Dogs With Arthritis Do Well On Rimadyl Until They Die

Rimadyl Side Effects Detailed

In an article published in the Wall Street Journal in 2000, Rimadyl was called a drug that was made for television. It had received approval for human usage but is marketed towards Fido (yes, your dog). Your arthritic dog may take Rimadyl, but at what cost.

Take a 6-year-old Siberian Husky named Montana as an example. Montana was experiencing stiffness in his back legs and was on Rimadyl. In the beginning, Rimadyl seemed to work, but soon Montana didn’t want to eat. He soon went completely limp and would wobble instead of his normal walking. Soon he didn’t move at all. He began to eat leaves, vomit and have seizures. Eventually he was put down. The autopsy revealed liver damage commonly associated with bad drug reactions was his murderer.

Rimadyl Side Effects Ignored

Rimadyl is one of the biggest sellers in the pet drug industry. Over 4 million dogs have been given the drug costing tens of millions of dollars. Pet owners were not told the risks their pets may experience. Montana’s owner agrees. After letting Rimadyl’s manufacturer, Pfizer, know her situation they tried to buy their way out. Montana’s owner was offered $440 as a good will gesture and to help with medical costs. In order to keep the blame on Pfizer, his owner refused the money.

After numerous reports like Montana’s, the FDA suggested Pfizer should mention “death” as a side effect in letters to vets, on labels and during television ads. Eventually, Pfizer used the horrid word in the letters and on labels, but to actually say the word was more than they could do. Instead Pfizer dropped all audio commercials.

Since its release in 1997, Rimadyl has gotten about 1,000 reports of dogs that have been put to sleep or died from using the drug. Over 7,000 dogs had terrible reactions to the drug. Vets are now required to take precautions and advise dog owners of the horrible and possible deadly reactions caused byRimadyl. It is sold as an anti-inflammatory medication. One veterinarian called the drug effective but also said the side effects were a huge problem.

Storm with me on a spring day in 2004.

Rimadyl Side Effects Can Be Deadly!

The first of the complaints appeared within months of Rimadyl’s launch with troubling reactions. Particularly Labrador Retrievers were affected. The product was first tested on young Beagles, but Pfizer soon conducted a small test only for Labradors. The Food and Drug Administration got only 3,000 animal drug reports about bad reactions on 1996, but in Rimadyl’s first year, 1998, the FDA got more than that amount on its drug alone. Pfizer knew what the drug was doing, but decided to choose money over ethics.After disagreeing with the FDA’s request that “death” be cited as a side effect in Rimadyl, Pfizer eventually followed instructions. It was already too late. Vets were getting points that were redeemable for Palm Pilots, Zip drives and other prizes for selling the deadly product.

Maggie, a Chow mix, was on Rimadyl for four weeks. Her owner, Donna, got the pills with no information from the vet. In the four weeks that Maggie took Rimadyl, she vomited violently and vanished only to be found lying in a ditch. Upon Maggie’s death, Donna demanded that she know what took her dog. Liver toxicity. Donna took it upon herself to deliver letters to local vets about the ongoing problem with Rimadyl.

Although Pfizer had gotten many letters about the death drug they produce, it continues to sell and they continue to offer monetary damages to owners who have lost man’s best friend. Instead of using Rimadyl and risking your dog’s life, try glucosamine to treat your pet’s arthritis and keep your dog alive.

Synflex for Pets Is a Safe Alternative for Dogs!

Read more about Dog Arthritis Signs here.

Our old dog Storm did very well with Syn-flex in his later years. He had very severe arthritis in his hips. The Syn-flex offered him quite a bit of relief from his stifness and pain.