Is Hydromorphone a controlled substance?

Yes — Hydromorphone is a controlled substance under US federal law.

Hydromorphone

US brand names:Dilaudid

Sourced from published veterinary references. Awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer — our editorial process.

Hydromorphone is dosed at 0.5 mg/kg SC q24h (bearded dragons) in bearded dragons, per 180a. Hawkins SJ, Cox S, Yaw TJ, et al. Pharmacokinetics of subcutaneous administered hydromorphone in bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) and red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans. Vet Anaesth Analg. 2019;46(3):352-359. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.253 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.6 (Analgesic (Including Antiinflammatory) Agents Used in Reptiles). 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. Verify against current literature before clinical use.

Drug Class

Analgesic

Routes

IVIMSC

Indications

Acute painAcute pain (full mu-agonist opioid)Analgesia Analgesia (opioid)analgesic efficacy not demonstrated in bearded dragons Immobilization (sedation/anesthesia)Moderate to severe painModerate to severe pain (analgesia)Opioid analgesia peri-operative opioid analgesia Post-operative analgesia pre-anesthetic Sedation Sedation (NOT demonstrated as an analgesic in this species)

Mechanism of Action

Semi-synthetic opioid agonist at mu-opioid receptors, producing potent analgesia, sedation, and euphoria. Approximately 5-7x more potent than morphine.

Side effects & warnings

Respiratory depression, bradycardia, hypothermia. May cause panting and hyperthermia in cats. Vomiting common after initial dose in dogs. Schedule II controlled substance. Naloxone is the reversal agent.

Species with Hydromorphone dosing data (19 dose rules)

African Pygmy Hedgehog Bearded Dragon Cat (Domestic)Chinchilla Cockatiel Corn Snake Dog (Domestic)Ferret Leopard Gecko Rabbit (Domestic)Red-eared Slider Sulcata Tortoise

Species references:All African Pygmy Hedgehog drugs All Bearded Dragon drugs

Controlled Substance

Controlled substance in the US

Controlled-drug status and schedules differ by country — check your local scheduling rules.

Evidence levels across 19 dose rules

Moderate×5Strong×5Weak×8Anecdotal×1

Each ExoticRx dose rule is graded by the strength of its primary evidence — see the editorial process.

Backed by 15 published sources

· 180a. Hawkins SJ, Cox S, Yaw TJ, et al. Pharmacokinetics of subcutaneous administered hydromorphone in bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) and red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans. Vet Anaesth Analg. 2019;46(3):352-359. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.253 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.6 (Analgesic (Including Antiinflammatory) Agents Used in Reptiles). 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
· Evenson EA, Mans C. Analgesic efficacy and safety of hydromorphone in chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera). J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2018;57:282-285. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.791 PMID 29784079 — 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, | 0.05-0.2 mg/kg q8-12h figure source, previously uncited: Zoo Animal and Wildlife Immobilization and Anesthesia, Table 6.2 "Commonly used analgesics in mammals", p.109, Rodents/Lagomorphs column: "Hydromorphone 0.05-0.2 mg/kg SC, IM, q 8-12 h - rabbits, rodents" - a genus-generic mammal table, not a chinchilla row. NEITHER NAMED SOURCE PRINTS THE SERVED NUMBER: carpenter Table 9.4's hydromorphone block has exactly two rows, "0.4 mg/kg SC < q2h160 | Rats/PD" and "2 mg/kg SC < q4h45 | Chinchillas/PD", and the cited primary (Evenson and Mans 2018) tested 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg only.

Sample dosing (2 of 19 cited rules)

A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 12 species — reptiles, birds, pocket pets, livestock, and equine — is free on the per-species pages above. Pro adds the weight-based calculator for every species.

