PHARMACOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS OF NONSTEROIDAL ANTIINFLAMMATORY DRUGS IN THE DOG AND CAT .1. GENERAL PHARMACOLOGY

The inflammatory process is described with particular reference to the cardinal signs, the microcirculatory changes and the mediators and modulators of inflammation. Mediators and modulars comprise targets for therapeutic intervention; and the arachidonic acid pathway, generating the eicosanoid group of compounds, is considered in detail. Most non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) of both carboxylic and enolic acid subgroups act partly and in some cases perhaps soley through inhibition of the enzyme cyclo-oxygenase which is concerned with the generation of an important subgroup of eicosanoids, the prostaglandins. The wanted (therapeutic) and unwanted (side-effects) actions of NSAIDs are considered together with their pharmacokinetic properties. The clinical pharmacology and therapeutic uses of NSAIDs in dogs and cats are described.