Rimadyl Side Effects

[Guest cat_mph]

Toes has at least fractured his toe. I think he did it Thursday when he ran up the stairs. Never yelped just started hoping. I took him to the vet on sunday. We decided to try Rimadyl for 10 days to see if it will help before doing x-rays, etc. The Rimadyl is causing him to have an upset tummy. I reviewed his records and the last time he had it, he developed an ulcer.

 

I am wondering: what can I do to prevent the side effects of Rimadyl? Is 75 mg twice a day too much for a 75 lb 9 year old grey male? I discussed it with the vet yesterday and I do plan to try 10 mg of pepcid twice a day to see if that will help.

 

Other than a swollen toe, he is normal. High energy, walking ok, etc.

 

Thoughts?

thanks!

[sweetdogs]

Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't fool around with an NSAID my dog has had problems with. I'd stop the rimadyl, wait AT LEAST 2 days & try another product. I'd want to add sucralfate on top of the pepcid to protect his stomach. You can also try tramadol for pain.

 

And since he's having trouble with rimadyl, I'd want xrays now rather than later to see what's going on & possibly reduce his need for drugs at all. Hope everything works out well.

[Batmom]

Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't fool around with an NSAID my dog has had problems with. I'd stop the rimadyl, wait AT LEAST 2 days & try another product. I'd want to add sucralfate on top of the pepcid to protect his stomach. You can also try tramadol for pain.

 

And since he's having trouble with rimadyl, I'd want xrays now rather than later to see what's going on & possibly reduce his need for drugs at all. Hope everything works out well.

 

Ditto that. I'd talk to your vet. You can give tramadol without waiting the 2 days -- you'd need to wait only if you were going to give another NSAID or prednisone, neither of which would be a good idea for a dog who has tummy troubles.

 

Is his foot at least wrapped?

[Guest greyladydown]

Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't fool around with an NSAID my dog has had problems with. I'd stop the rimadyl, wait AT LEAST 2 days & try another product. I'd want to add sucralfate on top of the pepcid to protect his stomach. You can also try tramadol for pain.

 

And since he's having trouble with rimadyl, I'd want xrays now rather than later to see what's going on & possibly reduce his need for drugs at all. Hope everything works out well.

 

 

I think you'll need to wait several hours between giving the Pepcid and the Sucralfate.

[Burpdog]

He shouldn't be on an NSAID if he has had problems with it before.

 

Sending lots of prayers.

[Guest KennelMom]

Agree with the others. If a dog has had a problem with an NSAID - one in particular, I wouldn't use it again for that dog. You can try the pepcid and see if it helps the tummy upset. The dosage seems fine to me. It's what many of our greyhounds have been on, many times. There are other pain reliever alternatives if you aren't comfortable with the rimadyl.

 

There's not a whole lot you can do for toes usually, but I'd want to know if it is broken or if it was just dislocated. I usually opt for xrays right away - esp the feet/toes. If it's enough for me to take them in, then I want to know what's going on...and xrays are relatively inexpensive.

 

Good luck! Greyhound toes can be a real PITA sometimes

[patricia]

I agree...STOP the Rimadyl and call your vet. Sending gentle hugs to your sweet baby.

[Guest cat_mph]

Yesterday, as soon as I saw that he was eating grass..then throwing it up, I stopped the rimadyl, checked his records, and called the vet. that' s when she suggesting waiting at least 24 hours then trying the rimadyl with pepcid. If his stomach gets upset again, we will try something either another drug, rimadyl with Sucralfate, or lower dose rimaduly with sulfracte. She said that when an NSAID is used with Sucralfate, it often balances out the effect of NSAID.

 

When I told the vet that he developed an ulcer before when he was on rimadyl, she noticed he was on another medicine and thought it was the other medicine (it started with a d) that caused the ulcer and not the rimadyl

 

The xrays were going to cost $300 so I wanted to see if just medicine alone would help his situation before paying for xrays. Unfortunately, I've learned this vet has a tendency to order a bunch of unneeded tests.

 

I had assume that if he broke it, that he would moan or yelp or make some sort of indication that he is in pain. Nothing!

 

Nope, she didn't bandage his foot. I've made sure he hasn't been putting a lot of pressure on it. However, my husband took him to visit the neighbor dogs, he was running super fast without a problem. So, hubby thinks he is fine. I'm still worried.

[4My2Greys]

Yesterday, as soon as I saw that he was eating grass..then throwing it up, I stopped the rimadyl, checked his records, and called the vet. that' s when she suggesting waiting at least 24 hours then trying the rimadyl with pepcid. If his stomach gets upset again, we will try something either another drug, rimadyl with Sucralfate, or lower dose rimaduly with sulfracte. She said that when an NSAID is used with Sucralfate, it often balances out the effect of NSAID.

