Benessere animale ed interventi terapeutici nel cavallo: comportamento farmacocinetico di eltenac in soggetti in età avanzata.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly used in companion animals, often without proper knowledge about their pharmacokinetics. To optimize therapeutic effectiveness and minimize side effects, eltenac was administered i.v. to 5 old horses (> 18 years old) by single (0.5 mg/kg b.w.) and multiple (4,2 mg/kg/die) doses. At scheduled time points blood samples were collected and serum concentrations of eltenac were determined by HPLC. A two-exponential equation, used to estimate pharmacokinetic variables, best described serum concentrations versus time in all the horses examined. No accumulation of the drug occurred during the 5-day administration. Single and multiple treatment have not been followed by clinical or haematomorphological and biochemical changes, whereas endoscopic analysis have pointed out an increased hyperplastic status of gastric mucous membrane and, in some subjects, ulcerative lesions.