Fentanyl

Fentanyl is a narcotic; a member of the same group of drugs as opium and morphine. Most of us are familiar with at least some of the opiate effects: pain relief, drowsiness, euphoria, addictiveness, diarrhea, respiratory depression, and hallucinations. The opiate drugs bind to different types of opiate receptors throughout the nervous system. Fentanyl is approximately 75-100 times stronger than morphine. It reaches its peak blood level in 3-6 hours in cats but may take a full 12 hours in dogs. Signs such as addictiveness and hallucinations are felt not to be observed in pets, with the use of Fentanyl.

The primary use of the Fentanyl patch is to provide a continuous delivery of pain reliever to the patient with ongoing pain. These patches are especially useful after a surgical procedure but are also helpful after injury or in the management of cancer-related pain, particularly if giving pills is problematic. In the past, pain relievers have been given as shots or pills on an as-needed basis. Since it is difficult to determine when an animal is in pain, the basic guideline is to consider the pain that human patients report after similar surgeries or injuries. If a human would be expected to experience pain in a similar circumstance, then it can be assumed that an animal would be expected to feel pain as well. Some individuals require additional medication for breakthrough pain.