Oral pravastatin administered in food but not drinking water reaches target plasma concentrations in cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus).

Pravastatin mixed into food at 0.2 mg/g achieves therapeutic plasma concentrations in cockatiels; water administration does not.

This pharmacokinetic study evaluated two routes of pravastatin administration in cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) to identify a practical delivery method for long-term statin therapy in avian patients with hyperlipidemia. Fourteen adult cockatiels were divided into two groups: seven received pravastatin at 0.4 mg/mL in drinking water, and seven received pravastatin at 0.2 mg/g mixed into food. Blood samples were collected at 48, 52, and 56 hours post-introduction, and plasma pravastatin concentrations were measured via LC-MS/MS. Birds in the food-administration group consistently exceeded the target therapeutic plasma concentration range of 45–55 ng/mL (derived from human reference values), with individual values ranging from 58.88 to 258.9 ng/mL and a mean of 141.59 ng/mL. In contrast, birds receiving pravastatin in water failed to achieve clinically relevant plasma concentrations at any time point, with many samples below the limit of quantification or undetectable, despite pravastatin's hydrophilic properties theoretically favoring aqueous delivery. All birds were observed consuming both the medicated food and water. These findings suggest that the aqueous formulation may be subject to poor palatability-driven reduced intake, drug degradation, or pharmacokinetic barriers following water-based delivery. Food-based administration offers a practical, low-stress alternative to repeated manual dosing for birds requiring chronic statin therapy. Limitations include the use of human-derived therapeutic targets and the absence of pharmacodynamic data. Further research is warranted to optimize dosing concentrations and evaluate other statin compounds in avian species.

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