The veterinary journal
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The purpose of this study was to assess the pharmacokinetics of gabapentin in healthy greyhound dogs after single oral doses targeted at 10 and 20mg/kg PO. Six healthy greyhounds were enrolled (3 males, 3 females). Blood was obtained at predetermined times for the measurement of gabapentin plasma concentrations by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. ⋯ The mean C(MAX) for the 10 and 20mg/kg groups were 8.54 and 13.22 microg/mL at 1.3 and 1.5h, and the terminal half-lives were 3.3 and 3.4h, respectively. The relative bioavailability of the 10mg/kg group was 1.13 compared to the 20mg/kg group. Gabapentin was rapidly absorbed and eliminated in dogs, indicating that frequent dosing is needed to maintain minimum targeted plasma concentrations.
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The veterinary journal · Jan 2011
Comparative StudyComparison of subcutaneous and transdermal administration of buprenorphine for pre-emptive analgesia in dogs undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy.
The clinical efficacy of a 70 microg/h transdermal buprenorphine patch and of 20 microg/kg of buprenorphine administered subcutaneously (SC) for the relief of post-operative pain was determined in 24 healthy female dogs undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy (OHE). Dogs were randomly assigned to three groups: (1) a control group that received no analgesics, (2) a BSC group that received buprenorphine SC (20 microg/kg), and (3) a BP group that received buprenorphine by a 70 microg/h transdermal patch. ⋯ Mean NRS and UMPS scores for dogs in the BSC group (2.56 ± 0.23 and 3.05 ± 0.27, respectively) and the BP group (2.02 ± 0.24 and 2.67 ± 0.23, respectively) were significantly lower (P<0.05) compared with dogs in the control group (5.42 ± 0.38 and 7.89 ± 0.44, respectively), whereas differences between the two buprenorphine treatment groups were not significant. The results indicated that the analgesia produced by the 70 microg/h patch was similar to that induced by SC administration of 20 microg/kg of buprenorphine in dogs undergoing OHE, suggesting that the transdermal buprenorphine patch may be a useful alternative for pain management in dogs.
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The veterinary journal · Dec 2010
Dog bites in The Netherlands: a study of victims, injuries, circumstances and aggressors to support evaluation of breed specific legislation.
As part of an evaluation of Dutch breed specific legislation, data were collected from dog bite victims (1078) and dog owners (6139) using Internet surveys. The incidence rate of dog bites and details of incidents (victims, injuries, circumstances and aggressors) are reported and the justification for using breed specific measurements to deal with dog bites are considered. ⋯ Mitigation strategies should not be based on attack records (since this would lead to the rejection of a significant proportion of the canine population) but on the circumstances of the incidents. Preventative measures must focus on a better understanding of how to handle dogs.
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The veterinary journal · Nov 2010
Ultrasound-guided block of the sciatic and femoral nerves in dogs: a descriptive study.
Ten canine cadavers were used to investigate the anatomy and ultrasonographic approaches to the sciatic (ScN) and femoral (FN) nerves and to assess the accuracy of an ultrasound (US) guided technique to locate and block these nerves in the dog. The nerves of four sedated dogs were sought using US, blocked with 1% lidocaine and successful location confirmed by peripheral neurostimulation. The ScN was identified by US in all cases whereas the FN was not located in all cases. This study validates the usefulness of the US-guided technique to locate and block the ScN at the midfemoral level but the acoustic window of the inguinal region was less successful for locating and blocking the FN.
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The veterinary journal · Oct 2010
Comparative StudyA comparison of radiographic, arthroscopic and histological measures of articular pathology in the canine elbow joint.
Validation of radiographic and arthroscopic scoring of joint pathology requires their comparison with histological measures of disease from the same joint. Fragmentation of the medial coronoid process (FMCP) is a naturally occurring disease of the canine elbow joint that results in osteoarthritis, and the objectives of this study were to compare the severity of histopathological changes in the medial coronoid process (MCP) and medial articular synovial membrane with gross radiographic scoring of elbow joint osteophytosis and the arthroscopic assessment of the MCP articular cartilage surface. Radiographic scoring of osteophytosis and the arthroscopic scoring of visual cartilage pathology of the MCP correlated moderately well with the histopathological evaluation of cartilage damage on the MCP and synovial inflammation in the medial part of the joint, but not with bone pathology in the MCP. Marked cartilage pathology on the MCP was identified in joints with either no radiographic evidence of osteophytosis or with mild cartilage damage that was evident arthroscopically.