Effect of cimetidine on aspirin-induced gastric hemorrhage in dogs

Efficacy of cimetidine in the prevention of aspirin-induced gastric hemorrhage was evaluated, using 4 groups of 6 dogs given: Group 1--controls; group 2-7.5 mg of cimetidine/kg of body weight every 8 hours; group 3-7.5 mg of cimetidine/kg every 8 hours and 35 mg of nonbuffered aspirin/kg every 8 hours; and group 4-35 mg of nonbuffered aspirin/kg every 8 hours. All medication was given orally for 10 days at the time of feeding a commercial dry food. The gastric mucosa was evaluated endoscopically before treatment, on treatment day 5, and 36 hours after the final treatment. The dogs were given halothane inhalation anesthesia and were evaluated, using a grading system. Total 24-hour fecal hemoglobin (Hb) concentration was measured, using a quantitative fluorometric analysis for Hb-derived porphyrins. Control dogs and dogs given cimetidine only had no endoscopically visible gastric lesions and no increase in fecal Hb concentration. All dogs given aspirin or aspirin and cimetidine had a similar marked increase in endoscopically visible gastric hemorrhage and marked increases in fecal Hb concentration; however, there was no significant (P = 0.48) difference between the 2 groups. Seemingly, cimetidine given at an oral dosage of 7.5 mg/kg every 8 hours was not effective in preventing aspirin-induced gastric hemorrhage in clinically normal dogs.