Use of oseltamivir in canine parvoviral enteritis

Abstract

Despite the availability of an effective vaccine and an acceptable survival rate with intensive medical management, canine parvovirus remains a significant cause of disease morbidity and mortality of young dogs. Financial constraints are often encountered, frequently limiting treatment to suboptimal therapy, or even resulting in euthanasia of the dog. This can be very frustrating given the treatable nature of this disease. It is felt that there is a need for an agent to help decrease disease severity and duration in order to decrease the cost of treatment, and thus help to make appropriate therapy a more feasible option for owners and/or caretakers. Anecdotal reports tout oseltamivir (Tamiflu) as this agent. This study was designed to determine if the addition of oseltamivir to the standard therapy for canine parvoviral enteritis ameliorates disease morbidity and/or mortality, as well as to document significant side effects associated with its use. Standard therapy for parvoviral enteritis was administered to all dogs. Treatment dogs also received oseltamivir, while the control group received an equivalent volume of placebo. While there was failure to exhibit a clear advantage to the use of oseltamivir in this patient population, it was found that there was a significant difference between groups in weight change during hospitalization. No major adverse side effects were identified that could be associated with oseltamivir administration. Based on these results, the true role of oseltamivir in the treatment of parvoviral enteritis remains speculative, although it is believed that further investigation is warranted.