Pregabalin Alleviates Anxiety and Fear in Cats during Transportation and Veterinary Visits—A Clinical Field Study
Cats frequently suffer from anxiety related to travel and veterinary visits. One sequela is avoidance of veterinary visits and lack of adequate veterinary care. The objective of this study was to test clinical efficacy and safety of a novel formulation of a pregabalin 50 mg/mL oral solution for alle...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/3/371 |
| _version_ | 1797625245085990912 |
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| author | Terttu Lamminen Mira Korpivaara John Aspegrén Clara Palestrini Karen L. Overall |
| author_facet | Terttu Lamminen Mira Korpivaara John Aspegrén Clara Palestrini Karen L. Overall |
| author_sort | Terttu Lamminen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cats frequently suffer from anxiety related to travel and veterinary visits. One sequela is avoidance of veterinary visits and lack of adequate veterinary care. The objective of this study was to test clinical efficacy and safety of a novel formulation of a pregabalin 50 mg/mL oral solution for alleviation of anxiety and fear in cats during transport and veterinary visits. A total of 209 client-owned cats were given either a flavored pregabalin oral solution at the dosage of 5 mg/kg (n = 108) or an identical placebo (n = 101) approximately 90 min before placing them into the carrier and transporting them in a car for at least 20 min to a veterinary clinic. The treatment effect using a 5-point numerical rating scale was evaluated during transportation by the owner and during clinical examination by the veterinarian, both blinded to the treatment. In addition, to verify the owner assessment, an external expert blinded to the treatment and owner assessment evaluated the transportation video recordings using the same rating scale as the owner. Pregabalin 5 mg/kg statistically significantly decreased both travel- (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and veterinary-visit- (<i>p</i> < 0.01) related anxiety compared to the placebo. The external expert’s evaluation was in agreement with the owners’ assessment confirming the treatment effect during transportation (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Treatment was well tolerated with only a few cats showing transient slight incoordination and tiredness. The flavored oral solution formulation with a small dosing volume of 0.1 mL/kg was found by the owners to be user-friendly and was well-accepted by the cats. This study demonstrated that a single oral dosage of the novel pregabalin oral solution alleviates anxiety and fear related to transportation and veterinary visits in cats, thus providing practical aid for both owners and veterinarians to enable cat-friendly handling and improving the welfare of cats in situations they often perceive as very stressful. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:53:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-39349d5ae09343b680a0ef688262c6f4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:53:50Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-39349d5ae09343b680a0ef688262c6f42023-11-16T15:59:56ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-01-0113337110.3390/ani13030371Pregabalin Alleviates Anxiety and Fear in Cats during Transportation and Veterinary Visits—A Clinical Field StudyTerttu Lamminen0Mira Korpivaara1John Aspegrén2Clara Palestrini3Karen L. Overall4Research &Development, Orion Corporation Orion Pharma, 02100 Espoo, FinlandResearch &Development, Orion Corporation Orion Pharma, 02100 Espoo, FinlandResearch &Development, Orion Corporation Orion Pharma, 02100 Espoo, FinlandDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, 20060 Lodi, ItalyDepartment of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottentown, PE C1A 4P3, CanadaCats frequently suffer from anxiety related to travel and veterinary visits. One sequela is avoidance of veterinary visits and lack of adequate veterinary care. The objective of this study was to test clinical efficacy and safety of a novel formulation of a pregabalin 50 mg/mL oral solution for alleviation of anxiety and fear in cats during transport and veterinary visits. A total of 209 client-owned cats were given either a flavored pregabalin oral solution at the dosage of 5 mg/kg (n = 108) or an identical placebo (n = 101) approximately 90 min before placing them into the carrier and transporting them in a car for at least 20 min to a veterinary clinic. The treatment effect using a 5-point numerical rating scale was evaluated during transportation by the owner and during clinical examination by the veterinarian, both blinded to the treatment. In addition, to verify the owner assessment, an external expert blinded to the treatment and owner assessment evaluated the transportation video recordings using the same rating scale as the owner. Pregabalin 5 mg/kg statistically significantly decreased both travel- (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and veterinary-visit- (<i>p</i> < 0.01) related anxiety compared to the placebo. The external expert’s evaluation was in agreement with the owners’ assessment confirming the treatment effect during transportation (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Treatment was well tolerated with only a few cats showing transient slight incoordination and tiredness. The flavored oral solution formulation with a small dosing volume of 0.1 mL/kg was found by the owners to be user-friendly and was well-accepted by the cats. This study demonstrated that a single oral dosage of the novel pregabalin oral solution alleviates anxiety and fear related to transportation and veterinary visits in cats, thus providing practical aid for both owners and veterinarians to enable cat-friendly handling and improving the welfare of cats in situations they often perceive as very stressful.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/3/371felinepregabalinanxietyfearveterinary visitclinical examination |
| spellingShingle | Terttu Lamminen Mira Korpivaara John Aspegrén Clara Palestrini Karen L. Overall Pregabalin Alleviates Anxiety and Fear in Cats during Transportation and Veterinary Visits—A Clinical Field Study Animals feline pregabalin anxiety fear veterinary visit clinical examination |
| title | Pregabalin Alleviates Anxiety and Fear in Cats during Transportation and Veterinary Visits—A Clinical Field Study |
| title_full | Pregabalin Alleviates Anxiety and Fear in Cats during Transportation and Veterinary Visits—A Clinical Field Study |
| title_fullStr | Pregabalin Alleviates Anxiety and Fear in Cats during Transportation and Veterinary Visits—A Clinical Field Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pregabalin Alleviates Anxiety and Fear in Cats during Transportation and Veterinary Visits—A Clinical Field Study |
| title_short | Pregabalin Alleviates Anxiety and Fear in Cats during Transportation and Veterinary Visits—A Clinical Field Study |
| title_sort | pregabalin alleviates anxiety and fear in cats during transportation and veterinary visits a clinical field study |
| topic | feline pregabalin anxiety fear veterinary visit clinical examination |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/3/371 |
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