Evaluation of proton pump inhibitor administration in hospitalized dogs in a tertiary referral hospital

BACKGROUND: Although proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly administered to hospitalized dogs, prescribing patterns and appropriateness of use require continued investigation. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE: Describe prescription patterns and appropriateness of use associated with PPIs in hospitalized dogs at a single tertiary care facility. We hypothesized that the majority of prescriptions would not comply with current guidelines for the rational use of acid suppressants. ANIMALS: Two hundred randomly selected hospitalized dogs. METHODS: Retrospective evaluation of the medical records associated with a randomly selected sample of hospitalized dogs that received PPIs between January 2013 and December 2018. RESULTS: A total of 12 610 dogs were admitted for first‐time hospitalization between January 2013 and December 2018. Forty percent of these dogs (5062/12610) were prescribed a PPI PO or IV. Of the 200 randomly selected records, an adequate indication for use was identified in 27% of dogs (54/200). Of the dogs surviving to discharge, 54% (95/175) were discharged with a PPI and 51.6% (49/95) of those were prescribed an inadequate dose. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: Our findings support other studies in which the majority of PPI prescriptions for hospitalized dogs at a tertiary care hospital lacked an appropriate indication. Furthermore, analysis of the prescribing patterns of dispensed PPIs identified a frequent occurrence of dosages considered inadequate, raising concern for ineffective treatment even with appropriate indications of use. With growing concern of adverse effects associated with PPI and other acid suppressant administration in human and veterinary medicine, rational use of these medications following consensus guidelines should be emphasized and treatment should be reserved for dogs with historical, physical examination, clinicopathologic, and imaging findings supportive of an appropriate indication for use.