Why is my dog wobbly and high after buprenorphine for her limp?

Poor Sierra! I am sorry to hear that she is not feeling well. It sounds as if Sierra may be reacting to the Buprenorphine, which can cause restlessness and other nervous behaviors like the ones you have mentioned in some dogs and cats. Unfortunately, the only thing that can be done at home is trying to ease her anxiety. Sometimes, keeping it dark and quiet can help them settle. I would definitely recommend contacting the vet that saw her to discuss the possibility of a different pain medication. If Sierra shows no improvement or worsens within 12-24 hours, she should be reevaluated as soon as possible. I hope Sierra is able to get comfortable soon. Hang in there!

Buprenorphine often causes sedation as a side effect - sometimes a lot of sedation, as sounds like the case with Lady! The dose she received (0.3 mg for a 25 pound dog) is within the normal dosage range, and should not be expected to cause any serious problems at all :) The sedation should wear off in the next 6-8 hours, or possibly even sooner as the drug levels in her body start to drop. Buprenorphine has no negative impact on the pancreas at all, and is very commonly used for pain control in dogs with pancreatitis. I hope Lady starts to feel better soon!

Yes, that is a fairly frequent side effect after buprenorphine injection. The effect of buprenorphine lasts between 6 and 8 hours, so the hypersalivation should gradually wear off. I hope Mifi is pain free and back to her usual self. Please get in touch if you have any further questions.

Yes this can be a side effect of the gabapentin, or tramadol if your dog is on that for pain. I would lower the dose by half and speak with your veterinarian about it to see if they want you to stay on the lower dose, stop the medication, or switch to another pain medication. As the healing progresses you shouldn’t need as much medication and hopefully you can discontinue it soon as these are unwanted side effects. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Bode.

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.

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!

I am sorry we couldn't get to your question earlier. Hopefully Sitara is back to normal now. The symptoms you have described are consistent with opioid use (which is what Buprenorphine is). I would not be overly concerned. I am more concerned about her dental disease and the plan to treat that, since the pain medications and antibiotics won't fix that particular problem. She needs a full dental cleaning under anesthesia and may need her teeth extracted if stomatitis is a concern. https://www.petcoach.co/article/gingivitis-and-stomatitis-in-cats/