In June of 2002 I found a lump on my beloved 8 year-old Weimaraner so we took him to the vet. The vet examined the lump on Slater's side and told us it was just a fatty deposit – very common and nothing to worry about.

Two months later the same vet did some lab tests. Slater’s bilirubin was 1.46 (normal range 0.00 – 0.90). If it had been just a little higher it would have literally been off the chart. At that time the vet vaccinated Slater for rabies, dhlpp & bordetella all in one office visit. Now I know only “healthy” dogs should be vaccinated and that Pitcairn warned, “Giving a vaccine to an animal with cancer is like pouring gasoline on a fire.” He advised not vaccinating pets that have ANY growths or tumors.”

Within two months after being vaccinated Slater was diagnosed with a very fast growing tumor in his ear. This vet prescribed Baytril and chewable Rimadyl for Slater. That night, shortly after the first dose of Rimadyl was given Slater began having seizures. We were in the vet’s office early the next morning (Saturday). I asked the vet if the Rimadyl could have caused the seizures and the vet assured me that it did NOT. He said it was a “safe drug” and told me to continue administering it. He prescribed Phenobarbital for the seizures.

We gave Slater a dose of Phenobarbital and that afternoon we gave him his second dose of Rimadyl. After the second dose of Rimadyl he began having extremely severe cluster seizures. He was unable to walk. He staggered around and ran into everything. He kept falling over. He tried to consume incredible amounts of water but didn’t seem to be able to swallow much. We had to throw towels down all over the kitchen floor because he was obsessively trying to drink. He was completely incoherent and acted like he didn’t even know who I was.

The next morning (Sunday), although he was still breathing we knew our baby boy was gone. We made the hardest decision of our lives and we arranged to meet another local vet at his office that afternoon. A representative of the pet crematory met us there as well. We said good-bye to our beloved baby boy for the last time.

In March of 2005 I read a “Dear Doctor” letter dated March 9, 2000 that had been sent out by the FDA about Rimadyl. It was informing vets that Pfizer Animal Health would be providing Client Information Sheets for veterinarians to give to their clients. The purpose of these Client Information Sheets was to inform the client of the known side effects and risks associated with Rimadyl.

The letter went on to discuss a technical bulletin that was published and distributed in 1999. The
bulletin discussed side effects and serious adverse effects, some of which appeared without warning and resulted in hospitalization and death. That FDA letter was dated three years prior to the conversation I had with my vet about the drug. I was never given any written information about that drug and the verbal information I received was incorrect. Around March of 2005 I also learned that there were concerns about Phenobarbital being given with Rimadyl and that it should not be have been administered to Slater.

If I had been aware of the known risks associated with this medication I never would have agreed to purchase or use that product. As a result euthanasia was our only option. Our vet did not report the event to the product manufacturer. He never even admitted that Rimadyl was associated with any type of adverse reaction. Now I know that thousands of what were normal dogs with minor pain such as arthritis have died after being given this drug.

Please protect your pets.
Demand that your vet do the recommended prescreening tests.
Insist on having a copy for your files and review the results yourself!
Demand to be given a Client Information Sheet and READ IT!

YOU are responsible for your pet’s health and safety

Debbie

My husband was military and we traveled all over the country so when we were in Okinawa, Japan my children saw the neighborhood kids had a pet puppy. I promised them that when we got to Alaska I would get them a puppy. Of course we thought they would forget about that!!! Not a chance.....About 3 months after we got to Alaska we started puppy hunting and found our new family member Bonzi.

We got Bonzi 6 weeks after his birth and just loved the cute little fur ball. From the get go I said that I wouldn't keep any dog outside, that what ever we got would have to be a house dog. I never did my homework because I didn't realize how big he would get. That didn't matter; he still stayed in the house and "always" laid by the front door as a guard dog. He was never a problem at our house and we loved him dearly.

He traveled with us wherever we went, from Alaska, Canada, British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Missouri, and finally made his home in Ohio!! We called him the traveling Chow Chow...Because I had to have both my knees replaced and could no longer get around or drive, I had to quit my job. Being home all day long by myself was so lonely, so my son got me a new puppy. A Shitzsu, we called her Paley. At first I was scared Bonzi wouldn't like her to well, but Bonzi & her just loved each other. A few months later, we came across Maggie another Shitzsu that we purchased from a breeder, not knowing the day we brought her home she was very sick!!! We call her our "Gift from God" because if we hadn't got her, she would have died. Anyway, she was Bonzi's buddy. She would kiss him in the morning & at night before she went to bed, she would get on Bonzi's bed and sleep with him. It was so cute!

Because we trusted our vet we lost Bonzi on 4/12/06 from the drug Rimadyl. Both girls miss him sooooo......they both keep looking for him & look so sad. I know time will heal my pain, but it won't take my anger away. He is missed deeply.

We lost Bonzi after only nine (9) days on a drug called "Rimadyl". We never knew the dangers of this drug, we trusted Bonzi's vet wholeheartedly, never questioning her judgment. That was our first mistake!!! We took him in because he was having problems with his hips and just wanted to make sure that our "baby boy" wasn't in lots of pain. He was getting around okay, but kind of slow at times. She assured us that he was doing okay except he was in the early stages of kidney failure. He had been taking a buffered aspirin for the pain as instructed by the vet, but she wanted to give him a medicine that would be better (so she said!!!!) He took this drug and he did act like it was working, but on the 9th day he started having all the side effects, so we took him off the drug.

I have come to find out that this drug "Rimadyl" causes kidney & liver failure, so with Bonzi in the early stages of kidney failure, this was a death sentence (and Bonzi died two days later).

This drug my friends, is a very dangerous drug, it kills.
Inform anyone you know that has a pet they love, not to use it.