Use of oral buprenorphine ('buprenorphine jello') for postoperative analgesia in rats - a clinical trial

Buprenorphine (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 or 0.4 mg/kg) in a flavoured gelatin base was administered preoperatively to rats undergoing a flank laparotomy. A contro l group of animals underwent surgery and received only flavoured gelatin. B ody weight loss was significantly greater in the group which received no an algesia than in any of the analgesic-treated groups (P < 0.01). Food consum ption was reduced significantly in all groups except in those animals which received 0.3 mg/kg buprenorphine. Water consumption was significantly redu ced in the control (no analgesia) group (P < 0.001), but was not significan tly depressed in the analgesic-treated groups (P > 0.05). Between-group com parisons did not show any significant difference between the different dose rates of analgesia used on either the change in body weight or the reducti on in food or water consumption. The results of this study support the use of buprenorphine jelly for post-surgical analgesia in rats. This route of d elivery is easy to use, and causes a minimum of stress to the rats.