Anyone giving their dog Rimadyl for pain?

LRomane,
My sincere condolences on your loss. What a tragic story.
Perhaps it might help if you created a web page in memory of Rhys to tell your story so others might learn and be able to question their Vet about the use of Rimadyl. Years ago my then ten year old Lab suffered a bloat condition and barely survived. I had never heard about bloat so I started to research the condition. The result was a web page I posted to warn others about this often fatal condition.
Here is the link to that site:
http://home.flash.net/~jdebess/index.htm
I think you should do a similar page so you can share what you have learned with others and hopefully save other dogs from this sad fate. It would be a great tribute to Rhys.
Again, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

 

Don`t know what to say except that I`m really sorry for your loss. I didn`t have any idea, that there might be that serious side-effects (like dead!) involved. I know many people (like myself) who uses the drug on their dogs, but doesn`t have much information about these possibly fatal side-effects.

 

Lromane, I am so sorry to hear about Rhys.

About a complaint, I would submit a complaint to teh drug company, they are the ones that comile this data, talk to your vet, it would probably be better if it came from him. The more data these drug companies can get the better

honeybear

 

I am sorry sorry for your loss. I knnow it is really difficult, my dog died a fe years ago and the vet pretty much did nothing bc he thought it was something else and she suffered really bad, she wouldn't eat, but stuff was still coming out both ends of her. It is a terrible thing to watch your dog go through that. I am sorry for you.

 

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. Tragically, you are not alone in this problem. I would definitely inform the drug company of what happened. I would also talk with your vet about the dangers of Rimadyl and ask if they will now be performing liver testing on dogs taking Rimadyl and educating owners to prevent this from happening again.

And I really think the best thing you can do is get the word out. Public opinion is sometimes the only thing that works.

If you are really serious about it, you could try contacting a lawyer and see if there is any legal recourse you can take. if nothing else, the publicity might do some good.

 

I'm so sorry for your loss. I know how difficult it is.

You didn't mention if you had a necropsy done on Rhys? I know you said your vet thought the Rimadyl caused a gastric ulcer that bled out, but without confirming that as a cause of death, you don't have much evidence to present, one way or the other.

Even with a necropsy, it's difficult to tell if things like ulcers or liver disease were actually caused by a drug, or if the drug simply exacerbated a pre-existing condition. But at least you have something to start with.

 

Thanks for your support...

Thank you everyone, for your support and advice.
I did file a report with the drug company, and asked the vet to do so also. Pfizer downplayed the possibility that the drug caused my dog to die, but I didn't really expect much more from them. At least my case has been recorded and included in their growing list of reported adverse reactions.
I've considered trying to join the class action suit (suit #2 against Rimadyl), but as we did not have an autopsy done I probably wouldn't get included, so I may just let it be.
I'm expecting to pick up Rhys's ashes today, which is when I will have the final discussion with the vet. Once again, I don't expect anything to come of it, but if Rhys's death saves just one dog in this vet's practice then I'll feel as though I've done something.
Thank you again for your responses, and for this forum. I tell everyone I know about this horrible drug, but I can't reach everyone, and this forum gets the discussion out there.