Why is my dog drooling excessively after a buprenorphine shot?

Hello, and thanks for your question. Without examining Trixie I can’t say for sure if there might be another problem causing her unsteadiness, but buprenorphine can definitely cause sedation and unsteadiness. If it’s from the buprenorphine, the symptoms should resolve within about 6 hours. Hope this helps!

Buprenorphine has few side effects in cats with the most common one being sedation. It may be Sofia is feeling a bit nauseous from vomiting, which can happen. If you are very concerned about her, you can take her into the vet. Best of luck.

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!

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!

Drooling and grinding of teeth can be a sign of pain and discomfort or nausea. Nausea and pain can be a common side effect. If they persist more than 24 hours post injection then I would have her rechecked. Also if it affects her enough to not eat, she needs to be seen to make sure her sugar does not get to low and cause other problems

This may be an indication of oral pain from the extraction. I would recommend speaking with the veterinarian about pain management and add on additional pain medications. The suture used to close the extraction site may be causing some irritation as well. I would maybe have the veterinarian take a look at the mouth to be on the safe side. I hope this helps!

Morphine has a fairly short half-life in dogs, with effects usually lasting around 3-4 hours. So if the morphine is causing the signs you are seeing, I would expect to see improvement within a few hours of the last dose you gave.