Enantyum is a drug whose active ingredient is dexketoprofen. It belongs to the family of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), so it is characterized by providing an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effect. In Spain, it is available in various oral and parenteral formulations for use in people, although your veterinarian may prescribe this drug to your dog when he deems it appropriate.
If you want to know more about the use of Enantyum in dogs, don't miss the following article on our site where we explain its uses, dosage, side effects and contraindications.
What is enantyum?
We know Enantyum as the trade name of a drug whose active ingredient is dexketoprofen. Said dexketoprofen belongs to the family of NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs). These drugs have 3 main effects: analgesic effect (they treat mild-moderate pain), anti-inflammatory and antipyreticThese effects occur because NSAIDs act by inhibiting the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX). As a consequence, when we administer them, the cellular mediators (prostaglandins, prostacyclins and thromboxanes) that intervene in the appearance of pain, inflammation and fever are not produced. Hence, NSAIDs are used primarily to treat these three symptoms.
Enantyum is available in various formulations, both oral and parenteral. Oral formulations include tablets, capsules, and granules for oral solution. Parenteral formulations come in the form of ampoules and can be administered intramuscularly or intravenously (by infusion or bolus).
If you want to know more about anti-inflammatories, don't hesitate to read this article on our site on Can I give my dog anti-inflammatories?
Enantyum uses in dogs
In Spain, Enantyum is available in various oral and parenteral formulations for use in people, but it is not marketed for use in dogs. However, your veterinarian may prescribe this drug for your dog depending on the situation:
- Treatment by cascade prescription: it is an exceptional prescription due to therapeutic gap, that is, it is the prescription of a drug that is not authorized for a specific animal species, when there is no suitable drug to treat a specific pathology in a specific species. Therefore, your veterinarian will normally resort to drugs with effects similar to Enantyum, which are authorized in the canine species, and will only resort to the cascade prescription of Enantyum when there is no other possible treatment.
- Treatment for associated mild or moderate pain, or not to, inflammation: NSAIDs should be included in multimodal analgesia and analgesia plans preventive. The multimodal analgesia is one that combines several analgesic drugs with different mechanisms of action and different routes of administration, in order to produce a better effect. On the other hand, preventive analgesia is one that is performed prior to exposure to a painful stimulus (usually surgery) to prevent hypersensitization from occurring because of the pain.
In the specific case of dexketoprofen, studies that have tested its efficacy in dogs have shown that it is a drug that provides good perioperative analgesiaBy comparing its analgesic effect with that of opioids such as bruprenorphine, tramadol or methadone, it has been concluded that the analgesic effect provided in the postoperative period is not inferior to that of opioids.
In addition, its administration during anesthetic premedication does not imply a greater requirement for inhalation anesthesia or intraoperative analgesia. However, its lack of sedative effect may cause dysphoric (very agitated) awakening after anesthesia, so it is recommended to administer a sedative during anesthesia recovery to avoid this complication.
If you think your dog may be sick, we recommend that you visit a veterinarian first. You can also take a look at this article on Symptoms of a sick dog.
Enantyum dosage for dogs
Given that Enantyum is a drug formulated specifically for people, its data sheet only includes the recommended dose for humans. However, the studies that confirm the efficacy of dexketoprofen in dogs allow us to deduce what the effective dose of said drug could be in this species. Likewise, it should be remembered that, to indicate the dose of Enantyum that our dog needs, we must take into account the route of administration, its condition and the reason for the prescription. In this way, we insist that only the veterinarian can prescribe a treatment with Enantyum.
Studies using Enantyum intravenously in anesthetic premedication of dogs undergoing surgery, administer a dose of 1 mg/kgThe studies that, in addition to administering Enantyum in premedication, prolong postoperative analgesia with this same drug, maintain the dose of 1 mg/kg every 8 hours. Given that these studies using this dose achieve effective perioperative analgesia, we can assume that it is an effective intravenous dose.
On the other hand, administration of Enantyum orally in dogs has only been evaluated in one study. In said study, in which the pharmacokinetics of Enantyum is analyzed, they administer doses of 1 and 3 mg/kg orally and conclude thatboth doses are safe (no reported side effects) and may be effective in dogs. However, they point out that more clinical trials are necessary to evaluate the optimal oral dose in dogs.
