My dog has mild IVDD, is lethargy and bloating normal after Rimadyl?

I am concerned that Zoey is still lethargic and unsteady. Because she is eating and drinking, and her urine and stool look ok, I would monitor her tonight. Should she still be lethargic and unsteady tomorrow, I would have her seen by the vet.

I can understand your concern. It is unlikely that she will have a serious complication from getting this dosage early due to her weight of 17lbs. I would recommend monitoring her for vomiting, bloody stool or refusal to eat for more 12 hrs. I assume you gave her the Rimadyl with a full meal as instructed. If you didn’t and she won’t take a meal now, then that is cause for concern and she should see an ER vet right away. But if she ate a full meal and is just sleepy it’s ok to wait it out. I would also give her a half of slice of bread, if she’ll take it and if anything else changes over the next 12-24 hrs Paige should be seen by a vet to make sure she is ok. Giving back to back NSAIDS do have the tendency to cause an upset stomach and in severe cases they can cause stomach ulcers, but typically this happens after long term usage of the drug or any drug interactions. Best wishes and I hope that Paige turns out ok.

I definitely agree that prednisone tapering should take much longer but if you have already switched him to Rimadyl you cannot give him the prednisone anymore. if you have not switched him yest you should do a much slower tapering over a period of at least 2 weeks, reducing gradually every 5-7 days.

If he is still taking the Rimadyl I would stop giving it and call your vet as soon as they are open. He probably should got back to your vet for a follow-up. It may not be related to the Rimadyl at all but it is better to be safe than sorry. Even though he is eating and drinking, that much pacing and restlessness is not normal.

Hi there. It's certainly possible for dogs to have a mild upset stomach for 12-24 hours after an anesthetic episode, but it would be unusual to see this three days later - especially with such severe symptoms. I would recommend having her rechecked by your veterinarian tomorrow morning, or going to the ER tonight if she seems overly distressed or lethargic. It's possible that she could have a stomach ulcer as a result of the Rimadyl (uncommon, but can happen occasionally even with appropriate dosing), or may have some other problem that may or may not be related to her surgery. It sounds like she needs an exam and likely some lab work +/- x-rays to help determine what's going on and see what kind of treatment is needed.

The codeine could definitely be the culprit. Sedation is one of the main side effects. I would recommend calling your vet to discuss a lower dose, especially if her pain is well controlled. There are also many other medications that could be used instead to see if she tolerates a different medication better. Or, if the rimadyl alone is keeping her comfortable, you can discuss stopping the codeine. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach@

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is concerning as the Rimadyl is supposed to be helping but things continue to be about the same. This could be due to a neurological issue for example. I would encourage you to check in again with your veterinarian to have Lex reevaluated as she has not improved much. They could consider another medication such as gabapentin or more advanced diagnostics to try to diagnose the matter. Best of luck!