Rimadyl - How do you guys feel?
How do you all feel about Rimadyl (anti inflammatories) with dogs? Mickey has been on them for almost two weeks for what is hopefully a pulled muscle. I just looked up the side effects and was a little bothered by them.... During the two weeks Mickey has thrown up once and had diarhea twice. The reason I actually looked up the side effects is because I was wondering if it could be related to his constant marking the last two days (outside) but it almost makes his walks impossible...Now I dont know if the marking is related to the drugs BUT I do suspect the diarhea and the vomiting was.
For those who have used it, have you ever had any negative experiences OR positive experiences? We have two days left of the pill which I would have preferred he not had anyways but I am thinking about not giving them to him. Do you think that would be ok?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sky and Lyla on
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I prefer to avoid strong meds when possible, however I'm not adverse to giving them when they are truly needed (like in the case of a pulled muscle). I just don't like giving them "just because" or as a "safety measure." When Sky injured himself we had the vet that diagnosed him put him on Rimadyl, but then the vet we went to for physical therapy took him off of them saying that it wasn't good for them to not feel the pain because they might injure themselves worse if they don't realize they're hurt. However, since none of us here know your dog personally, I would call your vet and voice your concerns and see what he/she says.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Rimadyl is an NSAID, same class of drugs as, say, ibuprofen in people. Having arthritis and having posted on arthritis forums, I can tell you if you heard some of the stories of people going to the ER from regular OTC NSAIDS with bleeding digestive tracts, you would be reluctant to pop a pill for a headache! But of course most of us will use over the counter pain killers if needed because, well, we don't like being in pain.
Stomach upset is a common potential side-effect for any NSAID. If your dog is showing symptoms, I would check with your vet. I am not opposed to giving pain killers to help keep a dog comfortable recovering from an injury, and if being on a drug can ease recovery by encouraging mild exercise that is otherwise poorly tolerated the drugs can actually help healing.
Here is the label info, as found on 1800petmeds:
"What are the possible side effects of Rimadyl: Contact your veterinarian if your pet has bloody, black, or tarry stools, or blood in vomit as these symptoms could indicate serious side effects. If any of the following serious side effects occur, stop giving Rimadyl and seek emergency veterinary medical attention: an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; swelling of the lips; tongue or face; hives), muscle cramps, open sores in the mouth, rapid weight gain due to fluid retention, seizures, or abdominal cramping. If your pet experiences any of the following less serious side effects, continue giving Rimadyl and talk to your veterinarian: headache, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea or constipation, depression, fatigue or weakness, or dry mouth. Other side effects may also occur. Talk to your veterinarian about any side effect that seems unusual or bothersome to your pet."
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Permalink Reply by justine moeller on
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Well the thing is he was happy to exercise regardless. It is us having to stop him. I am sure he would run around until his leg was dangling off of him. He just was not putting pressure on his back leg so we decided to go into the vet because we let it rest for a week and he did one run in the dog park and within 30 seconds he was limping...but he would never have stopped running unless we had taken him out..they are so tough and stubborn!
I just feel, now looking back, that he wasnt in enough pain to have him on the pills. I will keep doing some research on it and hopefully will be informed enough to make the right decision about how I feel about them :)
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I understand your concern, and it's a tough decision. Your dog can't tell you how you feel, so that makes it harder.
When an animal limps, it puts unbalanced weight/pressure on other legs and their back and hips and a small soft-tissue injury can sometimes lead to a bigger, scarier injury if it's allowed to linger. So sometimes it makes sense to treat even a relatively minor injury, to prevent worse down the road, and other times it's best to let nature take its course and healing to occur on its own.
Giving Rimadyl always worries me a bit and when my dogs were spayed/neutered, I didn't give them the full course of pills. I would use it if I needed to, but I'd be concerned as you are.
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Permalink Reply by Wally, Jessica, and Olive on
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We have Olive on rimadyl for a strain, and our vet had them cut in half and given morning and night. It seems to not bug her this way, and we give it to her when she eats. She does pee more too!
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Permalink Reply by Susan Stanton on
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I've used Rimadyl for Bertie for a strain, with good results, but I used it very very carefully. I gave him as low a dose as possible and stopped it as soon as possible. Rimadyl was taken off the market for human use, but left on for dogs, and has a bad reputation among owners of older dogs who take it for prolonged periods for arthritis or other chronic pain illnesses. When I gave it to Bertie, he was also on "bed rest" so to speak (crate confined for a few days), so I wasn't concerned about him reinjuring his leg because he couldn't feel the pain. Once he was able to move around, I cut the dose back and back, and took him off it earlier than the doc had said to. It really did a great job for the acute injury, I have to say, and I didn't notice any ill effects.
However -- we had a terrible event later, where my other Corgi, Ethel, ate a full bottle of Rimadyl (took it out of my purse and pulled the childproof top off!). Fortunately, she threw most of it up -- but I rushed her to the vet, who was concerned about her kidneys failing (which is the issue long-term users can suffer). He gave her activated charcoal for the remaining drugs in her tummy, and kept her on an IV for 24 hours, testing her kidneys twice. We were VERY lucky -- she threw up so much so quickly, she had no ill effects. But it made me toss the rest of Bertie's Rimadyl away. He hasn't had any issues, so we haven't needed to use it again, thank goodness.
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Permalink Reply by Laura Jones on
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This is the third and final day Taz has been on it for an abscess he has on his face. I haven't noticed any bad side effects from it. But it is just a couple of days. He does seem to get a little "loopy" for him, but that might be the combination with the antibiotics he is on?
He kind of goes through a couple of hours of having a lot of energy, for him anyway because he is a very don't want to exert energy type of dog, then he kind of has an hour or so of just looking "out there" lol. But he only gets half a pill in the morning.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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There are side effects for any medication. Sparty has been on and off Rimadyl many times over the years. Usually I don't use it for long because it does mask the pain and he will always try to overdo it. Other than that we have never had any side effects. I only use it when he can not get comfortable any other way. Currently he has another (one of many) torn toenail but I am just curtailing his activity rather than using a pain killer. I would just be cautious like you are and keep his activities to a minimum.
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Permalink Reply by Cindy P on
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Side effects should be minimal for short term use. However for long term use such for treatment of pain from arthritis or other chronic condition, kidney and liver function should be monitored closely by your vet. But eventually you must ask yourself if the benefits outweigh the risks. With older dogs in their twilight years, having increased pain from chronic arthritis and other conditions associated with aging, benefits almost always outweigh the risks. Keeping our older dogs free from constant pain in their later years is important to ensuring a good quality of life.
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