Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pain relief effects of hydromorphone and butorphanol in cats
By Lascelles, B Duncan X & Robertson, Sheilah A·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2004·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Antinociceptive effects of hydromorphone, butorphanol, or the combination in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of six cats received either hydromorphone, butorphanol, a combination of both, or a saline solution to see how well they could tolerate heat pain. After treatment, the cats showed improved pain tolerance with both medications, but hydromorphone caused some vomiting, while butorphanol led to signs of discomfort. Interestingly, combining the two medications did not enhance pain relief as expected and even reduced the effectiveness in the first couple of hours. Overall, hydromorphone was effective for pain relief, but pet owners should be cautious of potential side effects like vomiting.
People also search for: cat pain relief medication · hydromorphone side effects in cats · butorphanol for cat pain management
Abstract
The goal of this study was to assess the antinociceptive activity of a single dose of hydromorphone or butorphanol and to examine the effect of their coadministration on thermal thresholds in cats. Thermal thresholds were measured after IM administration of hydromorphone (0.1 mg/kg), butorphanol (0.4 mg/kg), a combination of butorphanol and hydromorphone (0.4 and 0.1 mg/kg), or saline to each of 6 cats in a randomized, blinded, crossover study design. There were at least 12 days between treatments. Thermal thresholds were measured by a thorax-mounted thermal threshold-testing device specifically developed for cats. Thermal thresholds were measured before treatment, at varying intervals to 12 hours, and at 24 hours after treatments. Data were analyzed by an analysis of variance with a repeat factor of time. Dysphoria was associated with butorphanol administration but not with hydromorphone or hydromorphone-butorphanol combined administration. Vomiting was seen with hydromorphone but not with butorphanol or hydromorphone-butorphanol combined. The control treatment group was stable over time (P = .22; mean threshold, 40.1 degrees C). Thresholds were significantly (P < .05) higher than the control treatment between 15 and 165 minutes for butorphanol, between 15 and 345 minutes for hydromorphone, and between 15 and 540 minutes for hydromorphone-butorphanol combined. The addition of butorphanol to hydromorphone decreased the intensity of antinociception during the 1st 2 hours but extended the duration of observable antinociception from 5.75 to 9 hours. The present study suggests that the combination of butorphanol and a pure OP3 (mu) receptor agonist clinically does not produce increased analgesia and indeed may result in decreased analgesia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15058769/