Side effects of rimadyl

tjbart17

Has anyone had a bad experience with Rimadyl?

I'm asking because Koda has been on it for 11 days now and it's great on his pain, but he's become lethargic, didn't want to eat, and vomitted tonight. But when I didn't want to give it to him this evening his leg stiffened up and he's in pain. I just gave in and gave it to him, but I don't know something is just not kosher. I called the vet and he didn't want me to stop giving it to him just wanted me to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't have any yellowing of the gums, eyes, etc. and doesn't have blood in his stool. He also wants me to smell his pee. I'm not too crazy about that one.

Without it though, he's in pain.

MirkaM

Ife has had Rimadyl for her UTI and she didn't have any side-effects (it only last 14 days). Also our Schipps have had it too without side-effects. Could it be something else is causing the symptoms? If he only had bellyache from eating the Rimadyl if he hasn't got it before or any other painkiller.
I hope he will get better soon.

lindsayt

In my experience, I would say GI upset is the number one reported side effect with rimadyl. There are now milder drugs that work with less GI upset, metacam, zubrin, tramadol, etc. The symptoms your vet is describing are associated with liver failure, which is a rarer, but a very dangerous adverse effect that is associated with this class of drug. I would personally switch to a different drug if my dog was experiencing GI effects. Do you give this medicine with a meal?

BradA1878

Rimadyl can be dangerous stuff, we refuse to give it to our dogs.

I dunno if you remember but it almost killed Kaia. Started with vomiting and lethargy and the next thing we knew her kidneys were shutting down and she was hospitalized.

Not trying to freak you out, or be whistle blower, but I don't trust the stuff. It's apparently especially dangerous for spitz-type breeds.

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tsukitsune

Whenever we use Rimadyl, I haven't seen any side effects. One of our fosters was on it for six weeks after being hit by a car. No issues. Our Rudy was on it for the entire time he was with us, and he was in rough shape to begin with, but it helped him... it really did.

There are other types of pain relief for dogs, so if you are uncomfortable your vet should be willing to explore other options for you.

tjbart17

Koda and I had a pretty sleepless night. I think he's running a fever and he is noticeable not doing well with Rimadyl. I called the vet and my mom is picking up his new prescription. I knew Rimadyl had side effects, so I've been keeping a close eye on him. I think he just has GI upset, but I'm not taking any chances.

@Brada1878 I read Kaia's thread last night after I posted this. I decided to search the forum and it completely freaked me out. It was so sad to hear about sweet little innocent Kaia so sick.

shibamistress

I've never used it because I'd heard (vague) bad things about it, but also because it's expensive. My mom used it with her malamute and wolfhybrid. The wolfmix did have some problems with it (GI problems as noted). The mal seemed to be ok with it.

But now it looks like I had good reason to be wary of it.....

Anyway, sounds pretty bad for Koda. I hope you're able to get something else that will work for him soon.

BradA1878

You know, some of our other dogs have taken it and never had an issue, so it's obviously a hit-or-miss type of thing. After Kaia's situation, I just assume stay away from it. It was too close for comfort for us.

tjbart17

@brada1878 I don't know how long Koda is going to be on anti-inflammatories, but after vommiting and diarrhea last night and no sleep with obvious stomach pain I figure switching was best. If he does have to have surgery, he could be on anti-inflammatories for a while.

He is doing better on his new meds. He even has his energy back. This might not be good though, as I have to keep him on lock down.