EFFECTS OF CYCLOSPORINE VERSUS STANDARD CARE IN DOGS WITH NATURALLY-OCCURRING GLOMERULONEPHRITIS

Glomerulonephritis (GN) is a leading cause of chronic renal failure in dogs, However, little is known about the efficacy of available treatm ent options for GN in this species. The purpose of this study was to d etermine the effects of cyclosporine (Cy) administration on the outcom e of naturally occurring GN in dogs. Thirteen dogs from 4 institutions were included in the study. Randomization of dogs into placebo-versus Cy-treated groups was stratified according to initial morphological d iagnosis and contributing institution. Seven and 6 dogs were assigned to be given placebo or Cy, respectively. The initial Cy dose of 10 mg/ kg every 24 hours was adjusted to maintain 24-hour trough, whole blood Cy concentrations between 250 and 400 ng/mL. There were no statistica lly significant differences between placebo- and Cy-treated groups wit h respect to serum total protein, albumin, urea nitrogen and creatinin e, and plasma protein concentrations; platelet count; urine protein-cr eatinine ratio; endogenous creatinine clearance: 24-hour urine protein concentrations: or 24-hour urine protein-endogenous creatinine cleara nce ratio. However, PCV was significantly lower in the Cy-treated grou p. Decreased appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, involuntary sh aking, and thrombocytopenia were noted in both treatment groups; howev er, clinical signs in Cy-treated dogs subjectively were more severe. O ne Cy-treated dog developed gingival hyperplasia. After entry into the study, the median survival times for placebo- and Cy-treated dogs wer e 16 and 11 months, respectively. Considering the expense and the freq uency of adverse effects related to Cy administration, the use of Cy i n the treatment of dogs with GN does not seem warranted.