Anthropogenic activities have negatively affected many birds, including owls. The Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana (WHL) has seen a 3.2-fold increase in barred owl (Strix varia) cases over the past eight years (2023, 134; 2015, 42). Because most of these animals present with traumatic injuries, analgesics should be considered in their treatment plan. To date, no study has measured the pharmacokinetics of an analgesic in barred owls. The goals of this study were to determine the harmonic means, times to maximum concentration, and elimination half-lives for single 1 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg intramuscular doses of meloxicam. Twelve barred owls (1 mg/kg, n = 6; 2 mg/kg, n = 6) admitted to the WHL and determined to be clinically normal based on examination and blood work were recruited for this study. Meloxicam was administered intramuscularly, and blood samples were collected intermittently over 12 h to measure plasma concentrations using high-performance liquid chromatography. Both doses had rapid elimination half-lives (1 mg/kg, 0.99 ± 0.1 h; 2 mg/kg, 1.07 ± 0.43 h) and were below the limits of quantification (0.1 µg/mL) by 6-12 h. Based on these results, 1 and 2 mg/kg doses of meloxicam were found to produce plasma concentrations below therapeutic concentrations for less than four hours, making current twice-daily recommended dosing intervals unlikely to provide desired analgesia.
Keywords: Barred owls; Strix varia; analgesic; avian; meloxicam; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; pharmacokinetics; raptors.