USE OF ANTIINFLAMMATORY AND ANALGESIC DRUGS IN DOGS AND CATS

Responses (486) were collated from a survey of 5054 Australian veterin arians on their use of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs in dogs a nd cats. Almost all respondents used glucocorticoids (usually predniso lone) to treat allergic, pruritic dermatoses in dogs, while two-thirds also gave fatty acid supplements and one-half used antihistamines. Al most 60% of respondents initially injected a glucocorticoid (frequentl y a long-acting preparation) when treating inflammatory skin diseases in dogs. More than 90% of respondents used glucocorticoids to treat im mune-mediated haemolytic anaemia or thrombocytopenia, and about one-th ird also gave cytotoxic drugs. Administration of prednisolone on alter nate days was generally favoured for long-term enteral steroid therapy Phenylbutazone was the most preferred treatment for painful or inflam matory musculoskeletal disorders of dogs, but aspirin and pentosan pol ysulphate were also used widely. Regarding the use of analgesics drugs generally, both narcotic analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammato ry drugs (NSAIDs) were used more widely in dogs than in cats, but alph a-2 agonists were used similarly in both species. The most commonly us ed narcotic analgesics were pethidine and buprenorphine in both specie s, while the NSAIDs used most often were flunixin and dipyrone in dogs and ketoprofen in cats. More than 80% of respondents generally used a nalgesic drugs with potentially painful surgical procedures, with dose s given usually before anaesthetic recovery. Analgesic use rates varie d with the condition, ranging from 94% for patients with acute severe trauma, through 60% for cruciate ligament repair and 29% for perineal herniorrhaphy, to about 5% for ovariohysterectomy and dog castration. The three clinical signs most frequently nominated as indicators of pa in in dogs and cats were (in descending order) vocalisation, response to handling or palpating the affected area, and mental depression. Oth er items mentioned frequently were behavioural changes and immobility (in both species), inappetence/anorexia in cats, and altered respirati on in dogs.