Study of the tolerability of the veterinary drug «GastroPro» on cats

Relevance. Gastrointestinal diseases are widespread in cats. Sucralfate is a promising gastroprotective agent, but data on its tolerability in cats with prolonged use are limited.The aim of the study was to experimentally evaluate the safety and tolerability of the veterinary drug “GastroPro” (sucralfate, 10%, AleksAnn LLC, Russia) with prolonged oral administration to clinically healthy cats at the maximum therapeutic and three-fold increased doses.
Methods. The study included 18 clinically healthy outbred cats (1–5 years), divided into 3 groups (n = 6) by the analogue principle: a control group and two experimental groups. The drug was administered orally for 42 days at a daily dose of 7.5 ml (group 1) or 22.5 ml (group 2) according to the manufacturer’s instructions (fixed dose regardless of body weight). General condition, hematological, biochemical and urinalysis parameters were monitored.
Results. No signs of intoxication were observed. In some animals, short-term hypersalivation and episodes of vomiting were recorded (probability 0.09–0.40% per day), not accompanied by changes in general condition or laboratory parameters. After 6-week administration of the three-fold dose, a trend towards a decrease in blood phosphorus within the physiological norm was noted (by 16.7%, p > 0.05).
Conclusions. The data obtained indicate good tolerance of the drug “GastroPro” in clinically healthy cats with long-term use at therapeutic and higher doses. Limitations: the small sample size makes it difficult to accurately extrapolate the frequency of potential adverse events in the general population. Further safety assessment will be carried out as part of the following studies and pharmacovigilance.

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