Effects of postoperative administration of ketoprofen or carprofen on short- and long-term results of femoral head and neck excision in dogs

Objective—To determine whether postoperative administration of ketoprofen or carprofen had any effects on short- or long-term results of femoral head and neck excision (FHNE) in dogs. Design—Prospective randomized controlled trial. Animals—40 client-owned, large-breed dogs undergoing FHNE and 15 healthy large-breed dogs used as controls for hip joint angle measurements and force plate analyses. Procedure—Dogs undergoing FHNE were treated with ketoprofen, carprofen, or a placebo for 21 days after surgery. Hip joint abduction and extension angles were measured at the end of surgery and 120 days later. Lameness scores were assigned, and force plate analyses were performed on days 3, 15, and 120. Results—There were no significant differences among treatment groups in regard to hip joint angles or lameness scores. Force plate analysis revealed that dogs in all 3 treatment groups bore consistently less weight on the operated limb than did control dogs for the duration of the study. Dogs receiving ketoprofen had...