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Thursday, March 29, 2007
Our beautiful healthy, two year old Labrador Retriever named Rowdy
is dead. He did not die from the impact of the car that struck him
and sped away without stopping. Nor did he die from the lacerations,
contusions and fractured pelvis suffered as a result. Rowdy died
because I violated my number one rule when it comes to prescribed
medications for my animals, “Always ask about possible side effects
before administering.” This is what I have preached for
years to anyone with a listening ear yet, in my agitated state and
wanting to give our dog the needed relief, I neglected to follow my
own advice.
This is our experience...
Thursday, March
22, 2007. We were on vacation out of state with our dogs Rowdy and
Duke when the accident occurred. The vet gave us a bottle containing
five tablets of Previcox and the label stated '1 times daily for 5
days'. Previcox,
is a NSAID
(Non-Steroidal
Anti-Inflammatory Drug)
produced by Merial Ltd., an animal health subsidiary of Merck and
Co. Inc. and Aventis, S.A.
No information regarding side effects was given, nor did I have the
presence of mind to ask. Little did we realize that with each pill,
we were doling out death to our beloved dog.
Friday morning, we dutifully
began his doses. Rather than give him a whole tablet, we chose to
administer half in the morning and half that evening so he could
rest comfortably at night. Prior to administering the Previcox ,
he had a normal appetite and drank water as usual.
Saturday morning he refused to
eat or drink anything so no pill was given him. Later that evening
he seemed to be perking up so again, I offered him food which he ate
and water which he drank and drank. I thought nothing of it nor did
I give him any of the medication.
Sunday he seemed even better
and was so alert, wagging his tail and he actually rolled over for a
belly scratch. He tried his best to get up but the fractured pelvis
prevented him from doing so, so we slipped a long towel around his
abdomen and gently lifted him to his feet. This tried and true
method was used long ago on two other dogs we found which had
suffered the same fate. They both made a full recovery using only
low dosage aspirin for inflammation and went on to live many happy
years. Since Rowdy was recovering so nicely, we opted not to give
him any Previcox
on Sunday.
Monday we began our
nine hour car ride home so we decided a whole tablet would be
necessary for his comfort. Less than an hour later, his breathing
became labored and he would stretch out his neck and legs in a rigid
manner. Thinking he may have been too warm, we turned down the air
conditioning. It seemed to work and again, he drank more than the
usual amount of water.
Tuesday came and he seemed very
tired. Although he ate and drank, he did not have the stamina to
hold himself up while we helped him walk outside. We had to pick him
up and carry him back in the house since he would stand in one spot
as if he were in a daze. We chalked it up to the grueling car ride
the day before.
That evening we gave him another Previcox
tablet. By midnight, he was
projectile vomiting
(Suspect that projectile
vomiting is a symptom of poisoning - the body may be aggressively
trying to rid itself of a toxin. Drug-overdose patients often
experience projectile vomiting.
From the article
‘How to Understand Projectile Vomiting’).
Several times during the night and early into the next morning, he
vomited until he was physically worn out. He would shiver
uncontrollably followed by heavy panting and then his head would
jerk back and all four legs would stiffen straight out. Holding his
mouth open wide as if trying to draw in more oxygen, he pawed my arm as
I lay beside him. By then his gums were going a greyish colour.
Wednesday morning he was taken
to our vet and immediately put on an IV. We were told to check on
him at four-thirty that afternoon. Meanwhile, I called Merial, the
company that makes Previcox
and told them of the situation. I asked how long until the drug
would be completely out of his system and was told eight hours. I
was also told there would be no ‘reach back’ residual effects once
it was eliminated.
I then went online and started reading about
Previcox
as well as
Deramaxx, Metacam, Rimadyl, and other potentially harmful
NSAID’s, some of which have been pulled from the market after dogs
died from them. We felt certain that the IV would flush his system
and that evening Rowdy would be back to his normal self.
We showed up at the vet and were told we could go back and visit him
but then they asked us to wait. I thought they may be
situating another animal from the surgery room into one of the cages
in the back so never thought anything about it.
The vet came by and
asked “Are you here to see the dog that passed?” We looked at each
other dumbfounded as I said “No! Not MY dog!” He told us Rowdy had
died shortly after noon. Anyone who has experienced a situation
similar to this knows the gut punched feeling that accompanies unexpected bad news. We were in total disbelief as we
gathered up his lifeless body and brought him home for burial.
The next day I spoke with the same person at Merial who had
given me a case number the day before. When I questioned why vets
were not given the CIS
(Client Information
Sheet) regarding NSAIDS, I was told that they could “send
off for the information if they choose to.”
Drugs which can and do adversely affect our animals are routinely
dispensed without any information. Why is that?
Shouldn’t it be incumbent on the drug companies to include written
information along with their product? And would it not be good
practice for vets to provide their clients with a CIS before
prescribing
any medication, thus allowing the owner to make an informed
decision regarding their dog’s health and well being? My vet had
never heard of any dog having a bad reaction to this medication and
said he routinely prescribed it since it was one of the “safer”
ones.
"There’s clearly a breach between what veterinarians are reporting
and what groups on the Internet contend."
Quote from Dr. Larry Glickman on
ProHeart 6,
another drug pulled from the market in 2004 after numerous canine
deaths.
Previcox's own website under the tab
Previcox FAQ states
Which dogs should not take PREVICOX?
Your dog should not be
given PREVICOX if he/she:
-
Has an allergic reaction to firocoxib, the active ingredient in
PREVICOX.
Please note that almost
all pet medications warn against use if the animal is allergic to
<insert active ingredient name>. The problem lies with the fact that
until the drug is administered, how would you know if your pet is allergic to
the main ingredient? Such was the case with Rowdy, a healthy
dog who had never been on
any medication. How could we have known?
