Review of the safety and efficacy of long-term NSAID use in the treatment of canine osteoarthritis
- J. F. Innes, BVSc, PhD, CertVR, DSAS(orth), MRCVS1,
- J. Clayton1 and
- B. D. X. Lascelles, BVSc, PhD, DSAS(ST), DipECVS, DipACVS, MRCVS2
- 1 Small Animal Teaching Hospital and Musculoskeletal Research Group, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus Neston, Wirral CH64 7TE
- 2 Comparative Pain Research Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 4700 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
- E-mail for correspondence: j.f.innes{at}liv.ac.uk
Abstract
The published, peer-reviewed literature was systematically searched for information on the safety and efficacy of long-term (defined as 28 days or more of continuous therapy) NSAID use in the treatment of canine osteoarthritis. Online databases were reviewed in June 2008 and papers were selected based on their relevance. Fifteen papers were identified and evaluated. Six of seven papers indicated a benefit of long-term treatment over short-term treatment in terms of the reduction of clinical signs or lameness; one study showed no benefit. Fourteen papers evaluated safety with calculated experimental (adverse) event rates (EER) between 0 and 0.31, but there was no correlation between study length and EER (rs=-0.109, P=0.793). The balance of evidence for the efficacy of NSAIDs supports longer-term use of these agents for increased clinical effect. There is no indication in the literature that such an approach is associated with a reduction in safety, although robust data on the safety of long-term NSAID use are lacking in large numbers of dogs.
- British Veterinary Association. All rights reserved.
