Can opioids harm my senior dog with pneumonia, or are they safe?

I am worried about poor Quincy. You're right to think that Simbadol is for cats, it's a high dose, longer acting version of buprenorphine, an opiate pain reliever. Buprenorphine is also used "off label" but the regular strength variety is usually safe in dogs. All opiates can potentially make a sick or debilitated dog worse, per the veterinary formulary, so using a lower dose in old dogs is recommend. Speak to your vet about why they chose Simbadol, and your concerns that he seems to have deteriorated. I know your vet would not have wished to cause him harm, and I'm sure intended for Quincy to be more comfortable.

Laryngeal paralysis most often causes a characteristic stridor on inspiration but does not typically cause an increase in respiratory rate, so I'm not sure that shortness of breath would be characteristic unless your vet has seen Jazzy for this problem and is suspicious. The evidence for doxepin is anecdotal with no solid research suggesting that it helps, and I don't typically recommend it. There are a lot of potential drug interactions as well, and although I can't find sotalol listed specifically I would be a little concerned that it might not be ideal to give doxepin to a dog with an underlying arrhythmogenic problem. Ultimately I think you should talk to your vet to get their thoughts on starting this medication. Some vets also use l-carnitine and CoQ10 as supplements for laryngeal paralysis, although again the evidence for their use is anecdotal. These might have fewer potential side effects than doxepin for a dog with other underlying medical problems.

Since dogs can't regulate their access to opioids or other medications with addictive qualities, it isn't a huge concern as related to the crisis that we are experiencing in humans. It is a concern for the vet community as we now have to take into consideration the home environment as it relates to human abuse of these medications when we consider prescribing them for a pet.

Hi there, I don't know the concentration or dose of your liquid Hydrocodone, but overall it has a very wide safety margin and is very unlikely to be a cause of death. Unfortunately, sudden death could happen with many different causes of respiratory distress which is much more likely.

Yes, I think Honey would benefit from some extra pain relief. I would speak to her vet about having a prescription for another pain reliever for her, such as an opioid which can be used safely in combination with NDSAIDs (Onsior is an NDSAID).

Poor guy. Morphine wouldn't cause lack of appetite nor would it cause worsening of his debilitation. It is likely it isn't enough therapy to overcome the advanced stages of his osteoarthritis. Especially since morphine is strictly a pain management medication and doesn't help with inflammation, joint fluid, or cartilage repair. He likely would benefit from more advanced therapy such as Adequan (GAG) injections, joint supplements (Dasuquin) or even physical therapy sessions can help provide him more mobility. His lack of appetite is quite worrisome however and I would highly recommend getting his kidney values rechecked to make sure he doesn't need further treatment to stabilize him first. Because the inability to move could also be caused by generalized weakness due to his underlying kidney condition.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If it is possible, I would recommend having the x-rays done without sedation and depending on how the x-rays look and how her blood work looks, consider removal of the mass under anesthesia. She is not too old for anesthesia but the risk of anesthetic complications rises with age. As long as her heart, lungs and blood work are normal, she should be fine under anesthesia. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.