Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-term melatonin effects on tear and eye pressure in healthy dogs
By Giannetto, Claudia et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2022·University of Messina, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of long-term oral administration of melatonin on tear production, intraocular pressure, and tear and serum melatonin concentrations in healthy dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how giving melatonin to healthy dogs affects their tear production and eye pressure. Twenty adult male dogs were given either melatonin or a placebo for 30 days. While melatonin did change the amount of melatonin found in their tears shortly after taking it, it didn't significantly affect how much they produced tears or their eye pressure. Overall, the long-term use of melatonin at this dosage didn't show any important benefits for tear production or eye health in these dogs.
People also search for: dog tear production treatment · melatonin for dogs eyes · healthy dog eye pressure
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of long-term (30-day) oral administration of melatonin on tear production, intraocular pressure (IOP), and concentration of melatonin in the tears and serum of healthy dogs. ANIMALS: 20 healthy sexually intact adult male dogs. PROCEDURES: 10 dogs were given melatonin (0.3 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h, administered in food at 9 am), and 10 dogs were given a placebo. Tear and serum melatonin concentrations, IOP, and tear production (determined with a Schirmer tear test) were recorded before (baseline) and 30 minutes, 3 hours, and 5 hours after administration of melatonin or the placebo on day 1 and 30 minutes after administration of melatonin or the placebo on days 8, 15, and 30. RESULTS: Data collection time had significant effects on tear production, IOP, and tear melatonin concentration but not on serum melatonin concentration. Treatment (melatonin vs placebo) had a significant effect on tear melatonin concentration, but not on tear production, IOP, or serum melatonin concentration; however, tear melatonin concentration was significantly different between groups only 30 minutes after administration on day 1 and not at other times. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In healthy dogs, long-term administration of melatonin at a dosage of 0.3 mg/kg, PO, every 24 hours did not have any clinically important effects on tear production, IOP, or serum or tear melatonin concentrations.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34986123/