ProIn
FACT:
I was informed of another death yesterday.
Hi Cheryl,
Just to keep you informed – my report to the FDA is in the mail today. Below is the narrative I wrote – tried to be as factual as possible, but also put in a little of the heartache.
Really having a tough time these past couple days. Still dealing with the guilt of her last couple days and that my giving her this pushed her over the edge. Having trouble seeing past how she must’ve suffered and felt alone – the last thing I wanted for my precious girl.
I’m submitting this adverse reaction (death) after losing one of our Newfoundland girls. She received just one dose of ProIn. Her symptoms were similar to others I’ve since read about, including death, and I believe it is important to get you this information to review and potentially help others not have to suffer this way.
We were getting ready to head to a dog show Friday, June 11th and I had Misty checked for a UTI as she had peed inside the house a few times at night. The test came back negative, and her vet gave me ProIn. Agitation was the only potential side effect that was mentioned. So I gave her a dose and we all headed to the show. (She was running around in the backyard, very excited to be coming along, acting completely normal.)
Within a few hours, we stopped at a rest stop and that’s when we realized she was having very acute, odd symptoms. She was shaking, stumbling as if drunk, panting excessively, arching her back, etc. We called the vet and after she said those weren’t known symptoms of ProIn, we decided to turn back. When we got home she was pacing in and out, couldn’t drink enough water, and also threw up outside. I was worried about bloat and took her to the ER vet (this was Friday PM). X-rays showed she wasn’t bloating.
Over the next 2 days she had a very high BP, high heart rate, high fever, very high sodium levels, low blood sugar, was dehydrated, etc. Her white blood count was normal. I kept hoping for a diagnosis so we could know if what she had was treatable or not, (all the vets were stumped) but shortly after one of my visits on Sunday evening, June 13th, I got the call that she was arresting. After hearing her recent blood work showed even worse numbers, I told them to stop CPR.
Since then I’ve started reviewing ProIn information online and found other stories like ours – dogs that were fine one day, crashing soon after being given this drug – and the symptoms sound very similar. I know this drug was pulled off the human market, and it doesn’t sound like the potential extreme side effects are generally shared with the owners or that this is being researched in the vet market. I understand that all medication, dog and human, carries risk, but I also believe that the owners should be informed when a drug can have a high risk associated as that could change whether that owner decides the risk is worth the benefit of the drug.
Please let me know if there is additional information you need or any questions you have. I want to help other owners and dogs not have to suffer through this same pain.