Acetaminophen / Paracetamol Dose

[Dewi]

Can anyone tell me the correct dose for acetaminophen (for those not in the US or Canada this is paracetamol)?

My vet said 10 mg/ 500 g daily max, but the rat guide gives a higher dose. I'm giving the smaller dose just as a precaution.
My poor Bunny (the rat) has a temp (37.4C when I placed the themometer under her chest and armpit area, I was too scared to get a rectal temp). No wonder she looks really uncomfortable.

Thanks again.

Dewi

 

[lilspaz68]

what is the concentration (mg) of your paracetamol?

 

[jorats]

Rectal temperature should be 38 to 39 C but I'm not sure if you are getting a proper reading with under the armpit.
http://www.ratbehavior.org/Stats.htm

On another site they state: 35.9 to 37.5 but I'm not sure using what method.
http://research.uiowa.edu/animal/?get=rat
JE, Wagner JE 1989, The Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents; 3rd Edition, Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia

 

[Dewi]

Hi Jo & Shelagh,

The temps on the websites really do vary from each other. My vet told me what the normal temp ranges are for rats is supposed to be but I've forgotten exactly what that is, however I remember thinking that it was very similar to human temps. So based on humans, a temp of 37.4 measured inaccurately at the chest/armpit would indicate a rectal temp of more than 37.5, in which case Bunny would have been febrile (according to my estimates).

She seems to look better since giving the paracetmol to her, but this may be a case of wishful thinking on my part.

Shelagh, the concentration of my paracetamol is 100 mg/ml. I gave 0.1 ml, meaninig that she received a dose of 10 mg.

 

[lilspaz68]

100 mg/kg to 300 mg/kg; PO (oral), q4hrs

http://ratguide.com/meds/analgesics/acetaminophen.php

Hmmm...10 mg is very low even for a teeny weeny rat

I'll do some estimates for you

Using the low dose recommended of 100 mg/kg with the concentration of 100 mg/ml

100 gram rat = .1 cc
200 gram rat - .2 cc
and so on...

 

[Dewi]

Well based on 100 mg/kg I'll give her 0.45 ml.

Since working in an intensive care unit I am starting to get a little paranoid. We had a boy (teenager) come in who had overdosed on paracetamol and his liver was ruined- the boy passed away , but now I'm paranoid about overdosing with paracetamol. It was an accident in this case, not an intentional overdose.

Anyhow, thank you both very much.

 

[Lise]

37.5 is certainly not febrile.... Normal is 38C. I honestly wouldn't worry unless it was up over 39C certainly.

 

[Dewi]

37.5 is certainly not febrile.... Normal is 38C. I honestly wouldn't worry unless it was up over 39C certainly.

I was basing things on human body temps seeing as the rat temps given on the internet are so variable and also based on what I can remember from my conversation with my vet. So for people more than 37.5 is febrile.

 

[jorats]

Lise, do you know of any other way we can take our rattie's temp without going up the butt?
(FYI, Lise is a vet tech)

 

[Lise]

No, there is no other way, unfortunately. Their ear canals are not large enough to make that even a remote possibility. (I like ear temps for dogs/cats now.) And there is no other way to get an accurate temp.

Aside from the initial shock of 'up the bum' it really isn't harmful to them. To put it in perspective their poops they pass are larger than the end of the thermometer and that is all you need to insert.

The only time I have ever done temps on my own rats, though, is post-op.