Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Comparing monthly mavacoxib and daily meloxicam for dog arthritis pain
By Walton, M B et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2014·Musculoskeletal Biology and Small Animal Teaching Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Mavacoxib and meloxicam for canine osteoarthritis: a randomised clinical comparator trial.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 111 dogs with osteoarthritis (OA) in their elbows, hips, or knees were treated with either a daily liquid medication called meloxicam or a monthly tablet called mavacoxib to see which worked better. Both treatments helped improve the dogs' movement and comfort over 12 weeks, with noticeable improvements by the 6-week mark. The side effects were similar for both medications, making them both effective options for managing OA in dogs. This study suggests that either meloxicam or mavacoxib can be a good choice for helping dogs with joint pain.
People also search for: dog osteoarthritis treatment · meloxicam for dogs · mavacoxib for dogs arthritis
Abstract
NSAIDs are the cornerstone of medical management of canine osteoarthritis (OA). Meloxicam is a daily-administered NSAID widely available in a liquid formulation and manufacturer's summary of product characteristics (SPC) advise that it is given at the lowest effective dose. Mavacoxib is a long-acting NSAID given as a monthly tablet. This study compares these drugs in the management of canine OA. In all, 111 dogs with OA of the elbow, hip or stifle were randomly assigned to receive one of these NSAIDs for a 12-week period, and to administer them as per the manufacturer's SPC. Outcomes, including ground reaction forces and three validated clinical metrology instruments, were measured at baseline, 6 and 12 weeks. Improvements were seen in all outcome measures for both groups to a similar degree, and adverse events occurred at a similar rate. There were significant improvements in outcome measures from week 6 to week 12, as well as from baseline. Long-term meloxicam dose was more important than recent dose. Clinical efficacy and adverse event rates are similar for meloxicam and mavacoxib when administered as per their UK SPC. This is relevant information for veterinary surgeons when prescribing NSAID treatment for canine OA.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24859353/