My dog + Fentanyl patch

I have two English Bulldogs that I love, love, love!

Last weekend my female had to undergo surgery for a patellar luxation (her knee was slipping out of place) which caused her to limp and really favor her leg....

I was quite surprised to find out she came home with a- Fentanyl Transdermal 50 mcg/hr patch stuck to her thigh! I just wanted to share because I found it very interesting... and
never knew such things were used to treat animals.

Post Edited (Draka) : 9/16/2010 4:09:24 PM (GMT-6)

WOW on a dog, I mean I know they take a lot of human's meds but the patch, I am shocked.

Hi Draka,

Sending a dog home on fentanyl post-op is pretty common practice. We don't use fentanyl patches in the clinic that I work at, but many clinics do use them. It is problematic for veterinarians to prescribe opioid pain meds for animals post-op, or otherwise, because of the potential for human use/abuse of their pet's meds. For that reason, some vets prefer to send their patients home on long acting fentanyl patches, that way the pet gets pain relief for a few days & the patch is essentially worthless if removed, so they don't have to worry about the human misuse.

In the clinic that I work at, we use ketamine as both an anesthetic and analgesic for dogs & cats on the day of surgery, and then send them home on metacam (a strong synthetic non-opioid pain reliever) if needed, and/or an anti-inflammatory. Usually, however, routine spay/neuter patients just get sent home on OTC aspirin if needed. The only opioid we ever send an animal home with is tramadol, or in very rare cases, torbugesic. Many clinics also use injectable morphine, or dilaudid on animals in their hospital, but the vets that I work for prefer ketamine or non-opioid options (although they are somewhat "old school" in their ways).

Skeye

Ok, Stupid Question....Don't they think that there is a risk that the dog would get it off somehow and injest it?

hydrenga.....my guess is that the vet would put on a collar that looks like a lamp shade and it doesn't allow the dog to turn and reach the patch or wound......I'm no vet but I'm sure I've put a few of their kids through university with the bills I've had to pay to keep my animals in good shape over the years.