Rimadyl For Dogs
Everyday thousands of pet owners are faced with a serious life altering decision–either stand by as their beloved pet goes through a life of perpetual suffering or choose to treat their dog with vet prescription pain medications that potentially pose a more life-threatening situation for their ailing pet.
Confronted with these dreadful choices leaves little hope you can safely provide effective pain relief to comfort your furry home companion.
Studies have convincingly demonstrated that, without proper treatment, a dog with pre-existing osteoarthritis conditions will have increased muscle atrophy and their state of health will decline much more rapidly–while still experiencing unrelenting pain, stiffness & progressive lameness.
So, without some form of medical intervention, your dog will continue to suffer and get steadily worse.
This is a time for change and it’s essential to make a critical decision regarding your dog’s immediate Quality of Life.
Rimadyl Alternatives
If you’re considering alternatives to Rimadyl for your pet, thankfully, there’s a new anti-inflammatory treatment replacement for a dog with painful arthritis, hip-dysplasia or progressive degenerative joint disease (DJD). This natural, plant based therapy offers a safer option over the risks & side-effects of veterinarian pain medication like Rimadyl for dogs.
To understand how this natural botanical medicine works for K9 pain syndromes lets first review the history of Rimadyl for dogs.
What Is Rimadyl?
Rimadyl is a drug introduced in 1997 by Pfizer Chemical for the treatment of hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis. Rimadyl has been prescribed for more than four million dogs in the United States alone and has earned Pfizer tens of millions of dollars.
Rimadyl is one of the brand names for the veterinary drug Carprofen. Carprofen belongs to a group of drugs called NSAIDs, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These drugs act to reduce inflammation with fewer adverse side effects than steroids, making them more suitable than steroids for long-term canine care.
Carprofen is considered “safer” for use in dogs than human NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen, Naproxen, or aspirin, which is why it is one of the more commonly prescribed veterinarian painkiller medication.
This is also why it is never a good idea to treat your dog with pills from your own medicine cabinet, as many approved human medications can have serious consequences for dogs.
Rimadyl Side Effects
Is Carprofen Safe for My Dog?
There have been many frightening stories concerning Carprofen (Rimadyl) and the numerous adverse side effects it poses to a dog. Many dog parents were surprised to learn the lethal risks of a vet prescribed NSAID only after their dog experienced severe negative liver reactions.
It can be said that NSAID drugs, (including Rimadyl, Derramax, Previcox, Metacam, and Zubrin), can all cause the same sinister side effects in dogs as they do in humans. While severe liver effects are less common, gastrointestinal bleeding and liver disease are both potentially deadly to dogs.
Some of these more serious Gastrointestinal issues with Carprofen can be managed with lowered doses or with the addition of other drugs such as opiates like Tramadol–but that presents its own set of negative, addictive side-effects.
Clinical studies of Tramadol, however, suggest oral drug Tramadol medication is not likely to be useful as an analgesic for a dog with acute or chronic pain and stiffness.
Rimadyl Dogs Overdose
Since the introduction of Rimadyl in 1997, the FDA has received reports of more than 1,000 dogs that died or had to be put to sleep, and 7,000 more that had serious adverse reactions after taking the drug.
Despite these serious adverse side effects, the FDA has not ordered the removal of previously approved Rimadyl from the marketplace.
The Food & Drug Administration requires safety and efficacy testing for animal drugs just as it does for human drugs, but as additional reports of serious reactions and the deaths of many dogs started pouring into the FDA, the agency recommended that Pfizer list “death” as a possible side effect in a warning letter to veterinarians and also place a warning on the drug labels.
What Is Rimadyl Prescribed For?
There are a few different vet uses of Rimadyl for canines. Generally, Rimadyl is used as an anti-inflammatory to treat pain & stiffness associated with joint diseases. These diseases include osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, and more.
Rimadyl is in the class of analgesic medication that is used to decrease pain, fever, and inflammation. There are two main reasons veterinarians prescribe Rimadyl for dogs:
- Approved as a short-term, post-operative medication to treat pain and inflammation for a dog after surgery. Rimadyl is used to reduce post-operative inflammation and also helps manage acute pain, stiffness and keeping the patient more comfortable.
- Approved as part of a chronic pain-management strategy for canine patients with osteoarthritis.
Side Effects of Rimadyl on Dogs
Just like other non-steroidal drugs, Rimadyl exhibits a number of adverse side effects primarily related to liver & gastrointestinal tract complications.
Common Rimadyl Side Effects Include:
- Low appetite
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Bloody black, tarry stools
- Stomach upsets / abdominal pain
- Lethargy / fatigue
- Jaundice (symptom of liver disease)
- Oral sores
Some dogs receive fast, efficient relief with decreased pain and swelling from short term use of Rimadyl, while other dogs react so negatively to the drug it can even lead to their deaths if not monitored properly.
Pet owners need to be aware of more serious adverse side effects of Rimadyl, especially for long-term use in older canines. Most veterinarians recommend running regular blood work to monitor liver and kidney function to avoid more serious symptoms and complications.
Long Term Side Effects of Rimadyl for Dogs Include:
- Liver problems
- Internal bleeding
- Kidney problems (can be serious or even fatal)
- Fatigue and weakness
- Seizures
- Frequent vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation
- Pain and discomfort
- Weakness & severe cramping
- Ulcers of the stomach and intestine
- Sudden death
Short term use of Rimadyl or other NSAID drugs is usually not a problem for most canines, however, chronic use could lead to variety of adverse side effects such as Gastrointestinal distress and paradoxical effects, like increased agitation. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss or lack of appetite need to be communicated to your pet care professional as soon as you notice them.
