We named our new furry friend Fisher because she was so curious, and always fishing for trouble. Fisher was a sweet, gentle dog. Every time she'd see a child she'd get so excited she'd shake and howl. She wouldn't stop until the small human would come over and pet her. Fisher weighs about 90 pounds, and is about 5 feet tall on her hind legs, so she could definitely hurt someone if she wanted to. But she loved people and it was never a worry.

Then, when she was about a year old, she became aggressive towards Mandy. We figured it was a dominance issue since she had just recently outgrown Mandy and was coming into her first heat cycle. Their fights were few and far between, so we just had Fisher spayed, kept an eye on the two of them, and never really had any problems.

Meanwhile, we changed vets twice. I asked each one about Fisher's hips: did they look normal; should she be X-rayed; etc. Both said if she wasn't displaying signs of pain, and if we weren't planning on breeding her, then we shouldn't worry about it.

Last year we moved to Austin, Texas. I came without my husband because I had to start my new job right away, and he had to tie up some loose ends with his old one. All of a sudden, Fisher changed. Her aggression toward Mandy accelerated, and she was now challenging me on a regular basis. She also started growling at just about anyone who tried to come near me. Steve and I thought that maybe she was going through separation anxiety because he wasn't there. I thought that when he got to Austin everything would be okay.

When Steve finally arrived, Fisher seemed happier. But she still wasn't herself. She was very overprotective of me for no apparent reason. We kept talking about behavior modification and asked our vet what we could do. He gave us the name of a trainer, and a computer printout on aggression. And that was that. "What about her hips?" I asked once again. "Should we have them checked for dysplasia?" The vet said that unless she seemed in pain, we shouldn't worry about it.

Enter Harley, our new Jack Russell puppy. Fisher hated him at first, but the little one held his own and they became fast friends. The only problem was, Fisher thought Harley was hers, so she and Mandy fought over him in addition to everything else. It really got out of hand when Harley started to mature. We had a love triangle going on and Fisher wasn't the one Harley chose as his "girlfriend."

This was last February. It was time for Fisher's annual checkup, anyway, so back to the vet we went. Our regular vet wasn't there that day. The substitute vet started to check Fisher out, but the dog started snapping and growling. I asked the vet what we could do to control this. She said putting her on Prozac would be good, but that we should talk to our regular vet about it, first.

This went on for a few more weeks and then the thing we feared the most happened -- Fisher bit one of our friends. She actually attacked her. Fortunately, the bite wasn't severe. But the situation certainly was. After we quarantined Fisher for ten days, we went back to our regular vet. He suggested putting her on Ova-ban, a hormone replacement, and then starting behavior modification training a couple of months from then.

We followed his dosing instructions, but she became much worse. I was really scared at this point, so I consulted another vet -- a good friend -- and he said she was overdosed on the Ova-ban. I cut it back and she was a little better. We also had Harley neutered in hopes of removing some of the tension. Then I took Fisher to the groomer for her summer haircut. Bad idea. The groomer tried to lift her on the table (despite my best effort to warn her about Fisher) and was almost bitten. At this point, I knew something else was wrong, but I had no idea what.

I started her in training classes at the beginning of the summer. I wanted to try and socialize her a bit. She did a little better. I kept her away from the other dogs in the class when she seemed anxious, and only had a few aggression problems with her. For the first several weeks of class, she did even better; she and I had come to an understanding about what was acceptable around people and what wasn't. Unfortunately for Mandy, Fisher took all her frustrations out on her.

By July, we were at the end of our rope. Fisher had become unpredictable and would attack Mandy for no reason. Before, it had always been over something like food or a toy; now she'd jump Mandy even when Mandy was in a submissive position.

Steve had just about had it. Fisher was endangering Mandy's life. She'd lose all sense of what she was doing to Mandy, and we'd have to physically remove her from the situation. We knew if she ever got hold of Harley, she'd probably kill him before we could separate them. Not to mention the danger of her biting a human, again! She had already bitten our friend, someone she loved and trusted. We knew we couldn't take any more chances.

I had a tearful talk with a friend of mine -- someone I greatly respect. He taught Fisher's obedience class, and we discussed what he thought my options were. He knew me and my training capabilities, and he also knew Fisher quite well. I thought that maybe I had overlooked something in her behavior. Unfortunately he felt (and I suspected) that we had already tried most of the conventional behavior modification tactics available. Since he works with aggressive dogs on a regular basis (he owns a K-9 Security company), I felt he knew what Steve and I were dealing with.

Back to the vet she went. Steve felt that we'd probably be forced to put Fisher down. It had been going on for so long, and no one seemed to have any answers. We both knew we couldn't risk our other dogs' safety or the safety of our friends. And a "one bite" law had recently been passed in Texas -- it meant if another bite occurred, we'd have no choice but to put her down. The vet suggested Prozac. If it didn't work in a couple of weeks, then, he said, we may have to have her put to sleep.

