Comparison of Carprofen, Vedaprofen and Tepoxalin for Postoperative Analgesia and Serum PGE2 Level in Dogs after Ovariohysterectomy

Abstract

Comparison of analgesic efficacy of 3 non-steroidal analgesic drugs (carprofen, vedaprofen and tepoxalin) were performed in 40 dogs after ovariohysterectomy. Oral administration of placebo (sugar pill), carprofen (4.4 mg/kg/day), vedaprofen (0.5 mg/kg/day), or tepoxalin (20 mg/kg/day) for 3 days were performed in dogs recovering from ovariohysterectomy. Numerical pain scores (descriptive and composite pain scores) were measured in blinded fashion by three investigators at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 hrs following the recovery. The average descriptive and composite pain scores of dogs treated with carprofen or tepoxalin were significantly lower than that of the control group (p<0.05), however, no significance difference was found between the vedaprofen-treated and control groups (p>0.05). Serum PGE2 measurement at 60-hrs post-operation significantly decreased in tepoxalin-treated
group, whereas no difference was detected in the carprofen- and vedaprofen-treated groups. This study indicates thatboth carprofen and tepoxalin are helpful for canine postoperative pain management.