BoatGuy
Angler
I had a very special dog I loved with all my heart. His name was Banksy. My daughter named him after the graffiti artist. Of all the dogs in shelter, he was the only asymmetrical one (patch on his eye) and that is why he got that name. He is an American Staffordshire Terrier with a heart of gold, and he loved his family and all people.
Banksy was getting old (over 14) and the arthritis and spinal stenosis were taking their toll. To ease his arthritis pain, I first gave him carprofen. But his liver enzymes went up and I switched him to Galliprant at my Veterinarians’ recommendation. The Galliprant was not too efficacious. The arthritis pain was still there. He still went for walks, but at time just had to stop. So, I would call my wife, and she would pick us up. I picked him up and put him in the car as he was too weak due to the spinal stenosis (he was 90 pounds).
Getting to the point of this post, my veterinarian recommended and new drug, Librela. He mentioned it has been used in Europe for years. I spoke to 4 other veterinarians. Three called it a miracle drug. One warned against it as dog had skin issues. My veterinarian had used it on a few dogs with success. I gave it a try to relieve his arthritis discomfort. Initial results were good. But the first symptom I noticed was right after the first shot: Polydipsia. Which means he was constantly thirsty and wanted to constantly drink.
There was one curious side effect that showed up after the first shot. We would go for a short walk, and he would drink two Poland Spring Sport bottles. He also had polyuria. But I’m not sure if the was a result of the drug or his increased water intake. Banksy then became very unsteady on his feet. The term is ataxia. I attributed it to the progression of the spinal stenosis. But it never occurred to me that the sudden onset was due to the Librela. All his symptoms continued to worsen. He could no longer get up without my help. His “walks” were limited to the front yard, and I carried him up and down the stairs.
I started to suspect the Librela and switched back to the Galliprant. But it was too late. The ataxia, and other symptoms became much worse to the point he could not stand and developed seizures. We said goodbye to Banksy on Oct 17th, 2024. I still grieve daily.
I now think I was wrong to put Banksy on the Librela. If you have an older dog who has arthritis, PLEASE read the article. He showed ALL the side effects mentioned. I do not want any dog to suffer like mine did.
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterina...-adverse-events-reported-dogs-treated-librela.
BTW: I let my Vet know. Unfortunately, he seemed to dismiss me.
Undaunted, I called Zoetis and register my concern regarding the side effects I observed. To their credit, they listened to everything I said. Zoetis called my Vet and again, I think he downplayed the symptoms I saw and attributed to a combination of his old age at 14.5 and the spinal stenosis.
I followed up with my Vet with the following letter:
Please allow me to follow up on Banksy regarding what I perceive as side effects of Librela. The following have been observed.
I know you have not seen Banksy in a few months due to the loss of muscle coordination and difficulties with balance. When your Technologist came to the house to give Banksy the Librela she did notice how I had to help Bansy up the stairs to get him in the house. You may want to consider speaking to her.
Now the issue is what to do going forward. The carprofen was hepatotoxic, the Galliprant less efficacious. If we stop the Librela due to its possible cause of his rather sudden ataxia and weakness, what alternative medication can we give Banksy as he will be in severe pain. Are narcotics an option? I have sent a video that shows his bilateral weakness on all four extremities. It was too large to send via email. However, you can download from the cloud. Please take the time to watch the 45 second video.
Sorry for the long post. But if I help just one other dog, it will be worth it. I think anyone reading this may want to consider more traditional treatments.
Banksy was getting old (over 14) and the arthritis and spinal stenosis were taking their toll. To ease his arthritis pain, I first gave him carprofen. But his liver enzymes went up and I switched him to Galliprant at my Veterinarians’ recommendation. The Galliprant was not too efficacious. The arthritis pain was still there. He still went for walks, but at time just had to stop. So, I would call my wife, and she would pick us up. I picked him up and put him in the car as he was too weak due to the spinal stenosis (he was 90 pounds).
Getting to the point of this post, my veterinarian recommended and new drug, Librela. He mentioned it has been used in Europe for years. I spoke to 4 other veterinarians. Three called it a miracle drug. One warned against it as dog had skin issues. My veterinarian had used it on a few dogs with success. I gave it a try to relieve his arthritis discomfort. Initial results were good. But the first symptom I noticed was right after the first shot: Polydipsia. Which means he was constantly thirsty and wanted to constantly drink.
There was one curious side effect that showed up after the first shot. We would go for a short walk, and he would drink two Poland Spring Sport bottles. He also had polyuria. But I’m not sure if the was a result of the drug or his increased water intake. Banksy then became very unsteady on his feet. The term is ataxia. I attributed it to the progression of the spinal stenosis. But it never occurred to me that the sudden onset was due to the Librela. All his symptoms continued to worsen. He could no longer get up without my help. His “walks” were limited to the front yard, and I carried him up and down the stairs.
I started to suspect the Librela and switched back to the Galliprant. But it was too late. The ataxia, and other symptoms became much worse to the point he could not stand and developed seizures. We said goodbye to Banksy on Oct 17th, 2024. I still grieve daily.
I now think I was wrong to put Banksy on the Librela. If you have an older dog who has arthritis, PLEASE read the article. He showed ALL the side effects mentioned. I do not want any dog to suffer like mine did.
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterina...-adverse-events-reported-dogs-treated-librela.
BTW: I let my Vet know. Unfortunately, he seemed to dismiss me.
Undaunted, I called Zoetis and register my concern regarding the side effects I observed. To their credit, they listened to everything I said. Zoetis called my Vet and again, I think he downplayed the symptoms I saw and attributed to a combination of his old age at 14.5 and the spinal stenosis.
I followed up with my Vet with the following letter:
Please allow me to follow up on Banksy regarding what I perceive as side effects of Librela. The following have been observed.
- Loss of muscle coordination (Ataxia), with very awkward movements and difficulties with balance. He has been falling backward and increasing unstable at a dramatically increased rate. In observing him one might think he was drunk in appearance due to very wobbly and inaccurate gait.
- Gait ataxia is characterized by a wide-based gait and difficulty standing with the feet together. As well as very poor balance and ability to walk in a straight direction.
- Abnormal skin at the injection site (dermatitis):
- Increase urination and urinary incontinence.
- Dramatic increase in thirst and water consumption. This was seen and mentioned to you after the first injection
- Weight loss
- Generalized weakness (Note both weakness and ataxia have develop rapidly in last 3 months or so very dramatically such that 3 to 4 months ago he would walk 30 to 45 minutes. Now he cannot walk 5 steps without assistance Very sudden appearance of both over a few weeks to month time period about 3 months ago.
I know you have not seen Banksy in a few months due to the loss of muscle coordination and difficulties with balance. When your Technologist came to the house to give Banksy the Librela she did notice how I had to help Bansy up the stairs to get him in the house. You may want to consider speaking to her.
Now the issue is what to do going forward. The carprofen was hepatotoxic, the Galliprant less efficacious. If we stop the Librela due to its possible cause of his rather sudden ataxia and weakness, what alternative medication can we give Banksy as he will be in severe pain. Are narcotics an option? I have sent a video that shows his bilateral weakness on all four extremities. It was too large to send via email. However, you can download from the cloud. Please take the time to watch the 45 second video.
Sorry for the long post. But if I help just one other dog, it will be worth it. I think anyone reading this may want to consider more traditional treatments.
