Rimadyl is a medication prescribed to many dogs in order to help treat inflammation often associated with either surgery or arthritis. However while Rimadyl can be a highly effective treatment, it also nevertheless carries with it a range of potential side effects and not all dogs are able to tolerate the substance. It is important that before a vet prescribes Rimadyl that they take a blood test for your dog to discover if it will tolerated. In unfortunate cases the product can have unpleasant side effects and even potentially be life threatening.
What Is Rimadyl?
Rimadyl is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The main ingredient in Rimadyl is Carprofen, which works by reducing the production of COX-2 and other prostaglandins which normally cause our inflammatory reactions, and the medication is administered either orally as a tablet or a capsule, or via injection.
Preventative Measures
Some measures can be taken to prevent the negative impacts of Rimadyl. Firstly it is important that your pet is screened before the drug is prescribed. At the same time it is important to ensure that your dog never takes any other non-steroidal anit-inflammatory drugs along with Rimadyl. From here it is a matter of looking out for early warning signs that there is a toxic reaction which may include vomiting, loss of appetite and lethargy.
Rimadyl Side Effects
However if your dog does suffer from side effects, these can include:
• Refusal to drink
• Blood in the urine
• Unusual pattern of urination
• Sweet smelling urine
• Vomiting
• Diarrhoea
• Black/tar-like stools
• Lethargy
• Jaundice
• Loss of balance
These symptoms can be potentially life threatening so if they do occur you should stop the drug immediately and take your dog to the vet. There are many other alternative treatments that can be used for inflammation if your dog reacts badly to Rimadyl.
Great background on the drug interaction. Info was exactly what I needed. Thanks!
This article was easy to understand and seemed to give both sides of the drug in an impartial manner. It was a great help in my decision to continue using Rimadyl since our vet had done thorough screening previous to prescribing. Thank you for putting my mind at ease.
Some years ago, my aging Pekes were on Rimadyl for arthritis. No adverse effects, but they may have been too advanced to know if it helped. They lived to 14 and 17. Now have an 11 yr old Bichon given Rimadyl for a sprained neck muscle! Hope it helps.
Our Dog who is a 4 year old lab began taking Carprofen on April 1, 2016 he was taking two 75mg tablets per day. On April 10, 2015 he began not wanting to eat and drink. I stopped the medicine on April 10th. Between April 10th-12th he vomited 5 times… On the 12th I took him to the vet who ran blood work which showed he is now anemic. My question is will his body heal since the medicine is no longer in his system?
My dog had elevated liver enzymes and the vet gave him this deadly Rimadyl. He had seizures 3 days later and bled inside his stomach. He died at 13 years old from RIMADYL poisoning. Old age is not a disease – do not give your dog this poison drug – many alternatives for inflammation. I filed a formal complaint against the vet with the vet medical examiners and the attorney general.
When my Catahoula mix, had surgery in her right back leg to make a socket to put the joint into, she was 3 yrs. old and she has been onRimadyl. She has been on half of her 100 mg, now she's taking 50 mg. She is 9 years old. She has been doing good.
We have moved, and the new vet took her off her meds, because her liver test show they keep getting higher, we are putting her back on R.
My dog is on Rimadyl. I'm concerned about the side effects. Thank you for your article. I do wish it gave more information than the article did, yet it has given me a great place where to go next.