When all this happened I was in Palm Springs for a few months and treating Frankie for a serious case of stomatitis. 

The Metacam was prescribed by a surgical specialist down the road from there, in Palm Desert, who did one of the dental surgeries.

It was my general practice vet in Rancho Mirage who confirmed Frankie was in ARF and came back with those horrific numbers, and who told me she had maybe a 50/50 chance but only with aggressive treatment.    She spent the first night in an emergency overnight facility in the desert, then I picked her up at 5 am and we drove to the VCA hospital in West LA.

So I am sending you a picture of the amazing and beautiful Frankie (androgynous name, but very much a lady) to go with her story.

Best wishes to you and PB.  I'm glad he is doing well.

 

March 29th marked 2 years since Frankie was
hospitalized for acute renal failure from oral Metacam dosing. I
celebrated by filing an FDA adverse reaction form.

I did not realize at the time that the manufacturer, Boehringer
Ingelheim, was not required by law to do so (even though they told me
they would) as kidney failure was already listed as a possible side
effect. When I started the conversation with them two years ago
saying the vet's opinion was this was a direct result of oral Metacam
use, (different vet than the one who prescribed it) and that my cat
was hospitalized and given less than a 50/50 chance to live even with
expensive and aggressive treatment, they were very quick to point out
that oral Metacam was not to be used in cats.

Without rehashing the merits of that drug, I would have chosen not to
use it had I been told the truth. Frankly, the only reason I didn't
sue the prescribing vet, a surgical specialist, is because I don't
think she knew the facts, having been misled through omission by
company reps, and she was in tears herself when she found out about
Frankie.

In further research I have found some indication that the Oriental
breeds are more sensitive to NSAIDs, and that the safety margin for
its use is very narrow in animals weighing 10 lbs or less, hence its
more common and problem free use in larger dogs. I have since spoken
with a number of owners, and vets, who have had the same experience,
far more people than I personally know affected by the much more
widely publicized tainted food tragedy.

In retrospect, I would have looked harder at bringing suit because
that may ultimately be the only way to get the attention of the
veterinary community. Only then would it be revealed what vets are
really told by the manufacturer's reps, despite the warning labels
the company hides behind, protecting itself from liability, while
exposing well-meaning though poorly informed vets, trusting owners
and innocent victims, like my Frankie.

As the ASPCA puts it, We Are Their Voice - thank you for speaking on
behalf of Latte, my Frankie and so many more -

Deborah and Frankie