VETINUITY
Is butorphanol enough for a fracture or surgery?
No. It is a mu antagonist and kappa agonist with a ceiling on analgesia and a short duration, so it suits sedation and mild pain, not orthopedic or abdominal surgery.
● ANSWER
Sourced & dated
What is the butorphanol dose for dogs and cats?
Butorphanol is dosed at 0.2-0.4 mg/kg IV, IM or SC in dogs and cats for sedation and mild pain, lasting about 1-2 hours, and at 0.05-0.1 mg/kg SC as an antitussive in dogs.
● VETINUITY BUTORPHANOL DOSE CALCULATOR
Vetinuity butorphanol dose calculator
Butorphanol 10 mg/mL injection.
● WHAT'S DOCUMENTED
Vetinuity’s butorphanol dose table: 0.2-0.4 mg/kg IV, IM or SC in dogs and cats for sedation and mild pain, effective for roughly 1 to 2 hours, and 0.05-0.1 mg/kg SC every 6 to 12 hours in dogs as a cough suppressant. Use the Vetinuity butorphanol dose calculator above for the milligrams and the volume of 10 mg/mL stock.
Dose table
| Indication | Dog | Cat | Route and frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedation, alone or with a sedative | 0.2-0.4 mg/kg | 0.2-0.4 mg/kg | IV, IM or SC once |
| Mild or visceral pain | 0.2-0.4 mg/kg | 0.2-0.4 mg/kg | IV, IM or SC q1-2h |
| Antitussive | 0.05-0.1 mg/kg SC; 0.5-1 mg/kg PO | Not used | SC q6-12h or PO q6-12h |
| Partial reversal of a mu agonist | 0.05-0.1 mg/kg | 0.05-0.1 mg/kg | IV, titrated |
Where butorphanol fits
Butorphanol is a kappa agonist and mu antagonist. Its strengths are dependable sedation with minimal cardiovascular change and very little vomiting, which makes it a common partner for dexmedetomidine or acepromazine in a radiograph sedation, and a gentle choice for a dyspneic patient, such as a dog or cat in congestive heart failure, where anxiety drives oxygen demand. Its weakness is analgesia: the effect plateaus and fades within an hour or two, so it is not a primary analgesic for surgery or trauma.
Route matters in cats
Wells and colleagues measured butorphanol plasma levels in cats after IM and buccal transmucosal dosing, which gives the buccal route some pharmacokinetic footing in a cat that resents injection. IM, usually combined with a sedative, remains the reference route the dose table is built on.
Cautions
Giving butorphanol shortly before a full mu agonist can blunt the full agonist, so plan the order. Do not use the antitussive dose in a dog with a productive cough, where clearing secretions matters. Butorphanol is Schedule IV in the US.
Vetinuity, the clinical assistant created by Brian Toncray, DVM, an emergency vet, cross-links this page with the other opioids: hydromorphone, buprenorphine, and naloxone for full reversal; plus the sedative partner acepromazine.
● SOURCES
- 1. DailyMed: Torbugesic (butorphanol tartrate) label search. Dosage and Administration. Checked 2026-10-26.
- 2. Wells SM, Glerum LE, Papich MG. Pharmacokinetics of butorphanol in cats after intramuscular and buccal transmucosal administration. Am J Vet Res. 2008;69(12):1548-1554. PMID 19045999. Abstract. Checked 2026-10-26.
- 3. Lascelles BD, Robertson SA. Antinociceptive effects of hydromorphone, butorphanol, or the combination in cats. J Vet Intern Med. 2004;18(2):190-195. PMID 15058769. Abstract. Checked 2026-10-26.
● RELATED ANSWERS
- Hydromorphone Dose for Dogs and Cats
Hydromorphone is dosed at 0.05-0.1 mg/kg IV, IM or SC every 4-6 hours in dogs and 0.025-0.05 mg/kg IV or IM every 4-6 hours in cats, or as a 0.01-0.03 mg/kg/h CRI in dogs.
- Buprenorphine Dose for Dogs and Cats (Simbadol)
Buprenorphine is dosed at 0.01-0.02 mg/kg IV or IM every 6-8 hours in dogs and 0.01-0.03 mg/kg IV, IM or oral transmucosal every 6-8 hours in cats, with the 1.8 mg/mL Simbadol formulation at 0.24 mg/kg SC once daily in cats only.
- Acepromazine Dose for Dogs and Cats
Injectable acepromazine is dosed at 0.01-0.05 mg/kg IV, IM or SC in dogs (commonly capped at 1-3 mg total) and 0.03-0.05 mg/kg IM or SC in cats, combined with an opioid because it gives no analgesia.
- CHF Crisis in Dogs and Cats: Furosemide Dosing
Vetinuity's CHF crisis table: furosemide 2 mg/kg IV or IM in dogs, repeated hourly up to about 8 mg/kg in 4 hours or run as a 0.66-1 mg/kg/h CRI, plus oxygen and pimobendan.
- Naloxone Dose for Dogs and Cats
Naloxone is dosed at 0.01-0.04 mg/kg IV, IM or SC in dogs and cats to reverse opioids, titrated in small diluted increments when only partial reversal is wanted, and repeated because it wears off in 30-60 minutes.
● FAQ
Can butorphanol reverse a full mu agonist?
Partly. Small IV doses can lift mu-agonist sedation and respiratory depression while keeping some analgesia.
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