Disposition of Sodium Salicylate, Flunixin, and Meloxicam After Intravenous Administration in Ostriches (Struthio camelus)

Information regarding pharmacokinetic disposition of drugs in ostriches (Struthio camelus) is very scarce. Three common veterinary nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (sodium salicylate, SA; flunixin, FLU; and meloxicam, MEL) were administered intravenously to young ostriches. Plasma concentrations of the drugs were determined by validated high-performance liquid chromatography methods and pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. After intravenous administration of SA (25 mg/kg), FLU (1.1 mg/kg), and MEL (0.5 mg/kg), these drugs were eliminated from plasma with mean half-lives of 1.32, 0.17, and 0.5 hours, respectively. Apparent volumes of distribution (0.36 L/kg, 0.13 L/kg, and 0.58 L/kg, respectively) indicated that tissue distribution was limited for the 3 drugs. Total body clearance was 0.19 L/h·kg for SA and 0.50 and 0.72 L/kg·h for FLU and MEL, respectively. These nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, especially FLU and MEL, are rapidly cleared from the ostrich body.