The most obvious example of this is acetaminophen, most commonly sold under the trade name Tylenol. Cats lack the enzymes necessary to metabolize this drug, and it is fatal even in fairly small doses. Tragically, I saw a fatal case of Tylenol poisoning in a young kitten recently. The kitten had been declawed, and the owners administered a Tylenol in the hope of reducing the pain associated with the procedure. Twelve hours later, the kitten was dead.
Prostaglandins are substances that have a myriad of effects in the body.
Prostaglandins are involved in maintaining the health and integrity of the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. This can be a very serious complication of therapy. We have discussed Rimadyl and Etogesic at some length previously, but I wanted to touch on some issues with these two drugs, particularly Rimadyl. A letter from Joette in Florida asked about her dog developing jaundice after going on beginning Rimadyl therapy. This is an extremely important point.