Special Report (June 9, 2006)
From the Web...
An Abomination
Loved your story. We need more like it.
People need a clearing house to report
these suspected deaths and to report vets that dont care enough
to obtain informed consent or give a client any information about
drugs especially off label
drugs they are using or prescribing.
I just lost my beautiful German Shepherd.
It's an abomination in my opinion.
Thanks
Lola Quinlan
Many Thanks
Many thanks to Kelly Kaczala for two excellent articles. Many thanks
to Melissa Burden for her Special Report
Jean Townsend
Johns Island, SC
(Always for George - Always for the Rimadyl Dogs)
Administered without
consent
I just read the article titled "Pet Owners Want Informed Consent
of Drug Risks" & applaud Kelly Kaczala for writing it.
Last month I lost the only puppy in the
litter at 2 days old due, in my opinion, to a vet who is supposed
to be a reproduction specialist administering an injection of Rimadyl
to the mother after a C-section. This event in April happened after
nearly 2 yrs of discussion with him regarding my negative feelings
about this drug as well as others which I believe to be unsafe &
I had requested that a big, bold note be attached to files for my
dogs stating that this drug was NEVER to be administered to ANY
of my dogs.
In the Rimadyl insert it states:
“The safe use of Rimadyl in animals less than 6 weeks of age,
pregnant dogs, dogs used for breeding purposes, or in lactating
bitches has not been established. Safety has not been established
for IV or IM administration.”
Since April, I have talked to at least
5 reproduction experts across the country & not one uses Rimadyl
for pain associated with a C-section. And, one even went so far
as to say that he would NEVER use Rimadyl in conjunction with a
C-section due to the risk it could pose to the puppy's liver.
This drug was administered without my
consent & against my expressed wishes & I am in the process
of filing a complaint against the veterinarian with the Texas Board
of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
Again, I would like to thank Kelly for
this article.
Pat Pearson
Bluebonnet Chows
San Antonio, TX
Secret Society
I am in U.K. Here our vets are almost a secret society when it comes
to giving info to pet owners.
My G.S.D. was prescribed Rimadyl. He
was on this for four days before he was seen by a specialist re.
a hip replacement. I was told the only reaction might be a 'bit
of G.I'. Max was 7 y.o. 43.75kg.Rimadyl is prescribed in U.K., broken
down into small quantities and dispensed, in a bottle, without the
benefit of any information sheet.
The specialist vet prescribed Zubrin
(Tepoxalin) and suggested I ignore the unusually provided information
sheet.My dog suffered a dreadful adverse reaction. I was treated
as an hysterical owner when I brought this reaction to the attention
of the specialist vet. I was away for two weeks, my GP vet saw my
dog and said A.O.K. When I returned Max was now 29kg, so weak he
could hardly stand, and very ill. It was only some nine months later
the drug company, Schering-Plough, rang me to admit he'd had an
horrendous reaction. They mentioned Shepherds seemed prone to this
reaction.
Had I known Rimadyl may trigger an adverse
reaction I'd have taken note of my dogs blood tests prior to his
proposed hip operation.I'd have seen levels were already elevated
and realised he was not a suitable candidate for the Zubrin.
We indeed require informed consent before
others feel as sick over what they did to their dog, as I did, after
virtually poisoning my own best friend.
Thank you for trying to change things
for our animals who can't tell us how they feel.
Pam Pickett (Columnist narrowboatworld.com)
Being informed
is the key
I just wanted to comment on the June 2, 2006, story as it appeared
in The Press. The story was very good, very well presented. But
no where was it mentioned that this drug, and a host of others such
as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAID's like Rimadyl
by Pfizer and Deramaxx by Novartis, are supplied to the veterinarian
with an FDA mandated client information sheet, or CIS. That CIS,
developed in accordance with FDA rules, and approved by the FDA,
lists all the side effects or adverse reactions associated with
the approved use of the drug (not the extra label use of the drug).
By the FDA's own standards, 'the only way these drugs that have
a CIS can be used safely is if the vet's client is given a copy
of the CIS'. Currently there is NO law that says the vet has to
give the CIS to his client. With that said, then these drugs are
being used illegally even for their FDA approved use.
The situation with vets using FDA approved
drugs for their approved use illegally because they are not handing
out the CIS as the manufacturer and the FDA state is so bad in Pennsylvania
that Senators Mike Stack and Lisa Boscola have introduced two bills,
Senate Bills SB1144 and SB1145 into committee for approval to require
the vets to hand to the client a copy of the CIS when the drugs
are used. Furthermore, their opinion is that these drugs that require
CIS for normal use, should also require the CIS be given out during
extra-label use so the client at the very minimum has a base line
understanding of what side effects or adverse reactions can occur
with the drugs.
The FDA has determined that possibly
as many as 300,000 dogs are dieing a year due to adverse effects
from FDA approved drugs. They have no data on deaths related to
extra-label use. The main consensus is that the animal owners are
seeing these adverse reactions occur, but do not know it is a side
effect of the drug. The owner waits too long to intercede or react.
The animal is then presented to an emergency room vet when it is
beyond recovery. Allowing extra-label use without the baseline knowledge
of what can happen during regular use would be an abomination.
The cure for this is simple. Each state's
vet board needs to pass a regulation that requires the vet to discuss
the drugs CIS with his client and advise the client what adverse
reactions to look for. A typical drug like Pfizer's Rimadyl has
about 10 'standard' adverse reactions that occur. A few are very
subtle...slow down on drinking water or eating food, inattentive
nature, sleepiness, nausea, panting, and confusion. To the average
animal owner, these may not appear to be adverse reactions, but
merely a change in attitude or age related changes. Some are point
blank indications and may come on very quickly; vomiting, bloody
rectal discharge, falling over, and plain death. But if the animal
owner knew what to look for, the vet could be consulted, the animal
presented to the vet in a savable condition, and the drug can be
stopped before the liver, kidney, stomach, and/or intestinal damage
occurs. Data shows that once the NSAID class of drugs, for example,
start it's process and adverse reactions go too far, there is no
stopping it without radical emergency repairs to the stomach and
GI area. This is why it is important for the animal owner to be
informed of the adverse reactions and be attentive while their animal
is being treated with any drug. With extra-label use, a use that
has NOT been FDA approved, the CIS sheet and pre-screening the animal
for a base line conditions is imperative.
Dr. Victoria Hampshire is quite familiar
with the CIS issue, pre-screening, FDA approval, and extra-label
use. Feel free to ask her her opinion on this CIS issue with FDA
approved drugs, as well as extra-label use.
Thank you.
Demitry Herman
2328 Huckleberry Rd.
Allentown, PA. 18104
www.dogsadversereactions.com
Send us your opinion! To post a comment
here, just e-mail
|