Hey Tessa!
Keep asking questions. This is a great question!
So, ranitidine is a funny one. Despite its poor gastric acid modifying effect, some beaople use it due to the possible pro-kinetic effect.
There is a agood RCVS review atricle on this:
file:///C:/Users/skilpatrick/OneDrive%20-%20IDEXX/Downloads/357-Article%20Text-4095-3738-10-20210212.pdf
“The vast majority of the evidence investigating ranitidine as a prokinetic has been carried out in experimental
settings both in vivo with healthy conscious and anaesthetised dogs and in vitro. Under these circumstances
ranitidine has shown some prokinetic properties. However, it is difficult to translate these results into reliable
clinical recommendations, as the doses mentioned in these studies are often higher than the ones clinically
recommended and healthy canine patients might respond differently to clinically affected ones
Conclusion
Although in experimental settings ranitidine has shown some prokinetic activities, no reliable clinical
recommendations can be drawn from the appraised studies. There is a need of prospective clinical trials
evaluating the administration of ranitidine to dogs presenting with GI hypomotility. Until further relevant
studies become available, the efficacy of ranitidine administration as a prokinetic agent in dogs with GI
hypomotility remains uncertain.”
Honestly, I have used it for this purpose in the past, but rarely do now.
Hope that helps.
Scott 🙂
