Rimadyl side-effects?

**Barbian0521** · 01-08-2008, 10:43 PM

My 1 1/2 year old chocolate has been on Rimadyl for pain for over a year and is now vomiting blood. Has anyone had any adverse reactions to this medication that may help me?

**labby** · 01-09-2008, 07:09 AM

Yes there quite a few side effects, and I wouldn't have a young dog on it for any length of time.

http://www.labbies.com/rimady.htm

**millstonekennel** · 01-09-2008, 08:21 AM

Why is he on rimadyl for so long at such a young age?

**jzgrlduff** · 01-09-2008, 08:21 AM

Call your vet immediately please!!! May I ask why such a young lab is on pain meds for that long a time?

**Kathy5475** · 01-09-2008, 08:25 AM

You should be having your dog's blood tested for liver damage. What is the pain from? I agree, I would never ever use Rimadyl long-term for such a young dog. If you just google Rimadyl, you'll see all kinds of horror stories. I'm surprised your vet didn't inform you of the long-term problems with the drug and labs.

**Dani** · 01-09-2008, 08:57 AM

I thought we already went through this? Sorry to hear about this but call your vet!

According to this thread (http://www.justlabradors.com/forum/i...html#msg792183), her boy has CHD. My question to you is did you have an ortho consult or did your vet just tell you that? And did your vet stick you on long term rimadyl? If so, they should be shot.

From the other thread:

Although Rymadil and EctoGestic have only recently become available, there are some statistics. In 1998 Rimadyl led the list of drugs reported to cause adverse reaction in dogs( 43.4% of all adverse drug reactions were due to Rimadyl). This is due to any number of causes: older pets who are often dehydrated, pets taking multiple medications such as heart medications that could increase toxicity of NSAIDs like Rimadyl, have organ disease or failure, and are not regularly screened for underlying problems and side effects. While NSAIDs can be safely used for short-term pain relief in most pets, other, safer options are preferred for long-term relief in arthritic pets, for whom Rimadyl is most often prescribed.

Side Effects of Rimadyl, EctoGesic, or any NSAID:

Gastrointestinal System - bleeding, ulceration, perforation, inflammation of the pancreas, diarrhea.
Kidney - kidney failure. Older pets are at greater risk. Any time dehydration is present, the risk of kidney disease increases. Pre-treatment blood and urine testing can detect some but not all kidney problems.
Liver - elevated liver enzymes, liver failure. The most serious side effect seen in dogs taking Rimadyl was liver disease. Labrador Retrievers seem to have predisposition to develop more serious side affects leading to liver failure than other dog breeds.

**Barbian0521** · 01-09-2008, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by Dani

I thought we already went through this? Sorry to hear about this but call your vet!

According to this thread (http://www.justlabradors.com/forum/i...html#msg792183), her boy has CHD. My question to you is did you have an ortho consult or did your vet just tell you that? And did your vet stick you on long term rimadyl? If so, they should be shot.quote]

Yes, we did go through this already. But after all of the wonderful feel back I got, I started researching more and more. Then come yesterday Ty threw up pinkish blood. So being the loving mom who would do anything for my boy I decided that we were never going back to my childhood vet again. He has been on it for hip pain and severe at that, but still no exuse. She NEVER told me the medication had any side-effects but did run two blood tests 6 months apart. Lesson learned....Research EVERYTHING

So we are running blood work at the new vet tomorrow to find out what is going on. And he is off Rimadyl per her instruction perminantly for now (Thank god!). We are going to look into accupuncture, diet, physical therapy and chinese herbs. And then, if need be surgery. Clinically, he is pretty bad off for his age and very much so in pain. Unfortunately, out of stupidity I trusted my old vet (never to be seen again). We will also be running new x-rays in the next couple of months (since my wonderful old vet will not give them up).

I guess I had forgotten I brought this subject up in the first post, until now. I guess I'm just trying to get a little more information on it from others trial and error. Sorry if anyone had to go out of their way (pregnancy brain).

**Barbian0521** · 01-09-2008, 11:36 AM

And yes, as far as I know she had planned on keeping him on this long term. Or until blood work showed us we were losing him. She never mentioned taking him off of it, ever. The only thing she did do was add more pain meds....Tramedol.

**Dani** · 01-09-2008, 11:45 AM

Oh, I am not picking on you....but after going through a situation with my youngest pup, I found out that it is SOOOOOO important to get a second and sometimes third opinion. If I would have listened to the first diagnosis, I would have paid $3000 for a surgery that wouldn't have corrected the actual problem.

So, again, who evaluated your dog for CHD? We're here to help and want to make sure that you have the right diagnosis and treatment...The rimadyl is more of an issue for larger breeds...if you haven't seen an ortho vet, you really should. My 4.5 year old was diagnosed with CHD too, but we are only doing preventative measures....keeping him lean, using cosequin DS, and exercise to keep his joints moving.

**Barbian0521** · 01-09-2008, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by Dani

Oh, I am not picking on you....but after going through a situation with my youngest pup, I found out that it is SOOOOOO important to get a second and sometimes third opinion. If I would have listened to the first diagnosis, I would have paid $3000 for a surgery that wouldn't have corrected the actual problem.

So, again, who evaluated your dog for CHD? We're here to help and want to make sure that you have the right diagnosis and treatment...The rimadyl is more of an issue for larger breeds...if you haven't seen an ortho vet, you really should. My 4.5 year old was diagnosed with CHD too, but we are only doing preventative measures....keeping him lean, using cosequin DS, and exercise to keep his joints moving.

Basically I was told that my only options were pain meds or a $5000 surgery on each hip. No other options, just drug him up or cut him up.

The amazing vet I took him to yesterday has a lot of idea's on different treatments or preventatives we can try. They also have an ortho vet who comes in to do some of their surgeries and he does some other techniques besides the FHO and full hip replacement that I was told about. We will find out after the x-rays what will work best for him if none of the more holistic approaches work.

What preventative measures are you using? I have heard really good things about cosequin DS, is it working well? My vet also said that we could try the adequan injection which is put under the skin and acts as an anti-inflamitory. She said they do it twice a week for four weeks and then as needed and it would replace Rymadil. Has anyone heard anything about this?