During the last decade, oral cyclosporin (CsA) has proven to be effective, in randomized controlled trials, for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) in human patients. The purpose of this blinded randomized controlled trial was to test the hypothesis that CsA was successful in reducing the gravity of clinical signs of AD in dogs. Thirty dogs with nonseasonal AD were randomly allocated to receive an oral solution of either NEORAL CsA (5 mg kg-1) or prednisolone (0.5 mg kg-1) once daily for 6 weeks. Before, and 3 and 6 weeks after therapy, skin lesions were graded by clinicians using the Canine AD Extent and Severity Index (CADESI). Pruritus was assessed by the owners using a visual analog scale (PVAS). In both groups, CADESI and PVAS values were significantly lower at 6 weeks post treatment than before the initiation of therapy (Friedman test, P < 0.0004). The percentage reductions in CADESI and PVAS values from baseline were not statistically different between groups (Mann-Whitney test, P > 0.3). In this experiment, the tolerability and safety of oral CsA and prednisolone appeared similar. One-fifth of dogs given oral CsA occasionally developed diarrhoea or soft stools. One dog that was given CsA developed a generalized papillomatous skin eruption during the second half of the trial. Our study provides randomized controlled trial evidence that CsA reduces the severity of clinical signs in dogs with nonseasonal AD. Moreover, the anti-allergic efficacy of CsA appears comparable with that of prednisolone. We propose that oral CsA should be considered as a valuable alternative to glucocorticoid therapy in dogs with AD.

Background: Little is known about the efficacy of commonly used acid suppressants on intragastric pH in dogs. Objective: To compare the effect of oral famotidine, 2 formulations of omeprazole, and placebo on intragastric pH in dogs with a catheter-free, continuous pH monitoring system. Animals: Six healthy adult mixed-breed colony dogs. Methods: Utilizing a randomized, 4-way cross over, open-label study, dogs were administered famotidine PO (1.0-1.3 mg/ kg q12h), omeprazole tablet (1.5-2.6 mg/kg q24h), omeprazole reformulated paste (RP) (Gastrogard, 1.5-2.6 mg/kg q24h), and placebo for 7 days followed by a 10-day washout period. Radiotelemetric pH capsules were placed with gastroscopy assistance to continuously record intragastric pH for 4 days (days 4-7 of dosing). The percentage of time that intragastric pH was !3 and !4 was compared among treatment groups using repeated measures of analysis of variance. Tukey's Studentized range test was used to determine which groups were different with a 5 0.05.Results: Mean AE SD percent time intragastric pH was !3 and !4 was 22 AE 8% and 14 AE 6% for famotidine, 63 AE 14% and 52 AE 17% for omeprazole tablet, 54 AE 17% and 44 AE 18% for omeprazole RP, and 6 AE 6% and 5 AE 5% for placebo. Both omeprazole formulations significantly increased intragastric pH compared with famotidine and placebo, but omeprazole tablet and RP was not significantly different from each other.Conclusion: Oral omeprazole tablet and RP provide superior gastric acid suppression to famotidine, and should therefore be considered more effective for the treatment of acid related disorders in dogs.

Background: Progress in establishing if therapies provide relief to cats with degenerative joint disease (DJD)-associated pain is hampered by a lack of validated owner-administered assessment methods.Hypothesis: That an appropriately developed subjective owner-completed instrument (Feline Musculoskeletal Pain Index-FMPI) to assess DJD-associated impairment would have responsiveness and criterion validity.Animals: Twenty-five client-owned cats with DJD-associated pain. Methods: FMPI responsiveness (ability to detect the effect of an analgesic treatment) and validity (correlation with an objective measure) were explored through a stratified, randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover 10-week clinical study. Meloxicam was administered to effect pain relief. A linear mixed model, backward stepwise regression, and Pearson correlations were used to assess responsiveness and criterion validity with the assumption that the NSAID would increase activity.Results: Positive responses of cats to placebo (P = .0001) and meloxicam treatment (P = .0004) were detected; however, the instrument did not detect any difference between placebo and meloxicam (linear mixed model), even for the high impairment cases. Percent meloxicam target dose administered, temperament, and total baseline FMPI score were covariates that most affected FMPI scores. Controlling for significant covariates, most positive effects were seen for placebo treatment. Positive treatment effects on activity were detected, but only for the cases designated as most highly impaired.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Neither responsiveness nor criterion validity were detected by the inclusion criteria for cases in this study. The data suggest that further work is indicated to understand factors affecting activity in cats to optimize inclusion criteria.

Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) do not always provide sufficient pain relief in dogs with osteoarthritis (OA).Hypothesis: The use of amantadine in addition to NSAID therapy will provide improved pain relief when compared with the use of nonsteroidal analgesics alone in naturally occurring OA in dogs.Animals: Thirty-one client-owned dogs with pelvic limb lameness despite the administration of an NSAID. Methods: The study was randomized, blinded, and placebo controlled with parallel groups (days 21-42). On day 0, analgesic medications were discontinued. On day 7, all dogs received meloxicam for 5 weeks. On day 21, all dogs received amantadine (3-5 mg/kg once daily per os) or placebo for 21 days, in addition to receiving meloxicam. Assessments were performed before the study and on days 7, 21, and 42. Primary outcome measures were blinded owner assessments of activity using client-specific outcome measures (CSOM) on days 0, 7, 21, and 42. Data were analyzed by a mixed model approach.Results: For CSOM activity, there was a significant time by treatment effect (P 5 .009). On the basis of the planned post hoc t-tests of postrandomization means, there was a significant difference between treatment groups on day 42 (P 5 .030), with the amantadine group being more active.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: In dogs with osteoarthritic pain refractory to an NSAID, physical activity is improved by the addition of amantadine. Amantadine might be a useful adjunct therapy for the clinical management of canine osteoarthritic pain.

Background: Progressive nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) dose reduction appears logical; however, there is no evidence-based medicine indicating that efficacy is maintained as dose is reduced.Objective: To determine if NSAID dose can be reduced and pain relief and mobility can be maintained in dogs with osteoarthritis (OA).Animals: Client-owned dogs (n = 59) with OA-associated impaired mobility and pain. Methods: Prospective, randomized, blinded study. After 14 days wash-out, dogs were randomized to reducing dose (RDG) (n = 30) or maintenance dose (MDG) (n = 29). MDG received standard dose meloxicam. RDG received a reducing dose from D28 onward, reducing to 0% of maintenance for the final 2 weeks. Assessments were at D14, 28, 42, 56, 70, 84, 98 and 112 using subjective owner assessments, accelerometry (AM), and standing percent body weight distribution (%BW). A Kaplan-Meier survival curve described how dogs dropped out because of insufficient pain control. A Log-rank test compared the groups.Results: More dogs in RDG (13) dropped out because of owner-evaluated insufficient pain control compared with MDG (5) (P = .029; odds ratio: 3.67; median dropout time: 84 days in each group). For the dogs that did not drop out (n = 41), there were no significant differences between groups in owner assessments (P > .2 for each), %BW placed on the index limb (P = .750), or accelerometer-measured activity (P = .14).Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: Dose reduction is a less effective means of pain control compared with maintained dosing. However, NSAID dose reduction with maintained efficacy is possible, but success appears to be individual dog dependent.