In any case, to avoid the potential side effects of these drugs, the dose should be adjusted until the minimum effective dose is obtained for each patient, understanding that this may be less than the recommended dose and that it may vary over time. To do this, the efficacy of the treatment will be evaluated as the dose or frequency of dosing is reduced. Also, in case of overweight patients, the dose should be calculated based on ideal body weight (not your actual weight).
We recommend that you take a look at this article on our site where we explain Tricks for giving pills to dogs.
Enantyum side effects in dogs
As we have mentioned, NSAIDs act by inhibiting the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX). Specifically, they inhibit the two isoforms of this enzyme (COX-1 and COX-2). The COX-2 enzyme contributes to the synthesis of cellular mediators that are involved in the onset of pain, fever and inflammation, so its inhibition is positive. That is, the therapeutic effects of NSAIDs depend fundamentally on their ability to inhibit COX-2. On the contrary, the enzyme COX-1 allows the synthesis of cellular mediators that intervene in mechanisms of gastro-protection, nephro-protection, homeostasis (autoregulation) of coagulation and the vascular system, and other protective mechanisms. Therefore, the inhibition of COX-1 will have negative effects or, in other words, the side effects of NSAIDs depend fundamentally on their ability to inhibit the COX-1.
Below, we summarize the main side effects of NSAIDs such as Enantyum:
- At the gastrointestinal level: they injure the parietal cells causing edema, hemorrhage and cell necrosis. In addition, they reduce the blood supply to the gastric mucosa, decrease the protective mechanisms (mucus and bicarbonate) and increase the harmful products (hydrochloric acid and pepsin). As a result, they favor the appearance of gastritis, ulcers and perforations, which cause clinical signs such as abdominal pain, nausea, anorexia and diarrhoea.
- At the kidney level: they reduce the blood supply to the kidney and the speed of kidney filtration. Consequently, kidney function decreases causing kidney failure. Here we leave you more information about Kidney failure in dogs - Symptoms and treatment.
- Hepatic level: its excessive and continued use causes hepatocellular damage, with the consequent increase in hepatic transaminases. In the event of a significant increase in these liver indicators, treatment should be discontinued.
- At the platelet level: they inhibit platelet aggregation, increasing the risk of bruising and bleeding.
- At the level of tissue perfusion: they prevent the correct maintenance of blood perfusion in different organs.
- Respiratory: can lead to asthma attacks or bronchospasm, especially in patients allergic to NSAIDs.
My dog ate an Enantyum
If your dog accidentally ingests an Enantyum, it is important that you go to your veterinarian as soon as possible and tell him which presentation (tablets, capsules, etc.) had the Enantyum that you have ingested and how much you have ingested. Depending on the presentation, the dose of each tablet/capsule can be 12, 5 mg or 25 mg. It is important that you provide this information to your veterinarian so that he or she can assess the level of overdose based on your dog's weight and the dose it has ingested. In case of overdose, the side effects explained above will be enhanced. Therefore, you must remember the importance of keeping any medication out of the reach of your pets to avoid accidental consumption.
Contraindications of enantyum in dogs
The contraindications of Enantyum in dogs derive from its secondary effects. Therefore, considering the side effects explained above, Enantyum will be contraindicated in the following cases:
- Dogs with digestive pathologies such as ulcers or gastrointestinal lesions.
- Dogs with kidney pathologies or under treatments that compromise renal functionality: states of decreased renal perfusion (congestive heart failure, hypotension), glomerulonephritis, geriatric animals treated with ACE inhibitors (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors) or ASA diuretics.
- Dogs with liver failure. We leave you this article on liver failure in dogs so you can learn more about it.
- Dogs with coagulopathies (coagulation disorders), which are in perioperative periods (treatment with NSAIDs should be interrupted for about 10 -14 days before surgery).
- Dogs receiving other treatments that may alter hemostasis (such as heparin or warfarin).
- Dogs with systemic perfusion disorders due to hypovolemia, hypotension, dehydration or shock. In these cases, the administration of NSAIDs further increases the risk of nephrotoxicity.
Now that you know more about Enantyum in dogs, you may be interested in this other article on natural anti-inflammatories for dogs.