A dog with Gastrointestinal sensitivity to NSAID drugs almost always show these preliminary symptoms long before internal bleeding occurs.
What To Use in Place of Rimadyl
Although Rimadyl is considered one of the “safer” NSAID’s available for canines, there is a new wholistic pet care treatment option if your dog is predisposed to have an adverse reaction to NSAID medication (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
Alternatives To Rimadyl
For dog owners, full spectrum CBD-rich hemp oil is a safe and effective Rimadyl substitute for dogs with joint pain and inflammation. CBD oil in the form of liquid tinctures or CBD dog treats is a powerful natural treatment therapy; and it’s easy to use as your dog’s daily health supplement.
Alternatives To Rimadyl for Pain
CBD oil has numerous benefits and advantages over Rimadyl. In a recent study, CBD oil was shown to be a safe and effective treatment for canines with Osteoarthritis, as it decreased their pain & stiffness and measurably increased their activity levels.
More good news for dog owners. A 2018 survey of US veterinarians showed that many vets believed CBD was an effective treatment for a dog who has progressively deteriorating and painful conditions like osteoarthritis.
CBD Oil for Dogs Pain
Knowing the risk of long-term prescription pain medication, many pet parents are looking for a more natural, holistic approach to safely managing their dog’s pain.
While clinical research is still in its infancy regarding the potential therapeutic benefits of CBD, another plant cannabinoid, CBDa (Cannabidiolic Acid), from full-spectrum hemp oil is thought to provide better analgesic effects than CBD alone.
Until recently, CBD has been viewed as the more important cannabinoid for decreased pain and manufacturers have, through a process called “decarboxylation” intentionally converted CBDA into CBD to expose its diverse therapeutic benefits.
Today, most commercially available CBD products are ‘decarbed’ and contain little or no CBDA.
That’s unfortunate because science is now discovering that the acid-form of CBD, Cannabidiolic Acid, possesses significant medical benefits and pain-relieving qualities in its own right.
Cannabidiolic Acid (CBDA) is a selective inhibitor for COX-2 and a potent treatment alternative for pain management where the use of NSAIDS may not be well tolerated in dogs.
CBDA, the molecular pre-cursor to CBD, is thought to provide better analgesic effects as a COX-2 inhibitor–similar in action to NSAID’s like Rimadyl–but with a better safety profile.
Since CBDA does not cause abdominal distress or internal bleeding related to prescription drug medications, it should be considered a safe, clinically superior, anti-inflammatory substitute to Rimadyl for the majority of pain symptoms.
The combination of CBD PLUS CBDA is why Canine Support Formula has been shown to be a safe substitute to prescribed anti-inflammatory pain medication for decreased pain and improving mobility in dogs suffering from arthritic symptoms or age-related joint problems.
Alternatives To Rimadyl for Dogs
Horror stories are all-to-frequent from dog owners who say Rimadyl has caused their pet to lose its unique personality and become a “zombie dog”.
But research is beginning to show that the plant-based Phyto-cannabinoids, CBD & CBDA, in Canine Support Formula, are a safe substitute for Rimadyl for dogs.
CBD is non-intoxicating and non-psychoactive, so it won’t get your dog ‘high’ and doesn’t produce side-effects or negative symptoms associated with prescribed veterinarian pain medication.
According to current published research, many conditions that respond well to CBD may respond even better with CBDA. And thanks to it’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic effects, CBDA in raw hemp provides an array of medical applications to support a dog with cancer, seizures, and decreased pain symptoms associated with osteoarthritis, hip-dysplasia or degenerative-joint-disease (DJD).
While there have been no human or animal studies that examine CBDA as a treatment for osteoarthritis or inflammatory conditions, laboratory research has discovered that CBDA seems to work in a remarkably similar way to OTC NSAID’s like Aspirin, Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen–But without the increased risk of peptic ulceration, liver or kidney damage associated with the use of these drug medications.
As some pet owners continue to anguish over questions concerning the safety and effectiveness of a veterinary pain medication, many want to avoid the side-effects and lethal aspect of Rimadyl and are choosing instead the more natural, clinically effective, Canine Support Formula.
To fully make our dogs happy, a change in veterinarian medicine is necessary. Adding Canine Support Formula with its exclusive 2-In-1 CBD plus CBDA cannabinoid combination to your dog’s daily regimen can help provide a safe therapy option to over-the-counter drugs & prescription pain medications.
For pet owners whose dog that was previously in chronic, unrelenting pain symptoms with a steadily depreciating Quality of Life can once again move-freely, sleep soundly & best of all, happy to greet you with enthusiastic tail wagging!
Curtis has been passionate about the health and welfare of animals since his first dog rescue.
After studying Sports Medicine & Biology at the University of Oregon, Curtis went on to excel in a career of Clinical Nutrition, later owning a health care supplement company serving private-practice physicians.
Known for his expansive knowledge of natural health and alternative medicine, Curtis believes that natural plant-based therapies can be applied to veterinary animal care which led him to study the science of Cannabinoid Medicine. His expertise in Functional Medicine led him to formulate a unique hemp-based canine care product, Canine Support Formula, fulfilling a dream to combine natural pet-care strategies with the new therapeutic potential of medical cannabis.
In reverence for his own dog, Parker, Curtis has dedicated his company–K9 Medibles–to improving the health and longevity of all dogs.
To learn more about Curtis and how K9 Medibles can help your dog, click HERE.