# Maropitant: veterinary dose and monograph

> Maropitant is a veterinary antiemetic. Neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor antagonist — blocks Substance P at the emetic centre. Indications include acute vomiting — prevention and treatment (dogs); motion-sickness vomiting prophylaxis (dogs, oral); chemotherapy-induced vomiting (cisplatin, doxorubicin). This monograph lists 7 reference doses for dogs, cats, sugar gliders and primates, each with route, frequency and source.

Source: https://vetmasterji.com/drugs/maropitant · Last reviewed: 2026-10-01

## At a glance

- **Drug class:** Antiemetic
- **Also known as:** Cerenia
- **Species with doses:** Dogs, Cats, Sugar gliders and Primates
- **General dose range:** 1–2 mg/kg SC q24h — check the species tables for the indication
- **Routes:** SC, PO
- **Last reviewed:** 1 October 2026

## Indications

- Acute vomiting — prevention and treatment (dogs)
- Motion-sickness vomiting prophylaxis (dogs, oral)
- Chemotherapy-induced vomiting (cisplatin, doxorubicin)
- Extra-label antiemetic in cats (well tolerated in published case series)
- Visceral analgesic / sevoflurane MAC reduction (research use)

## Maropitant 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

*Maropitant doses for dogs*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Acute vomiting — prevention or treatment | 1 mg/kg | SC | q24h | up to 5 consecutive days |
| Acute vomiting — oral | 2 mg/kg | PO | q24h | up to 5 days |
| Motion sickness prophylaxis | 8 mg/kg | PO | q24h | up to 2 consecutive days |

- Acute vomiting — prevention or treatment: Papich 5e and Plumb’s p.758 (Cerenia label): 1 mg/kg SC (or IV, Papich) once daily for up to 5 consecutive days (dogs 2–7 months); for prevention give at least 1 h before the emetogenic event. A 48-h washout is recommended before a further course. Refrigerating the injection reduces sting.
- Acute vomiting — oral: Papich 5e and Plumb’s p.758 (label): 2 mg/kg PO once daily for up to 5 days, given at least 2 h before an anticipated emetogenic event. Opioid-induced vomiting: 2–4 mg/kg PO before anaesthesia (Papich).
- Motion sickness prophylaxis: Papich 5e and Plumb’s p.758 (label): 8 mg/kg (minimum) PO at least 2 h before travel, once daily for up to 2 consecutive days; a 72-h washout is recommended before repeating.

### Cats

*Maropitant doses for cats*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Acute vomiting (extra-label) | 1 mg/kg | SC | q24h | up to 5 days |
| Acute vomiting (oral, extra-label) | 0.5–1 mg/kg | PO | q24h | up to 5 days |

- Acute vomiting (extra-label): Papich 5e: 1 mg/kg once daily IV, SC or PO for all causes of vomiting; before highly emetic drugs give at least 2–2.5 h beforehand. Plumb’s p.758: 1 mg/kg SC or PO (Richter); 0.5–1 mg/kg SC once daily for up to 5 days (Marks).
- Acute vomiting (oral, extra-label): Plumb’s p.758 (Richter 2009; Marks 2008): 0.5–1 mg/kg once daily for up to 5 days. Papich 5e: 1 mg/kg PO once daily; CKD-associated nausea 4 mg per cat per day PO; pre-anaesthetic 8 mg per cat PO 18 h before.

### Sugar gliders

*Maropitant doses for sugar gliders*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Antiemetic | 0.2 mg/kg | SC | q24h | — |

- Antiemetic: Carpenter Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 7-5 (p.501): sugar gliders 0.2 mg/kg SC q24h. Chilling the injection may reduce SC injection-site discomfort.

### Primates

*Maropitant doses for primates*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Antiemetic (macaques, siamangs) | 1 mg/kg | SC | q24h | — |

- Antiemetic (macaques, siamangs): Carpenter Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 13-7 (p.709): macaques/siamangs 1 mg/kg SC or IV for reduction of emesis.

## Contraindications

Use cautiously in puppies <16 weeks (label) — bone marrow hypoplasia seen in <11-week-old puppies on toxicology studies. Use cautiously in dogs with hepatic dysfunction (hepatically metabolised). Highly protein-bound (>99%) — caution with other highly protein-bound drugs. Pregnancy / lactation: safety not established — risk-benefit assessment only. SC injection causes pain — refrigerate vial before drawing for SC use.

## Species-specific warnings

> **Caution:** Dogs: Standard first-line anti-emetic. CAUTION in dogs ≤8 weeks (US) / ≤16 weeks (EU) — bone marrow hypoplasia at high chronic doses.

> **Caution:** Cats: Extra-label in many regions but widely used at 1 mg/kg SC q24h. Refrigerate vial to reduce stinging.

> **Caution:** Horses: Used extra-label for nausea-related anorexia at 1 mg/kg IV q24h — limited published data.

> **Caution:** Birds: Extra-label use reported in raptors / psittacines for opioid-induced nausea at 1–2 mg/kg IM/PO q24h.

## Adverse effects

- Pain or swelling at SC injection site (improved by chilling solution)
- Hypersalivation and pre-travel vomiting at the high motion-sickness oral dose
- Diarrhoea (~4–8% of treated dogs)
- Anorexia (~1.5–5%)
- Cats: localised injection-site reactions; otherwise well tolerated

## Drug interactions

- CYP3A4 substrates / inhibitors (ketoconazole, erythromycin, cyclosporine): may alter maropitant metabolism — limited clinical impact at label doses
- Calcium channel blockers (amlodipine, diltiazem): theoretical CYP3A4 interaction
- Other anti-emetics (ondansetron, metoclopramide): synergistic — used together for refractory vomiting
- NSAIDs / opioids: complementary anti-emetic + analgesic — common multimodal use
- Highly protein-bound — caution co-administering other highly protein-bound drugs (warfarin, NSAIDs) in low-albumin states

## Pregnancy and lactation

Studies in pregnant bitches at therapeutic doses show no teratogenicity. Generally avoided in pregnancy unless clinically necessary. Excreted in milk in low amounts. Avoid in puppies / kittens <8 weeks (bone marrow effects in young dogs).

