Renal effects of carprofen administered to healthy dogs anesthetized with propofol and isoflurane

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate renal effects of carprofen in healthy dogs following general anesthesia. DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. ANIMALS: 10 English hound dogs (6 females and 4 males). PROCEDURE: Dogs were randomly assigned to control (n = 5) or carprofen (5) groups. Anesthesia was induced with propofol (6 to 8 mg/kg [2.7 to 3.6 mg/lb] of body weight, i.v.) and maintained with isoflurane (end-tidal concentration, 2.0%). Each dog underwent two 60-minute anesthetic episodes with 1 week between episodes, and mean arterial blood pressure was maintained between 60 and 90 mm Hg during each episode. Dogs in the carprofen group received carprofen (2.2 mg/kg [1 mg/lb], p.o.) at 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM the day before and at 7:00 AM the day of the second anesthetic episode. Glomerular filtration rates (GFR) were determined during each anesthetic episode by use of renal scintigraphy. Serum creatinine and BUN concentrations and the urine gamma-glutamyltransferase-to-creatinine concentration (urine GGT:creatinine) ratio were determined daily for 2 days before and 5 days after general anesthesia. RESULTS: Significant differences were not detected in BUN and serum creatinine concentrations, urine GGT:creatinine ratio, and GFR either between or within treatment groups over time. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Carprofen did not significantly alter renal function in healthy dogs anesthetized with propofol and isoflurane. These results suggest that carprofen may be safe to use for preemptive perioperative analgesia, provided that normal cardiorespiratory function is maintained.     

SCINTIGRAPHIC MEASUREMENT OF UTERINE CLEARANCE IN MARES

Uterine clearance of technetium 99m-albumin colloid (^99mTc-μAA) was qualitatively and quantitatively measured in 5 reproductively normal mares and 5 mares susceptible to endometritis (infertile). The percentage of 370 MBq ^99mTc-μAA cleared from the uterine lumen within 2 hr of intrauterine infusion was measured in 10 mares on day 3 of estrus and 48 hr after ovulation. The procedure was repeated 3 times on day 3 of estrus in 6 mares to determine repeatability. Six mares were infused with 1110 MBq ^99mTc-μAA on day 3 of estrus to evaluate the effect of increasing the dose to reduce the imaging time. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean percentage of radiocolloid cleared from the uterus during day 3 of estrus or 48 hr after ovulation or in the percent cleared when the studies were repeated in individual mares. There was no statistically significant difference in uterine clearance between the 370 and 1110 MBq dose studies in each mare from 15 to 120 min. Reproductively normal mares cleared approximately 50% of the radiocolloid from the uterus by 120 min while susceptible mares cleared less than 15%.     

QUANTITATIVE HEPATOBILIARY SCINTIGRAPHY IN NORMAL CATS AND IN CATS WITH EXPERIMENTAL CHOLANGIOHEPATITIS

Quantitative hepatobiliary scintigraphy using 99mTc-mebrofenin was performed on eight normal cats and on the same cats after induction of experimental cholangiohepatitis by infection with the liver fluke Platynosomum concinnum. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy was performed 3 times at 10 weeks, 4 months and 6 months after infection. In addition, routine biochemical tests, hepatic ultrasound and ultrasound guided hepatic biopsy samples were obtained at the same time points, and the results compared with hepatobiliary scintigraphy. The normal hepatic extraction fraction was determined to be 85%, and the normal hepatic excretion half time (T 1/2) was 14 minutes. There was no significant change in scintigraphic parameters compared to pre-infection values at any time following infection with the liver fluke. No correlation between scintigraphic parameters and histologic scores was found; however, significant correlation was identified between parasite burden and histologic scores 6 months following infection. Despite the presence of severe multifocal histologic abnormalities, minimal clinical, biochemical and scintigraphic derangements were identified using this model of cholangiohepatitis. Based on this study, hepatobiliary scintigraphy appears to be an insensitive test for structural hepatobiliary abnormalities. The role of hepatobiliary scintigraphy in functional hepatobiliary abnormalities of the feline liver has not been determined.