Rimadyl Side Effects - Mork - Advice Needed

[Guest MnMDogs]

First off - we're heading to the vet in 2 hours. But I'm really worried about my boy, and was hoping for advice. I had just typed out a gigantic post, and hit a key and lost it. So this will be the abridged version.

 

Monday, December 10 - Mork breaks a toe, and is given 14 days of Rimadyl every 12 hours. No side effects, he's his same goofy, Morky self (with a splint).

 

Monday, December 24 - Mork gets last dose of Rimadyl that morning, and by Tuesday is noticibly painful and much gimpier

 

Weds, December 26 - Vet visit for splint re-check (it had already been changed 2 times to watch for sores), and I asked about a further course of NSAIDs. During splint change, vet notes a pretty bad sore and wraps with additional padding. An additional 14 days of Rimadayl is prescribed, along with 7 days of Keflex for the sore. Re-check in 5 days (today).

 

Thurs, December 27 - Mork has awful, nose hair burning gas and a little loose poop. I assume from the Keflex since there was none during the first course of Rimadyl. I added some plain yogurt and acidophilous to his meals, and this seems to help.

 

Friday, December 28 - Mork's appetite isn't great. He will pick at his meals, but isn't as excited about them. In the 8+ years I've had him, I think this may be only the 2nd time this has happened. He will gladly eat the add-ins, but is slow to finish his kibble. I also took him for a nice little walk at the park and he was excited to go in the car.

 

Saturday, December 29 - At about 5:30 at night, he gets up from his bed and walks to my left (about 5 feet away from me), and I assume he is heading to the door to go out. I start to get up, and he appears to stumble a bit and suddenly reverses direction and LAUNCHES himself to my right on the couch. Sorry for the caps...but Mork does not jump...ever, and that's what he did. He hit his splinted foot on the table and appeared confused and disoriented. I sat with him and just petted him for a while until he seemed to relax. We stayed there until dinner time about an hour later, and I fed him (including the Rimadyl an Keflex).

 

As I was walking back into the living room, I noticed large wet spot where he had been laying. He urinated on the couch and on himself. This has NEVER happened. He is a pain in the butt, but he has control over his bladder and bowels. After that, I stopped the Rimadyl until I can talk to my vet. Could this have been a seizure?

 

The problem is, the Rimadyl helps him - I think in addition to the pain of his toe, it helps with his arthritis (shoulder, feet, spine), and he's very very and unsteady again. His appetite is also still crappy, and I have to coax him to eat.

 

I'll ask to have his bloodwork re-checked today. Has anyone experienced anything similar with either Rimadyl or Keflex? I hate that he's obviously not feeling well, in addition to the pain that he's in.

 

Any advice, or suggestions for his pain? Thanks for reading.

[inugrey]

Inu could never handle keflex. It would always cause diarrhea and gas.

 

I don't recall rimadyl causing these sorts of reactions. I thought the big problem with rimadyl is the long term problem with the liver.

 

Good luck with the visit today. Mork.

[Burpdog]

In addition to other things, rimadyl can cause neurological damage.

 

There are many other things you can use for pain.

[Guest MnMDogs]

I forgot to add he gets 100 mg tramadol and 300 mg gabapentin every 8 hours. I really think that the Rimadyl helps - is there anything non-NSAID that I can use?

 

ETA - gabapentin is for his LS symptoms and he's been on it for ~ 6 - 8 months. Tramadol was added with the toe break.

Edited December 31, 2012 by MnMDogs

[inugrey]

Our vet has been prescribing metacam more often lately. I would definitely ask her if there are other options like that. I know with rimadyl there is a washout period...

[Guest MnMDogs]

Thanks, Colleen. I'll ask about that for Morky.

[silverfish]

I don't know. .. when you first started to describe his symptoms (gas, loose stools, loss of appetite) I was thinking 'that's the Keflex, probably', but the seizure-like stuff doesn't fit with what I know of the side effects of Keflex. The most usual Rimadyl side effects would be gastro-intestinal, and include diarrhoea and vomiting, possibly with blood. There are more severe, rarer, side effects and these do include incoordination and seizures. I'd stop the Rimadyl immediately and talk to the vet.

