"Coke"
From: Vayla N.
Sent: FrIday, June 26, 2009 10:10 PM 

My dog has always taken Previcox, BUT as needed for at least over a year. I will check vet records tomorrow when they open. I would give him maybe one dose every week-if that. He is a 14yr old Bull Mastiff.

I don't like to take any medication and I don't expect my dog to, but only if I see his arthritis start to bother him will I give him one to stop the inflammation. And he takes his joint supplements routinely.

The heat has been sky rocketing these past 2 weeks so his joints have been swelling. (They have a/c) I gave him Previcox everyday for 5 days. I noticed one day after work he had green mucus coming out of his eye and his left front paw kept buckling. I thought it was his arthritis, so I watched him carefully for 2 hours, assisting him walking so he could do his doggy thing without falling over.

I finally said okay, I can't watch him in pain and I brought him to the nearest hospital & told them his condition. They did blood work. Kidney was a little elevated and his liver was slightly elevated, so for his pain she prescribed Tramadol for him. She told me how well it worked with Previcox and I brought him home and gave him his dosages.

The next morning he threw up his food. I let him ride out Sunday, til Monday without the Previcox and took him back to the vet.

Monday morning, he could barely walk. He actually fell over in the bushes he was so weak. He wanted to give up but I wasn’t going to let him. I put a towel under him and dragged him out, wrapped the towel around him and lifted him up and walked him back inside to visit the vet. He is 110lbs and I am 120lbs and 5'1,  so yes, I sweated!

They told me Previcox is a good NSAID and they had never really seen it upset any stomach because it was made to be real gentle to the digestive system.

The Dr. said to let him rest for a week, that maybe it was the heat. I asked him to do palpatation on his stomach, surely something is upsetting his stomach. Dr did his thing found nothing- nope! nada!

That night he couldn't walk and I was so worried, I let him sleep next to my bed. I had to tuck a towel under him to drag this big guy into my room. Leaving for work I dragged him out.

He drank a little water and threw that up, so I stopped the Tramadol hoping that was what was upsetting his stomach and switched him to soft canned food.

Tuesday after work, I came home to find my dog lying in his own vomit. I got gloves and baby wipes to clean him up because I thought if I bathed him he might catch a cold.

Suddenly, he stood up on all four legs. This surprised me because it didn't seem painful to him but then I noticed he had pee'd on himself while standing there.

This seemed a little odd, so I rushed him back to the vet and told them something was awfully wrong here. Nope, they gave him an antibiotic shot and called it a day.

I came home with him and tried feeding him but he continued to throw up and I continued assisting him when walking him for his doggy duty.

I continued Previcox routinely until that Thursday when I came home from work to find he had a black tarry stool around his anus. He snapped at me when I tried to clean him. I couldnt help but feel misery at that moment. I called the vet again for help and was told to bring him in tomorrow at 7am.

He couldn't even lap chicken stock without throwing up. So finally I told myself all this medication must be upsetting his stomach if he can't even digest soup.

Thursday night I was about to pull my hair out watching my baby so sick and nothing I could do about it. Nothing the doctor could do either.

It struck me that he was being poisoned somehow. So I called the hospital and asked if the blood test they did would show signs of poisoning. She kept asking me other questions unrelated to my question and never gave me an answer for what test I could have done to show if he was poisoned. Previcox never crossed my mind.

Friday morning. this Dr put him on fluid since he had not eaten in days. They told me they would call me back around 10am. When the call came they asked me to consider my choice for him. I told them no, so they offered more blood work.

Then I told them he just had it done. This guy said at least do it again to see how things are going inside. 12pm they called me back and said he was not responding to the fluids given and his blood test came back. One of kidney levels was sky high, basically it was shutting down. They said the best thing to do was to put him down.

He was the best dog I have ever had! We adopted him from the Humane Society in Panama City, FL. Because of his size and intimidating looks and heartworms, no one wanted to adopt him. They said he was going to be put down in 2 months. BUT then he picked us! This was 8 years ago. I didnt let that happen then and now I had to have him put down by myself, with fiancé  300 miles away.

JUNE 26, 2009 Coke a.k.a.Cocaine ---RIP---
Saturday night I was uneasy. Memories of him swimming around in my mind. I wanted to sell the bottle of Previcox on the internet. He had only taken 2 of the tablets and it cost me $200.) I thought maybe someone could make use of it for half the price, someone else whose dog might have arthritis.

Then I found ROWDY and now I am pissed! I am pissed at these doctors that I trusted and at the drug industry for allowing this drug on the market before giving it to their own dogs to see if its safe for other people's dogs to take. They are like LEGAL drug dealers to me and the FDA approves these drugs.

Most of all though, I am pissed at myself! I poisoned my own precious dog.

I research all drugs before taking them so why didn't I do it for my dog? I should not have had to. I really want justice for my dog!