Buprenorphine: veterinary dose and monograph

At a glance

Drug class

Analgesic

Also known as

Buprenex, Simbadol, Vetergesic

Species with doses

Dogs, Cats, Horses, Sheep, Pigs, Rabbits, Ferrets, Guinea pigs, Chinchillas, Rats, Hedgehogs, Sugar gliders and Primates

General dose range

0.005–0.03 mg/kg IM q6–12h — check the species tables for the indication

Routes

IM, IV, SC, PO, Epidural

Last reviewed

1 October 2026

Indications

• Mild to moderate post-operative pain
• Chronic / cancer pain (cats, with buccal route)
• Pre-anaesthetic medication (multimodal)
• Cat-specific 24 h SC formulation (Simbadol) for outpatient pain
• Rabbit / ferret / small-mammal analgesia

Buprenorphine dose by species

Doses are per administration unless stated. mg/kg doses scale with body weight; per-animal, per-quarter and infusion-rate doses are shown as the reference writes them.

Dogs

• Acute pain — IM / IV / SC: Plumb’s p.165: 0.005–0.02 mg/kg IM, IV or SC q6–12h (Hendrix & Hansen 2000); 0.006–0.02 mg/kg, duration 6–12 h (Perkowski 2006). Papich 5e: 0.006–0.02 mg/kg q4–8h IV, IM or SC; higher analgesic doses 0.03–0.04 mg/kg. Hard to reverse with naloxone.
• Sustained-release (SR) analgesia: Papich 5e: buprenorphine SR 120-270 mcg/kg SQ, duration about 72 hours. This is a DEPOT formulation - the dose is 10-20x the immediate-release dose and must NEVER be given as ordinary buprenorphine solution. (= 0.12–0.27 mg/kg.)
• CRI severe pain: Plumb’s p.165 (Hansen 2008): 2–4 µg/kg/h IV. Papich 5e: 20 µg/kg IV loading dose followed by 5 µg/kg/h.
• Epidural analgesia: Papich 5e: 3–6 µg/kg epidurally. Plumb’s p.165 (Boothe 1999) lists epidural use within 0.005–0.03 mg/kg.

Cats

• Acute pain — IV / IM: Papich 5e: 0.01–0.02 mg/kg IV or 0.02 mg/kg IM, lasting 4–6 h; repeat 0.02 mg/kg as needed. Plumb’s p.165: 0.01–0.03 mg/kg IM, IV or SC q6–8h (Hansen 2003). SC injection of 20 µg/kg has limited effect — IV, IM or buccal routes preferred (Leece 2009).
• Simbadol (24-h SC formulation): Papich 5e: concentrated 1.8 mg/mL formulation 0.24 mg/kg SC once daily for up to 3 days; may be given before surgery. Never substitute the 0.3 mg/mL product at this dose.
• Buccal / oral transmucosal: Papich 5e: 0.02–0.04 mg/kg q8h applied to the gingiva or under the tongue (0.02 mg/kg = 0.066 mL/kg of the 0.3 mg/mL solution). Plumb’s p.165: 0.01–0.03 mg/kg transmucosally q8h (Lichtenberger 2006); well accepted by cats.
• Sustained-release (SR) analgesia: Papich 5e: buprenorphine SR 120–270 µg/kg SC, duration about 72 hours. DEPOT formulation only — never give ordinary buprenorphine solution at this dose. (= 0.12–0.27 mg/kg.)

Horses

• Adjunct analgesia: Papich 5e: 0.005–0.01 mg/kg IM; short acting in horses. Plumb’s p.165 (Thurmon & Benson 1987): neuroleptanalgesia 0.004 mg/kg IV with acepromazine 0.02 mg/kg, or 0.006 mg/kg IV with xylazine 0.07 mg/kg. Combine with a sedative — excitement possible. ARCI Class 2.

Sheep

• Analgesia: Papich 5e: sheep 0.01 mg/kg (10 µg/kg) IM q6h. Extra-label in a food animal — obtain a FARAD withdrawal.

Pigs

• Miniature/pet pig — analgesia: Carpenter Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 12-5 (p.668): miniature pigs 0.01–0.05 mg/kg SC/IM q8–12h; 0.05–0.1 mg/kg IM q8–12h.

Rabbits

• Rabbit analgesia: Plumb’s p.165 (Ivey & Morrisey 2000): 0.01–0.05 mg/kg SC, IM or IV q6–12h; 0.5 mg/kg rectally q12h. Premedication in compromised rabbits 0.05–0.1 mg/kg SC (Vella 2009). Combine with an NSAID for surgical pain.

Ferrets

• Analgesia: Plumb's p.166 (Williams 2000): 0.01–0.05 mg/kg SC or IM 2–3 times daily.

Guinea pigs

• Analgesia: Plumb’s p.165 (Adamcak & Otten 2000): guinea pigs 0.05 mg/kg SC or IV q8–12h. Carpenter’s rodent table agrees (0.05 mg/kg SC q8–12h).

