‘I just wanted her to go in peace:’ Bend man’s dog passes after receiving Librela, a pain-blocker to treat osteoarthritis
(Update: adding video, comment from the dog owner, statement from Zoetis)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Three days after receiving an under-the-skin pain blocker injection for osteoarthritis, a Bend dog passed away. The owner, Kyle Blankenship, says after the drug was administered to his dog, Sasha, who experienced paralysis before she said.
Blankenship told us he hopes to raise awareness about the drug and advises dog owners to do their research before agreeing to administer the drug.
"I just wanted her to go in peace," Blankenship said Tuesday. "I feel like this drug just amplified things and made it so much harder on her that needed to be."
Librela (bedinvetmab) is a newer pharmaceutical drug in the veterinarian world, having been approved in the US in 2023, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
According to the American Kennel Club, a not-for-profit organization since 1884, side-effects from the drug Librela include a skin reaction at the injection site, urinary tract infections and bacterial skin infections.
Sasha received the injection at East Bend Animal Hospital, whose management declined a NewsChannel 21 request for an interview or statement about the case.
Blankenship said, "She told me that she's had 100 people or so in her vet (practice) that have taken this drug. She has not seen any side-effects."
The American Kennel Club also reports animals with pre-existing neurological conditions can worsen. Blankenship says Sasha did suffer a seizure or stroke a year ago.
"There are a lot of underlying conditions that go with this drug, with extensive research after the fact, which I should have done before the fact," Blankenship said. "And I put that on myself more than anything, that I didn't do this research ahead of time."
As of April, the FDA had received more than 3,300 adverse event reports for Librela. The FDA says there is no certainty the reported drug caused the adverse event, adding that it may have been related to an underlying condition.
"My doctor said that they blamed it on cancer," Blankenship said. "They thought it was that some reason they denied the fact that it had anything to do with Librela. And they said there's no way it could be that it's too new of a drug, 'Don't listen to what you see online.'"
In a statement to NewsChannel 21, the drugmaker's parent company, Zoetis, said:
"Since launching in Europe over three years ago, Librela has been a valued product by veterinarians and pet owners alike and has been used effectively in millions of dogs suffering from osteoarthritis pain.
"We remain confident in the safety and effectiveness of Librela for controlling osteoarthritis pain in dogs, when used according to the label. With more than 14 million doses of Librela distributed since launch, the estimated rate of adverse events continues to be low, with only 0.18%* reported (or 18 out of 10,000).
"Overall, when we look at the adverse events globally, no single sign is considered more than rare according to the European Medicines Agency categorization.** We understand these stats are a small consolation to a pet owner when an adverse event happens to their pet.
"When we receive reports of any potential adverse event, we seek to understand more from the pet owner and veterinarian, and we report all US report instances to the FDA. However, as noted by the FDA, “For any given [adverse event report], there is no certainty that the reported drug caused the adverse event.”
*As of March 2024
** Rare is defined by the European Medical Agency as greater than or equal to 1 and less than 10 dogs per 10,000 treated.
Blankenship said, "I'm not looking to blame my vet, and not looking to put blame on anybody. If I put blame on anybody, it's the pharmaceutical company for putting it out there without not having more tests."
Currently there is a petition advocating for additional testing on the drug. The petition has garnered over 7,000 signatures since February.
