How Bad Is This (Vet Mistake Prescribing Galliprant)

[horsepoor]

My senior JRT has some arthritis and we’ve been trying some different meds on her. First carprofen, which made her throw up. Next gabapentin that after a month of use seemed to do nothing besides make her lethargic. So the vet prescribed galliprant, which my partner picked up earlier this week. I had done a bit of reading on it so was kind of shocked to see it is a bottle of 60 mg pills to be given once a day. Dog is 22 lbs. and the dosage should be 0.9mg/lbs. so that is a triple dose! So we call, email, and after two days (!) the clinic finally gets back to us to say the vet “pushed the wrong button” and yep, should have been a 20 mg dosage instead. No apology, no call back in that interim time to say don’t give that huge dose while we figure it out (we didn’t anyway), nothing more than “oopsie, wrong button” which really doesn’t cut it for me.

If I hadn’t checked on the dosage, we would have been giving a triple dose for 14 days. I’m trying to gauge how mad I should be - like could this have killed her? It certainly wouldn’t have done her kidneys much good! Shouldn’t someone else at the clinic be checking this stuff? It seems like whatever staff actually does the dispensing of meds would be responsible for double checking dosages, much like a regular pharmacist.

We’ve been talking about changing vets due to other issues with this one, but this was the last straw! Now to find one that is actually taking new clients (a big problem here right now).

[Huntin_Pony]

If it were me, I would discuss it directly with the vet, starting off with something like: “Not being an expert on such things, this dosage mistake frightened me. Could you please fill me in on what the actual risks might have been?”

(listen to his/her reply)

“Is there some way we both can be confident about correct information in the future?”

[S1969]

What’s your goal? If this is the last straw, then move on.

If you’re trying to find out whether this could have killed your dog, what is the reason behind that? Will you make a formal complaint? Or just wondering.

The bottom line is that vets and their staff are humans and their environment is busy. We were given the wrong med once but also noticed it. To some extent it is part of our responsibility to check things as well. I am more vigilant about this now as well; I don’t think we should have to look up a dosage on the internet but it is a good idea to check the written instructions they give out.

[Equibrit]

galliprant-epar-product-information_en.pdf

[horsepoor]

Speaking to vet directly would be ideal, but won’t happen. I haven’t even met this vet, they do everything by curbside and phone now during appointments, then you go through email and office staff otherwise and it is super frustrating. Nothing like my horse vet at all. You might not even deal with the same vet each time as it is a larger practice with multiple vets and a constantly changing staff. Unfortunately this is how most of the small animal clinics here operate now.

Thank you to @Equibrit for posting as that included overdose information which was exactly what I was looking for. So in all likelihood, my dog would have upchucked it quicker than it could have caused any damage, knowing her. And had she kept it down, it wouldn’t have necessarily been harmful.

[Kyrabee]

@horsepoor

I haven’t even met this vet, they do everything by curbside and phone now during

I hate this too. My cat’s vet allows one person in but it is very hard to get an appointment( 1-2 months out). My last cat ended up at the ER 2 weeks into waiting for her appointment and the ER was curbside only. So frustrating. I gave it the old college try to get her stabilized on meds but ended up having to euthanize. I don’t know that seeing her regular vet in a timely manner would have made any difference but it sure would have been nice to not have to wait for months. Most vets around here are not accepting new patients. Certainly they can bump wellness exams for more acute issues. Dealing with issues via the ER is mega dollars .

So easy to see your scenario in this type of practice.

Susan