a
significant respiratory depresant, after major surgery.

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA

  #6  
Old September 8th 11, 04:38 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
Jo Wolf
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Posts: 479
Default Pfizer Sued After Dog Dies From Rimadyl Toxicity - Char

Okay.... I usually go into the news via a mobile site, but that is not
connecting for webtv users tonight. The article wasn't on the regular
access via home page, but the following article was. If luck holds,
when you pull up this url, you should be able to pull up the health
page frm the listing at the bottom.... and the article I cited may be
listed in the "more health" below this article.

Miscarriage risk doubles with use of anti-inflammatory drugs - MSNBC
News â€" Health Article
http://news.mobile.msn.com/en-us/art...4393864&afid=1

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA

  #7  
Old September 8th 11, 09:41 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
Jo Wolf
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Posts: 479
Default Pfizer Sued After Dog Dies From Rimadyl Toxicity - Char

Here ya go,,,,,

Common pain meds don't provide relief for most - Pain center
Address:http://mlvb.net/www.msnbc.msn.com/id...e-relief-most/

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA

  #8  
Old September 9th 11, 11:56 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
buglady
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Posts: 863
Default Pfizer Sued After Dog Dies From Rimadyl Toxicity

"vernahll3" wrote in message
...
The company manufacturing the drug and advising vets that it is safe to
use is the bigger culprit. News items like this should be read by more
vets so they know the dangers of prescribing this drug.


....................You need to do a little reading on the subject. In 2000
(that's 11 years ago), Pfizer was required to send this letter to vets.

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalV.../UCM056794.pdf

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/.../ucm130903.htm
Vets are required to hand out a sheet to clients. If they're not doing
that, it's not the drug makers fault.

Label for injectable Rimadyl:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalV.../UCM050410.pdf
REad the section on page 2 labeled Information for Dog Owners, where they
mention DEATH as a possible side effect.

.............ANY vet who claims not to be aware of this is not one I'd want
to go to.

All the NSAIDs can be dangerous to dogs. Others can cause kidney failure.
AFAIC it's up to the owner to check up on drugs prescribed. The only time
I've used Rimadyl was in a dog with terminal cancer and in 2 days he had
black stools. No NSAID should be given w/o first checking status of kidney
and liver.

All NSAID labels
http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/.../ucm050105.htm

.............I'm really sorry these folks lost their pup. But to be the best
advocate you can, you have to investigate some of this stuff. One cannot
say yes without questions. A hideously hard way to learn this.

buglady
take out the dog before replying


  #9  
Old September 10th 11, 08:23 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
Jo Wolf
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Posts: 479
Default Pfizer Sued After Dog Dies From Rimadyl Toxicity

Much of the problem is that people don't even ask their own doctors
about side effects and risks of medication.... and this carries over to
drugs prescribed for their pets by their vets..... It's quite rare for
a pet owner to take the "radical step" of even trying to look up a pet's
drug.....

Educate, educate, educate.....

Regarding the dog you mentioned with terminal cancer.... In the
terminal stages of the disease, bleeding from the gut, and other body
tissues, is not unusual.... as in humans. Liver failure is often
already in progress. Kidney failure is often already in progress.
Initiating an NSAID at that stage is not going to relieve pain. At
best, and at worst, it may speed death and release the animal from
further suffering sooner. This is why my personal choice is to
euthanize my pet before it reaches the terminal suffering stage. I'm
one who makes many decisions of this sort based on quality of life,
rather than length of life or a desire for the animal to have a natural
death. But that is up to each owner, and may not be a decision that
someone else would make.

After years of intensive care nursing, and working with terminal AIDS
patients at the end of my hospital career, I vowed that since I couldn't
release these suffering humans, the least I could do was to save my pets
from that degree of prolonged agony. I learned back in those days that
many family members dragged out this suffering by refusing to agree to
"do not resuscitate" orders or to withdraw life support, because they
were keeping the loved one alive for themselves, not for any benefit the
loved one would receive from prolonging "life". As I became more
involved with other pet owners, I saw the same picture.

Hospice care for humans is merciful, and pain control is maximized....
we can't euthanize them in most geographic locations. The equivalent of
hospice care for animals.... not so much, because pain control is rarely
achieved today.... so it's mainly for the owner.

Many vets are unwilling to use opiates that might really relieve
pain.... although some in my area are beginning to use fentanyl patches
after very major surgery. Few have enough training and experience with
the opiates to be comfortable prescribing them for home use.... because
for so long the way to keep animals from being physically active too
soon has been to avoid true pain relief. Lots of ethical issues
there....!

And I'm sure that some vets fear diversion of opiates and other
controlled substances to illegal use.... (and I heard of at least one
case of a woman using her pet's tranquilizers [I think it was Valium]
back in the '80s.... until she started trying to get prescriptions from
vets while travelling, and a vet refused because, 1.) he didn't think
she needed 50 tablets for the dog to make the 3 hour flight home....
and, 2.) had already stopped handing out prescriptions because he felt
it was dangerous to in any way sedate an animal for flying.)

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA

  #10  
Old September 10th 11, 01:51 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
buglady
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Posts: 863
Default Pfizer Sued After Dog Dies From Rimadyl Toxicity


"Jo Wolf" wrote in message
...
Regarding the dog you mentioned with terminal cancer.... In the
terminal stages of the disease, bleeding from the gut, and other body
tissues, is not unusual.


..............It was the Rimadyl

Initiating an NSAID at that stage is not going to relieve pain.


................He was happy and painfree all weekend. Even jumped into the
van despite bad hips. We had an appt scheduled for euthansia Monday. Don't
assume so much.


buglady
take out the dog before replying


 




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