Retrospective evaluation of the safety and efficacy of tranexamic acid (hexakapron®) for the treatment of bleeding disorders in dogs

The use of antifibrinolytic drugs in human patients with bleeding disorders is common and effective in reducing redundant the number of blood products per patient. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of tranexamic acid (TXA) and its efficacy in decreasing blood component requirements in dogs with bleeding disorders. In a retrospective study, dogs with bleeding disorders treated intravenously (IV) with TXA for a median period of 2 days (range 1-21) at a mean (± standard deviation) dose of 8.6 ± 2.3 mg/kg with or without blood products (n=68) were compared with dogs with bleeding disorders that were not treated with TXA but were treated only with blood products (n=62). No TXA-related adverse effects were noted, with the exception of vomiting, documented in 2 dogs (3%) immediately following administration. When the median number of blood products and their dose per dog were compared between the groups, TXA-treated dogs received significantly less units of blood products and a lower blood component dose (P < 0.001). However, when this analysis included only dogs that received blood products in the study group there were no significant differences. It was concluded that intravenous administration of TXA in bleeding dogs at the recommended human dose is safe and that additional studies are warranted to further determine the efficacy of TXA in reducing blood component requirements in bleeding dogs.