Effects of meloxicam on the haemostatic profile of dogs undergoing orthopaedic surgery

The buccal mucosal bleeding time (BMBT), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and intraoperative bleeding score (IBS) of 38 dogs that underwent orthopaedic surgical procedures and received meloxicam orally and/or parenterally were measured. Fourteen of the dogs (group A) received a single subcutaneous dose of 0·2 mg/kg meloxicam at premedication, 18 dogs (group B) received 0·1 mg/kg meloxicam orally daily for five days followed by a single subcutaneous dose of 0·2 mg/kg meloxicam preoperatively, and six dogs (group C) received 0·5 ml of normal saline subcutaneously at premedication. No statistically significant differences among the groups were detected in relation to the mean (sd) values of BMBT, PT and IBS before and after the surgery, or in the values of APTT in group A. In group B there was a small but significant increase in APTT after the surgery, but all the measurements were within the normal range for dogs.