My senior cat has pain. How often can I give buprenorphine safely?

Question

My senior cat (she's nearly 15) has been recently diagnosed with a tumor in her colon. To keep her comfortable, she has been prescribed .3mg of buprenorphine "as needed for pain." My vet's office is closed today but I want to clarify what "as needed" really means, as I don't want to give my cat too much pain medicine but do want to address her pain. How frequently can I safely administer the buprenorphine in a day? Thank you so much. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 14 years and 10 months old | 12 lbs

Christie Long, DVM · Accepted Answer

Buprenorphine can be given as often as every 6 hours, but it's typically prescribed to be given every 8 hours. It can be difficult to know for sure whether a cat's in pain, but I would look for signs like a relaxed posture, not hiding, interest in food and attention as signs that Kiki is comfortable. If you give it every 6 hours you can be pretty confident that it's doing it's job.

My senior cat has pain. How often can I give buprenorphine safely?

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