Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Phenobarbitone blood levels in dogs on twice daily doses vary
By Monteiro, R et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2009·Institute of Comparative Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Variations in serum concentration of phenobarbitone in dogs receiving regular twice daily doses in relation to the times of administration.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs on long-term treatment with phenobarbitone, a medication often used to control seizures, had their blood levels tested to see how the timing of the dose affected the results. The study looked at 1,427 dogs, comparing blood samples taken just before the next dose (trough) and at other times (non-trough). It found that while there were no major differences in phenobarbitone levels between the two groups, dogs receiving higher doses (over 10 mg/kg) showed lower levels in the trough samples. This suggests that timing may be important for monitoring medication levels in dogs on high doses.
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Abstract
The laboratory records of 1427 client-owned dogs on chronic phenobarbitone treatment were analysed. They were divided into two groups: the 918 dogs from which blood samples were collected at the trough, that is, within two hours before the next dose of phenobarbitone, and the 509 dogs from which samples were taken during the non-trough period. There were no significant differences between the mean serum concentrations of phenobarbitone in the trough and non-trough samples from dogs receiving doses ranging from 2 mg/kg per day to more than 10 mg/kg per day. However, the higher doses of phenobarbitone were associated with progressively lower phenobarbitone concentrations in the trough group relative to the non-trough group, and this difference was significant at doses of more than 10 mg/kg per day.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19897869/