Animal Health and Veterinary Information

As our site continues to expand, we have included in this section a table of commonly used analgesics and their dosages for rabbits and rodents, as well as other species.

We have included in this section recommendations, guidelines and information on various topics relating to the overall health and well being of research animals

Recommended Anesthesia for Some Laboratory Animal Species
DLAR Guidelines for Acclimation Periods for Newly Received Laboratory Animals
Implantation of Ozmotic Pumps in Rodents
Tissue Collection (Biopsy) for Genetic Identification of Rodents
Malocclusion in the Laboratory Mouse a Jackson Labs article

If there are any questions, please consult with one of our health care staff and our DLAR veterinarians should you require assistance.

Non-steroidal and Opioid Analgesics for Rodents and Rabbits

Analgesic	Class of Drug	Mouse	Rat	Guinea Pig	Gerbil	Hamster	Rabbit
Acetaminophen	NSAID	300 mg/kg PO	100-300 mg/kg PO (6 mg/ml drinking water)	---	100-300 mg/kg PO (6 mg/ml drinking water)	100-300 mg/kg PO (6 mg/ml drinking water)	1 ml drug/100ml drinking water
Carprofen	NSAID	10.0 mg/kg SC or PO q 12-24 hours	5-7 mg/kg SC or PO q 12-24 hours	2.5 mg/kg SC q 24 hours	5.0-10.0 mg/kg SC or PO q 12-24 hours	5.0-10.0 mg/kg SC or PO q 12-24 hours	1.5-5 mg/kg PO, or 4 mg/kg SC q 24 hours
Flunixin	NSAID	2.5 mg/kg SC q 12 hours	1.1-2.5 mg/kg SC q 2 hours	1.1-2.5 mg/kg SC q 2 hours	1.1-2.5 mg/kg SC q 2 hours	1.1-2.5 mg/kg SC q 2 hours	1.1 mg/kg SC or IM q 12 hours
Ketoprofen	NSAID	---	5.0 mg/kg IM q 12-24 hours	---	5.0 mg/kg IM q 12-24 hours	5.0 mg/kg IM q 12-24 hours	3.0 mg/kg IM q 24 hours
Meloxicam	NSAID	2-5 mg/kg IP q 12-24 hours	1-4 mg/kg SC or IP q 24 hours	1-2 mg/kg SC or PO q 24 hours	1.0 mg/kg SC or PO q 24 hours	1.0 mg/kg SC or PO q 24 hours	0.3-0.6 mg/kg SC or PO q 24 hours
Buprenorphine	Opioid	0.05-0.1 mg/kg  SC q 6-12 hours	0.01-0.05 mg/kg SC q 6-12 hours	0.05 mg/kg SC q 6-12 hours	0.1-0.2 mg/kg SC q 6-12 hours	0.05-0.5 mg/kg SC q 6-12 hours	0.02-0.1 mg/kg IV or SC q 6-12 hours
Nalbuphine	Opioid	4-8 mg/kg IM q 4 hours	2-5 mg/kg IM q 4 hours	1-2 mg/kg IM q 4 hours	1-2 mg/kg IM q 4 hours	1-2 mg/kg IM q 4 hours	1-2 mg/kg IM or IV q 4 hours
Meperidine (Demerol)	Opioid	10-20 mg/kg SC or IM q 2-3 hours	10-20 mg/kg SC or IM q 2-3 hours	10-20 mg/kg SC or IM q 2-3 hours	10-20 mg/kg SC or IM q 2-3 hours	10-20 mg/kg SC or IM q 2-3 hours	5-10 mg/kg SC or IM q 2-3 hours

Other analgesics and multimodal combinations of analgesics can be used. Please consult with a DLAR veterinarian for further details.

REFERENCES

• Anesthesia and Analgesia in Laboratory Animals, Second Edition,  Richard E Fish, Marilyn J Brown, Peggy J Danneman, Alicia Z Karas (eds.) American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine Series,  2008.
• Formulary for Laboratory Animals, Third Edition, Compiled by C Terrance Hawk, Steven L Leary, Timothy H Morris, American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Blackwell Publishing, 2005.
• Formulary for Laboratory Animals, Second Edition, Compiled by C Terrance Hawk, Steven L Leary, Timothy H Morris, American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Blackwell Publishing, 1999.

