Target species
Dogs and cats.
Indications for use, specifying the target species
Post-operative analgesia and sedation in the dog.
Post-operative analgesia in the cat.
Contraindications
None known
Special warnings for each target species
Animals administered opioids possessing sedative and analgesic properties may show variable responses. Therefore, the responses of individual animals should be monitored and subsequent doses should be adjusted accordingly. In some cases repeat doses may fail to provide additional analgesia. In these cases, consideration should be given to use of an analgesic from an alternative class.
Special precautions for use
Special precautions for use in animals
Buprenorphine may occasionally cause significant respiratory depression and, as with other opioid drugs, care should be taken when treating animals with impaired respiratory function or animals that are receiving drugs that can cause respiratory depression. Volunteer studies in man have indicated that opiate antagonists may not fully reverse the effects of buprenorphine. Naloxone may be of benefit in reversing reduced respiratory rate and respiratory stimulants such as Doxapram are also effective in man. Because of the prolonged duration of effect of buprenorphine in comparison to such drugs, they may need to be administered repeatedly or by continuous infusion.
Buprenorphine may cause some drowsiness, which may be potentiated by other centrally-acting agents, including tranquillisers, sedatives and hypnotics. The product should not be used in conjunction with morphine or other opioid-type analgesics (e.g. etorphine, fentanyl, pethidine, methadone, papaveretum and butorphanol).
As buprenorphine is metabolised by the liver, its intensity and duration of action may be affected in animals with impaired liver function.
Safety has not been fully evaluated in clinically compromised cats e.g. those suffering from renal or hepatic dysfunction, cardiovascular disease or shock. Use in such cases should be based on the risk-benefit assessment of the veterinarian.
Repeated administration earlier than the recommended repeat interval suggested in Amounts to be administered and administration route is not recommended.
Special precautions to be taken by the person administering the medicinal product to the animals.
Wash hands/affected area thoroughly after any accidental spillage
Care should be taken to avoid accidental self-injection.
Following accidental self-injection or ingestion, seek medical advice taking the product literature with you.
Following eye contamination or skin contact, wash thoroughly with cold running water. Seek medical advice if irritation persists.
Adverse reactions
Salivation, bradycardia, hypothermia, agitation, dehydration and meiosis can occur in the dog, and rarely hypertension and tachycardia.
Mydriasis and signs of euphoria (excessive purring, pacing, rubbing) commonly occur in cats and will usually resolve within 24 hours.
Use during pregnancy, lactation or lay
No foetal malformations were noted in reproduction studies in rats when buprenorphine was administered by subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous routes. Although post-implantation losses and early foetal deaths were observed, these may have resulted from a lower level of parental care owing to sedation of the mothers.
The product should not be used pre-operatively in cases of Caesarean section, due to the risk of respiratory depression in the offspring periparturiently, and should only be used post-operatively with care. Although the reproduction studies in animals do not indicate a teratogenic risk, buprenorphine should be used with caution in pregnant animals.
Studies in lactating rats have shown that, after intramuscular administration of buprenorphine, concentrations of unchanged buprenorphine in the milk equalled or exceeded that in the plasma. As it is likely that buprenorphine will be excreted in the milk of other species, care should be taken when administering buprenorphine to lactating animals.
Interactions with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
Buprenorphine may cause some drowsiness, which may be potentiated by other centrally acting agents, including tranquillisers, sedatives and hypnotics.
Although there is evidence in humans to indicate that therapeutic doses of buprenorphine do not reduce the analgesic efficacy of standard doses of an opioid agonist and that when buprenorphine is employed within the normal therapeutic range, standard doses of opioid agonist may be administered before the effects of the former have ended without compromising analgesia, it is recommended that buprenorphine is not used in conjunction with morphine or other opioid-type analgesics, e.g. etorphine, fentanyl, pethidine, methadone, papaveretum or butorphanol.
Vetergesic has been used successfully with a wide range of premedicant and anaesthetic agents including acepromazine, alphaxalone/alphadalone, atropine, halothane, isoflurane, ketamine, medetomidine, propofol, sevoflurane, thiopentone and xylazine without any observed adverse effects.
Amounts to be administered and administration route
Vetergesic should be injected intramuscularly.
Species | Post-Operative Analgesia | Sedation |
Dog | 10 – 20 microgram per kg (0.3 – 0.6mL per 10kg) repeated if necessary after 3 – 4 hours with 10 microgram or 5 – 6 hours with 20 microgram doses. | 10 – 20 microgram per kg (0.3 – 0.6mL per 10kg). |
Cat | 10 – 20 microgram per kg (0.3 – 0.6mL per 10kg), repeated if necessary, once, after 2 hours. | |
To ensure that analgesia is present immediately on recovery, the product can be administered preoperatively. If additional analgesia is subsequently required, this may be achieved by administration of a further dose of Vetergesic or concomitant use of a suitable injectable NSAID.
An appropriately graduated syringe must be used to allow accurate dosing.
When administered pre-operatively in conjunction with other premedicants, it may be possible to reduce the amount of premedicant, such as acepromazine or medetomidine, and also the amount of inhalational anaesthetic used.
Overdosage (symptoms, emergency procedures, antidotes), if necessary
In cases of overdosage, supportive measures should be instituted, and, if appropriate, naloxone or respiratory stimulants may be used. However, dose levels many times higher than those indicated above have been used without serious side effects.
Please also refer to Special precautions for use in animals and Adverse reactions.
Withdrawal periods
Not Applicable