Rimadyl Experiences

[Guest RooMomma]

This is regarding a non-grey, but I was hoping some folks here might have some experience with this drug. I've always said, "I'd never put my dogs on Rimadyl unless it was my absolute last option." Well, unfortunately it is.

 

TeddyBear has severe hip dysplagia, spinal spondlysis, a left wrist deformed from arthritis, and now elbow issues. He is in pain, and I know it. We have taken a long journey of the glucosamine, chondroitan, MSM supplements, the fish oils, etc. Next we had to go to NSAIDS, and he was on Deramaxx seven months before he began throwing up blood from a gastric ulcer. We then switched to tramadol, which has been wonderful. In addition, I added Dog Gone Pain. These two kept him going for the past year. Now, their effect has faded away, even at three times the dosage (under vet's care).

 

It seems our last option is Rimadyl. Having already had a stomach ulcer from another NSAID, it is highly likely it will happen again. Then there is the whole liver failure issue. (Blood tests show everything in perfect shape as a "before" picture.) I have ordered Cosequin after reading several articles that its ingredients help combat the "bad stuff" in Rimadyl that cause the GI bleeds, the liver failure, and the eventual break down of cartilage.

 

So. Anyone else had experience with Rimadyl? I know GH's aren't prone to hip dysplagia, but can get other types of arthritis. I would like to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. Plus any other supplements used to help decrease the risks of the Rimadyl.

 

Teddy has bounced back on the Rimadyl. I'm willing to have him take it as long as his quality of life remains good. As of last week, when the tramadol and GDP fizzled out, we were ready to send him to the Rainbow Bridge. All I want is to be able to keep him as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. I know it is a losing fight in the long run, and the day will come where his heart and spirit are not ready to go, but his hobbled and broken body won't be able to stand it anymore. Help me help my boy, please.

[greyhndz]

RooMama, I've used Rimadyl for quite a few of my seniors, and none of them had problems with it. If you've already noticed improvement on it, it may be worth continuing, but I'd also talk with the vet about taking Zantac, Pepcid, or Prilosec concurrently to try to decrease the risk of gastritis or ulceration. Of course you want to give it on a full stomach too.

 

I've used tylenol #3 for most of my osteo dogs with good results, if tramadol no longer worked. There are more potent narcotic pain meds, but then you have to weigh the side effects (sedation, loss of appetite, etc.) vs the benefits.

 

Have you tried acupuncture and/or chiropractic?

 

Teddybear sounds like a brave little sweetie! I hope you find a way to keep him comfortable and happy.

 

 

 

[PatricksMom]

Patrick had some problems with it--extreme difficulty walking, real clingyness, if he were a person I would say he was being paranoid, vet said not to use it with him again.

 

As for the cosequine, I haven't heard about it combatting rimadyl problems, but it's worked wonderfully for joint support.

[Guest KennelMom]

We've had a few seniors on rimadyl long term for arthritis. It really helped them and I've never had a problem using it either long or short term on our dogs.

[swiftwhips]

Have you tried Metacam? I had great success using it in conjunction with Cosequin, Comfort MSM & fish oil for my very elderly Afghan. She had terrible arthritis in both knees, as well as in her spine. I truly believe it afforded us a few more years that otherwise may not have been possible. Her bloodwork remained normal the entire time she was on it, and there were no resultant GI upsets.

 

Sending big hugs to you & TeddyBear.

 

Stef & the silly 6

[Guest RICHandJUDE]

Our heart greyt was on Rimadyl for at least 3 years. She had a very bad back.

 

Rimadyl was about the only thing that helped her. Every few months we had her

liver checked and all was OK. She lived to a ripe age of 15+.

[Batmom]

I was going to mention Metacam, too. Have heard -- but have NO personal experience -- that it is a bit gentler on the tummy.

 

If you are going to use an NSAID, make sure you give something to protect the innards, too (carafate, sucralfate, pepcid).

 

Burpdog might know if there is another drug in the same class as Tramadol that you could try.

 

As far as liver/kidney issues are concerned, we had a non-grey on butazolidin for years. She actually had kidney disease, but the bute didn't make it worse and it didn't cause any problems with her liver. Every dog is different, tho, so you are very wise to keep an eye on that and the tummy issue.

 

Hugs and luck.

[Guest JohnnyBell]

I used Rimadyl for months for Sophie(Osteo)and she did fine on it,no problems whatsoever.

[silverfish]

I have used Rimadyl several times, but have to say it simply didn't help Jim as much as Metacam did. Jack is now on Metacam. It's a very similar drug, with the same kind of possible side-effects. If your dog doesn't do well on one, it's worth trying the other, but I would be wary if he has already had ulcers on an NSAID. I would definitely ask the vet about giving an antacid in conjunction with it to try to prevent problems, though I have no idea how effective that would be.

 

You really DO need to make sure these drugs are given with a decent amount of food. My vet suggested about a third of their normal size dinner was an appropriate amount. Some dogs do OK on less, but since Teddybear has already had gastric problems, I'd aim for that.

 

Personally, I have not had any experience with bad side effects from Rimadyl, but I am always very watchful when my dogs are put onto it.

[Hubcitypam]

In Rexs long journey Rimadyl was the absolute least effective pain med, but every dog is different. We had a little better success with Metacam. The thing that worked best for him painwise despite all the risks from his colitis was Deramaxx, which is supposed to be really rough on the tummy. He never had any problems with it, although my pocketbook did.

[Guest longdogs]

I've used it regularly on William for arthritic pain, sprains etc and on William and Nugget for post-operative pain control. It's always worked well and they've never shown any adverse reactions at all. We usually ask for the generic version (Carprofen) which is cheaper and just as good as Rimadyl. We had less success using it when Nugget was in severe pain from osteosarcoma.

[Aerosmom]

I echo those who suggest Metacam -- it's supposed to be easier on the dog. Snickers was on Metacam before her amputation and considering how painful bone cancer is supposed to be, it did a good job alleviating her pain.

[sweetdogs]

Here is an article on using misoprostal in conjuction with other stomach protectors when giving NSAIDS: Misoprostal. There are also some other suggestions there as well.

[Burpdog]

why not add morphine and neurontin to the tramadol?

[Guest RooMomma]

Thanks for everyone's replies, advice, and suggestions. I talked to the vet today, and we are going to continue on the Rimadyl another week then do a blood draw to check for any changes in liver/kidney/gastric. I guess we'll make further decisions after the answers we get from the bloodwork.

[Guest ohgreyt]

My doxie had it when she had 19 teeth pulled. She did fine on it! So did Mira. She found the left over pills and chewed open the bottle and ate up several.

[Guest SquanHound]

I have had 2 seniors on rimadyl (one OES with hip dysplagia and one husky/lab mix with slipped disks and arthritis). It was an absolute godsend for the OES and gave him an extra two years before his hips just completely gave out at the fine age of 13 when we helped him to the bridge. For the OES he was doing really well on the rimadyl for 1.5 years and then went downhill fast after that point for whatever reason. For the husky/lab, he was on and off it for various periods during his last 4 years (particularly in the winter), in the end though he developed liver issues (we think because of the meds) and, bless him, he passed in his sleep the night before we planned to help him to the bridge at the age of 16. Man I miss my boys - Zack & Zeek