## Monitoring

- Anti-emetic efficacy — re-dose at 24 h if vomiting persists; switch to ondansetron + maropitant if refractory
- Hydration status — most vomiting patients are dehydrated
- Cause of vomiting — NK-1 blockade may MASK serious underlying disease (GI obstruction, pancreatitis); pursue diagnosis in parallel
- CBC if used >2 weeks or in juvenile patients — bone marrow check
- Injection-site swelling — rotate SC sites

## Toxicity and overdose

Bone marrow hypoplasia / leukopaenia in juvenile (≤11 weeks) dogs at chronic high doses — labelled CAUTION in puppies <8 weeks (US) or <16 weeks (EU). Injection-site pain — refrigeration of vial blunts pain. Sedation, vomiting, anorexia uncommon. No significant cardiac, renal, or hepatic toxicity at label doses.

Management: Wide therapeutic index — overdose generally well tolerated. Supportive care. Single doses up to 10× label tolerated in healthy adult dogs. Discontinue and monitor CBC in juvenile patients.

## Clinical pearls

- Dogs/cats acute vomiting: 1 mg/kg SC q24h × up to 5 days (or 2 mg/kg PO q24h × 5 days in dogs)
- Motion sickness: 8 mg/kg PO q24h (Cerenia tablet) starting 2 h before travel
- Chemotherapy-induced nausea: 2 mg/kg PO q24h × 1–5 days starting day of chemo
- Pre-operative anti-emetic: 1 mg/kg SC 45–60 min before opioid premedication — eliminates morphine/hydromorphone vomiting
- Cats: 1 mg/kg SC q24h is widely used though oral suspension is being studied; refrigerate vial to reduce stinging
- Parvo puppies: 1 mg/kg SC q24h is first-line anti-emetic — outperforms metoclopramide
- Pancreatitis adjunct: 1 mg/kg SC q24h + opioid + IV fluids
- AVOID treating vomiting as monotherapy without diagnostic workup — NK-1 block can mask GI obstruction, pancreatitis, intoxication

## Mechanism of action

Selective neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor antagonist. Substance P is the principal emetogenic neurotransmitter binding NK-1 in the chemoreceptor trigger zone (area postrema) and emetic centre. Blocking NK-1 prevents central and peripheral activation of the vomiting reflex, regardless of the upstream emetogenic stimulus (motion, chemotherapy, uraemia, hepatic disease, parvo). Also has anti-visceral-pain effects (substance P is a primary visceral nociceptor neurotransmitter).

## Formulations and products

- Cerenia injection 10 mg/mL
- Cerenia tablet 16 mg
- Cerenia tablet 24 mg
- Cerenia tablet 60 mg
- Cerenia tablet 160 mg

## Storage

Tablets: 15–30 °C, dry, protected from light. Injection: 15–25 °C — REFRIGERATE BEFORE SC INJECTION (reduces stinging) — re-warm before IV use. Multidose vial: discard 28 days after broaching, but oral suspension single-dose preferred.

## Before you use this dose

> **Caution:** 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 antiemetics

- [Dolasetron](https://vetmasterji.com/drugs/dolasetron)
- [Ondansetron](https://vetmasterji.com/drugs/ondansetron)

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the dose of Maropitant for dogs?

Reference doses for Maropitant in dogs: 1 mg/kg SC q24h for up to 5 consecutive days (Acute vomiting — prevention or treatment); 2 mg/kg PO q24h for up to 5 days (Acute vomiting — oral); 8 mg/kg PO q24h for up to 2 consecutive days (Motion sickness prophylaxis). Confirm against the label and the patient before use.

### What is the dose of Maropitant for cats?

Reference doses for Maropitant in cats: 1 mg/kg SC q24h for up to 5 days (Acute vomiting (extra-label)); 0.5–1 mg/kg PO q24h for up to 5 days (Acute vomiting (oral, extra-label)). Confirm against the label and the patient before use.

### What is the dose of Maropitant for sugar gliders?

Reference doses for Maropitant in sugar gliders: 0.2 mg/kg SC q24h (Antiemetic). Confirm against the label and the patient before use.

### When should Maropitant not be used?

Use cautiously in puppies <16 weeks (label) — bone marrow hypoplasia seen in <11-week-old puppies on toxicology studies. Use cautiously in dogs with hepatic dysfunction (hepatically metabolised). Highly protein-bound (>99%) — caution with other highly protein-bound drugs. Pregnancy / lactation: safety not established — risk-benefit assessment only. SC injection causes pain — refrigerate vial before drawing for SC use.

### What are the side effects of Maropitant in animals?

Pain or swelling at SC injection site (improved by chilling solution); Hypersalivation and pre-travel vomiting at the high motion-sickness oral dose; Diarrhoea (~4–8% of treated dogs); Anorexia (~1.5–5%); Cats: localised injection-site reactions; otherwise well tolerated.

## Sources

- Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook
- Papich, Papich Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 5th edition
- Carpenter, Exotic Animal Formulary

---

VetMasterJi is a clinical decision-support and education platform for veterinary professionals and students. It does not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis or treatment for specific animals. All drug doses, calculators and differentials are references that must be independently verified before clinical use; the attending registered veterinarian remains solely responsible for every clinical decision.