title: Clinical and pathological effects of flunixin meglumine administration to neonatal foals.
abstract: The effects of daily intravenous administration of flunixin meglumine at dosages of 0.55, 1.1, 2.2 and 6.6 mg/kg for five days were examined in neonatal foals. Six two day old foals were used to evaluate the effect of each dosage. Foals were examined every day and blood samples collected on days 1, 3 and 6. All foals were euthanized after six days, necropsied and examined for lesions. The major clinical abnormality was diarrhea, but the incidence was not related to the dosage of flunixin meglumine administered. The foals receiving 6.6 mg/kg of flunixin meglumine had significantly more gastrointestinal ulceration and greater cecal pathology and cecal petechiation scores than those foals treated with saline. The foals in the 6.6 mg/kg treatment group had a greater loss of total protein during the study, but the difference was not significant. There were no statistically significant blood cellular or biochemical alterations associated with the administration of flunixin meglumine. There were no significant clinicopathological differences between healthy foals treated with the recommended dosage of flunixin meglumine and those treated with physiological saline.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Carrick
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Papich
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Naylor
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Townsend
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002432:Cecum / Q000473:pathology; D003002:Clonixin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000633:toxicity*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000662:veterinary; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D006736:Horses; D007275:Injections, Intravenous / Q000662:veterinary; D007422:Intestines / Q000473:pathology; D009539:Nicotinic Acids / Q000633:toxicity*; D013270:Stomach / Q000473:pathology; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009539:Nicotinic Acids; C014558:flunixin meglumine; D003002:Clonixin