Drug for dogs could be deadly

11:01 AM CST on Friday, February 4, 2005

By Chau Nguyen / 11 News

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Some call it a miracle drug for man's best friend, but some dog owners are worried that a prescription painkiller could be lethal to their pets.

Like most dogs, 3-year-old Luce loves to go to the park, but a few months ago, Luce had signs of early arthritis. "She was just very stiff not able to jump," says her owner, Joanna Veedingen.

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Elvis almost didn't make it when he was given Rimadyl. His owner spent thousands of dollars to save his life.

That is when Veedingen discovered Rimadyl, a prescription painkiller used for pain and stiff joints.

"Now she's acting fine and she's running." Says Veedingen.

Rimadyl may be working for Luce, but it didn't for Ellen Jester's dog Elvis. "He went into immediate liver and kidney failure," Jester says.

Her veterinarian says Rimadyl almost killed the dachshund.

Three weeks and thousands of dollars in vet bills later, Elvis is okay. "We feel very blessed and just lucky that's he's still with us," says Jester.

Elvis is among the thousands of dogs whose owners say had adverse affects after taking Rimadyl.

Since 1997, there have been 12,516 complaints about Rimadyl to the FDA.

In more than 2,300 cases, owners say their dog died or had to be euthanized. Most cases involved liver or kidney failure or internal bleeding.

Still, Rimadyl's manufacturer says its drug is safe, and that the numbers account for less than 1percent of the ten million dogs currently on the drug.

"We believe that Rimadyl has saved the lives of many, many dogs and has improved the quality of life of so many dogs that are thriving amongst us," says Pfizer spokesperson Bob Fateaux.

"I would not give it to my dog," says vet Bob Rogers.

Rogers, is Elvis' vet and says he was so concerned about Rimadyl's side effects, he pulled the drug off his shelves.

"There is a risk any of these arthritis drugs could kill your dog," says Rogers.

Rimadyl went on the market about eight years ago after testing on about 300 dogs. Pfizer dismisses the notion this wasn't a large enough sampling insisting this was the standard set by the FDA.

Pfizer now sends a letter to veterinarians warning them about side affects, including the possibility of death.

Jester wishes she had known.