On January 26, our very healthy 7 y/o dog Liam was prescribed an NSAID called Carprofen (brand name Rimadyl) for a minor injury that had caused uncomfortable swelling. It was described to us as “doggy Ibuprofen,” and by all accounts is extremely common and safely taken by countless dogs on both short-term and long-term bases. Liam was prescribed a normal therapeutic dose and the vet had no cause for concern, but we opted for elective bloodwork out of an abundance of caution before administering it to him since he hasn’t taken many medications before. The bloodwork was completely normal.

Cut to a week and a half later and he suddenly lost his appetite, vomited, and started trembling. We brought him to urgent care thinking it was just GI upset, and then the earth dropped out under us when bloodwork revealed that he had suffered severe acute liver injury and lost some of his liver function. His enzyme levels were quite literally off-the-charts and unreadable, but for reference, we believe his ALT was well over 3,000; in the initial bloodwork on 1/26, it was 68.

The culprit is Carprofen, we learned, which can cause idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity in 5 in 10,000 dogs — a .05% chance.

Liam has been hospitalized across 2 different facilities for a total of 7 nights (and counting), during which time he has been on a dozen different medications, received a life-saving plasma transfusion, and had frequent repeat bloodwork and ultrasounds to monitor his liver values and infrastructure. It has been a nightmarish, rollercoaster of a journey and has stumped every one of the ~8 different doctors we have worked with, who learned about this in vet school but have never seen it in real life before. His case is so advanced and rare — even in the context of Carprofen toxicity — that ASPCA poison control vets and toxicologists all around the country are aware of it, actively discussing it, and contributing to his treatment plan.

We are not necessarily asking for help with Liam’s vet bills themselves (currently > $12,000) because we have had to pay them in advance of each step of his care, but we could use some help offsetting some of the burden and getting our feet under us with other bills we are now late on, as well as some stuff we’ve neglected while spending frantic hours researching; talking to a never-ending assembly line of vets, internists, and toxicologists; visiting Liam in the hospital as much as we can; advocating for accountability from the drug manufacturer; etc. We are running on adrenaline and fast food and would love to get some healthy takeout or ready-made groceries in the coming days while he is hospitalized and beyond (once home, he’ll need around-the-clock care and daily visits to the vet for blood rechecks), a one-time housecleaner to get our home back on track for more manageable maintenance going forward, and perhaps a dog walker for our other dog Zara who is confused and under-stimulated due to our distractedness. Most importantly though, we are behind on our mortgage and gas payments since we have had to prioritize the vet bills.

We are so grateful for any form of support, whether financial or emotional, and will keep everyone up to date as this saga continues. We are very hopeful that Liam will return home soon and make a full recovery.