Administering buprenex- under the tongue?

lsanders

lsanders

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Albus had a bunch of teeth yesterday (apparently stomatitis is contagious!
) and the vet gave us buprenex (pain medication) in pre-measured oral syringes. We're supposed to shoot the medicine under his tongue. If it goes down his throat, it will get metabolized and will be completely ineffective.

The vet did it for us at the office this morning and made it look really easy. Now we're on our own and it's definitely not so easy.

When Albus had fatty liver disease when we first got him, I became an expert at shooting food down his throat, but trying to get it in, but NOT down his throat? Ugh. Not happening.

Any advice?
 
carolina

carolina

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Hi.... First, stomatitis is not contagious

About the Buprenex - it is not going to be completely ineffective if you shoot on the throat - probably it will not even make its way to the stomach, as it is very little qty... I had the same problem with my stomatitis kitty, and yes, it is a hard one, especially when their mouth is so sore.
The best way to do it, I find, is to put it on their gums, in between the teeth and the cheek. Just pull his cheek and shoot the medication on his gums - you do not even need to see the gums... very easy. You can also put on the roof of his mouth - When you touch the syringe on his mouth, he will open it - do it with the syringe facing forward, instead of the back of the throat - as soon as he opens the mouth, shoot the medication in toward the cheek or the roof of his mouth. The key is to put it in his mouth instead of having hims swallowing immediately. It doesn't need to be under the tongue.
Hope it helps!
 
otto

otto

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Originally Posted by Carolina

Hi.... First, stomatitis is not contagious

About the Buprenex - it is not going to be completely ineffective if you shoot on the throat - probably it will not even make its way to the stomach, as it is very little qty... I had the same problem with my stomatitis kitty, and yes, it is a hard one, especially when their mouth is so sore.
The best way to do it, I find, is to put it on their gums, in between the teeth and the cheek. Just pull his cheek and shoot the medication on his gums - you do not even need to see the gums... very easy. You can also put on the roof of his mouth - When you touch the syringe on his mouth, he will open it - do it with the syringe facing forward, instead of the back of the throat - as soon as he opens the mouth, shoot the medication in toward the cheek or the roof of his mouth. The key is to put it in his mouth instead of having hims swallowing immediately. It doesn't need to be under the tongue.
Hope it helps!
Click to expand...
I too have had to use buprenex in a kitty after dental surgery (4 extractions) and this is how I did it.

Hope your Albus
is feeling better soon.
 
snickerdoodle

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Hm! Interesting! My vet said nothing about putting it under his tongue. She did say it was absorbed through the mouth so it was quick acting, all I did was put it in the front or side of his mouth barely and squirt it in so he had to lick it around his mouth. Worked like a charm, his pupils dilated rather quickly and he slept like a charm. I don't know that I'd try so hard to get it -under the tongue- (That sounds like a heck of a lot of trouble!! Not to mention I'd be afraid of getting bitten!) but to keep it in his mouth and not point it at the back of his throat. (I pointed it at the other side of the mouth and slowly administered it, so it would squirt out, though they only gave me 2 drops per syringe LOL, hard to squirt that stuff (for me anyway) )

Good luck
 
mystik spiral

mystik spiral

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I'm with Snickerdoodle, when I had to give Holland her buprenex after oral surgery I was not told that it couldn't go down her throat... I did the syringes just like Carolina suggested, I pulled up her cheek and shot it onto her gums. It was such a small amount, I think she licked it all up before it had a chance to go anywhere other than her mouth!


Good luck!
 
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