My 7 years old Labrador has just been prescribed Rimadyl for aching
joints in his back legs but some articles on the drug are not very
complimentary. They say it should be used with extreme care.
Anyone else experienced using this drug?

--
John Griffiths
Baxenden U.K. http://www.johngriffiths.co.uk

Antiinflamatorys can be very beneficial but as with all drugs caution has to
be used. Labs are more prone to problems with this drug than many others so
itis EXTREMEMLY important that you get regular blood work done to check your
dogs liver and kidney function. Also you have to be very attentive to your
dog and watch for signs of bleeding or appetite changes. If the drug is for
a couple of days it shouldn't be much of an issue if it's to be used long
term you have to have the blood work done. Don't skimp on this it's
essential to keep an eye on this since any changes can lead to life
threatening situations. I would talk to the vet and have labs drawn 7 to 10
days after starting the drug, again at 1 month, 2 months, then every 4
months afterward.

Things to watch for are, appetite changes, tender stomach, throwing up (look
for signs of blood in the contents, usually bright red or streaky red),
watch the stools for blood (this can be red to dark black looking), at any
sign of bleeding stop the drug and get the dog to the vet ASAP.

My Barney was a lab/husky mix and on Rimadyl then Deramaxx for over 5 years
for severe arthritis with out any issues what so ever. The side effects
sound awful but in Barneys case it was either risk it and give him quality
of life or have him put down. With the use the medications he lived a happy
full life till he passed away from cancer at 12.

Celeste




"John Griffiths" wrote in message
news
My 7 years old Labrador has just been prescribed Rimadyl for aching joints
in his back legs but some articles on the drug are not very complimentary.
They say it should be used with extreme care.
Anyone else experienced using this drug?

--
John Griffiths
Baxenden U.K. http://www.johngriffiths.co.uk

On Sun, 23 Oct 2005 21:44:42 +0100, John Griffiths
barfed the following silly boring **** :

My 7 years old Labrador has just been prescribed Rimadyl for aching
joints in his back legs but some articles on the drug are not very
complimentary. They say it should be used with extreme care.
Anyone else experienced using this drug?

Stay away from this drug. There has been alot of bad news about it.
You can read about why it isn't good at:

http://www.pgaa.com/canine/health/rimadylwarning.html

Your vet doesn't even know that this drug can cause a bad reaction and
and some dogs have died from it.

WienerDog

In article ,
WienerDog wrote:
Your vet doesn't even know that this drug can cause a bad reaction and
and some dogs have died from it.

It's *extremely* unlikely that her vet doesn't know about
reactions to Rimadyl and it's *extremely* unlikely that her
dog will have a reaction to it. What you appear to be
suggesting is that if a dog is given Rimadyl, he will die.
That's just plain wrong.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

What we have here is a form of looting. -- Nobel laureate in
economics George Akerlof, on Bush economic policy

On Sun, 23 Oct 2005 21:44:42 +0100, John Griffiths
wrote:


Anyone else experienced using this drug?


I'll be very interested in what others say about this. I just started
giving Baxter (a beagle) Rimadyl for general old-age achiness (not
extreme arthritis) and his appetite has been bad the last couple days
with somewhat loose stools. (He began the Rimadyl on Wednesday; this
is Sunday.)

I'll definitely call the vet tomorrow and will stop the Rimadyl until
this is settled.

Does anyone have other suggestions on medications? We do the
occasional baby aspirin when he's achy (though I know not to give it
while he's on the Rimadyl.) He also has been on glucosimine for a
couple of years.

He's not in constant pain -- just slower with some soreness.

Anne

In article ,
AMB wrote:
I'll be very interested in what others say about this.

I had one of my dogs on Rimadyl for a week about 5 months
ago. She's had a bunch of bloodwork since for unrelated
reasons and she's fine. In fact, a smaller percentage of
dogs die from side effects associated with Rimadyl than
humans die from side effects associated with aspirin. It's
possible that your dog would have a problem but it's very
unlikely - discuss it with your vet.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

What we have here is a form of looting. -- Nobel laureate in
economics George Akerlof, on Bush economic policy

My shepherd was on it for several years with no apparent side effects.
I had her blood tested every three months for a time...then every six
months. There were no problems, but there are some horror stories out
there.

John Griffiths wrote:
My 7 years old Labrador has just been prescribed Rimadyl for aching
joints in his back legs but some articles on the drug are not very
complimentary. They say it should be used with extreme care.
Anyone else experienced using this drug?



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John,

If the Rimadyl doesn't work out either due it not giving her relief or due
to other health issues. I want you to be aware that there are other
medications out there such as Deramaxx and Metacam. These to are an Nsaid
and can have similar side effects but each one doesn't work exactly like the
other and often when one doesn't work the other will.

In Barney's case after almost 2 years we maxxed out the dose of the Rimadyl
at 125mg and then had to switch him to Deramaxx. When we switched him to
Deramaxx he went from a grumpy in pain dog to one who was running off the
porch and back to himself inless than 4 days. He successfully stayed on a
maintenance dose of 50mg daily without any dose changes for the rest of his
life.

Celeste

"John Griffiths" wrote in message
news
My 7 years old Labrador has just been prescribed Rimadyl for aching joints
in his back legs but some articles on the drug are not very complimentary.
They say it should be used with extreme care.
Anyone else experienced using this drug?

--
John Griffiths
Baxenden U.K. http://www.johngriffiths.co.uk

In message , John Griffiths
writes
My 7 years old Labrador has just been prescribed Rimadyl for aching
joints in his back legs but some articles on the drug are not very
complimentary. They say it should be used with extreme care.
Anyone else experienced using this drug?



Thanks to all who replied. Now I am worried and I shall be keeping a
close eye on Oscar. I only had 20 tablets and these are now nearly gone
- I don't think I will ask for any more from the vet but I will see how
Oscar goes on. I have been using Ibuprofen from time to time and these
seem to help him.
John
--
John Griffiths
Baxenden U.K. http://www.johngriffiths.co.uk

Thanks to all who replied. Now I am worried and I shall be keeping a
close eye on Oscar. I only had 20 tablets and these are now nearly gone -
I don't think I will ask for any more from the vet but I will see how
Oscar goes on. I have been using Ibuprofen from time to time and these
seem to help him.

Ibuprofen is more likely to kill your dog than Rimadyl. From ASPCA Poison
Control:

"Less than one regular strength ibuprofen (200mg) could cause stomach ulcers
in a 10lb dog, and about six could cause kidney failure."

Rimadyl is made for dogs and, like with any prescription medication, with
proper administration and follow-ups with the vet, works well for its
intended purpose. Some dogs do well on Rimadyl, others on Deramaxx. Pay
close attention to your dog and if you're concerned, ask for blood work to
be done. But stop with the Ibuprofen.

-Sharon