Popular dog drug may come with serious risks, FDA issues warning for adverse reactions
HOLDEN, Mo. (KCTV) - For many Americans, pets are family. So when they are ill, you want to give them the best care possible.
Librela is a popular drug for dogs that promises to ease pain from canine osteoarthritis. According to drug-maker Zoetis, it’s been used to treat more than a million dogs in the United States. Some call it a wonder drug, others say it’s anything but.
KCTV5’s Sharon Chen examined why some pet owners are sounding the alarm about Librela as veterinarians across the country continue to prescribe it.
Meet Rigby
“This is Ozzie, over here is Phoebe,” said Rich Pearson, surrounded by dogs in the backyard of his Holden home.
Pearson has four happy hounds who are full of energy and ready to play, but he used to have five.
“Rigby was a border collie, kind of a border collie mix,” explained Pearson.
Rigby was a rescue pup Pearson and his wife adopted in 2018. They said they instantly fell in love.
“He fit in immediately,” recalled Pearson. “He was just so happy at all times, just to be around people. That was his favorite thing.”
In November 2024, at six years old, Rigby began to struggle with hip dysplasia. The Pearsons turned to their veterinarian for care options.
“Our vet told us about a new drug, which has been branded and still is branded almost as this wonder drug Librela,” said Pearson. “So we thought, okay, you know, this could be an opportunity for him to live the last, you know, six plus ten plus years of his life.”
Developed by Zoetis, Librela was launched in the U.S. in 2023. Given once a month, the drug works to block and control nerve growth, control pain and improve mobility.
After researching and reviewing drug trial reports, the Pearsons gave Rigby his first dose.
First dose to deterioration
“It was, over the span of a few days, he started to get a rash, and he didn’t have a great appetite,” recalled Pearson.
The veterinarian told Pearson to give the drug a full month, but as the days went on, Rigby quickly deteriorated.
“He had stopped eating completely, stopped drinking water,” said Pearson.
And before he knew it, it was over. In just 10 days, Pearson lost his companion of six years.
“We had to put him down at one in the morning,” said Pearson, holding back tears.
Three months after Rigby died, a warning came from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about “adverse events” reported in dogs treated with Librela. KCTV5 found that according to the FDA, as of April 2024, 3,674 dogs experienced reports of “adverse reactions.” Of those, 12 percent (458) have died.
“It’s real, it was a shock,” said Pearson.
What can pet owners do?
KCTV5 sat down with Dr. Sam Franklin, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Kansas City Canine Orthopedics, and asked if he finds the concerns about Librela to be legitimate.
“My suspicion is that the concerns are probably founded and that the FDA issued its letter based upon enough reports,” said Franklin. However, “I also suspect that the manufacturer might point out that ‘Hey, there have been tens of millions of doses prescribed for dogs in the United States and Europe, if these complications were very frequent and severe, we would have recognized or heard of them sooner.‘”
Franklin suggested that before using Librela, pet owners should ask three questions:
- What is the specific diagnosis?
- “Investigate why your dog is developing the osteoarthritis and try and figure out what the underlying explanation or diagnosis is,” said Franklin. “Knowing the details of the joint and the condition is relevant to whether or not Librela’s going to be one of the treatments that’s potentially used to treat the pain associated with the osteoarthritis.”
- What are the alternatives?
- “There are many nonsurgical management options, and my top choices are weight loss, moderate daily activity, optimal diet, oral NSAIDs, and potentially injections into the joint. said Franklin.
- Did they work or not work?
- “Work to get a diagnosis to fully understand what it is that is ailing your dog and what your numerous options are for managing that,” said Franklin. “Then you want to weigh the pros and cons and then concerns/risks associated with Librela.”
Is Librela safe?
“I can’t say ‘Yes, it’s safe,’ but that’s true of just about everything. There is risk with absolutely everything,” said Franklin.
Pearson is convinced that risk is what took Rigby away. Asked if he would make the same choice to give Rigby the drug again, “The answer is a resounding ‘no,‘” he responded. “I would have traded that decision to just have him here and be with us, and be present, be sitting at my feet, but he’s not.”
Zoetis even offered to compensate Pearson.
“They had called and said, ‘Well, we’ll pay for your vet bill, but you can’t talk about it and you have to sign this NDA (non-disclosure agreement),‘” said Pearson.
NDA Email to Pearson From Zoetis.pdf by zoe.shriner on Scribd
Pearson did not sign it and has plenty to say.
“We don’t have kids, this is our family, this is what we’ve built on,” said Pearson. “For us, there’s no amount of money that would be able to reflect or replace the opportunity to save lives.”
KCTV5 reached out to Zoetis for comment. The company said it remains “confident in the safety and effectiveness of Librela” but did not have a response to those who have lost their pets using Librela, like Pearson.
In February, Librela’s label was updated to include some adverse reactions following the FDA’s warning.
Pearson is now part of a class action lawsuit against Librela.
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