Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Reduced ketoprofen with or without tramadol for dog arthritis pain
By Monteiro, Beatriz P et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2019·Department of Biomedical Sciences, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Safety and efficacy of reduced dosage ketoprofen with or without tramadol for long-term treatment of osteoarthritis in dogs: a randomized clinical trial.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with osteoarthritis received either a lower dose of ketoprofen alone or a lower dose of ketoprofen combined with tramadol for pain relief over 28 days. The dogs treated with the combination of ketoprofen and tramadol showed better pain relief and needed less additional pain medication compared to those on ketoprofen alone. Importantly, the lower doses of ketoprofen were safer, causing fewer gastrointestinal issues and kidney problems than the standard dose. Overall, both treatments helped reduce pain effectively, but the combination therapy appeared to be more beneficial for long-term management.
People also search for: dog osteoarthritis treatment · ketoprofen dosage for dogs · tramadol for dog pain relief
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of reduced-dosage ketoprofen with or without tramadol in dogs. Five healthy dogs receiving standard-dosage ketoprofen (2 mg/kg SC, then 1 mg/kg PO daily) comprised Group A. Twenty dogs with osteoarthritis were randomized to receive reduced-dosage ketoprofen (0.5 mg/kg SC once; 0.25 mg/kg PO daily) alone (Group B) or in combination with tramadol (5 mg/kg/day PO) (Group C). Treatments were administered for 28 days. Platelet aggregation time (PAT), gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were performed up to 60 days after treatment initiation. Pain was scored using a validated clinical metrology instrument up to D120. Data were analyzed with general linear mixed model for repeated measures (α = 0.05). RESULTS: PAT was not different between groups but was increased with time for all groups. GI lesion scores were higher in Group A than Groups B and C (day 28; P = 0.005) and were increased with time for Group A (P = 0.005). GFR was lower in Group A than Groups B and C (day 28; P < 0.01) and were decreased with time for group A (P < 0.001). Standard-dosage ketoprofen administration resulted in clinically relevant adverse effects. Pain score decreased in both treated groups (B and C) from D0 to D28. Need of rescue analgesia from D29 to D120 was higher in Group B than in Group C (P = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: The long-term safety profile of reduced-dosage ketoprofen is similar whether the drug is administered alone or in combination with tramadol to dogs with osteoarthritis. Analgesic efficacy of the combination looks attractive.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31238912/