Pain Management in Guinea Pigs

Pocket Pet · Cavia porcellus · typical adult weight 0.70–1.20 kg

5 cited drugs treat Pain Management in guinea pigs: Buprenorphine, Butorphanol, Butorphanol Injectable, Meloxicam, 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 guinea pigs — a reference list, not new species-specific clinical guidance.

Buprenorphine(Simbadol, Buprenex)

Analgesic

Route	Dose	Frequency	Duration	Indication	Evidence	Source
IM	0.02–0.05 mg/kg	q6-12h	As needed	Pain management	Moderate	Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed
IV	0.02–0.05 mg/kg	q6-12h	As needed	Acute pain (hospitalized)	Moderate	Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed
SC	0.02–0.05 mg/kg	q6-12h	As needed	Pain management	Moderate	Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed

Full Buprenorphine dosing in Guinea Pigs →Calculate for this guinea pig →

Butorphanol(Torbugesic, Torbutrol)

Analgesic

Route	Dose	Frequency	Duration	Indication	Evidence	Source
SC	0.2–2 mg/kg	q4h	As needed	Pain management	Moderate	Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed

Full Butorphanol dosing in Guinea Pigs →Calculate for this guinea pig →

Butorphanol Injectable(Torbugesic, Torbutrol Injectable)

Neurological

Route	Dose	Frequency	Duration	Indication	Evidence	Source
SC	0.4–2 mg/kg	q4-6h	As needed	Analgesia	Moderate	Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed

Full Butorphanol Injectable dosing in Guinea Pigs →Calculate for this guinea pig →

Meloxicam(Metacam)

Analgesic

Route	Dose	Frequency	Duration	Indication	Evidence	Source
PO	0.3–0.5 mg/kg	q24h	3-7 days post-dental	Dental pain (malocclusion)	Moderate	Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed
SC	0.3–0.5 mg/kg	q24h	1-3 days then switch to oral	Post-operative analgesia	Moderate	Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed

Full Meloxicam dosing in Guinea Pigs →Calculate for this guinea pig →

Tramadol

Analgesic

Route	Dose	Frequency	Duration	Indication	Evidence	Source
PO	5–10 mg/kg	q12h	As needed	Pain management	Extrapolated	Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed

Full Tramadol dosing in Guinea Pigs →Calculate for this guinea pig →

All drugs cited for Pain Management →All drugs for Guinea Pigs →

Other conditions in Guinea Pigs

Bacterial Infections Respiratory Infections Sedation General Anesthesia Coccidiosis Conjunctivitis Endoparasites GI Ulceration

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.