Pocket Pet · Cavia porcellus · typical adult weight 0.70–1.20 kg
Buprenorphine is dosed at 0.02–0.05 mg/kg IV q6-12h in guinea pigs, per Adamcak A, Otten B. Rodent therapeutics. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2000;3(1):221-237, viii. — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.181 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.150, Buprenorphine monograph spanning p.150-154; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, verified to name the drug in its body text. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207. Buprenorphine is used in guinea pigs for Acute pain (hospitalized), Pain management. Routes documented in guinea pigs: IV, SC. A typical adult guinea pig weighs 0.70–1.20 kg. ExoticRx lists 3 cited dose rules for Buprenorphine in guinea pigs, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
US trade names: Simbadol, Buprenex
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IV | 0.02–0.05 mg/kg | q6-12h | As needed | Acute pain (hospitalized) | Moderate | Adamcak A, Otten B. Rodent therapeutics. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2000;3(1):221-237, viii. — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.181 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.150, Buprenorphine monograph spanning p.150-154; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, verified to name the drug in its body text. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207 |
| SC | 0.02–0.05 mg/kg | q6-12h | As needed | Pain management | Moderate | Fehr M, Sassenburg L, Zwart P. Krankheiten der Heimtiere, 8th ed., Schluetersche Verlagsgesellschaft, Hannover, Germany; 2015.; Flecknell PA. Analgesia and post-operative care. Laboratory Animal Anaesthesia; 2016:141-192. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-800036-6.00004-1 — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.789 (2026-08-01). — 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 |
| SC | 0.05 mg/kg | q8-12h | As needed | Pain management | Moderate | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed. | Open-access corroboration 2026-07-20: PMID:27931318 — guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus), 0.05 mg/kg SC (subcutaneous) for the administered study dose; the general "suggested dosage range" sentence does not specify a route (peer_reviewed). [source route SC; interchangeable with IM for this drug] — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th ed, Table 9.3, Table 9.4 (the served figure is printed in each; all lie in the chapter covering this species); located 2026-08-06. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929 |
Every held source for this drug and species, as printed. Where they differ, both are shown — the choice is yours, not ours.
| Dose (mg/kg) | Route | Source | As printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.05 | SC | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 9.4 | 0.05 mg/kg SC q8-12h,51 |
| 0.2 | IV | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 9.4 | 0.2 mg/kg IV q7h,151 |
| 0.2 | PO | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 9.4 | 0.2 mg/kg q4h oral transmucosal |
| 0.48 | SC | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 9.4 | 0.48 mg/kg SC 0.65 mg/kg SC q48h |
| 0.65 | SC |
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These ranges are per kg. Enter your guinea pig's weight to get the precise dose and draw-up volume — unit and concentration math done for you.
Partial agonist at mu-opioid receptors with high receptor affinity. Provides analgesia with a ceiling effect on respiratory depression.
OTM (oral transmucosal) absorption effective in cats. Ceiling effect limits maximum analgesia. Difficult to reverse with naloxone due to high receptor affinity.
Species-specific contraindications and adverse-reaction reports for guinea pigs may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Buprenorphine dose ranges in guinea pigs, with cited source references: IV 0.02–0.05 mg/kg q6-12h; SC 0.02–0.05 mg/kg q6-12h; SC 0.05 mg/kg q8-12h. Reference ranges from cited sources — verify against current literature before clinical use.
Documented routes for Buprenorphine in guinea pigs: IV, SC.
Cited course lengths for Buprenorphine in guinea pigs include: As needed. Duration depends on the indication — match it to the specific dose rule in the table above.
Buprenorphine is indicated in guinea pigs for: Acute pain (hospitalized), Pain management.
These are general warnings for Buprenorphine across species; consult the guinea pig dosing table above for species-specific guidance. OTM (oral transmucosal) absorption effective in cats. Ceiling effect limits maximum analgesia. Difficult to reverse with naloxone due to high receptor affinity.
Why a species-specific page? Buprenorphine pharmacokinetics differ across species: dose ranges, intervals, and route preferences are not interchangeable. Cross-extrapolation from canine doses is unsafe in guinea pigs — the rules above are the citations specific to this species, not generic recommendations.
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice.
| Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 9.4 |
| 0.48 mg/kg SC 0.65 mg/kg SC q48h |
| 0.3–0.48 | SC | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 9.4 | - 0.3-0.48 mg/kg SC 0.3-1.2 mg/kg SC q48- 72h |
| 0.3–1.2 | SC | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 9.4 | - 0.3-0.48 mg/kg SC 0.3-1.2 mg/kg SC q48- 72h |
| 0.6 | SC | Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th edTable 9.4 | 0.6 mg/kg SC q48h0.6 mg/kg SC q72h |
Figures are transcribed from the cited page or table of each held edition and are shown for reference only. They are not dose recommendations, they do not feed the calculator, and none has been reviewed by a veterinarian.