My dog is very sleepy on Rimadyl and Codeine. Should I call the vet?

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. 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.

Hi there. So if I'm understanding correctly, it sounds like she just had one extra dose of Rimadyl at 2:30 am Thursday morning - is that right? While it's true that we always want to stick to the label dosage with this medication, as there is a risk of causing serious side effect issues with higher doses and/or giving it more frequently than prescribed, I would generally not expect to see any major issues with just one accidental "extra" dose. Most of the toxicity issues we see with this medication are related to dogs getting into the bottle and eating a large number of pills at once, or with chronic overdosing over a longer period of time. If your girl is acting normal, eating and drinking fine, and not vomiting, then I don't see any major cause for concern right now. I would definitely recommend calling your regular vet to let them know about the extra dose and make sure they don't recommend doing anything different - but otherwise, I would just monitor her for any problems, and stick to the prescribed dosing schedule from here on out. The main things to watch for would be vomiting, or not eating - if you see either of those symptoms, I would let your vet know right away. If you feel like she's still somewhat painful in between Rimadyl doses, you could also ask your vet about getting her a different pain medication that would be safe to give along with the Rimadyl if she seems painful at night before her next scheduled dose, such as tramadol or gabapentin.

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.

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.

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!

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!