What is Tramadol used for?

Tramadol is indicated for: Adjunct chronic pain, Adjunct musculoskeletal pain, Adjunct pain, Adjunct pain control, Analgesia, analgesia (thermal antinociception), Analgesia (thermal antinociception) - recommended dose, Chronic osteoarthritis pain adjunct, chronic pain, Chronic pain (feline), chronic pain adjunct, Chronic pain management, maintain therapeutic plasma concentrations, Mild-moderate pain, Moderate pain, Pain management, Paracloacal gland carcinoma (analgesia), Peri-operative analgesia, pre-medication, Pre-surgical analgesia.

Which species have cited Tramadol dosing data?

Tramadol dosing in the ExoticRx formulary covers 15 species: African Grey Parrot, African Pygmy Hedgehog, Amazon Parrot, Cat (Domestic), Chinchilla, Degu, Dog (Domestic), Ferret, Guinea Pig, Horse (Equine), Pet Rat, Rabbit (Domestic), Red-eared Slider, Sugar Glider, Veiled Chameleon.

Is Tramadol a controlled substance?

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

Tramadol

Calculate dosage

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

Tramadol is dosed at 5–10 mg/kg PO See source in red-eared sliders, per Baker BB, Sladky KK, Johnson SM. Evaluation of the analgesic effects of oral and subcutaneous tramadol administration in red-eared slider turtles. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2011;238:220-227. doi:10.2460/javma.238.2.220 — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.256 (2026-08-01).. Verify against current literature before clinical use.

Drug Class

Analgesic

Routes

POIV

Indications

Adjunct chronic painAdjunct musculoskeletal painAdjunct painAdjunct pain control Analgesia

Mechanism of Action

Weak mu-opioid receptor agonist plus norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibition. Dual mechanism of analgesia.

Side effects & warnings

Dogs metabolize to O-desmethyltramadol poorly compared to humans (reduced opioid effect). May cause sedation, dysphoria. Serotonin syndrome risk with concurrent SSRIs. Cats may respond better than dogs.

Controlled Substance

Controlled substance in the US

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

Evidence levels across 21 dose rules

Moderate×4Weak×13Extrapolated×3Anecdotal×1

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

Backed by 15 published sources

· Baker BB, Sladky KK, Johnson SM. Evaluation of the analgesic effects of oral and subcutaneous tramadol administration in red-eared slider turtles. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2011 Jan 15;238(2):220-227. PMID: 21235376; DOI: 10.2460/javma.238.2.220; PMCID: PMC3158493. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3158493/
· Baker BB, Sladky KK, Johnson SM. Evaluation of the analgesic effects of oral and subcutaneous tramadol administration in red-eared slider turtles. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2011;238:220-227. doi:10.2460/javma.238.2.220 — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.256 (2026-08-01).
· Carpenter 6e
· Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed
·

Sample dosing (2 of 21 cited rules)

A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 15 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
Dog (Domestic)	IV	2–3 mg/kg	q8h	Moderate	Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 9th Ed
Cat (Domestic)	PO	1–4 mg/kg	q12h	Moderate	Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.1291 (2026-08-01).

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Chitty J. Formulary. In: Harcourt-Brown F, Chitty J, eds. BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Surgery, Dentistry and Imaging; BSAVA Press, Gloucestershire, UK; 2013:430-431. — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.864 (2026-08-01).

· 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

· Effect of GnRH agonist (deslorelin) on reproductive activity in captive female veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus). Veterinarni Medicina. DOI 10.17221/31/2023-VETMED; PMID 37982053; PMCID PMC10581518. URL: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10581518/

· Guedes AGP, Meadows JM, Pypendop BH, Johnson EG. Evaluation of tramadol for treatment of osteoarthritis in geriatric cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2018;252:565-571. (this is the reference behind the DISSENTING Plumb's figure, not behind the live dose) doi:10.2460/javma.252.5.565 — Verified against Papich/Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 4th Ed, p.831 (2026-08-01).

· Hoppes S. Analgesia and anesthesia of rabbits and rodents. Presented at: Southwest Veterinary Symposium; 2016. PMID: 1447903 — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.1291 (2026-08-01).

· Hoppes S. Medicine and diseases of sugar gliders. Presented at: Southwest Veterinary Symposium; 2016. PMID: 42432024 — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.1291 (2026-08-01).

· Jepson L. Ferrets. In: Jepson L, eds. Exotic Animal Medicine: A Quick Reference Guide, 2nd ed., Elsevier, St. Louis, MO; 2016:1-42. — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.945 (2026-08-01).

· Souza MJ, Gerhardt L, Cox S. Pharmacokinetics of repeated oral administration of tramadol hydrochloride in Hispaniolan Amazon parrots (Amazona ventralis). Am J Vet Res. 2013;74(7):957-962. doi:10.2460/ajvr.74.7.957 — Verified against Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed, p.456 (2026-08-01).