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Bella had a pretty bad irritation on her tail last night so I took her into the Vet. They said it was a skin infection (they had to shave a portion of her tail...she was so distraught as she is so proud of her coat)...they gave us an ointment to put on there, an anti-biotec to help the infection and Rimadyl, which is supposed to help with the pain. They also put a lamp shade/cone on her so she doesn't link and further irritate her tail.

Anyway, my good friend Robb recently lost a 7-year Lab who had an adverse reaction to Rimadyl as it caused liver failure. I then went online last night and saw that Rimadyl has caused deaths in numerous dogs (many are Labs). Is this a safe drug? I have a call in to my Vet to see their reaction. Bella is only diagnosed for 10 days on this drug so its not a long term deal, but if she can cope with the pain without having to take this drug I'd rather not even go down this road.

Thanks for any advice.

Hi... I don't have a Sibe but I do have 3 Shiba Inus so we are sort of related. Rimadyl is an anti-inflammatory and is used in a variety of instances. As with any drug there is always the chance of having an adverse reaction to it. One of my Shibas has been on a low dosage of Rimadyl for about 4 years and has shown no adverse reaction to it. From time to time I have the liver enzymes tested and they always fall withing an acceptable range. There have been many reports of Rimadyl causing deaths in dogs but as with any medication it is our responsibility as the owner to ask our vets about any prescribed medications and the side effects it could cause.
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Bob

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Rimadyl is safe overall, but like all drugs there can be side effects and there's not many easy ways to predict when/if they weill happen. Also, Rimadyl does interact adversely with other medications like asprin and that can cause problems.

I use Rimadyl sparingly with my older dog who has arthritis. THe winter is tough on her and the pain is evident and she needs soem help. I've never used the medication on my younger dog and will avoid it if possible because his father had a reaction to it. There are other pain meds out there. All have pros and cons.

So, overall, if your dog doesn't seem to need the pain management, I wouldn't use it. I'd soak the site and keep it clean and reassess as things progress.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

i have one of mine on heartworm treatments and she is on rimadyl, but i havent had any problems
first time for me to use it on sibes too

Hope Bella is getting better!
Happy Trails!
Team SouthernSpirit