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Equine neonates experience many painful injuries, illnesses and surgeries, but veterinarians have limited analgesic choices for them because many currenlty used pain relievers cause side effects in foals.. Buprenorphine is a potent pain-relieving drug with a fairly long duration of action. It is administered under the tongue, which eliminates the need to administer the drug with a painful injection, and has been approved for use in horses in the United Kingdom. Researchers will determine the plasma concentrations and adverse effects of buprenorphine administered under the tongue and intravenously to neonatal foals. Results will provide veterinarians with a safe option for providing pain relief in foals and will help researchers design further studies of this drug in foals. The determination of safe and efficacious dosing recommendations for a long-acting opioid that can be administered under the tongue would allow for safer and more consistent pain management in neonatal foals.

Study ID
D14EQ-039
Study Status
Complete
Start Date
04/01/2014
Grant amount awarded
$22,636
Grant recipient
Washington State University
Study country
United States
Investigator
Tamara L. Grubb, DVM, MVSc
Study category
Pharmacology