Dogs and Cats

In the dog it is indicated for the control of post-operative pain and inflammation following orthopaedic and soft tissue (including intra-ocular) surgery. In the cat it is indicated for the treatment of post operative pain following surgery.

Do not administer by intramuscular injection.

Do not exceed the recommended dose or duration of treatment.

Do not administer NSAIDs concurrently or within 24 hours of each other. Some NSAIDs may be highly bound to plasma proteins and compete with other highly bound drugs, which can lead to toxic effects.

Do not use in animals suffering from cardiac, hepatic or renal disease, where there is a possibility of gastrointestinal ulceration or bleeding, or hypersensitivity to the product. As with other NSAIDs there is a risk of rare renal or idiosyncratic hepatic adverse events.

In the absence of any specific studies in pregnant target animals such use is not indicated.

Do not use in animals suffering from cardiac, hepatic or renal disease, where there is a possibility of gastrointestinal ulceration or bleeding, or hypersensitivity to the product. As with other NSAIDs there is a risk of rare renal or idiosyncratic hepatic adverse events.

Do not use in cats less than 5 months of age. Use in dogs less than 6 weeks of age, or in aged dogs and cats, may involve additional risk. If such use cannot be avoided, such animals may require a reduced dosage and careful clinical management.

Avoid use in any dehydrated, hypovolaemic or hypotensive animal, as there is a potential risk of increased renal toxicity.

Concurrent administration of potential nephrotoxic drugs should be avoided.

NSAIDs can cause inhibition of phagocytosis and hence in the treatment of inflammatory conditions associated with bacterial infection, appropriate concurrent antimicrobial therapy should be instigated.

Care should be taken when handling the product to avoid accidental self-injection and skin contact. If skin contact occurs wash any product from the skin immediately. Wash hands after use.

Typical undesirable effects associated with NSAIDs such as vomiting, soft faeces/diarrhoea, faecal occult blood, loss of appetite and lethargy have been reported in very rare instances. These adverse reactions are in most cases transient and disappear following termination of the treatment but in very rare cases may be serious or fatal.

If adverse reactions occur, use of the product should be stopped and the advice of a veterinarian should be sought.

As with other NSAIDs there is a risk of rare renal, idiosyncratic hepatic or gastrointestinal tract adverse events.

Rarely reactions at the injection site may be observed following subcutaneous injection.

The frequency of adverse reactions is defined using the following convention:

- very common (more than 1 in 10 animals treated displaying adverse reaction(s))

- common (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 100 animals treated)

- uncommon (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 1,000 animals treated)

- rare (more than 1 but less than 10 animals in 10,000 animals treated)

- very rare (less than 1 animal in 10,000 animals treated, including isolated reports).

In the absence of any specific studies in pregnant target animals such use is not indicated.

Do not administer NSAIDs concurrently or within 24 hours of each other. Some NSAIDs may be highly bound to plasma proteins and compete with other highly bound drugs, which can lead to toxic effects.

Concurrent administration of potential nephrotoxic drugs should be avoided.

In the dog, the recommended dosage is 4mg/kg (1ml/12.5kg) bodyweight, by intravenous or subcutaneous injection, best given pre-operatively, either at the time of premedication or induction of anaesthesia.

Clinical trial evidence in dogs suggests that only a single dose of carprofen is required in the first 24 hours peri-operatively; if further analgesia is required within this period, a single half-dose (2mg/kg) of carprofen may be given to dogs as necessary.

In the cat, the recommended dosage is 4mg/kg (0.24ml/3kg) bodyweight as a single dose by subcutaneous or intravenous injection, best given pre-operatively at the time of anaesthesia. In the cat, due to the longer half-life, and narrower therapeutic index, particular care should be taken not to exceed the recommended dose and the use of a 1ml graduated syringe is recommended to measure the dose accurately.

Carprofen is well tolerated up to 3 times the recommended dose for dogs and up to twice the recommended dose for cats.

There is no specific antidote for carprofen overdosage but general supportive therapy as applied to clinical overdosage with NSAIDs should be applied.

Not applicable.