Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) are common medications used in both human and veterinary medicine for treatment of cardiac disease, systemic hypertension, and proteinuria. Although ACEi are frequently prescribed in dogs, no consensus exists regarding the ideal dose of ACEi in this species. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies comparing various doses of ACEi in healthy dogs have not provided consistent recommendations regarding ideal dosing, and clinical trials in dogs with experimentally-induced or naturally-occurring disease have rarely compared efficacy of different dose regimes. This session will review existing literature regarding potential dose-response relationships for ACE inhibitors in dogs and discuss factors influencing clinical decision-making regarding ACEi dose.
Learning Objectives:
Discuss how previous pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies of ACE inhibitors in dogs influence current dosing recommendations.
Describe the limitations of previous experimental and clinical studies of ACE inhibitors in dogs in terms of dose selection and outcome measures studied.
Choose and rationalize ACE inhibitor doses based on the best currently available information.