Other Species

Non-steroidal and Opioid Analgesics for Large Laboratory Animal Species

Analgesic	Class of Drug	Ferret	Cat	Dog	Pig	Sheep	NHP
Carprofen	NSAID	2-4 mg/kg PO or SC q 24hrs	4.0 mg/kg SC or IV once only	2.0 mg/kg SC or IV q12 hrs or 4.0 mg/kg SC or IV q24 hrs.	2.0-4.0 mg/kg SC or IV q 24h for 2-3 days	1.5-2.0 mg/kg SC or IV q 24h for 2-3 days	2.0-4.0 mg/kg SC or PO q 24 hrs up to 4 days
Flunixin	NSAID	0.3 mg/kg PO or SC q 24hrs	1.0 mg/kg IV or IM q 24 hrs	1.0 mg/kg IV or IM q 24 hrs	1.0-2.2 mg/kg IV or SC q 24 hrs	1.5-2.0 mg/kg IV or SC q 24 hrs	2.0-4.0 mg/kg SC or IV q 24 hrs
Ketoprofen	NSAID	1-2 mg/kg PO or SC q 24hrs	2.0 mg/kg SC q 24 hrs up to 3 days	2.0 mg/kg SC q 24 hrs up to 3 days	3.0 mg/kg SC only once	1.0 mg/kg IM q 24hrs for up to 3 days	NA
Meloxicam	NSAID	0.2 mg/kg PO or SC q 24hrs	0.2 mg/kg SC or PO on first day of treatment, then 0.1 mg/kg q 24 hrs	0.2 mg/kg SC or PO q 24 hrs	0.2-0.3 mg/kg SC or PO q 24 hrs	NA	0.2-0.3 mg/kg PO q 24 hrs up to 4 days
Buprenorphine	Opioid	0.01-0.03 mg/kg IM, SC, or IV q 8-12 hrs	0.005-0.01 mg/kg IM, SC, or IV q 8-12 hrs	0.005-0.02 mg/kg IM, SC, or IV q 6-12 hrs	0.005-0.02 mg/kg IM, SC, or IV q 6-12 hrs	0.005-0.01 mg/kg IM, SC, or IV q 6-12 hrs	0.01-0.02 mg/kg IM, or SC q 6-12 hrs
Butorphanol	Opioid	0.2-0.8 mg/kg IM or SC q 2 hrs	0.2-0.4 mg/kg IM, or IV q 3-4 hrs	0.2-0.4 mg/kg IM, or IV q 3-4 hrs	0.1-0.3 mg/kg IM q 4-6 hrs	0.5 mg/kg SC q 2-3 hrs	0.05 mg/kg IM q 6-8 hrs
Morphine	Opioid	0.5-2 mg/kg IM or SC q 4-6 hrs	0.1 mg/kg IM q 4 hrs	0.5-5.0 mg/kg IM q 4 hrs	0.2-1.0 mg/kg IM q 4 hrs	0.1-2.0 mg/kg IM q 4 hrs	0.2-1.0 mg/kg IM q 4 hrs
Pethidine (Meperidine)	Opioid	5-10 mg/kg IM q 2-4 hrs	2-10 mg/kg IM or IV q 2 hrs	6-10 mg/kg IM or SC q 2-3 hrs	2 mg/kg IV q 4 hrs OR 4-10 mg/kg IM	2 mg/kg IM q 2 hrs	2-4 mg/kg IM q 4 hrs
Fentanyl	Opiod	NA	Patch q 72hrs	Patch q 72 hrs	IV q 4 hrs	NA	NA

Other analgesics and multimodal combinations of analgesics can be used. Please consult with a DLAR veterinarian for further details.

REFERENCES

• Anesthesia and Analgesia in Laboratory Animals, Second Edition,  Richard E Fish, Marilyn J Brown, Peggy J Danneman, Alicia Z Karas (eds.) American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine Series,  2008.
• Formulary for Laboratory Animals, Third Edition, Compiled by C Terrance Hawk, Steven L Leary, Timothy H Morris, American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Blackwell Publishing, 2005.
• Formulary for Laboratory Animals, Second Edition, Compiled by C Terrance Hawk, Steven L Leary, Timothy H Morris, American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine and European College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Blackwell Publishing, 1999.