Rimadyl

[newfy]

Vet wants to put Merlin on Rimadyl for his arthritis, any comments about this medication. Given that his LP has advanced, he has to be kept cool & stress free, he has a good apetite; just want to keep him comfortable since he is not doing well at times, Thursdays vet visit stressed him out TOO much that the vet agreed future house calls will be made, especially that summer is upon us.

 

[Bucephalus]

There's a sticky on Rimadyl (NSAIDs) at the top of the forum. If you haven't checked that out already, it might be a good place to start. I think there have been several Newfs who have experienced bad reactions to this and other NSAID drugs. That being said, our Bo is on Rimadyl for his arthritis (elbows). Our vet just did a 5 day test to see if he would handle the drug in his system. Then he had a couple days off, and now we're doing a 2 week treatment. Is your vet looking at using the Rimadyl long-term as a daily aid for his arthritis? Have you talked about cortisone or adequan injections? I've heard those can do wonders and are best used on slightly older dogs, so they might help Merlin. Hope he feels better soon!

 

[Jeannie]

The most important thing to remember is to alway feed before giving the meds. I prefer Previcox over Rimadyl. If you do a search I believe years ago a newf owned by a person posting here got hurt on a holiday weekend. They took the dog to an emergency vet clinic and the dog was given Rimadyl or Derramax, ( cannot remember which). He took one on Sunday, one on Monday and Tuesday was dead from the pill eating a hole in the stomach - an ulcer. Not to say that this will happen but as I stated Previcox is more advanced and easier on the tummy. Rimadyl was one of the first Nsaids and they have been greatly improved since then.

Be sure to watch for not eating as that is the first sign of a problem. I always refuse everything except Previcox.

 

[Brandie&Maggie]

Maggie could not tolerate Rimadyl. It gave her the runs and I was concerned about long term use for her arthritis. She's now on Metacam and its working really well for us. I noticed a huge difference in her in just a couple of days, and it has not caused any stomach problems.

 

[robertjt]

The only experience we have is our lab Bailey. He's been on it for years and has had no problems.

 

[NewfieMama]

Zuzu was on Rimadyl for over a year; when we moved to CT our vet switched us to Metacam as it is supposed to be easier on the stomach. It is also once a day, which is nice. I do give it with food.

Cooper had Rimadyl once, two doses, and was terribly, awfully sick. I will never give it to him again. He could barely stand for 24 hours, had had projectile vomiting and diarrhea shortly after the second dose, it was awful.

I understand his reaction was unusual BUT it made me very cautious in starting Zuzu on it - I think I slept on the couch and kept her in sight for the first few days.

 

[Lori]

Chance wouldn't eat after two doses. I stopped it right away and will not give it to any of my dogs ever again. He did really well on Metacam, just make sure to do blood work to watch liver values. Not eating is one of the first signs there could be problems. When liver enzyme values go up they become nauseous. I gave milk thistle and SAM-e to help cleanse the liver.