Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Capromorelin safely boosts appetite in dogs with poor eating
By Zollers, B et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2016·Aratana Therapeutics·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A Prospective, Randomized, Masked, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study of Capromorelin in Dogs with Reduced Appetite.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 244 dogs with reduced appetite, reported by their owners to not eat for at least two days, were treated with a new medication called capromorelin or a placebo. After four days, the dogs receiving capromorelin showed a significant improvement in their appetite compared to those on the placebo, with many owners noting their pets were eating better. Additionally, the dogs on capromorelin gained weight, while some experienced mild side effects like diarrhea and vomiting. Overall, capromorelin proved to be an effective option for stimulating appetite in dogs.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Reduced appetite is a common clinical sign in dogs. This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of capromorelin oral solution, (ENTYCE, Aratana Therapeutics, Leawood, KS) a new drug that is a ghrelin receptor agonist, for stimulation of appetite in dogs with reduced appetite. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Capromorelin will increase appetite, as measured by the owner's evaluation, over 4 days. An additional objective was to evaluate the safety of capromorelin at the labeled dose. ANIMALS: A total of 244 client-owned dogs reported by owners to be inappetent for at least 2 days were enrolled, with 177 cases in the effectiveness analysis. METHODS: In this prospective, randomized, masked, placebo-controlled study, dogs were treated daily with capromorelin (3 mg/kg) oral solution (n = 121) or placebo oral solution (n = 56). Owners completed an evaluation of appetite at days 0 and 3 ± 1. Success was defined as improvement in appetite at day 3. Safety was evaluated by physical examination, clinical pathology, and monitoring adverse events and owner observations. RESULTS: Capromorelin treatment improved appetite compared to placebo (68.6% and 44.6% treatment successes with 95% CI 59.7, 76.3 and 32.2, 57.8, respectively, P = .008). Mean body weight in capromorelin-treated dogs increased compared to placebo-treated dogs (1.8% with 95% CI 1.3, 2.3, and 0.1% with 95% CI 0.9, 1.1, respectively, P < .001). Adverse reactions occurring in >5% of either group were diarrhea and vomiting. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Capromorelin oral solution is an effective treatment for stimulation of appetite in dogs and represents the first ghrelin receptor agonist shown to be effective for this indication.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27859746/