Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog overdosed on fentanyl after chewing pain patch
By Schmiedt, Chad W & Bjorling, Dale E·Published in Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia·2007·Department of Surgical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Accidental prehension and suspected transmucosal or oral absorption of fentanyl from a transdermal patch in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old mixed breed dog was found extremely sedated two days after having a fentanyl patch applied for pain relief following surgery. It turned out the dog likely ingested the medication from the patch, leading to an overdose. The veterinarian removed the patch and tested the dog's blood for fentanyl levels. Fortunately, the dog recovered without any complications. This case highlights the risks of using fentanyl patches in pets, especially if they accidentally ingest the medication.
People also search for: dog fentanyl patch overdose · why is my dog so sedated · mixed breed dog pain management
Abstract
A 100-microg hour(-1) transdermal fentanyl patch was applied to a 29-kg, 6-year-old, intact male mixed breed dog to help manage postoperative pain after total ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy. Two days later, the dog was found extremely sedated, and the reservoir of the transdermal patch was open. It was suspected that the dog ingested the contents of the reservoir of the transdermal patch and absorbed the fentanyl across its oral mucosa or through the gastrointestinal tract resulting in an overdose. The patch was removed, blood was drawn to determine serum fentanyl levels, and the dog recovered without incident. This clinical case documents the potential for neurologic sequelae, and bradycardia when fentanyl patches are used in animals to relieve postoperative pain.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17238966/