"Clara Bella"
From: Barbara
Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 2009 5:36 AM 

Mel,

I have so many pages printed out showing that Drontal Plus started this. Then Previcox of course, along with the other drugs killed her.  I am so devastated, I cry every day and I feel as though I left her down.  I loved her more than life itself. 

Barbara

Saturday, May 23, 2009

I saw what I thought were worms in my dogs feces, it wasn’t in all of it, in fact it was only in one area in the yard.  I immediately took it to the vet, and he said it was a very low amount of worms, but would start her on Drontal Plus.  He gave her four (4) 68mg tablets and said to give them all at one time, they were like horse pills.  I gave her the four pills at 9:30 a.m., and her and I laid down and took a nap.  At 5:30 p.m., she was so sick, she had projectile vomiting and it smelled like feces.  I immediately called the emergency phone number and the on call vet said “oh she must have a sensitive stomach, if she doesn’t vomit again tonight, she will be ok.”  I believed her.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

She got up and didn’t want to eat, just ate a little bit, was real lethargic and just wanted to lay around.  She didn’t want to go for her walk, or even go outside.  I finally got her to go out and she ate a little more and drank some, but acted like she didn’t feel well.  That night, projectile vomiting and it smelled terrible.

Monday, May 25, 2009

She got up and again, acted funny, but she ate, she ate slowly but she ate.  She still did not want to go for a walk, but did go out and went to the bathroom.  We both mainly just laid around that day.  I didn’t give her that much to eat Monday, but what she did eat, she would vomit up at night.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

She didn’t feel well again, she ate and went outside, but again didn’t want to walk.  That night, she started breathing hard, I thought she was too warm, so I turned the air on, but she just seemed really sick.  Of course more vomiting, and then the really hard breathing.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

She got up and stood at the top of the stairs, she had labored breathing and she acted like she was dizzy.  She didn’t want to walk down the steps.  I went up to help her and she took one step at a time, like it hurt her to walk.  It looked like her face was swollen and her legs were also. 

I immediately took her to the vet at 7:30 AM and had to wait until 9:00 AM for someone to see us.  By that time her breathing was really hard.  The vet tech took her temperature that was “normal” and she ate a biscuit. 

The vet got there and checked her heart, took blood, x-rays, never once mentioned that it could have been a “reaction to the Drontal Plus.”  He said that she had an ear infection, fluid inside her left ear, and it “looked like” there could be fluid around her lungs. He said that she had arthritis from neck to tail, however, she never showed any pain from arthritis, she walked fine, slept fine, jumped up on furniture all with no pain.

He put her on the following medications: 2- 50mg Lasix tablets twice a day (4 tablets total), 2- 400mg Sulphamenthoxazole tablets twice a day (4 tablets daily)and 1- Previcox 227mg tablet twice a day. (2 tablets daily) A total of 10 tablets daily. She started to vomit that night.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Thursday, she actually seemed a little better.  The Previcox may have helped her stomach pain from the vomiting. However, Thursday night, it started again, the terrible vomiting and the smell. I called the vet again, who said, “Stop the Sulphamenthoxazole” that could be causing her to be sick.  I stopped it, but again, she vomited each night.  During the day she was ok, she laid on the love seat and rested and seemed ok, but at night when we went to bed, she would jump down, and was so sick. 

Friday, May 29, 2009

Friday night, more vomiting, I couldn’t understand this, she was never sick like this, and the smell had me scared and worried.  I gave her plenty of water, she ate her food but vomited and then went to sleep. 

Saturday, May 30, 2009

I called the vet, I said the vomiting was just too much, they had to do something to stop this, what could it be?  I told her that the vomit smelled like bile, she said “Oh that’s irrelevant” all vomit smells.  (which of course is not true). Vomit that smells like bile is serious. 

She said to “stop ALL the medication” and go get Pepcid AC and give her one pill, which I did.  We went to bed Saturday night, and she woke up, jumped off the bed, and I got her outside, where she vomited and vomited and finally just laid down and could not get up.  I got her to the emergency vet, and when I told her the her vomit smelled like bile, she was really upset, she said someone should have seen her when you told them that, but she gave her IV fluids, a shot for pain, a shot to coat her stomach, and an antibiotic shot.  Her breathing was labored and her belly hurt, she thought it was Pancreatitis, and gave her medication to coat her stomach and also a pill for pain. 

Sunday May 31, 2009

She got up and ate a little, drank a tiny bit, I called the vet and asked if that was normal that she didn’t want to drink, she said, probably not because she still had fluids in her from the night before.  She went to the bathroom and acted ok during the day, we went out in the yard a few times and she was acting like she felt a little better, but very tired, she had a week of vomiting and just acted like she needed a rest.

Sunday night, the labored breathing began again, “no vomiting” as I was giving her the medication to coat her stomach, but the breathing was labored.

Monday, June 1, 2009

She didn’t want to get up, her breathing was very labored and she just laid in bed.  Never in her life has she done that.  It was 10 a.m., and I called the doctor, the vet that originally gave her the Drontal and all the other medication.  I told him that I had spent over $700 and did not have a lot of money, I asked if I could bring her down and pay on a payment plan, he said “no” but you can write a check and we can hold it. 

He said “give her lasix” that will make her feel better, I did, but her mouth was so dry, and I kept putting water in her mouth with a syringe, and a wet cloth on her face, but the breathing was bad, the lasix seemed to make her worse, and by 1:00 p.m., I lifted her from the bed, and somehow got her down the 18 steps. 

The vet techs had to take her in on a cart, they took her back right away, did x-rays of lung and stomach, “nothing” no fluid, no nothing, they did “not” give her any thing for pain, they did not give her any IV fluids, I am assuming because they knew I didn’t have a lot of money.

The vet that originally saw her did not come in, he was conferring with the vet that was looking at her, who came in and said, she could have Pancreatitis, we are not sure, I know you don’t have a lot of money, so, in order to get her well, we would have to keep her at least a week on IV fluids, antibiotics etc., then we would like you to take her to an oncologist as it looks like she has lung cancer. (She didn’t have lung cancer). She was healthy and happy before I took her to the vet.  I asked if the could fix her, and she said she didn’t know if she would be ok or not.  My precious Clara Bella was put to sleep that day. 

Tuesday, June 2^nd I searched the Internet for everything. I found that Drontal Plus can have “serious side effects” on dogs with sensitive stomachs, however, I was “never” told about any side effects of dogs that have sensitive stomachs or have a reaction to this drug.

On top of that, the Previcox, Lasix and the Sulphamenthoxazole had some serious side effects and along with the Drontal Plus, these caused her illness.  If any of the vets would have noticed that she had a reaction to the Drontal Plus, and not given her the other drugs on top of the Drontal, she would still be alive.

What are the possible side effects of Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim Tablets Double Strength:
Stop giving the medication and seek emergency veterinary medical attention if your pet experiences an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing, closing of the throat, swelling of the lips, tongue or face, or hives), unusual bleeding or bruising, or yellow skin or eyes. Other less serious side effects may also occur.

Continue to give the medication and talk to your veterinarian if your pet experiences fatigue, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, diarrhea, weakness, or increased sensitivity to the sun. Side effects other than those listed may occur. Talk to your veterinarian about any side effect that seems unusual or bothersome to your pet. 

Firocoxib, a medication sold under the brand name Previcox, is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Veterinarians prescribe Previcox to relieve pain, swelling and inflammation in dogs suffering from osteoarthritis or injuries. Dog owners should receive and read an information sheet about side effects before giving Previcox to their pet. Most possible side effects are mild, but some are serious and can even be fatal.