I knew, in my heart, that something else was going on. I've been around dogs all my life, and I know a lot about behavior. I just knew she wasn't aggressive by nature because 95% of the time she was pretty normal -- depressed and mopey, but not mean. For the first two years of her life she was a happy, loving dog. And now all signs of her former self were gone and I felt I had no choice but to put her to sleep.

I got on the phone, in tears, and called the Alaskan Malamute Protection League for help and support. That night a call came into the GOOD DOG! offices from Susan Conant -- the author of all those wonderful dog mysteries. I'd already left work for the day, so she and our publisher, Ross Becker, discussed Fisher.

He called me at home to tell me the good news: Susan said that Malamutes get mopey and depressed when they're not feeling well, that there were things that must be checked, and to insist that these tests be done. "It could be her thyroid," she said. "And what about hip dysplasia? Have you had her X-rayed?" She also suggested that I shop around for a new veterinarian.

The very next day I found Dr. Lewis Hardy. I gave him Fisher's history. I told him I wanted her to have a full blood workup. I said I wanted to make sure there wasn't anything physically wrong with her that had been overlooked. But the first thing he said was, "I bet it's her hips. Have you had her X-rayed for hip dysplasia?"

A few days later Fisher had her X-rays. She was a mess. Her left hip looked like it was just hanging in the socket; the right one wasn't much better. You could see the arthritis that had started to develop in her joints. But we were so relieved to know something. Anything! I was hurt and very angry that none of the other three vets had done anything to stop her pain, not even something obvious like X-rays. But most of all I was hopeful.

Dr. Hardy put her on a new drug called Rimadyl®. The active ingredient is a new compound, carprofen. It's a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory medication from Pfizer Animal Health, and it's designed for osteoarthritis in dogs. We started Fisher on it on Sunday. By Monday, she was a different dog.

It's been several months since Fisher started the Rimadyl and we haven't had any problems with her. She graduated from her obedience class with flying colors and she runs around like a pup again. (She's so playful she's driving us crazy -- but that's okay!) We had forgotten what it's like to have an active, 90-pound dog.

Fisher and Harley play all the time, and she even gives Mandy ear-cleanings again. Not one fight, not one growl. Fisher's bite victim, Vicki, recently came to visit, and Fisher "loved on her" as if nothing had happened. I think Vicki's even working on forgiving her!

There are some drawbacks to Rimadyl. One is cost. The more you buy at one time, the less expensive it is. We paid more than $1.00 per pill for 90. Still, it was a small price to pay for Fisher's happiness, comfort and well-being (as well as everyone else's!).

There seem to be very few side effects from the medication. The clinical trial showed a few -- such as reddened areas in the colon, and black or bloody stools. These were only seen in one dog at the recommended dosage, and two dogs at three times the recommended dosage.

Fisher's appetite has decreased, but she's always been a picky eater anyway. We switched her to a lower calorie food around the same time she started the Rimadyl, so that's a more likely cause.

The recommended dosage is 1 mg per pound of body weight, twice a day. We did that for about two weeks, then Dr. Hardy told us to taper her off of it. We cut her back to one a day, and then every other day. Then we stopped it for a bit. Our vet said that, ideally, she'll only need it every once in a while, when we see signs of stiffness (which, for her, means grouchy behavior).

The signs of osteoarthritis in dogs are easy to recognize if you know what you're looking for. They include: decreased activity; reluctance to walk, run, climb stairs, jump or play; stiffness; limping; difficulty rising from a resting position; lagging behind on walks; soreness when touched; yelping or whimpering in pain; acting aggressively or withdrawn; and exhibiting other personality changes. If you've noticed these symptoms in your dog, contact your veterinarian, especially if you own a large- or medium-sized dog.

This has been a long story, but it shows the agony we felt when Fisher's time had run out -- and the profound effect Rimadyl has had on our lives. Rimadyl's going to make a remarkable difference in the way hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis are treated, and will keep arthritic dogs happy and active for a long time. Rimadyl is truly a great medical advance. Hopefully, it will be approved for people soon, too.

It's also a story about listening to what your dog is trying to tell you. For over a year, Fisher tried to tell us she was in pain. And while we were listening, we weren't hearing her message. It almost resulted in catastrophe.

Trust your vet, but if your gut feeling tells you something's not right, push until you get some answers. Veterinarians deal with hundreds of dogs and sometimes they miss things. You deal with your dog every day, and you know when something isn't right. You're better at detecting osteoarthritis than your vet because you see changes as they occur. (According to Pfizer's research, osteoarthritis affects an estimated 20% of all adult dogs.)

Never give up hope until you've checked all your options. While there are certainly dogs that are aggressive by nature, most dogs don't become mean for no apparent reason. When dealing with biting, consider that the dog might be in pain and is trying to keep people (large and small) and animals from causing more pain. So, listen to your dog, and learn. I know I did.

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reference article:

Consumer Alert!  Rimadyl Chewables Taste Too Good!
Rimadyl Safety Update