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Part 1

On Friday, 6 May 2005 I took my three year old Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo to a bird vet.

My cockatoo had appeared a little unwell, he was still eating and drinking, and he had no problem flying, but he seemed slightly subdued and quieter than normal. I wasn't unduly worried and suspected he had perhaps eaten something that disagreed with him.

The vet examined my cockatoo then gave him two injections, one of vitamin B12 and another of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), Rimadyl. A blood test was conducted for acute enteritis.

On the journey home following the treatment my cockatoo's condition deteriorated rapidly. He vomited and was clearly in immense pain. This continued overnight, he could not eat (crop stasis), could hardly move or make a noise, he had seizures and further vomiting, finally dying a horrifically painful death (within 22 hours of receiving the Rimadyl injection).

I could do nothing to save him.

Pumpkin photographed above as a youngster, in happier times.

I was devastated. The sight of a crumpled heap dying in such agony, after having been an active, healthy, full of life youngster was almost too much to bear. At the time of his death I had no idea that my cockatoo had been injected with Rimadyl (a highly controversial drug) as the vet had not discussed this with me. I had in fact assumed that the injections were of vitamin B12 and an anti-biotic such as Baytril - commonly used in avian medicine in bacterial enteritis cases, and actually licensed for avian use.

Visit our page: Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoos for further information on this species which is CITES Appendix 1 listed (critically endangered).

On 9 May 2005, the vet performed a post mortem on my cockatoo, the post mortem states "the bird appears to have died of acute heart failure following an attack of gastroenteritis".

It was not until I received the invoice from the vet that I became aware of the fact that Rimadyl had been used to treat my cockatoo.

I had phoned the vet from my home while my cockatoo was clearly in immense pain and dying - but even then he had not mentioned that Rimadyl had been injected. I was shocked at how rapidly my cockatoo had deteriorated.

I have kept parrots for seventeen years and have never witnessed anything like this before.

Having previously heard of Rimadyl but only for use in the treatment of canine arthritis, I was puzzled as to why the vet would inject a cockatoo with suspected enteritis, with this drug.

I did some research on the internet and found on the Pfizer website (the drug manufacturer) the data sheet for Rimadyl which states: "Rimadyl is indicated for the relief of pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis and for the control of postoperative pain associated with soft tissue and orthopaedic surgeries in dogs".

N.B. Nowhere in the Pfizer data sheet does it say that Rimadyl is indicated for the relief of pain associated with gastroenteritis, furthermore Rimadyl is licensed ONLY for canine use.

I was angry that the vet had not discussed with me his intention to inject Rimadyl - I would never have given my permission for the injection. I wrote to the vet on 11 May 2005 to ask him to explain what it was in his diagnosis of my cockatoo's illness that made him decide that Rimadyl was an appropriate course of action.

I believe my request for this explanation was perfectly reasonable under the circumstances. I was appalled by the vet's reply to me - he wrote "Oh the dangers of the internet! There is so much information out there, some of which is useful, but so much is uncontrolled crap, and if that is the only source on which you rely for information, you will come unstuck."

He went on to say "If you had access to avian veterinary periodicals or conference proceedings, or had spoken to other avian veterinarians, you would find that Rimadyl (carprofen) is used regularly and safely on a daily basis in birds to control inflammatory pain of all sorts. This would include arthritis or other joint problems, post-operative pain, feather plucking pain, gut pain etc."

As I could not find any information on the internet pertaining to the use of Rimadyl in avian species, I wrote to Pfizer Animal Health at Tadworth, Surrey to ask them for any relevant data. I received a reply from their Technical Adviser at Pfizer dated 1 June 2005. who wrote

"Currently there is no licence for the use of Rimadyl in avian species in the UK. Pfizer do not make claims for, or promote the use of any product where there is no licensing authorisation. It is for these reasons that we have no documentation detailing the use of Rimadyl in these species that we can forward to you."

They continued "As a company we take any report of suspected adverse reaction to one of our products very seriously. We would therefore be grateful if you could supply us with any further information including the details of your veterinary surgeon, as we need specific details of the product and its administration, to enable us to report it to the licensing authorities."

N.B. Pfizer's Technical Adviser specifically uses the words "SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTION".

This suspected adverse reaction was duly reported to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and I received a reply from the Head of Suspected Adverse Reaction Surveillance Scheme dated 4 July 2005 stating:"Reports of suspected adverse reactions are monitored so that any trends which suggest that action is required can be identified. Your report will be a useful addition to our database and, following assessment of the details, you may receive a request for further information."

I was not satisfied with the vet's reply to my request for an explanation for his choice of drug - Rimadyl is highly controversial. Furthermore, I felt that his reply to me was arrogant and condescending. My letter to him had been reasonable and polite, I expected his reply to be likewise. I therefore decided to take the matter up with the Professional Conduct Department at the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in London.

Please click here to see the number of complaints the RCVS actually receive and have a look at the petition.

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I refer to the website of the RCVS which states "The provision of veterinary services creates a contractual relationship under which the veterinary surgeon should ensure that a range of reasonable treatment options are offered and explained, including prognoses and possible side effects".

I was not given any options by the vet nor did he explain to me the risks involved with the use of the NSAID, Rimadyl.

Pfizer's product insert for Rimadyl clearly states that Rimadyl is a NSAID and that like all others in that class, adverse reactions may occur with its use. It also says that the most frequent reported effects have been GASTROINTESTINAL signs. I therefore question the wisdom of using a NSAID when treating gastroenteritis when the most common adverse reactions to NSAIDs are gastrointestinal.

The same product insert states that serious adverse reactions to this drug class can result in death, and yet the vet wrote in his letter to me "There was no reason to discuss the 'risks' of pain relief with Rimadyl since based on past experience and that of respected colleagues there is no risk in such a one off injection."

I appreciate the fact that there are few drugs licensed specifically for birds, however taking into account the controversy surrounding Rimadyl, it would have been prudent of the vet to discuss the risks of this drug with me, and in fact as I have already stated, I would never have given my consent for this injection of Rimadyl based on what I already knew about it and its controversy in the canine world.

I will be continuing with Part II of this story on this website very soon. This case was referred to a full meeting of the Preliminary Investigation Committee of the RCVS on the 12th October 2005. Come back to read the outcome of the RCVS' "investigation" into this case.

Meanwhile if you would like some further reading on the pros and cons of Rimadyl and other NSAIDs, click through to the following links:

Even pain killers for dogs have serious risks. By Julie Schmit, USA TODAY (Posted 4/11/2005)

Drug Bites Man: Most Arthritic Dogs Do Great on This Pill, Except Those That Die. By Chris Adams, Staff Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, 3/13/00.

All information on this page is factual, true and can be verified by the official letters I have received from the RCVS and from the vet in question.

If anyone reading this has any experience of the use of Rimadyl either in their birds or other animals, we would very much like to hear from you.

To read Part 2 click below:

Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Rimadyl and the Bird Vet Part 2