Why is my dog restless on Rimadyl, given his medication sensitivity?

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.

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!

Hi there. I'm assuming you mean Rimadyl? If so, this medication should NEVER be given more frequently than directed by your veterinarian, since overdoses can cause serious damage to the stomach and kidneys. I would recommend calling your veterinarian tomorrow morning to see what they suggest - they may ask you to skip Evie's next scheduled dose. You will also need to monitor her for any signs of a problem such as vomiting or not wanting to eat, and take her in right away to be seen if any problems are noted.

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@

She could be a little lethargic just from the stress and also from the rimadyl. I would continue to keep her confined and don't let her jump, play, or run. Rimadyl can cause them to be lethargic sometimes - it isn't very common, but I have a few patients who react this way. If she starts to worry you, stops eating/drinking or starting to not be walking properly, I would have your vet take another look at her. I hope that helps!

The accepted dose of Rimadyl is about 1 mg per pound every 12 hours, so I would not give more than 50 mg in a 12 hour period. Rimadyl comes in 25, 75, and 100 mg tablet sizes and I don’t know which one you have. If she has already had an appropriate dose and she is still uncomfortable then she should probably be evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

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.