Drs. Michael Court and Stephanie Martinez at the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine are now accepting Golden Retrievers and Greyhounds to participate in a one-day study at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Pullman to help develop a drug metabolism test for dogs.
Adverse reactions to therapeutic drugs are a common and serious concern in veterinary medicine. These adverse reactions can be due, in part, to the speed at which a dog’s body is able to break down (metabolize) a drug. Like humans, each dog is unique in the way they ‘handle’ drugs. The purpose of this research is to develop a single-sample drug metabolism test that can tell veterinarians how quickly or slowly a dog is able to break down drugs. This test could allow veterinarians to make an individualized decision on drug dosing and drug selection unique to your dog, increasing both safety and effectiveness of treatment.
In a recently completed safety study, the researchers identified a low-dose three-drug combination that could be given to dogs to measure drug metabolism without adverse effects. The goal of this study is use this test to measure breed and genetic differences in drug metabolism between Golden Retrievers and Greyhounds.
Dogs need to be healthy and between 1-10 years of age to participate. Owners will drop their dogs off at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital on the morning of the scheduled study day and pick them up at the end of the day. Enrolled dogs receive a free physical examination and owners will be compensated for their time with a $25 Amazon.com gift card at study completion.
For more information or to enroll your dog, please email Dr. Stephanie Martinez at s_martinez@wsu.edu.
This research study has been reviewed and approved by the WSU Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (#6115).
