Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Exercise causes mild muscle damage linked to oclacitinib in a dog
By Hirashima, Junya et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2025·Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Exercise-induced mild rhabdomyolysis associated with oclacitinib in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old Toy Poodle was brought to the vet after experiencing dark urine and elevated muscle enzymes following exercise. The dog had been on a medication called oclacitinib for a year, which is used to treat itching and inflammation. After conducting exercise tests, it was found that the muscle issues only occurred when the dog was on oclacitinib. The vet diagnosed the dog with mild rhabdomyolysis, a condition where muscle fibers break down, likely triggered by the medication. The dog’s symptoms were linked to the medication, and this case highlights a rare side effect of oclacitinib.
People also search for: Toy Poodle dark urine after exercise · oclacitinib side effects in dogs · dog muscle problems after exercise
Abstract
A four-year-old Toy Poodle treated with oclacitinib for one year presented with transient myoglobinuria associated with elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) levels only after exercise. An association between myoglobinuria and oclacitinib was suspected. An exercise stress test with or without oclacitinib was repeated twice on different days. Myoglobinuria and increased serum CK levels occurred only after testing with oclacitinib. The dog was diagnosed with exercise-induced mild rhabdomyolysis, which was presumably provoked by oclacitinib based on the results of the exercise stress tests. Rhabdomyolysis was considered an idiosyncratic adverse event for oclacitinib. This is the first report of exercise-induced mild rhabdomyolysis associated with oclacitinib in a dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40368822/