Chinchillas

• Analgesia: Carpenter’s Exotic Animal Formulary, rodent analgesic table: guinea pigs and chinchillas 0.05 mg/kg SC q8–12h. Plumb’s gives no chinchilla-specific buprenorphine dose.

Rats

• Analgesia: Plumb’s p.165 (Adamcak & Otten 2000): rats 0.01–0.05 mg/kg SC or IV q8–12h, or 0.1–0.25 mg/kg PO q8–12h.

Hedgehogs

• Analgesia: Carpenter Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 8-6 (p.518): hedgehogs 0.01–0.05 mg/kg SC/IM q6–8h; 0.05 mg/kg gave a more pronounced analgesic effect than 0.01–0.03 mg/kg. Give deep SC into the spiny dorsum (mantle).

Sugar gliders

• Analgesia: Carpenter Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 7-4 (p.500): sugar gliders 0.01–0.03 mg/kg PO/SC/IM q8–12h; 0.005–0.01 mg/kg SC/IV q12h. Often given preemptively with midazolam ± meloxicam to reduce postsurgical self-mutilation.

Primates

• Analgesia (macaques, marmosets, great apes): Carpenter Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 13-4 (p.692): rhesus macaques/marmosets/great apes 0.005–0.01 mg/kg SC/IM/IV q6–12h; prosimians 0.01–0.02 mg/kg SC/IM/IV q8–12h; sustained-release 0.2 mg/kg SC once (macaques).

Contraindications

Severe respiratory disease, head trauma, severe hepatic / renal impairment. Concurrent pure mu-agonists (morphine, hydromorphone) — buprenorphine displaces them and reduces analgesia. Hypersensitivity.

Species-specific warnings

Cats: Cats absorb OTM buprenorphine 90 %. Simbadol (concentrated SC) gives 24 h analgesia. Mild mydriasis is expected.

Rabbits: Use 0.01–0.05 mg/kg SC q6–12h. Combine with meloxicam for surgical pain.

Adverse effects

• Mild sedation
• Bradycardia (less than morphine)
• Decreased GI motility
• Mydriasis (cats), miosis (dogs)
• Rare respiratory depression — ceiling effect at higher doses

Drug interactions

• Pure mu-agonists (morphine, hydromorphone, fentanyl): buprenorphine displaces them — DECREASES their analgesia. Do not switch immediately if patient was already on a pure mu
• MAO inhibitors: avoid combination
• Other CNS depressants: additive sedation
• Naloxone: only partial reversal (high-dose naloxone needed)

Pregnancy and lactation

Crosses placenta. Mild neonatal respiratory depression possible. Excreted in milk. FDA Category C.

Monitoring

• Pain score every 4–6 h (Feline Grimace Scale for cats)
• Respiratory rate / SpO2
• Sedation depth
• Heart rate
• GI motility on prolonged use

Toxicity and overdose

Ceiling effect on respiratory depression — much safer than pure mu-agonists in overdose. Severe overdose: respiratory depression refractory to standard naloxone (need higher doses, repeated). Bradycardia, hypotension.

Management: Naloxone 0.02–0.04 mg/kg IV — REPEAT every 30–60 min, may need 5–10× higher dose than for morphine overdose due to buprenorphine's tight receptor binding. Intubate and ventilate. IV fluids for hypotension.

Clinical pearls

• Cat dental extraction or spay home discharge: 0.02 mg/kg buccal OTM q6–8h — owner-friendly, no needles, excellent analgesia
• Simbadol 0.24 mg/kg SC at end of surgery → 24 h pain control with single injection — ideal for cat day-surgery
• Dog laparotomy: buprenorphine 0.02 mg/kg IM q8h + carprofen 4 mg/kg PO q24h = multimodal home analgesia
• Rabbit ovariohysterectomy: buprenorphine 0.03 mg/kg SC q8h + meloxicam 0.5 mg/kg PO q24h
• Switching from morphine to buprenorphine: wait 2–4 h after last morphine dose; expect transient reduction in analgesia as receptors transition
• High-dose naloxone may be needed in overdose — start at 0.04 mg/kg IV and re-dose every 30 min

Mechanism of action

Partial mu-opioid agonist with kappa-antagonist activity. High receptor affinity but lower intrinsic activity than morphine — explains ceiling effect on both analgesia and respiratory depression. Long mu-receptor dissociation time gives 6–12 h analgesia per dose (vs morphine's 3–4 h). High lipid solubility allows efficient oral / buccal absorption in cats.

Formulations and products

• Buprenorphine 0.3 mg/mL injection (Buprenex)
• Simbadol 1.8 mg/mL (concentrated, feline-only 24-h SC)

Storage

Schedule III controlled substance — locked storage, logbook. 15–25 °C protected from light.

Before you use this dose

Reference doses for veterinary professionals. Confirm the dose against the product label, the patient’s condition, current guidance and local regulations before use; the attending veterinarian remains responsible for every clinical decision.

Other analgesics

• Amantadine
• Aspirin
• Bupivacaine
• Butorphanol
• Codeine
• Dipyrone (Metamizole)
• Fentanyl
• Gabapentin

Frequently asked questions