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Analgesic Drugs and Delivery

Analgesics for Laboratory Animals

Dosage Rates for Analgesic Drugs in Laboratory Animals
Drug Name and Indications	Mouse	Rat	Rabbit
Bupivicaine-local anesthetic; injected or dripped onto incision site	Maximum total dose of 4 mg/kg given once at the end of surgery	Maximum total dose of 4 mg/kg given once at the end of surgery
Buprenorphine-mild to moderate pain	0.1 mg/kg SQ q 3-12 hours	0.05 mg/kg SQ q 6-12 hours	0.01-0.05 mg/kg SQ, IM or IV q 6-12 hours
Butorphanol-mild to moderate pain; short duration of action	1.0-5.0 mg/kg SQ q 4 hours	2.0 mg/kg SQ q 4 hours	0.1-0.5 mg/kg IM or IV q 4 hours
Carprofen-mild to moderate pain; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug	5 mg/kg SQ q 24 hours	5 mg/kg SQ q 24 hours	4 mg/kg SQ or 1.5 mg/kg per os q 12-24 hours
Flunixin meglumine	2.5 mg/kg SQ q 12 hours	2.5 mg/kg SQ q 12 hours	1.1 mg/kg SQ q 12 hours
Ketoprofen-mild pain; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug	5 mg/kg SQ q 12-24 hours	5 mg/kg SQ q 12-24 hours	3 mg/kg SQ q 12-24 hours
Meloxicam-mild pain; nonsteriodal anti-inflammatory drug		1-2 mg/kg SQ q 24 hours	0.2 mg/kg SQ q 24 hours
Morphine- moderate to severe pain; short duration of action	10 mg/kg SQ q 2-3 hours	10 mg/kg SQ q 2-3 hours	2-5 mg/kg SQ, q 2-4 hours
Analgesic effectiveness must be evaluated in each animal due to variations in response between individuals and strains. For more information or analgesic guidelines in other species please consult an ARP veterinarian.

Analgesics for Agricultural Research Animals

Dosage Rates for Analgesic Drugs in Agricultural Research Animals **Note: Most of the drugs listed below have required meat and milk withdrawal times that must be observed if used in animals intended for human consumption.
Drug Name	Cattle	Sheep	Horses	Swine
Aspirin	480-960 grains per mature cow PO every 12 hours
Buprenorphine*		0.005-0.01 mg/kg IV or IM every 4 hours		0.005-0.02 mg/kg IV or IM every 6-12 hours
Butorphanol*	0.01 mg/kg IV or IM every 4-6 hours	0.01 mg/kg IV or IM every 4-6 hours	0.01 mg/kg IV or IM every 4 hours
Flunixin meglumine*	0.5 -1.1 mg/kg IV every 24 hours	1.1 mg/kg IV every 24 hours	1.1 mg/kg PO or IV every 12-24 hours	1.1 mg/kg IV or SQ every 24 hours
Ketoprofen			0.5 mg/kg IV every 24 hours
Phenylbutazone			2.2-4.4 mg/kg PO or IV every 12-24 hours
*These drugs have required meat and milk withdrawal times that must be observed if used in animals intended for human consumption.Analgesic effectiveness must be evaluated in each animal due to variations in response between individuals and strains. For more information or analgesic guidelines in other species please consult an ARP veterinarian.

Analgesics for Birds (Including Poultry) Used in Research

Dosage Rates forAnalgesic Drugs in Birds *Note: The drugs listed below are not approved for use in birds intended for human consumption.
Drug Name	Dosage	Route
Butorphanol	1-3 mg/kg	IM every 4-6 hours
Carprofen	1 mg/kg	SQ every 8-24 hours
Flunixin meglumine	1-10 mg/kg	IM every 24 hours
Ketoprofen	1-2 mg/kg	IM every 8-12 hours
Meloxicam	0.5 mg/kg	IV or IM or PO every 24 hours
Analgesic effectiveness must be evaluated in each animal due to variations in response between individuals and strains. For more information or analgesic guidelines in other species please consult an ARP veterinarian.

Analgesic Drugs & Delivery

There are many drugs and routes of administration available for alleviation of pain in animals. Some drugs, such as the opiates (example: buprenorphine or morphine), provide pain relief through their action on the central nervous system. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) relieve pain by decreasing inflammation and, in some instances, direct analgesic action. Long acting local anesthetics such as bupivacaine, provide postoperative analgesia by blocking nerve conduction.

In most cases analgesics should be administered by injection. Analgesic drugs may be placed in drinking water or food for oral delivery, but these methods run the risk of inaccurate dosing, lack of consumption due to palatability and degradation of the drug over time as it sits in the water bottle or food product.

The information and drug dosages presented in this website are intended as a resource for Pennsylvania State University research investigators. No guarantee of drug efficacy or safety is made nor must information obtained from this site be substituted for professional veterinary advice.