Originally Posted by
Dennis Thomas, DVM
Hi. Chronic pain in Labs. I remember when aspirin and Bite were our only options. Then came the magic drug, Rimadyl. Oh my goodness it helped a lot of dogs and when it hit the market it came with a claim that there were no side effects. Wow, we bought tons of it. Then, lots of labs started coming down with acute liver toxicities associated with the drug. The company blamed it on the purebred labs. It was a numbers thing and it was obvious that many dogs put on Rimadyl had acute adverse liver toxicity. Norden had to change its label. Now, we focus on the potential liver problems and recommend that if you give it to your dog, you need to have blood work done at least annually. So, we focus on the liver potential and tend to ignore the real side effects that are long-term and much more harmful, like decreased mucous production in the stomach, leading to stomach acid aggravation, GERDS and esophagitis. Many, many more.
Then came Metacam. Metacam was the new and improved NSAID. It was more specific for harmful type 2 prostaglandins then Rimadyl. That was good. The trend continued with more new and improved NSAIDS. They weren't more effective, but more specific and less potential side effects. Cost was always about the same. Some are given once a day, some are a liquid and you can squirt it on the food. Then, we started having a major problem with older dogs put under anesthesia that were on NSAIDs. They started going into kidney failure. And why, because the harmful prostaglandins that we were wiping out with the drugs actually had some benefits. One in particular was that they kept the body from making a natural adjustment to rapid drop in blood pressure. When blood pressure drops rapidly, guess what, the kidneys are deprived of blood/oxygen and they die. The companies were ok with that because the number of dogs that had acute traumas with rapid blood pressure drops was pretty small overall, but they forgot that giving general anesthesia without IV fluid compensation would do the same thing. Ouch.
So, I asked my self the question for many years, "Why is Rimadyl still around when there are so many other NSAIDs that have less potential side effects? The answer- name recognition. Most people have heard of Rimadyl and have had experience with it. That is why the vet has it and that is why I see so many dogs that are on it for years. Really bad idea.
My advice for using NSAIDS; if you must use them, do so for short periods of time and at the lowest effective dose. Read the label on a Metacam bottle and even it says not to use it every day and at maximum dosage. I never recommend using Rimadyl beyond 7-10 days and if I need an NSAID, which I usually don't anymore, then I will go with a safer version like Previcox. Dont be fooled about the blood work. It doesn't tell you anything about the potential reaction to Rimady. It is considered an idiosyncratic toxic reaction and you would only know by putting your dog on it. It can have a perfectly healthy liver and have a toxic reaction. And, if your dog is on Rimadyl and never had a liver reaction, then it is likely never going to have one. Doing the blood work is great for us vets. Good income and keeps the company happy and the client some false sense of security. Sorry, but the truth. Also, another secret is that you can get the human form of Metacam called generic Meloxicam for about 1/4 the cost at your local pharmacy. The vet might tell you that the human form will cause stomach erosions, but you can avoid gastric upset by giving with a full meal. Thats why they make it in a liquid and tell you to put it on the dog's food.
There are so many new natural anti-inflammatory products, modalities for chronic pain (chiropractic, acupuncture, etc), great joint supplements, stem cells and much much more. Do your research and don't give in to the easy way by putting your dog on harmful drugs that WILL eventually catch up to them. And a couple of words about Tramadol and Gabapentin. Before you give it to your dog, take some yourself. They are both human approved drugs. See how they make you feel. Your dog is going to feel the same way, but it can't tell you that they feel like crap when on the drugs. And, look at the food you are feeding. Chances are, it is the source of the chronic inflammation that has led to chronic pain. We have been conditioned to allow our pets to get these chronic diseases and rely on harmful drugs to treat the symptoms. Time to make a change. And, this is coming from a vet that has practiced on dogs and cats for over 37 years. Hope I haven't bored you to tears. Have a good evening.