Analgesics
drugs for use in rabbits
|
Name of analgesic |
Dosage |
Method
|
Frequency
|
Remark |
|
Aspirin |
10
- 100 mg/kg (up
to 400 mg/kg) |
PO |
sid-tid |
Aspirin
is a blood thinner and *must* therefore be avoided in case there are internal
bleedings or when |
|
Carprofen |
1.5
mg/kg |
PO |
sid |
. |
|
1
- 2 mg/kg |
SC, IV |
sid |
||
|
Flunixin |
1.1 mg/kg |
SC, IM |
bid, sid |
Injection
should be made deep into the muscle mass, to avoid irritation. The
efficacy of flunixin in rabbits is sometimes questioned |
|
Ibuprofen |
2 - 10 mg/kg |
PO |
sid - tid |
Can
cause gastric irritation, or ulceration |
|
Ketoprofen |
3
mg/kg |
IM |
bid, sid |
Known
to interact with aspirin or |
|
Indomethacin |
12.5
mg/kg BW |
. |
. |
. |
|
Medetomidine |
0.1-0.5 mg/kg |
IM, SC |
. |
. |
|
0.3-0.5 mg/kg |
SC |
|||
|
0.25 mg/kg |
IM |
|||
|
Meloxicam |
0.1
- 0.2 mg/kg up
to 1.5 mg/kg if needed |
PO |
sid ? Action lasts between 12-24 h. |
Very
palatable for rabbits Concurrent use with another
NSAID, corticosteroid, or nephrotoxic medication must be avoided. If
unavoidable, the rabbit should be monitored closely. Long-term use appears to cause
little adverse effects in rabbits |
|
Piroxicam |
0.3
mg/kg |
PO |
qod |
. |
|
Buprenorphine |
0.01
- 0.05 mg/kg |
SC, IV |
qid, bid |
Respiratory
depression may be observed Can
be used to reverse the effect of m-opioids, e.g. fentanyl and treat
post-surgical pain |
|
Butorphanol |
0.1
- 0.5 mg/kg |
SC, IV |
q 2-4 |
Quick
turn-over in rabbits: 3.16 h. after SC injection, 1.64 h. after IV injection Can
be used to reverse the effect of m-opioids, e.g. fentanyl and treat
post-surgical pain |
|
Hydromorphone |
0.1 - 0.2 mg/kg |
IV |
q 4-6 |
Relieves moderate to severe pain |
|
Meperidine (Pethidine) |
5 - 10
mg/kg |
SC, IM |
q 2-3 |
Can
be used as an pre-anesthetic |
|
Morphine |
5 mg/kg |
SC, IM |
q 2-4 |
. |
|
2-5 mg/kg |
SC, IM |
q 2-4 |
||
|
Nalbuphine |
1 – 2 mg/kg |
SC, IM |
q 4 |
Can
be used to reverse the effect of m-opioids, e.g. fentanyl and treat
post-surgical pain |
|
Oxymorphone |
0.05
– 0.2 mg/kg |
SC, IM |
q 8-12 |
Respiratory
depression and bradycardia are reported Can
be used as an pre-anesthetic |
|
Pentazocine |
5 – 10 mg/kg |
SC, IM |
q 5-10 |
Can
be used to reverse the effect of m-opioids, e.g. fentanyl and treat post-surgical
pain |
|
Tramadol hydrochloride |
2 - 4 mg/kg |
PO |
bid |
Used to treat moderate to severe pain
in rabbits Use of higher doses (e.g. 10 mg/kg)
has too strong effects in rabbits |
to understand the meaning of the
abbreviations, click here.
|
Further information Dana G. Allen, J. K Pringle, Dale A. Smith, Handbook of
Veterinary Drugs. Lippincott – Raven 1998. Elizabeth V. Hillyer and Katherine E. Quesenberry,
Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery. New York: WB
Saunders Co. 1997. Frances Harcourt-Brown, Rabbit Medicine and Surgery.
Butterworth-Heinemann 2001. Kathy Laber-Laird, Paul Flecknell and M. Michael Swindle,
Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit Medicine. Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press 1996. John E. Harkness and Joseph E. Wagner, The Biology and
Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents. New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
1995. Paul Flecknell, BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Medicine and
Surgery. British Small Animal Veterinary Association 2000.Virginia
Richardson, Rabbits: Health, Husbandry and Disease, Blackwell Science Inc
2000. H. Schall, Kaninchen, In: Krankheiten der
Heimtiere (K Gabrisch & P Zwart, eds), Schlütersche & Co, Hannover
(D); pp 1-45, 1998 |
e-mail: info@medirabbit.com