An article published
in 2006, entitled 'Why
is Fido dead? Prescription drugs are killing dogs, too.',
named Previcox ,
along with other NSAID drugs as being responsible for 22,000 cases of
illness in dogs, almost 3,000 of which were fatal.
A
Previcox ad notes the following, "In rare situations, death has been reported as an outcome of the adverse events listed
above." Really? Are over 3,000 NSAID deaths (and counting) considered
'rare'?
The link below provides numbers from test studies completed in
February, 2007. This does not account for real life experiences of
individual owners whose dogs have suffered allergic reactions or
even succumbed to death as a direct result of using Previcox .
Update January 2008- The chart has since
been updated and no longer shows any results, only the number of
animals tested. Subsequent inquiries as to why no information is
given have gone unanswered. The chart is now pointless.
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/Documents/ade_web_rpts_DF.pdf
Regardless, reports of adverse and fatal reactions to
Previcox abound
on websites and blogs. Tragic experiences, one after another are
cited while the veterinary world by and large has been lulled into
thinking that Previcox
is the panacea for all breeds.
How many deaths are mistakenly attributed to old age, heart
failure or an 'existing condition' while the real culprit is the
prescribed drug?
Our dear loveable, mischievous Rowdy has now become another
statistic, case number 07-18129 in the ever mounting deaths in which
Merial claims no responsibility while they continue to respond with,
“We are sorry for your loss.”
You can contact me at:
Mel@k911.biz
Acknowledgement:
Our website is only
ONE of the many sounding the warning about the effect this drug is
having on dogs worldwide. To ones who have been so forthright in sharing your personal
experiences, I thank you.
It is difficult to express the depth of sadness I feel for those who have lost
their pal to Previcox or any of the other drugs which cost them
their lives. To those
whose dogs may never recover completely, my thoughts are with you also.
To
the
vets who urge a complete blood work and enzyme liver
testing prior to administering Previcox or any of the newer Cox-inhibiting
drugs on the market I say,
"Congratulations, you are a responsible, caring vet!" We
hope that you also take the necessary time to inform your clients of
all the possible side effects and encourage them to read the
literature associated with this drug. Hopefully
though,
we will see a
decline in the offering of Previcox for every occasion where in days
past, a baby aspirin would have been prescribed.
Merial, the makers
of Previcox (firocoxib), has been paying for emergency treatment and
hospital costs incurred when dogs have taken a turn for the worse or
died. Lab work cannot be easily dismissed, no matter
how 'rare' they claim these cases are.
Update April 2008-
Routinely, we receive
emails from individuals whose dogs have been
given Previcox for problems unrelated to arthritis for which it was
developed. Some examples include: A cut paw, a scraped nose, after
neutering, before having teeth cleaned, after having a tooth pulled
and before knee surgery.
"Why?" we wondered.
When speaking to a Merial employee, we found that vets, like human
drug salesmen are given "incentives" to push Previcox. An effective
drug could be offered such as baby aspirin but this has fallen out
of favor due to the low cost associated with it and the availability
of purchasing it over the counter. Since this offers no financial
return, most vets fail to mention this option to dog owners.
Another way to further
distance themselves from promoting a simple, low cost pain reliever
is to frighten individuals by telling them of the "horrible consequences" of gastric ulceration
from aspirin. One individual wrote us that when she asked her vet
about using aspirin, the whole office gasped at the very thought and
told her how dangerous it was!
Aspirin
toxicity usually occurs because of the ingestion of improperly
stored drugs or the administration of the incorrect dose of aspirin.
Always make sure the aspirin is of the correct dosage for the weight
of your dog. Should any
GI disturbance occur, discontinue use and have your vet give your
dog a thorough checkup to ensure there is no internal bleeding of
any kind. Once a clean bill of health is given your dog, begin aspirin
therapy again at a lower dosage and
always use buffered aspirin.
Aspirin is better tolerated and more forgiving by most breeds than
the main ingredient
in Previcox, which is firocoxib. A few
doses of Previcox can and do cause death as our
emails confirm.
The incentives from Merial in some
cases provide equipment for veterinary surgeries as well as give the
vets a substantial discount on future orders of Previcox. So, there
you have it. We no longer wonder why Previcox is being pushed in
clinics all over North America and in the UK and why dogs who should
have easily healed are now dead. This is big business.
The “Boys”
We had some land that we loved so
And to it often we all would go
As the doors slid open and we watched them run
Our beautiful boys crossed fields in the sun
Rowdy bumped Duke to follow his lead
Duke didn’t mind he followed, indeed
Flushing out a rabbit, it disappeared into thin air
They then tussled with each other, they hadn’t a care
But Rowdy is now gone and Duke wanders alone
A bit unsure of what to do on his own
And now as the doors slide open again
Duke steps out slowly, minus his friend
It is never the same, it never can be
No, life’s not the same without his Rowdy
Lab owners: GOOGLE- 'Lab
forums' and read about Labradors and NSAIDs. It is to your advantage
to join any of these Lab forums since they provide a wealth of
information for this wonderful breed of dog.
The reason why many turn to prescription drugs like Previcox for
their animals is to control pain, generally caused by arthritis.
Read what other factors affect our canine pals by clicking the
links below.
A Vet's Perspective on Drugs
Veterinary professionals discuss Previcox-2006
Grains in Commercial Dog Foods Contribute to Arthritis
Aspirin, Ibuprofen and Hazards of OTC Medications
Pain Drugs for Dogs: Be an Informed Pet Owner
Closely Monitor Your Dog When Using NSAIDs
Previcox Dosage and Administration-2005
Previcox Dosage and Administration-2007