Rimadyl: Safe And Effective

Recently we received a Comment on a story about Boney the dog, who had an absolutely wonderful response to arthritis therapy using Rimadyl and Dasuquin. This, despite having concomitant liver disease, which is always a concern in any patient treated with Non-Steroidal-Anti-Inflammatory-Drugs (NSAIDs). We addressed his liver problems with a liver protectant, Denosyl.

The Down Under reader reports that her Silky terrier died after taking Rimadyl, and insisted that Rimadyl “should not be on the market.”

Millions of pets, and their owners, whose arthritic joints are now bearable and whose lives are now energetic would differ.

Here is how I explained it to her:

Yours is a very sad story, but typifies the old saying, “There is no such thing as a 100% safe drug.” Actually, Rimadyl, Metacam and other NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal-Anti-Inflammatory-Drugs) have changed many dogs’ lives for the better. Just as some people had idiosyncratic problems with VIOXX, a relatively minor percentage of dogs have bad reactions to other NSAIDs. In addition, the vast majority of patients who have problems with Rimadyl resolve quickly by simply removing the medication. Those that do not almost always do well with liver-disease supportive therapy. As for “adverse symptoms of Rimadyl,” please read the post I wrote about how package inserts’ content is determined: http://www.mypetsdoctor.com/medication-side-effects-clinical-trials.

In her complaint Gentle Reader suggests that pet owners “Google and check adverse symptoms of Rimadyl.” I remind you that studies have shown that 64% of the medical information on the Internet is either outright wrong, or outdated. It would not surprise me to know that there is outlandish information about Rimadyl on the Internet written by the unqualified and misinformed.

It is a reality of life that everything and everyone dies. Some die prematurely and sometimes we can’t figure out how a person or pet hangs on for so long. Some die of clearly-defined reasons and some die mysteriously. Our reader gave no information to indicate that Rimadyl was truly at fault.

It is always sad when we lose a pet. Still, we must be careful not to frivolously instigate an action that might take away the good life that someone gains from a safe and useful pharmaceutical.

See you tomorrow, Dr. Randolph.