Use of octreotide for the treatment of protein‐losing enteropathy in dogs: Retrospective study of 18 cases

Abstract Background More than 50% of dogs with protein‐losing enteropathy (PLE) fail to respond to standard therapies. Octreotide, a somatostatin analogue, is used in cases of intestinal lymphangiectasia (IL) in humans with some success. Objectives Describe the use of octreotide in dogs with PLE including reason for and details of prescription, adverse effects, and apparent response. Animals Eighteen dogs with PLE, 13 with histopathology available. Ninety‐two percent (12/13) had IL diagnosed on biopsy. All 13 dogs had intestinal inflammatory infiltrates noted. Methods Multicenter, retrospective, descriptive study. Cases were volunteered for inclusion by individual attending veterinarians who reported the use of octreotide in cases of PLE. Results In 16/18 (89%) cases octreotide was prescribed to PLE dogs with a clinical suspicion or confirmed diagnosis of IL that were refractory to standard therapies. Median serum albumin at the time of octreotide prescription was 1.7 g/dL (range, 1.0‐3.1 g/dL). The median dose of octreotide prescribed was 20 μg/kg, SQ, daily with a range of 4‐39 μg/kg, SQ, daily. Adverse effects were noted in 3/18 (17%, 95% CI [4%, 41%]) of dogs; discontinuation of the drug was necessary in 1 dog. Improvement in clinical signs was noted in 6/12 (50%, 95% CI [21%, 79%]). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Octreotide was most commonly prescribed to dogs with PLE and suspected or confirmed IL that had failed to respond to standard therapies. Though a benefit to PLE dogs cannot be confirmed, octreotide was well tolerated by the majority of dogs at the doses prescribed in this study.