Drug name: Buprenorphine
The medication is a pain reliever commonly applied to animals such as dogs and cats as an intervention to curtail mild and moderate pain. B uprenorphine is an analgesic medication that relieves pain without subjecting pets into sleep or state of unconsciousness (Nunamaker et al., 2014). It is an off-label medication that treats pain in dogs, cats, small and large animals. In veterinary medicine, buprenorphine is prescribed in feline animals for buccal administration. A veterinary may administer the drug to pacify tissue inflammation caused by pathological disease or infection. Buprenorphine belongs to the category opiate class of medications which prevent pain sensation produced by brain receptors.
Trade Names(s)
Buprenorphine is available under several trade names including Cizdol and Brixdi approved by the United States FDA for monthly and weekly injections. Additional trade names are subutex typically administered for opioid use disorder, Zudslov, Buvidal and Bunavail prescribed for monthly and weekly administration. Sublocade, probuphine, Buprenex, Butrans and Norspan have also been previously adopted as trade names for buprenorphine.
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Potential Side Effects
The most common side effect that results from buprenorphine administration is sleepiness. Injection into an animal’s muscle can also lead to pain at the injection area. In dogs, buprenorphine causes agitation, low body temperature, low or high heart rate and high blood pressure in rare cases (Love et al., 2013). In cats, the medication triggers increased heart rate, change in behavior, high body temperature and vomiting although rare. Additional side effects include dilated pupils particularly in cats, rubbing and excessive licking, agitation, salivation as well as dehydration. Slower gastrointestinal movements may occur in rabbits and horses. Some of the serious side effects although uncommon include a dramatic decline in breathing rate.
Recommended monitoring
A veterinary should perform bloodwork on an animal that has received buprenorphine injection. Blood work tests are meant to monitor aspects such as blood pressure since one of the side effect of the medication is increased blood pressure ( Hunt et al., 2013) . Monitoring also checks blood count and the profile of serum biochemistry. The appropriate time for monitoring is 2 hours after administration of buprenorphine dose. Monitoring is recommended after injection to enable a veterinary to detect and manage any abnormality such as serious side effects.
Desired response to the drug
Buprenorphine administration alleviates pain in animals by binding partially to opiate mu-receptors. Veterinarians inject the medication to manage moderate and mild pain sensation. In case of tissue spasm, infection or pathological disease, buprenorphine produces a desirable response by pacifying resultant pain ( Shah et al., 2018) . The drug provides effective therapy which improves an animal’s quality of life.
Dispensing Information
Buprenorphine can be dispensed via many routes. The drug can be administered through transdermal patch, subcutaneous implant or by intravenous or intramuscular injection. Sublingual tablets can be dispensed orally. Following treatment induction and stabilization, buprenorphine is dispensed thrice a day depending on the dosage size ( Queiroz-Williams et al., 2014) . Buprenorphine is stored in glass vials or amber glass bottles in a cool, dark and dry area. Buprenorphine should be handled safely in sealed ampules to avoid accidental exposure.
Mock Scenario
After a performing a series of tests, a veterinary diagnosed a dog with Osteoarthritis disease also termed as degenerative arthritis. The condition had subjected the dog to great deal of paid since it is characterized by deterioration of joint cartilage. The veterinary injected the dog with buprenorphine to relive the chronic pain. 2 hours after intravenous administration of the medication, the dog exhibited side effects such as agitation, low body temperature, low of high heart although mild. Three hours after medication, the pain was alleviated thereby enabling it to rest. The veterinary prescribed additional doses which the dog would continue receiving to manage the pain.
References
Love, E. J., Taylor, P. M., Whay, H. R., & Murrell, J. (2013). Postcastration analgesia in ponies using buprenorphine hydrochloride. Veterinary Record .
Hunt, J. R., Grint, N. J., Taylor, P. M., & Murrell, J. C. (2013). Sedative and analgesic effects of buprenorphine, combined with either acepromazine or dexmedetomidine, for premedication prior to elective surgery in cats and dogs. Veterinary anaesthesia and analgesia , 40 (3), 297-307.
Nunamaker, E. A., Stolarik, D. F., Ma, J., Wilsey, A. S., Jenkins, G. J., & Medina, C. L. (2014). Clinical efficacy of sustained-release buprenorphine with meloxicam for postoperative analgesia in beagle dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science , 53 (5), 494-501.
Shah, M. D., Yates, D., Hunt, J., & Murrell, J. C. (2018). A comparison between methadone and buprenorphine for perioperative analgesia in dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy. Journal of Small Animal Practice , 59 (9), 539-546.
Queiroz-Williams, P., Egger, C. M., Qu, W., Rohrbach, B. W., & Doherty, T. (2014). The effect of buprenorphine on isoflurane minimum alveolar concentration in dogs. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia , 41 (3), 312-318.
