Anyone here ever used Rimadyl

[Carolina]

for doggy arthritis?

I have a 10 year basset-mix who lately has been having trouble with his hind legs especially the left one. Interestingly, he seems fine on getting up in the morning which is when you'd expect, as in humans, for the stiffness and soreness to be at its worst. And his activity level when outdoors is normal. At night however, Toby's manifestations kick in; he'll fall asleep somewhere upstairs and when hubby whistles that "come to bed" whistle, he tends to stumble and limp on rising to go downstairs to his room (the laundry room).

Took him to the vet last week; he was examined and put on a trial of Rimadyl. Yet 4 days into it, he is showing slight behavioral changes: panting a lot even in the air-conditioned house, pacing and generally restless. When he does settle down, he'll be fine for a while and then for no apparent reason suddenly jump up as though startled with his tail curled under and a bewildered look as if something has frightened him.

I have stopped the medication, but want to know if anyone here has used this alleged 'wonder' drug and if they have seen such changes. As an MD, I am aware of the typical adverse reactions of NSAIDS so I was more concerned about GI, liver and hematologic disturbances, and I am always leery of medication (don't even recommend them for humans unless THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY). But when it comes to the dogs, my emotions supersede all and I do what the vet says.

Still my sweetheart is just not himself. Any thoughts fellow, Duers?

[cheezus]

1. helped the in-law's dog

but I think he also had some joint damage. the rimdyl seemed to work wonders for him. Went from being in pain to pretty much his old self again.

[Richardo]

2. Our 14-year-old Husky/Retriever X has been on Rimadyl for years

I know some have had problems with it, but our Aggie vet keeps a close eye on his liver and everything is OK so far. It really improves his quality of life, and at 100+ pounds he needs all the help he can get getting around. (I still have to help him get up)

[amazona]

3. a friend did

It gave her dog several more months of good quality of life. It may depend on the situation. This dog was already very old and blind, but the main thing interfering with his enjoyment of life was the pain, when the pain was managed, he still had to get around by sniff and by feel but you could tell that his spirit was back and that he enjoyed his food.

[Dogmudgeon]

4. Prescribing Information link

Rimadyl (carprofen)

It appears that it has most of the GI effects that the rest of the profen drugs. I'm neither a physician nor a vet, so I have no idea what your dog's behavior might signify; maybe the information can help you and the vet figure it out.

Good luck ... I was raised in a dog-loving family and my uncle had a kennel. "Back In The Day", it was rare to give a dog any kind of medication, and my uncle had to fight like hell even for antibiotics. I'm glad that, for all their side-effects, dogs are finally getting therapy for misery-inducing conditions like arthritis.

--bkl

[sui generis]

5. I had the methuselah zoo for awhile

a 16 year old great dane and another 16 year old black lab both of whom I recently lost -- I still have a 17 year old border collie, and recently lost a 21 year old cat. All of my critters live to be really really old.

Here's the deal: don't give it to them every day. When they have an extra stiff time, give them the minimum effective dose, and occasionally before you go to a park or something so that they can have a good time. There is also a liquid that you can administer (it's from Canada, your Vet will know it) that is safer, faster, and easier on the stomach. Remadyl is really is hard on the internal organs, but the panting is probably caused by severe heartburn from the medication. So, give them a Pepcid (plain ol' Pepcid, NOT AC, which can cause diarrhea), and plenty of water, and don't overmedicate.

[Carolina]

6. thanks

everyone, I have been reading but nothing I found really addressed this recent, weird behavior which coincided with the use of the drug. Some references did mention restlessness and agression, especially in labs, occurring in 1% of users.

I guess it's back to the vet. Only thing is the dog ALWAYS makes a liar of me and seems fine when he there; kinda like when your car makes a funny sound for you but not the mechanic :shrug:

[SiouxJ]

7. Rocky was on it for years

before I finally had to put him down (at almost 18 yrs). It really seemed to help a lot, but eventually, even that didn't do the trick.

At one point we added Glucosamine & Condroitin and that really helped a lot. The only problem was it upset his stomach so bad that sometimes he didn't eat all day, so we had to stop the G&C. You may want to try just G&C (with food) as it may be all he needs at first.

I HAVE heard of some dogs having adverse reactions to Rimadyl. I've even seen some scary reports on the web when I researched it awhile back but like anything, I think you have to take those with a grain of salt.

[SickOfSpin]

8. If it turns out that he can't tolerate the Rimadyl

another option to try is a new COX-II NSAID called Duramax. Vet friends of mine are putting lots of pups on this one, particularly for dogs that have liver and/or other problems with Rimadyl. My elderly dog as been on Rimadyl for years with fantastic results and no problems, but I've heard of dogs doing super on Duramax, too.

[Branjor]

9. Here's a link.....

on Rimadyl: http://www.arthritis-glucosamine.net/pet-arthritis/rimadyl-dog.html

My dog does pretty well on Adequan injection. She is arthritic and has loose joints.

[LWolf]

10. Sort of.

I'm "fostering" a dog right now that came to me taking it; we decided to take him off of it and see how he would do a couple of weeks ago. He is doing just the same. He's quite large, and about 12 years old. Moves stiffly and slowly at all times, avoids getting up and down unless he has to. So far, there is no difference without it. He gets a joint supplement daily, and coated aspirin when he seems to be having a harder time.