125. The Risks of Librela: What Pet Parents Aren’t Being Told with Attorney Kirk Pope
In this episode of Your Natural Dog, Angela Ardolino is joined by attorney Kirk Pope, who is overseeing multi-plaintiff lawsuits against Zoetis over the veterinary drug Librela. Kirk shares his personal story of losing his own dog after a Librela injection and explains why he believes pet parents were not given the information needed to make an informed decision. Together, Angela and Kirk unpack how veterinary pharmaceuticals are approved, marketed, and incentivized, why animals are treated as property under the law, and what limited legal recourse pet parents actually have when a drug harms or kills their dog.
Episode Recap:
Episode Recap:
- Angela introduces the episode and explains why Librela has become a major concern, citing FDA warning letters, reported adverse events, and the lack of meaningful repercussions when animal drugs cause harm to our pets, because they are seen as merely property. (00:00)
- Kirk Pope introduces himself as an attorney now overseeing litigation against Zoetis, after losing his dog to Librela, discussing the problem with financial incentives being attached to vets prescribing pharmaceuticals. (02:16)
- Angela asks what led Kirk to take legal action, he shares how at the time of his dog’s injection, U.S. warnings for Librela listed only UTIs and injection-site reactions, with no mention of neurological or fatal risks (05:06)
- Kirk shares how Zoetis know that adverse event data had emerged internationally before U.S. disclosure, Librela had more extensive warnings in other countries, and why failing to warn pet parents in the U.S. constitutes a fraudulent omission by Zoetis. (10:35)
- Kirk explains why recalls are almost always voluntary and why the FDA cannot easily force a drug like Librela off the market, and the aim of his multi-plaintiff lawsuits against Zoetis, when damages are so limited because of pets being considered property. (14:39)
- Angela and Kirk examine the ethical conflict between profit, prescribing behavior, and the veterinary oath to do no harm. (22:16)
- The conversation shifts to pain management, emphasizing that Librela is a pain-blocking drug, not a treatment for arthritis or inflammation. Angela explains the five pain signaling pathways and contrasts single-target pharmaceuticals with whole-plant therapies that interact with multiple systems. (29:04)
- Kirk explains that once the FDA approves a prescription drug, pet parents can’t legally claim the drug itself is defective; the only legal accountability lies in whether manufacturers failed to properly warn veterinarians and pet owners about known risks and adverse effects. (34:03)
- Angela emphasizes the importance of education, advocacy, and refusing blind trust when it comes to pet health, and Kirk explains how affected pet parents can contact him and share their own adverse experiences with Librela. (41:07)
Episode Resources:
- Download Angela’s Resources including her Safe, Natural Options for Arthritis Pain Relief in Pets and more at AngelaArdolino.com/podcast-downloads
- Join Donna Pope’s Librela group on Facebook
- Pope McGlamry Attorneys at Law
- Have a question about your pet that you want answered on the podcast? Email us at Carter@yournaturaldog.com
- Sign up for episode reminders and updates from Your Natural Dog with Angela Ardolino
- Visit Angela Ardolino’s website for more holistic pet health education: www.AngelaArdolino.com
Follow Your Natural Dog on Facebook and Instagram and if you want to see what Angela is up to, follow her on Facebook or join our CBD & Holistic Pet Advice Facebook Group.
Creators and Guests
Host
Angela Ardolino
Angela Ardolino is a holistic pet expert who has been caring for animals for over 20 years. Angela owns and operates Fire Flake Farm, her animal rescue farm, as well as her two locations of a natural pet salon and shop, Beautify the Beast, and is founder of CBD Dog Health, which offers high quality, all-natural medical cannabis products designed specifically for pets and MycoDog, a line of mushroom extract and adaptogen tinctures for dogs. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Angela also founded the House of Alchemy, LLC, Miami Children’s Theater, and Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine. In 2013, Angela was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and knew that she needed to find alternatives to the toxic medications being offered to her. After hearing of the benefits of CBD oil and experiencing the life-changing results first hand, Angela set out to destigmatize medical cannabis and CBD oil so she could spread awareness around its holistic healing powers.
