To investigate the effectiveness of tramadol for treatment of osteoarthritis in dogs.
10 days of treatment with tramadol as administered (5 mg/kg, PO, q 8 h) provided no clinical benefit for dogs with osteoarthritis of the elbow or stifle joint.
To determine efficacy of a single intra-articular injection of an autologous platelet concentrate for treatment of osteoarthritis in dogs.
Results suggested that a single intra-articular injection of autologous platelets resulted in significant improvements at 12 weeks in dogs with osteoarthritis involving a single joint.
This article evaluates the current literature on oral analgesics and analgesic adjuncts in dogs and cats. An overview of how dosing recommendations are made covering controlled clinical trials, experimental study design, and pharmacokinetic studies is included.
The weight of evidence for each drug [Polysulfated glycosaminoglycans, Amantadine, Tramadol, Gabapentin, Pregabalin, Codeine, Hydrocodone, Amitriptyline, Venlafaxine, Duloxetine, Glucosamine and chondroitin, Morphine, Oxycodone, Methadone] is reviewed and compared with the gold standard, controlled clinical trials. Other evidence such as experimental studies, extrapolation of pharmacokinetic studies, and case reports/series is also considered.
The aim of this systematic review was to identify, assess, and critically evaluate the quality of evidence of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatorydrug (NSAID)-induced adverse effects in dogs.
A high strength of evidence existed for carprofen, firocoxib, and meloxicam; moderate for deracoxib, ketoprofen, and robenacoxib; and low for etodolac. Quality and consistency rating were as follows: carprofen (***/***), deracoxib (**/***), etodolac (*/unable to rate), firocoxib (***/**), ketoprofen (**/***), meloxicam (***/***), and robenacoxib (**/**), respectively. Adverse effects were detected in 35 studies (55%) and commonly included vomiting, diarrhea, and anorexia. Three studies (5%) reported a power analysis related to adverse effects of ≥80%. In randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded studies (n = 25, 39%), the incidence of adverse effects was not statistically different between treated and control dogs. Finally, most studies were not appropriately designed to determine the safety of NSAIDs, and involved a healthy nongeriatric population of research dogs.
The clinical efficacy of electroacupuncture and acupuncture in combination with medication for the treatment of thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation was investigated in paraplegic dogs with intact deep pain perception. To evaluate the additional effect of electroacupuncture, dogs treated with conventional medicines alone were compared to dogs treated with electroacupuncture and acupuncture and conventional medicine.
The results suggest that a combination of electroacupuncture and acupuncture with conventional medicine is more effective than conventional medicine alone in recovering ambulation, relieving back pain, and decreasing relapse. Electroacupuncture and acupuncture is thus a reasonable option for the treatment of intervertebral disc herniation in paraplegic dogs with intact deep painperception.
The purpose of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetic and antinociceptive effects of an acetaminophen/codeine combinationadministered orally to six healthy greyhounds.
Further studies using different models (including clinical trials), different dog breeds, multiple dose regimens, and a range of dosages are needed prior to recommended use or concluding lack of efficacy for oral acetaminophen/codeine in dogs.
This prospective, randomized, double-blinded trial compared outcomes in dogs with bilateral elbow osteoarthritis (OA) treated with hyaluronan plus methylprednisolone (HA + S) or autologous conditioned plasma (ACP®; Arthrex)
With respect to client-based functional assessments over time, statistically significant improvements in scores for activity, lameness, pain, and overall function categories were noted for both groups over the study period with most changes being > 10% in magnitude. The greatest improvements in client-based assessment scores for dogs receiving HA and corticosteroid were noted at 1 wk post-injection for pain and activity and at 12 wk post-injection for lameness. All improvements in client-based assessments for dogs in the group receiving ACP were greatest at 6 wk post-injection.
“Finding precise, reliable, and accurate measures of chronic pain in animals is a difficult effort. However, much research has gone into developing measurement methods to evaluate chronic pain in dogs (and, more recently, cats); this article reviews the pain scales currently available.”
Details in linked article reviews the following pain scales: Helsinki Chronic Pain Index, Canine Brief Pain Index, Cincinnati Orthopedic Disability Index, Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs.