 

It seems that Onsior is not licensed for dogs in the USA, which is a pity because it's a useful new addition to the NSAID arsenal, of a type known as 'coxib'. It's the same family of drugs as Rimadyl, Metacam etc, but instead of being a COX 1 and COX 2 enzyme inhibitor, it only inhibits COX 2, and stays for a much shorter time in the tissues (targeting the point of inflammation) therefore being much less likely to cause metabolic problems or organ damage or seizures etc.

 

It is licensed for cats, I believe. I don't know if your vet is willing to prescribe it for dogs, but it is available and marketed for dogs here in England and Sid is on it at the moment. Otherwise you could ask if there is a different coxib they could give him.

[Batmom]

That actually sounds more like a tramadol + gabapentin problem -- CNS depression, such that he didn't wake up when he should have to pee, plus some disorientation. Might want to discontinue the tramadol and/or scale back the gabapentin dose a bit.

 

 

If you want to switch NSAIDs (say, use metacam instead of rimadyl), you need a period of no NSAIDs for 3-5 days in between stopping one and starting another.

 

 

Is he getting something for his tummy? Might want to do pepcid or similar until he's done with the antibiotics. Upset tummy can lead to overdrinking, which of course can lead to excess peeing, leakage (if dog is too out of it to get up), etc.

 

 

Hugs and best luck with your boy.

[PatricksMom]

I've seen neurological/psychological issues with Rimadyl--personally, I'll never use it again. Meloxicam would be an option for adding to Tramadol and Gabapentin, I don't think Deramax is currently available. I would worry about his stomach with an NSAID of any kind + an antibiotic--talk to your vet about Pepcid or something similar and yogurt with active cultures for digestive health.

[Guest MnMDogs]

Thanks all. Just back from the vet, and a wrap change. There's apparently a very large pressure sore that has been causing a lot of issues that has gotten bigger, so it's been cleaned and slathered with a strong abx. No more Keflex, and he goes back in a couple days for a wrap change. Blood was also drawn.

 

Vet believes that the episode that I described from Saturday night could have been a siezure (based on the urination and the behavior leading up to it), and said "if he starts getting seizures at his age, we're in trouble". She doesn't think the Rimadyl caused it, but it happened within the appropriate time frame (she stated most side effects would manifest within 3 weeks), and seizures are listed as a possible serious side effect on the Rimadyl package insert.

 

At this point, based on her assessment that he could have had a seizure, I'm not willing to risk another NSAID for the old hound. He's walking better with the soft wrap, and she says his toe is a bit more stable. She said she never would have even splinted if he didn't have all of his other issues.

 

ETA - he's no longer in a splint, just a wrap for some stability - not sure if that's clear.

Edited December 31, 2012 by MnMDogs

[tbhounds]

Sounds like you got sound advice from your vet. Hope that cast sore heals quickly.

[inugrey]

So he's off the keflex and rimadyl? Glad he's moved to a soft bandage, but I can imagine how scary the past few days have been.

 

to Morky

[Guest MnMDogs]

 

Colleen- he is off both. The vet today said keflex is hard in their GI systems (this is the 3rd vet we've seen, ours is in vacation). So she cleaned out the sore and used a heavy duty topical that starts with an "M"... And we get bandage changes every other day. It's only money, right?

 

Mork is getting many many hugs. and kisses.

Edited January 1, 2013 by MnMDogs

[Guest grey_dreams]

Glad to hear he is off the rimadyl. Hope he starts to feel better soon.

[tbhounds]

M=Mupirocin??? Very good antibiotic ointment :-)

[Guest MnMDogs]

M=Mupirocin??? Very good antibiotic ointment :-)

That's it! Thank you

[GreyPoopon]

No advice, just to Mork and for you.