Clopidogrel for Cats: Overview, Dosage & Facet Results

Clopidogrel is a medicine used to stop irregular blood clots from forming. It’s most frequently used for cats with coronary heart illness or these in any other case in danger for life-threatening blood clots forming. On this article, you’ll learn the way clopidogrel works, conditions the place it’s utilized in cats, and precautions to remember.

Clopidogrel for Cats Overview

Medicine Sort:

Platelet Aggregation Inhibitor

Prescription Required?:

Sure

Frequent Names:

Clopidogrel

Accessible Dosages:

75mg, 300mg

Expiration Vary:

Tablets: Shelf life is often as indicated on the packaging.
Compounded Formulations: Expiration varies; for instance, compounded capsules could have a beyond-use date of roughly 180 days.

About Clopidogrel for Cats

Clopidogrel is usually referred to by its model identify Plavix. Plavix is used to scale back the danger for irregular blood clot formation.

Platelets, or thrombocytes, are small cell items that assist in forming blood clots. Platelets operate by binding collectively in cooperation with another parts within the blood.

Blood clots are normally a superb factor. They’re mainly what cease wounds from bleeding and serving to the physique to heal. Nonetheless, some pets could be at a excessive danger for forming platelets abnormally. Massive blood clots that type, referred to as thrombi, can get lodged in a blood vessel, inflicting critical sickness.

Clopidogrel works by binding on to the floor of a platelet and deactivating a part of what permits it to bind to different platelets.

There are just a few circumstances seen in cats that put them at a excessive danger of forming irregular blood clots.

Coronary heart illness is the most typical underlying trigger. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is essentially the most continuously identified sort.

Feline Aortic Thromboembolism (FATE) which additionally could also be known as a saddle thrombus, is a situation the place a blood clot lodges within the aorta. This most frequently causes ache and lack of operate within the again legs. One of many entrance legs could also be affected as an alternative.

Blood clots may additionally lodge within the lungs (pulmonary thromboembolism), inflicting respiratory bother, or within the mind (stroke), inflicting neurologic illness.

Whereas FATE is a individually described situation, it happens mostly attributable to underlying coronary heart illness, particularly HCM.

Whereas veterinarians most frequently prescribe clopidogrel for cats identified with coronary heart illness, it could be prescribed for any situation the place elevated blood clot formation is a well being danger.

Dosing Data for Cats

azmanq / Shutterstock.com

Be aware: The next data shouldn’t be used to exchange a veterinary go to or alter your vet’s prescribing data. You must by no means use a human remedy in your cat that was prescribed for you or a member of the family with out consulting your individual vet.

Clopidogrel just isn’t FDA-approved to be used in cats and is due to this fact at all times prescribed off-label. That is frequent in veterinary medication.

The most typical dose for cats is ¼ of the 75mg clopidogrel pill (18.75mg) given as soon as a day.

Greater doses, referred to as loading doses, could also be utilized in cats with an lively blood clot situation or at excessive danger. This will embody a saddle thrombus or lively PTE or stroke. Typically, an embolus (giant, free roaming clot) could also be seen in a coronary heart chamber throughout an echocardiogram in a cat with coronary heart illness.

All the time examine along with your veterinarian or veterinary specialist (like a heart specialist) for correct dosing of clopidogrel based mostly in your cat’s particular situation.

Tips on how to Administer Clopidogrel to Cats

Chris Vanderhoof / Cats.com

Clopidogrel is most frequently given as a pill. Some cats could mean you can cover the pill of their mushy/moist meals. Others could favor taking it with a deal with, like a Capsule Pocket. For tips about how one can administer clopidogrel this manner, see our article on hiding drugs in meals.

In case your cat is extraordinarily intelligent (and lots of are), hiding remedy in meals could not work nicely. You might have to administer the pill instantly by mouth to make sure your cat takes the remedy. For assistance on how one can give your cat a pill remedy by mouth, see our article on how one can give your cat a tablet.

The pill type of clopidogrel could be very bitter in style. This will make the pill type not possible. If that is so, communicate to your vet about getting clopidogrel compounded. Compounded kinds could embody chewable tablets and oral liquid.

Facet Results of Clopidogrel for Cats

The most typical negative effects for clopidogrel in cats are gastrointestinal indicators, together with:

In cats newly identified with coronary heart illness the place a few medicines could also be required, it’s common to begin one after the other, a number of days aside. This may also help scale back the influence on the digestive tract.

