Pain Management in Degus
Pocket Pet · Octodon degus · typical adult weight 0.17–0.30 kg
6 cited drugs treat Pain Management in degus: Butorphanol, Flunixin Meglumine, Metamizole, Morphine, Tolfenamic acid, Tramadol.
Multimodal analgesia spanning NSAIDs, opioids, local anaesthetics, NMDA antagonists (ketamine), α2 agonists, and adjuncts. Species safety matters: NSAIDs are unsafe in some reptiles, opioid receptor distributions differ in birds, and rabbits tolerate buprenorphine particularly well.
The overview above describes Pain Management across species; the citations below are the ExoticRx dose rules scoped to degus — a reference list, not new species-specific clinical guidance.
Butorphanol(Torbugesic, Torbutrol)
Analgesic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | 5 mg/kg | once after surgery | postoperative pain treatment | Weak | Ikai Y, Nagura-Kato GA, Sakamoto SH, Shinohara A, Koshimoto C. Optimization of inhaled anesthesia for Octodon degus using electroencephalography. Exp Anim. 2025 Jan 10;74(1):93-103. doi:10.1538/expanim.24-0017. PMID: 39168618; PMCID: PMC11742480. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11742480/ |
Flunixin Meglumine(Banamine)
Analgesic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | 2.5–5 mg/kg | q12-24h | Analgesia / anti-inflammatory | Weak | Flecknell PA. Analgesia and post-operative care. Laboratory Animal Anaesthesia; 2016:141-192. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.791 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.4 (Analgesic Agents Used in Rodents). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Metamizole
Analgesic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO, SC | 20–50 mg/kg | q6-12h | Analgesia | Weak | Ewringmann A, Gloeckner B. Leitsymptome bei Meerschweinchen, Chinchilla und Degu, Enke, Stuttgart, Germany; 2012. | Ewringmann A, Gloeckner B. Leitsymptome bei Hamster, Ratte, Maus und Rennmaus, Enke, Stuttgart, Germany; 2014. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.792 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.4 (Analgesic Agents Used in Rodents). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Morphine
Analgesic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC, IM | 2–5 mg/kg | q4h | Analgesia | Weak | Allweiler SI. How to improve anesthesia and analgesia in small mammals. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2016;19:361-377. | Morrisey JK, Carpenter JW. Formulary. In: Quesenberry KE, Carpenter JW, eds. Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 4th ed., Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2021:620-630. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.792 — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929; Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery — ISBN 9780323484350, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323484350 [w3r2 2026-08-14] LOCATOR: Carpenter 6th ed, Table 9.4 (Analgesic Agents Used in Rodents), the 2-5 mg/kg SC, IM q4h Most species row bearing superscripts 7 and 130. Held copy is a paginationless ebook conversion, so the table and not the page is the citable location. |
Tolfenamic acid
Analgesic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO, SC | 4 mg/kg | q24h x 3 doses max | Analgesia / anti-inflammatory | Weak | Ewringmann A, Gloeckner B. Leitsymptome bei Meerschweinchen, Chinchilla und Degu, Enke, Stuttgart, Germany; 2012. | Ewringmann A, Gloeckner B. Leitsymptome bei Hamster, Ratte, Maus und Rennmaus, Enke, Stuttgart, Germany; 2014. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.793 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 9.4 (Analgesic Agents Used in Rodents). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Tramadol
Analgesic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | 2 mg/kg | One hour before surgery | Pre-surgical analgesia for cesarean section | Weak | Correa LA, Espinoza A, Aleuy OA, Soto-Gamboa M. Cesarean surgery and ovariohysterectomy in a precocial rodent Octodon degus. Austral Journal of Veterinary Science. 2023;55:155-166. DOI: 10.4206/ajvs.553.01 URL: https://ajvs.cl/index.php/ajvs/article/download/281/206 |
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice. Verify against current literature before clinical use.