Abstract
Objective—To compare the effects of meloxicam, carprofen, and flunixin meglumine administered IV on the concentration of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in the aqueous humor of dogs with aqueocentesis-induced anterior uveitis.
Animals—15 adult dogs with ophthalmically normal eyes.
Procedures—Each dog was assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups. Treatment groups were saline (0.9% NaCl) solution (1 mL, IV), meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg, IV), carprofen (4.4 mg/kg, IV), and flunixin meglumine (0.5 mg/kg, IV). Each dog was anesthetized, treatment was administered, and aqueocentesis was performed on each eye at 30 and 60 minutes after treatment. Aqueous humor samples were frozen at −80°C until assayed for PGE2 concentration with an enzyme immunoassay kit.
Results—For all 4 treatment groups, PGE2 concentration was significantly higher in samples obtained 60 minutes after treatment, compared with that in samples obtained 30 minutes after treatment, which indicated aqueocentesis-induced PGE2 synthesis. For aqueous humor samples obtained 60 minutes after treatment, PGE2 concentration did not differ significantly among groups treated with saline solution, meloxicam, and carprofen; however, the PGE2 concentration for the group treated with flunixin meglumine was significantly lower than that for each of the other 3 treatment groups.
Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Flunixin meglumine was more effective than meloxicam or carprofen for minimizing the PGE2 concentration in the aqueous humor of dogs with experimentally induced uveitis. Flunixin meglumine may be an appropriate pre-medication for use prior to intraocular surgery in dogs.
