sorry this is long...

anyone here have any experience with rimadyl for long-term use? I know a few mentioned something to me - Melody I think? - but at the time I was so swamped with thoughts of surgery...anyways, my almost 9 yr old lab started favoring one of her back legs and after romping at the park or being 'frisky' would have a lot of trouble getting up..once she couldn't get up at all without struggling for 10 minutes or so. I have a pet plan(not insurance) and they rotate vets through like crazy and this latest vet wanted me to take her to a friend of his to see if surgery would help(which I didn't do). he did x-rays and figured it was the doggy equivalent of the ACL and said the other one usually goes within a year. she had a prescription for deramaxx the first trip and the followup where he did the xrays she got tramadol or trammodol which doesn't seem to do diddly at least not compared to the deramaxx which worked like a charm...

when I went to my parent's for thanksgiving I had the dogs and we stopped at the clinic they used for our beagles 10-15 yrs ago ..thought I'd get a 2nd opinion from a 'country vet' and one vet at the practice had seen Kayla a few years ago when she got a swollen eye and I liked the place. anyways, I told him about the xrays and what had been said and showed him the meds she had and how I hadn't given her but 1 or 2 total since such and such time and how it's always worse when she gets frisky. he pulled on her leg a couple of different times and said he figured it was the same thing the other vet had said. also said he didn't recommend surgery in a 'dog like this'..now not sure if he meant 'dog like this' as in 'she's old already' or 'she's not that bad' but said she was having some pain and he didn't much like deramaxx(in spite of a deramass poster hanging on the door LOL!) and said his own dog took Rimadyl for years and actually more than the recommended dosage because his pain was so severe. he gave me a sample to try for a week but of course we ran out. I'm thinking about stopping there tomorrow and seeing if he'll give me a prescription and how often I should have bloodwork done. I'm just hesitating because i feel like I'm making a long-term decision for my dog that might not be the best. I dont' want her  hurting. i could spring for the surgery but he said they most likely wouldn't be able to do it there..said s he's pushing the size limit for what they have the equipment for..I didn't ask for details since I really didn't want gruesome..kept seeing vices and such in my mind..he said he'd have to recommend us to another clinic that was set up for large dogs. she's a 94 lb lab..big girl though I wouldnt' say overly 'fat'..she's just a large dog. anyways...he was talking about rimadly like in a permanent long-term kinda thing..like taking it forever. the deramaxxx i only gave for about 5 days then waited a few then gave a couple more then asked the vet and he said to try the trammadol and if it didn't work give the deramaxx as needed. there are times she seems ok but I noticed her favoring that leg the past few days..she'd get up but slow doing so and not immediately like she usually does.

I'm just wondering I guess if anyone's had their dog longterm on this medication and how it did. seems to me the acl is gonna stay torn but this is supposed to help with the pain from the arthritis that sets in the knees. if she tears both ACL's will she be able to walk do you think or will I eventually be looking at surgery for an older dog?

The dog I have now..have had him for 6 years was purchased with the money I won when I sued Pfizer ove this drug due to  my golden retriever's death...I won obviously..or did I ....my dog died....

.Labs have the highest death and adverse effects over all other dogs....I beleive over `1400 people KNEW to sue the drug company years ago.  The result of some of the lawsuits were that they now (THE VETS) have to give you a patient insert most vets still fail to do that but you can call the drug company to get one) BEFORE you give your dog the drug if you have made up your mind..Personally I would not give the med especially to a labrador rertriever..IF you insist on giving your dog this drug get the blood work every 6 months...liver and kidney..don't expect your vet to inform you....even a good vet  blows much of it off...Frankly its a pain med...asprin would do it safer or ask for a low dose narcotic....warm swims...massages...

Anyhow I hope you don't put your dog on this med  and have added this link  for you to look at...you can also google info on it as well as the huge class action lawsuit  that came about years ago when many dogs died from this drug...I think you could find that by googling just class action lawsuit against pfizer over Rimadyl

http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/rimadyl.deaths.html

PS I seldom come here so the odds of my seeing a reply are low to nil but I also wanted to add taking your dog to  a VET SCHOOL where they can maybe do the surgery might be better and they would be better able to inform you if your dog could take the surgery....

If your dog is at all overweight, you want to get it off. I know she's having surgery, but carrying any extra weight is putting more stress on that knee, and on her other one which is at higher risk of tearing.

My dog takes Rimadyl, though not regularly. If she gets to the point that she needs a daily NSAID, she'll take it daily. She does well on it and it definitely helps. There are a lot of horror stories out there about Rimadyl. It's not a bad drug. There are others that have a lower risk of side-effects, but different dogs respond differently to different drugs (same as people). The most important thing is to monitor bloodwork regularly to make sure there are no changes, specifically in liver function. And to be aware of any side-effects you're seeing in your dog. Question them, don't ignore them.

I often see written online how x number of dogs have been killed by Rimadyl. But what I actually witness in my day-to-day job at a vet's hospital is how many dogs are kept alive and given better quality of life by Rimadyl and drugs like it.

That link was very helpful. My 8 yr old beagle/lab mix just had the ligament surgery. The vet gave us rimadyl which she took regularly for a week or two and is now free of. The vet didn't explain any side effects, only urged for blood tests. That was enough to tell me to be watchful. The reason we use it, is that no matter how we give her aspirin, her sour stomach just throws it up. What other arthritis and pain treatments are available besides rimadyl and aspirin? I am keeping the rimadyl for bad days. It appears she may be ok with it. Her health is getting rather complicated as it is, however. I'll keep trying to make the aspirin work.

I have had this drug prescribed for Iris for pain, but it was temporary.

I just started my pom (Iris)  on Science Diet for HEALTHY MOBILITY.  It has GLUCOSAMINE & CHODDROTIN.  Spelling may be incorrect. My Chow took a chewable for her mobility, 12 years ago and it helped her alot. I just started Iris on the new food. She is in my avatar.

Mary