Species	Route	Dose	Frequency	Evidence	Source
Cat (Domestic)	IV	0.025–0.1 mg/kg	q2-6h	Strong	Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.649 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.619, Hydromorphone monograph spanning p.619-622; 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
Cat (Domestic)	IM	0.025–0.1 mg/kg	q2-6h	Strong	Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.649 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.619, Hydromorphone monograph spanning p.619-622; 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,

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Calculate Dosage for Hydromorphone

· Gastric Intussusceptions in a Red Corn Snake (Pantherophis guttatus) Associated with Cryptosporidiosis. Case Reports in Veterinary Medicine. 2017; Article ID 4270904. DOI 10.1155/2017/4270904; PMID 29955428; PMCID PMC6005285. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6005285/

· Hawkins SJ, Cox S, Yaw TJ, et al. Pharmacokinetics of subcutaneous administered hydromorphone in bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) and red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans). Vet Anaesth Analg. 2019;46(3):352-359. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.253 doi:10.1016/j.vaa.2018.12.002 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.6 (Analgesic (Including Antiinflammatory) Agents Used in Reptiles). 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

· Hech B, Knych H, Desprez I, Weiner D, Ambros B. Pharmacokinetics of hydromorphone hydrochloride after intravenous and subcutaneous administration in ferrets (Mustela putorius furo). Vet Anaesth Analg. 2024;51(2):152-159. doi:10.1016/j.vaa.2023.11.009 https://europepmc.org/article/MED/38158281

· Houck EL, Guzman DS, Beaufrère H, Knych HK, Paul-Murphy JR. Evaluation of the thermal antinociceptive effects and pharmacokinetics of hydromorphone hydrochloride after intramuscular administration to cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus). Am J Vet Res. 2018;79(8):820-827. doi:10.2460/ajvr.79.8.820 https://europepmc.org/article/MED/30058846

· Johnston MS. Clinical approaches to analgesia in ferrets and rabbits. J Exot Pet Med. 2005;14:229-235. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.859 doi:10.1053/j.saep.2005.09.003 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 10.4 (Chemical Restraint/Sedative/Anesthetic/Analgesic Agents Used in Rabbits.a,b). 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

· Lewington JH. Appendix. In: Lewington JH, eds. Ferret Husbandry, Medicine and Surgery; Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, UK; 2000:273-282. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.944 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 11.6 (Analgesic Agents Used in Ferrets). 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

· Mans C, Lahner LL, Baker BB, et al. Antinociceptive efficacy of buprenorphine and hydromorphone in red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans). J Zoo Wildl Med. 2012;43:662-665. — Source: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.253 doi:10.1638/2011-0260r.1 — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.6 (Analgesic (Including Antiinflammatory) Agents Used in Reptiles). 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

· Marsh MK, et al. Sedation and Anesthesia of Galapagos (Chelonoidis nigra), Aldabra (Aldabrachelys gigantea), and African Spurred Tortoises (Centrochelys sulcata): A Retrospective Review (2009-2019). Animals. 2021;11(10):2920. doi:10.3390/ani11102920; PMCID: PMC8532946. Table 1. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8532946/

· Mason AK, Lee J, Perry SM, Boykin KL, Del Piero F, Lierz M, Mitchell MA. Determining the Effects of Serial Injections of Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin on Plasma Testosterone Concentrations, Testicular Dynamics, and Semen Production in Leopard Geckos (Eublepharis macularius). Animals (Basel). 2021;11(9):2477. doi:10.3390/ani11092477 (PMID 34573443, PMC8470321). Open-access full text read. n=24 adult male E. macularius, peri-operative protocol: hydromorphone 0.5 mg/kg SC pre-operatively WITH dexmedetomidine 0.025 mg/kg and meloxicam 0.3 mg/kg, plus one further hydromorphone 0.5 mg/kg SC the following day. NO analgesic efficacy endpoint was measured. NOT supported by carpenter Table 4.7, whose only gecko-relevant hydromorphone entry is a three-drug sedation combination, nor by carpenter Table 4.6, whose reptile hydromorphone rows are scoped to red-eared sliders and bearded dragons.

· Peterson M, Mans C, Doss G. Subcutaneous hydromorphone hydrochloride provides antinociception with transient adverse effects in four-toed hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris). J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2024;262(4):1-6. doi:10.2460/javma.23.11.0630. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.23.11.0630 — SOURCE EDITION: Exotic Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine — ISBN 9781119149231, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781119149231

· Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th ed (2023, held copy; the original seed cited the 9th, which was never consulted), Hydromorphone monograph, Dosages - DOGS, corpus p.649 (printed p.622) — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207

· Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.257 (2026-08-01). — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.7 (Preferred Injectable Sedation Protocols Used in Select Reptiles.301,400,430). 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

· Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.649 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.619, Hydromorphone monograph spanning p.619-622; 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