Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How long terbinafine stays in cat hair after 14 days of treatment
By Foust, Abby L et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2007·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of persistence of terbinafine in the hair of normal cats after 14 days of daily therapy.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Ten healthy cats were given an oral medication called terbinafine for 14 days to treat a skin infection. After treatment, the researchers found that terbinafine remained in the cats' hair for several weeks, which could help in fighting off the infection even after the medication was stopped. However, some cats experienced side effects like vomiting and skin irritation during or shortly after treatment. Overall, the study suggests that terbinafine could be an effective option for treating skin infections in cats, and further research on shorter treatment courses may be beneficial.
People also search for: cat skin infection treatment · terbinafine side effects in cats · why is my cat vomiting after medication
Abstract
This study determined the residual concentration of terbinafine in cat hair after 14 days of oral treatment. Ten clinically normal cats were administered terbinafine orally at a daily dose of 34-45.7 mg kg(-1) for a total of 14 days. Areas of 15 cm(2) were shaved on the lateral thorax at day 0 and weekly for 8 weeks after the last dose of terbinafine. The hair samples were analysed by high-pressure liquid chromatography to determine the persistence of terbinafine over time. The mean terbinafine concentration in hair was 2.30 ng mg(-1) after 14 days of therapy. The half life was 1.84 weeks after the last dose of terbinafine. With a 99% confidence interval, the concentration of terbinafine remained in the cat hair at or above 0.03 ng mg(-1) (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC)(90) = 0.03 microg mL(-1)) for 5.3 weeks. Slight deviations in the complete blood cell count and serum chemistry values were not attributed to terbinafine. Four cats experienced vomiting during the terbinafine treatment; two of these cats also experienced intense facial pruritus followed by a macular to papular skin reaction 7-14 days after the discontinuation of terbinafine. In summary, terbinafine persists in hair at concentrations above the MIC for several weeks after stopping medication, even after short-term therapy (14 days). These results suggest that pulse therapy of terbinafine should be further researched and potentially considered as a treatment modality for feline dermatophytosis, an approach that would decrease treatment duration while maintaining effectiveness.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17610490/