 

When I told the vet that he developed an ulcer before when he was on rimadyl, she noticed he was on another medicine and thought it was the other medicine (it started with a d) that caused the ulcer and not the rimadyl

 

The xrays were going to cost $300 so I wanted to see if just medicine alone would help his situation before paying for xrays. Unfortunately, I've learned this vet has a tendency to order a bunch of unneeded tests.

 

I had assume that if he broke it, that he would moan or yelp or make some sort of indication that he is in pain. Nothing!

 

Nope, she didn't bandage his foot. I've made sure he hasn't been putting a lot of pressure on it. However, my husband took him to visit the neighbor dogs, he was running super fast without a problem. So, hubby thinks he is fine. I'm still worried.

 

 

Personally I would stay away from the NSAIDs, especially if your dog has a history of problems with them. My greyhound Nadir was put on NSAIDS back around Jan of 2007 for a back problem he developed. Now, he not only has a back problem he also has ulcers that still flair up and give him a lot of problems from the NSAIDs he was put on. Also a note about Sulcralfate/Carafate, it does nothing to protect the stomach from new ulcers forming, it only provides a protective coating to help heal already existing ulcers.

 

Judy,

Mom to Nadir, Beanie, and Bruiser

[Jackandgrey]

$300 to xray a foot/toe!!!! I paid $75 for Jilly's I would be very concerned about giving the NSAID with a HX of an ulcer really. A second opinion wouldn't hurt.

[Greytlady94]

I would not give any NSAID since he has already had problems in the past. An xray would be minor compared to having a dog bleed out. If you feel your veterinarian is not giving proper care then I would change vets.

[Guest LynnM]

Agreed with discontinuing the NSAID if there is GI upset (talk to your vet about this and also substituting something like Tramadol and moving up the x-rays/diagnostics, rather than waiting and seeing). These meds are generally effective and safe, but in most of the cases where dogs get very sick from them, it almost always starts as some sort of marked GI upset, and the meds are continued despite the upset. Since you know now that he doesn't handle Rimadyl well, the next time he requires pain medication, you might try a different NSAID. Some individual dogs tolerate one or another better, or receive better pain control from one or another. Meloxicam is tolerated well by most, but is absolutely contraindicated (even moreso than other NSAIDS) for individuals with any kidney issues. Piroxicam is sometimes used and tolerated well. Both of these are available inexpensively as generics. Deramaxx is available from your vet and can be a good choice. Previcox offers slightly easier dosage, and is another variation on the same theme. A few other options include Zubrin and Etogesic. As you can see, there are quite a few to choose from and all should be given with either Pepcid or Carafate and a small meal to help reduce the risk of GI upset.

 

Best of luck!

 

Lynn

[feemandvm]

I agree with others. Stop the Rimadyl. Maybe it did or maybe it didn't cause the ulcer before... but he is showing signs of GI upset so why take teh chance. Famotidine or carafate will not prevent an NSAID induced ulcer. Use Tramadol for pain in the future and have his chart marked "NO RIMADYL" so no-one tries to give it to him in the future.

 

Reactions to NSAIDs are uncommon but can happen. Our clinic just had a liver reaction to Rimadyl over the weekend. I think it was maybe our 3rd one in the 6 years I have been at the practice.

 

 

[Guest MAXNAV]

Why rimadyl? Deramaxx or Metacam are much easier on the system, and less side-effects than rimadyl (per my vets, and my experience). My collie had problems with the rimadyl, but never problems with Deramaxx or Metacam, as long as it was taken with food. (and......he was sensitive to EVERYTHING!) Without food, he'd have an upset stomach and would throw up. Ask your vet about these other two meds. Good luck.

[GeorgeofNE]

I would stop the Rimadyl and ask about Ascriptin. That's just buffered asprin.

 

 

 

 

[feemandvm]

Why rimadyl? Deramaxx or Metacam are much easier on the system, and less side-effects than rimadyl

Common urban legend. No research to show that the newer NSAIDs are safer or more effective than Rimadyl. When Deramaxx first came out it was said to be "safer and stronger than Rimadyl" but has since been found to be about teh same. Previcox, Zubrin, Metacam, etc. all show similar rates of reaction and efficacy.

 

Any one individual may have different experiences with different drugs but on a large scale study none of the NSAIDs have proven more effective or safer.

 

I would say of all the NSAIDs commonly used in dogs... aspirin is the least effective with highest incidence fo side effects so I would definitely avoid that unless cost requires it. The only good thing about aspirin is that it is cheap.