Pain Management in Mouses
Pocket Pet · Mus musculus · typical adult weight 0.02–0.04 kg
7 cited drugs treat Pain Management in mouses: Buprenorphine, Butorphanol, Flunixin, Ketoprofen, Meloxicam, Sustained-release buprenorphine, extended-release buprenorphine.
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 mouses — a reference list, not new species-specific clinical guidance.
Buprenorphine(Simbadol, Buprenex)
Analgesic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IP | 0.05–0.1 mg/kg | every 4-8 hours | Analgesia | Weak | Oh SS, Narver HL. Mouse and Rat Anesthesia and Analgesia. Curr Protoc. 2024 Feb;4(2):e995. doi:10.1002/cpz1.995. PMID: 38406895; PMCID: PMC10914332. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10914332/ |
| SC | 0.9 mg/kg | single dose | Analgesia (postoperative/surgical pain); the study's tested and recommended dose. Per the paper it 'provides sufficient plasma concentrations for analgesia in mice for 6 to 12 h after administration, | Weak | Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy of a Long-lasting, Highly Concentrated Buprenorphine Solution in Mice. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (JAALAS), 2021. PMID 32993847; DOI 10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-20-000049; PMC7831350. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7831350/ |
| unspecified | 0.1 mg/kg | See source | Analgesia (comparator dose in murine studies; the standard formulation Bup-HCl against which Bup-LHC is compared). Route/frequency not stated in this sentence; elsewhere the paper notes Bup-HCl 'is ty | Weak | Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy of a Long-lasting, Highly Concentrated Buprenorphine Solution in Mice. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (JAALAS), 2021. PMID 32993847; DOI 10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-20-000049; PMC7831350. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7831350/ |
Butorphanol(Torbugesic, Torbutrol)
Analgesic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | 1–5 mg/kg | every 2 hours | Analgesia | Weak | Oh SS, Narver HL. Mouse and Rat Anesthesia and Analgesia. Curr Protoc. 2024 Feb;4(2):e995. doi:10.1002/cpz1.995. PMID: 38406895; PMCID: PMC10914332. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10914332/ |
Flunixin
Uncategorized| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | 2.5 mg/kg | every 12-24 hours | Analgesia (NSAID) | Weak | Oh SS, Narver HL. Mouse and Rat Anesthesia and Analgesia. Curr Protoc. 2024 Feb;4(2):e995. doi:10.1002/cpz1.995. PMID: 38406895; PMCID: PMC10914332. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10914332/ |
Ketoprofen(Ketofen)
Analgesic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | 10–20 mg/kg | every 24 hours | Analgesia (NSAID) | Weak | Oh SS, Narver HL. Mouse and Rat Anesthesia and Analgesia. Curr Protoc. 2024 Feb;4(2):e995. doi:10.1002/cpz1.995. PMID: 38406895; PMCID: PMC10914332. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10914332/ |
Meloxicam(Metacam)
Analgesic| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | 2.5 mg/kg | every 12 h for 36 h | Low-dose comparison arm for post-operative analgesia (found LESS effective than 10 mg/kg) | Weak | High-dose Meloxicam Provides Improved Analgesia in Female CD1 Mice: A Pharmacokinetic and Efficacy Study. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci (JAALAS). PMID 36755203; DOI 10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-22-000064. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9936853/ URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9936853/ |
| SC | 1.6 mg/kg | every 24 h (at 0, 24, and 48 h); up to 3 doses | Dose administered in the pharmacokinetic study (postoperative analgesia context) | Weak | Subcutaneous meloxicam suspension pharmacokinetics in mice and dose considerations for postoperative analgesia. Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. PMID 26896236; DOI 10.1111/jvp.12297; PMC7166601. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7166601/ |
| SC | 10 mg/kg | every 12 h | Post-operative analgesia (ovariectomy via ventral laparotomy); authors' concluded efficacious high dose | Weak | High-dose Meloxicam Provides Improved Analgesia in Female CD1 Mice: A Pharmacokinetic and Efficacy Study. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci (JAALAS). PMID 36755203; DOI 10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-22-000064. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9936853/ URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9936853/ |
| unspecified | 20 mg/kg | See source | peri- and post-operative analgesia | Weak | Sarfaty AE, Zeiss CJ, Willis AD, Harris JM, Smith PC. Concentration-dependent Toxicity after Subcutaneous Administration of Meloxicam to C57BL/6N Mice (Mus musculus). J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2019 Nov 1;58(6):802-809. PMID: 31540585. DOI: 10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-19-000037. URL: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31540585/ |
Sustained-release buprenorphine
Uncategorized| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | 1 mg/kg | once | post-operative analgesia (incisional pain model) | Weak | Navarro KL, et al. Lipid bound extended release buprenorphine (high and low doses) and sustained release buprenorphine effectively attenuate post-operative hypersensitivity in an incisional pain model in mice (Mus musculus). Animal Models and Experimental Medicine. 2021. DOI 10.1002/ame2.12157; PMID 34179720; PMCID PMC8212827. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8212827/ |
| SC | 0.6 mg/kg | See source | Analgesia in a surgical model of pain (analgesia for at least 48 h). NOTE: reported by the paper as a finding of 'previous studies' (cited comparator), not a dose administered in this study. | Weak | Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy of a Long-lasting, Highly Concentrated Buprenorphine Solution in Mice. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (JAALAS), 2021. PMID 32993847; DOI 10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-20-000049; PMC7831350. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7831350/ |
extended-release buprenorphine
Uncategorized| Route | Dose | Frequency | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | 3.25 mg/kg | once | post-operative analgesia (incisional pain model) | Weak | Navarro KL, et al. Lipid bound extended release buprenorphine (high and low doses) and sustained release buprenorphine effectively attenuate post-operative hypersensitivity in an incisional pain model in mice (Mus musculus). Animal Models and Experimental Medicine. 2021. DOI 10.1002/ame2.12157; PMID 34179720; PMCID PMC8212827. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8212827/ |
| SC | 6.5 mg/kg | once | post-operative analgesia (incisional pain model) | Weak | Navarro KL, et al. Lipid bound extended release buprenorphine (high and low doses) and sustained release buprenorphine effectively attenuate post-operative hypersensitivity in an incisional pain model in mice (Mus musculus). Animal Models and Experimental Medicine. 2021. DOI 10.1002/ame2.12157; PMID 34179720; PMCID PMC8212827. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8212827/ |
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.