Clinician’s Brief highlights new uses for familiar veterinary drugs
Bottom line
Clinician’s Brief is spotlighting drug repurposing in companion animal medicine in a new podcast episode, “New Uses for Old Drugs: 4 Studies Worth a Closer Look With Dr. Moynihan.” The episode, hosted by Alyssa Watson, DVM, shifts from a single-study format to a roundup discussion of recent papers, with Katie Moynihan, DVM, drawing from Clinician’s Brief’s “2-Minute Takeaways” research summaries. While the source material provided doesn’t list the four studies by name, Clinician’s Brief has recently highlighted several examples of older drugs being used in newer ways, including gabapentin for canine stress during veterinary visits and lorazepam for recurrent feline urethral obstruction. In those summaries, the publication emphasizes practical takeaways rather than primary reporting, underscoring that the evidence base is still evolving. (cliniciansbrief.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, repurposed drugs can be appealing because they’re familiar, often accessible, and may offer new options for problems like stress during visits or recurrent obstruction. But the recent Clinician’s Brief coverage also points to the limits of the evidence: the gabapentin study in dogs found only modest differences versus placebo in a general population of healthy dogs, and the urethral obstruction discussion frames lorazepam and low-dose radiotherapy as novel approaches that still sit alongside environmental management and broader case-by-case judgment. The practical message for clinicians is to separate promising signals from practice-changing evidence, especially when pet parents may hear about “new uses” before protocols are standardized. (cliniciansbrief.com)
What to watch: Expect continued interest in small studies and clinical summaries around repurposed drugs, but broader adoption will likely depend on stronger controlled data, clearer dosing guidance, and specialty-driven consensus. (cliniciansbrief.com)
Key facts
- Podcast title
- New Uses for Old Drugs: 4 Studies Worth a Closer Look With Dr. Moynihan
- Host
- Alyssa Watson, DVM
- Guest
- Katie Moynihan, DVM
- Format
- Roundup discussion of recent papers
- Example drug repurposing topic
- Gabapentin for canine stress during veterinary visits
- Example drug repurposing topic
- Lorazepam for recurrent feline urethral obstruction
- Gabapentin study design
- Double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study
- Gabapentin study sample size
- 22 healthy client-owned dogs
- Gabapentin dose
- Single 50 mg/kg oral dose, given two hours before appointments
Clinician’s Brief is using a new podcast episode to zoom in on a familiar theme in veterinary medicine: finding new uses for drugs clinicians already know well. In “New Uses for Old Drugs: 4 Studies Worth a Closer Look With Dr. Moynihan,” host Alyssa Watson, DVM, and Katie Moynihan, DVM, discuss several recent studies in a roundup format rather than the show’s more typical single-topic deep dive. The framing is notable on its own, because it reflects how quickly smaller, clinically relevant studies can accumulate around repurposed therapies in general practice. (cliniciansbrief.com)
That approach also fits with Clinician’s Brief’s broader editorial model. The outlet regularly publishes “2-Minute Takeaways,” short research summaries that translate new papers into practical points for busy clinicians, and Moynihan has been a recurring contributor in adjacent educational content. In other words, this episode appears designed less as a headline-making announcement and more as a curated signal to practitioners that several repurposing studies are worth monitoring. (cliniciansbrief.com)
Although the podcast page itself was not readily available in searchable text during research, Clinician’s Brief’s recent coverage offers a useful picture of the kinds of studies being elevated. One example is a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study on gabapentin for canine stress during veterinary visits. Summarized by Clinician’s Brief in 2023, the study evaluated a single 50 mg/kg oral dose given two hours before appointments in 22 healthy client-owned dogs. The reported findings showed minimal differences in most behavioral and physiologic measures between gabapentin and placebo, though lip licking was reduced and the dose was well tolerated. Clinician’s Brief’s takeaway was cautious: gabapentin may help some dogs, but onset can vary, and the evidence is less compelling in dogs without a known history of visit-related anxiety. (cliniciansbrief.com)
Another current example is the publication’s September 2026 podcast on radiotherapy and lorazepam for recurrent urethral obstruction in male cats. In that discussion, Rachel Halpin, DVM, DACVECC, described lorazepam as a twice-daily benzodiazepine option aimed at skeletal muscle relaxation in the distal urethra, while also noting the central role of stress and feline interstitial cystitis in many of these cases. The same episode presents low-dose radiotherapy as a potentially potent anti-inflammatory tool, but places it clearly in the category of emerging, specialized care rather than routine first-line treatment. (cliniciansbrief.com)
More broadly, Clinician’s Brief’s drug content shows how repurposing tends to spread in practice: first through extrapolation and small studies, then through review articles, protocols, and specialist commentary. Its trazodone review, updated in late 2025, describes the drug as a reliable and safe anxiolytic and sedative in dogs and cats for situations including clinic visits, travel, and hospitalization. Separate Clinician’s Brief pieces also discuss combining gabapentin and trazodone in selected patients, while cautioning about adverse-effect monitoring and the need for individualized planning. (cliniciansbrief.com)
Expert and industry reaction, at least in the educational space, has been measured rather than promotional. Across these summaries, boarded behavior and emergency clinicians consistently frame repurposed drugs as tools, not shortcuts. The recurring themes are test dosing at home when appropriate, matching drug choice to the patient’s actual stress or disease phenotype, and recognizing where evidence remains thin, such as aggressive dogs in pre-visit medication studies or specialty interventions for recurrent obstruction. That tone matters because repurposed therapies can gain momentum quickly in practice, especially when they involve affordable generics and familiar safety profiles. (cliniciansbrief.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the appeal of an “old drug, new use” is obvious. Repurposed therapies can shorten the gap between emerging evidence and clinical application because clinicians already understand much of the pharmacology, handling, and adverse-event profile. But that same familiarity can blur the distinction between plausible use and well-supported use. The recent Clinician’s Brief examples suggest that some repurposed approaches may improve workflow, patient welfare, or case management, while still falling short of definitive evidence that would justify broad standardization across general practice. (cliniciansbrief.com)
What to watch: The next step is whether these studies remain isolated signals or start to shape broader guidance through replication, larger controlled trials, and specialty consensus. For now, clinicians should expect more discussion of repurposed anxiolytics, analgesics, and adjunctive therapies, especially in areas where unmet needs remain high and pet parent demand for practical options is growing. (cliniciansbrief.com)