Twenty-four healthy, mixed breed dogs were divided into four groups. Group I received a placebo PO BID, group II received an average 16.5 (range, 15.1-17.8) mg/kg buffered aspirin PO BID, group III received an average 2.2 (range, 2.0-2.4) mg/kg carprofen PO BID, and group IV received an average 12.8 (range, 11.7-13.8) mg/kg etodolac PO QD (with a placebo in the P.M.). All treatments continued for 28 consecutive days. Gastroduodenal endoscopy was performed on days –9, 0, 5, 14 and 28. Multiple gastric biopsies were obtained endoscopically on day –9 to determine each dog’s Helicobacter spp. status.
Five areas, consisting of four regions in the stomach and one in the proximal duodenum, were evaluated endoscopically, and each was assigned a score from 1 to 11 based on qualitative assessment of submucosal hemorrhage, erosion, or ulceration. These scores for each region were then summed to give a total score for each endoscopic evaluation.
Erosions and submucosal hemorrhages were seen in all dogs receiving aspirin. Only minor gastric lesions were observed in the carprofen, etodolac, and control groups. No adverse clinical signs were noted in any dog given any treatment during the course of the study. There was no predilection site for lesion development in any group. Median total score on days 0, 5, 14, and 28 were as follows: group I, 5.0, 5.0, 5.0, 5.0; group II, 5.0, 27.0, 26.0, 27.5; group III, 5.0, 5.0, 6.0, 5.0; group IV, 5.0, 7.0, 5.0, 5.0, respectively.
There was no significant difference between dogs receiving carprofen, etodolac, or placebo. The administration of carprofen, etodolac, or placebo to healthy dogs resulted in significantly less gastroduodenal lesion development than in dogs receiving buffered aspirin.
