Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
High-dose vs low-dose oral artemisinin for dogs with tumors
By Hosoya, Kenji et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2014·College of Pharmacy (M.P., United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Comparison of high-dose intermittent and low-dose continuous oral artemisinin in dogs with naturally occurring tumors.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 24 dogs with tumors received either a low dose or a high dose of artemisinin, a treatment that is being studied for its effects on cancer. The dogs were monitored for side effects and overall health during the 21-day treatment period. While both dosing methods were generally well tolerated, some dogs experienced a loss of appetite, especially those on the high dose. Unfortunately, the treatment showed low effectiveness in terms of how much of the drug was actually available in the dogs' systems.
People also search for: dog cancer treatment options · artemisinin for dogs · side effects of cancer treatment in dogs
Abstract
To evaluate the clinical toxicity and activity of orally administered artemisinin in dogs with spontaneous tumors, 24 client-owned dogs were randomly divided into two groups and received either low-continuous dose (3 mg/kg q 24 hr) or high-dose intermittent (three doses of 45 mg/kg q 6 hr repeated q 1 wk) of artemisinin per os. Treatment was continued for 21 days. Dogs were evaluated weekly for clinical effect and at the end of the treatment for hematologic and biochemical adverse events. Whole blood concentrations of artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin were measured by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry after the first dose of artemisinin in three dogs in each group. Blood concentrations of artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin were <0.1 μM at all time points, and there was no difference in blood concentration between the two dosing groups. The most frequent adverse event was anorexia, which was observed in 11% of the low-dose group and 29% of the high-dose group. Oral artemisinin, both in low-dose continuous and high-dose intermittent, is well tolerated in dogs but results in low bioavailability. Parenteral administration should be considered for future studies.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25251432/