Pet owners around the country are in the process of launching legal action against a company over its arthritis treatment for dogs. Marketed as safe and side effect free - they claim their dogs have been maimed or killed after receiving the injection. But many vets say the treatment has been a game-changer - giving dogs a new lease on life.
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00:00A shrine to a beloved dog.
00:04We were completely inseparable. She went everywhere with me.
00:07When 12-year-old Lottie started slowing down,
00:10Ms Christie's vet suggested a new injection called Baransa
00:14to help with osteoarthritis pain.
00:17But after her second dose, Lottie started behaving strangely.
00:21She vomited blood one morning. She became more and more lethargic.
00:24The following weeks included countless tests and treatments,
00:28but eventually Ms Christie decided she had to put Lottie down.
00:32I just looked down and she started hemorrhaging.
00:35She was losing blood from her back and in a puddle of coagulated blood.
00:39She's one of many around the world who suspect side effects from Baransa
00:43caused their dog's death.
00:46Last October, a class action was filed in the States
00:48alleging it's been associated with thousands of bad reactions.
00:52And in December, the US FDA issued a letter to vets
00:56about reported adverse events.
00:58Now Ms Christie's working towards launching a class action in Australia
01:02with other bereaved pet owners.
01:05But some vets say Baransa has been a game-changer.
01:08We're not saving their lives forever,
01:10but we're giving them 6 to 12 months they probably never would have had.
01:13Dr Spanner's worried legal action could affect the treatment's availability.
01:17You can't imagine going back.
01:19It has made such a change to the management of arthritis.
01:23Other vets say there could be an increased risk of side effects in some dogs,
01:28only recommending it as a last resort.
01:31When someone has a dog in pain, they've tried everything and it's still in pain,
01:36yes, let's pull this one out.
01:38Zoetis, the company that makes Baransa, says adverse events are rare
01:42and that the treatment has helped millions of dogs.
01:46But pet owners like Ms Christie say they'd never been warned of risks.
01:50I feel like I let her down and I feel like I had a hand in killing my dog.
01:56A heavy grief for a lost best friend.