My cat is on Buprenex for pain. Should I finish all the medication?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Boo. The dose for cats can be up to 1mg/kg. 1mg/kg equals 0.001mg/l, or 1mg/ml. Based on this, he could have up to 4.8ml, so this is within the dose. I hope this helps!

Hi Laila! I would give the Buprenorphine as directed by your vet. Your vet is the only who can determine which are the best and safest pain medications for Kitty. Given that she peed and pooped last night, I wouldn't be too worried about her just yet not going. Keep an eye on her, if if she hasn't peed in 24 hours, she continues to go to the litter box and nothing comes out, she strains to urinate, or she cries when she urinates, then I would be concerned and have her seen by the vet. I hope this helps :-)

Buprenorphine can be given as often as every 6 hours, but it's typically prescribed to be given every 8 hours. It can be difficult to know for sure whether a cat's in pain, but I would look for signs like a relaxed posture, not hiding, interest in food and attention as signs that Kiki is comfortable. If you give it every 6 hours you can be pretty confident that it's doing it's job.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You can give Blackie maximum of 2 days with rest indoor and oral administration of buprenorphine. If it is only muscle or joint pain, he should be much better by Sunday. If there is no improvement in 2 days time, you should get Blackie seen at your local vets, possibly to x-ray the leg. Also, transmucosal buprenorphine lasts about 6-8 hrs in cats. You can increase the dose to 0.2ml 3 times a day.

I am not sure how you are able to tell that he hasn't slept for 24 hrs unless you are also up yourself the entire time. Chances are he has slept somewhat, but these are still concerning symptoms that he may be having an adverse reaction to the medicaiton or that a lower dose is needed for him. Also it is concerning if he hasn't gone potty. Male neutered cats can get urinary blockages which causes them to be very vocal, lethargic and strain to urinate. I would advise taking him to your local vet right away for an evaluation and potentially stopping his medication until he is deemed healthy enough to proceed with either this medicaiton or an alternative. I hope that Cucho is able to make a full and speedy recovery. Best wishes and take care.

I would follow the recommendations that your vet gave you for the buprenorphine. Overdosage can cause worsening of the disoriented feeling, including extreme lethargy and inability to move. There have not been any published studies on the use of CBD in pets, yet. Anecdotally, some owners that have used it have felt that it helps with pain. There are no safe dosages known, though, so at this time I cannot safely recommend its use. If you feel like Cucho is still in a lot of pain, then I recommend he be seen by an emergency vet. Based on records you might have and the medications that were prescribed, the vet can prescribe additional pain medications to help with his comfort.

Have you been giving him the buprenorphine? This could be making him very lethargic. If he doesnt seem really painful, you may consider stopping the pain meds or giving him a half dose to see if they helps to perk him up a bit. But if he is continuing to be lethargic despite not being on pain medication then I believe he needs to follow up with your vet to ensure nothing else is wrong. I hope he starts to feel better!