Something things that are important to remember; 1. all drugs have side effects in some patients. Aspirin can cause gastric bleeding, but it is still one of the most effective and important pain relievers. Ever. It is also one of the few things for which we have no antidote if someone overdoses on it. No drug is entirely safe to all.
2. things occur after other things happen. But if I put my jacket on and then it rains, the simple act of putting my jacket on did not necessarily cause it to rain. I gave my Hannibal water, and the next day he died of histiocytosis. I am not convinced that the water had anything to do with the histiocytosis. But I can also guarantee that every single solitary Berner that has died of histiocytosis - drank water at some time before their death. This still, however, does not convince me that the water had anything to do with the histiocytosis. I am not trying to make fun of something serious, but I am trying to make an important point. 3. Some medical conditions can cause more severe reactions to medications. If a patient has kidney problems to begin with, then certain medications can cause borderline function to become critical. Do a blood workup to help identify problems before any long term drug therapy is given, and monitor changes closely. It does not mean that the drug caused the failure of the kidneys, but perhaps overloaded a system already headed for a crisis. 4. Just because something is in writing does not make it true. People can pass along incorrect information with the best of intentions. People can also pass along misinformation intentionally. Question any source carefully. Was it from someone trying to share carefully gathered information? From a drug manufacturer trying to make their drug seem safer? trying to make a competitor's drug seem less safe? How was the information derived? None of this makes it any easier to make informed decisions. But please don't be quick to assume either the best or the worst. Penicillin is one of the most important drugs to come out of the last 100 years. But if someone is allergic, it can kill them. That does not change the fact that penicillin has saved a great many more lives than it has harmed. Sulfa drugs have the same sort of track record. Be cautious, but try to be careful about being WELL informed. http://www.srdogs.com/Pages/rimadylfr.html Many people have dogs that lived much longer pain free because of rimadyl. How many dogs has it helped versus how many have had bad side effects? I haven't seen any sort of data that would give us a clue other than what the drug manufacturer reports, which is 1 to 3 cases with bad side effects per 10,000 dogs treated. If I have a dog in pain severe enough to consider euthanasia, and I didn't have any other good choice, then that's a risk I would happily take. But I'd be careful! Pat Long (& Luther) Berwyn PA