Bleeding danger with clopidogrel is taken into account very low in pets. The danger is low in individuals as nicely (about 3%) however continues to be doable. There are different components within the physique that contribute to blood clotting, so coagulation will nonetheless occur. Nonetheless, cats that obtain wounds or accidents could have a tougher time clotting and therapeutic.

Indicators of bleeding danger to look out for embody:

• Vomiting espresso grounds-like materials
• Black or tarry, sticky stools
• Bruising (the gums and stomach often is the best locations to examine)
• Blood discharge from the nostril
• Blood within the urine
• Issue respiratory

Overdose and Emergencies

There’s little data on clopidogrel overdoses. When you suspect your cat acquired an overdose of clopidogrel be certain to instantly contact a number of of the next for recommendation:

• Your veterinarian
• ASPCA Animal Poison Management Heart (1-888-426-4435)
• Pet Poison Helpline (1-855-764-7661)

Cats could generally be prescribed a half or entire pill as a loading dose. Doses starting from 18.75mg to 75mg have been studied. Severe issues is probably not seen with a single increased dose on this vary. Nonetheless, clopidogrel’s results on platelets final for the lifespan of a platelet which could be for a number of days. Due to the size of time that in poor health results could happen, at all times seek the advice of with one of many poison hotlines above.

Potential Drug Interactions With Clopidogrel

Following is an inventory of the medicines that mostly could work together with clopidogrel. Except clearly said, being on this listing doesn’t imply {that a} remedy can’t be used along with clopidogrel. There are circumstances the place cautious monitoring of medicines collectively and dialogue along with your vet could also be wanted.

Aspirin

There could also be elevated danger for gastrointestinal bleeding and hurt to the kidneys. Cats are very delicate to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) use. Use of aspirin is mostly discouraged in cats in comparison with different medicines which have proven higher security and/or efficacy.

Whereas it’s common for aspirin for use along with clopidogrel in individuals, this isn’t the case in cats. Clopidogrel is taken into account a superior antithrombotic remedy in comparison with aspirin. Little profit has been seen in cats when combining the 2 and the danger of utilizing aspirin doubtless outweighs any advantages as an antithrombotic.

• Azole antifungals (fluconazole, itraconazole): decreased efficacy of clopidogrel
• Calcium channel blockers (amlodipine): could end in decreased efficacy of clopidogrel
• Chloramphenicol: could lower efficacy of clopidogrel
• Cimetidine: could lower clopidogrel’s results
• Cyclosporine (Atopica): could improve cyclosporine peak concentrations
• Low-molecular weight heparins (dalteparin, enoxaparin): could improve bleeding danger
• Isoniazid: could scale back clopidogrel’s results
• NSAIDs: elevated danger for bleeding and clopidogrel could intervene with NSAID metabolism
• Opioids (buprenorphine, tramadol): could scale back clopidogrel’s results
• Omeprazole: in people, use with clopidogrel is contraindicated (don’t use collectively) as it may well scale back clopidogrel’s antiplatelet results. This has not been seen in canines or cats, however many vets will advise utilizing a special antacid, like famotidine (Pepcid) as an alternative.
• Prednisone: could theoretically improve clopidogrel’s antiplatelet results and improve bleeding danger, although this has not been noticed in canines or cats
• Rifampin: could improve clopidogrel’s results
• Rivaroxaban: could improve danger for bleeding, however has been demonstrated in cats for use safely with clopidogrel in research
• SSRIs (fluoxetine): could improve danger for bleeding
• Torsemide: could intervene with torsemide metabolism
• Warfarin: could improve danger for bleeding and clopidogrel could intervene with warfarin metabolism

Tips on how to Retailer Clopidogrel

Clopidogrel tablets ought to be saved at 77 levels F (25 levels C). A spread of 59 levels F to 86 levels F is taken into account acceptable.

Drug Dosing Disclaimer: We’re solely capable of present doses for medicines which might be FDA accredited to be used in cats and solely because the label pointers dictate. For medicines which might be used off-label we will solely present pointers and security data to be used. Secure and acceptable dosing for off-label medicines can solely be decided by a main care veterinarian.

We encourage you to work along with your veterinarian to find out if a selected remedy is suitable to your cat. Altering or adjusting a dose to your cat by yourself with out consulting with a veterinarian can carry danger. We don’t encourage use of medicines prescribed for human use in pets with out first consulting with a main care veterinarian.