Case studies of compounded Tramadol use in cats

Medical therapy for pain management is limited in the feline patient and offers many challenges to the practitioner. Issues that have to be considered for feline pain management are metabolic differences, concurrent illnesses, and drug administration problems. Common pain management therapies used in cats are opioids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, local blocks, anticonvulsants (gabapentin and pregabalin), and tricyclic antidepressants, which offer an adjunctive effect with other drug therapies. While nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use has a low risk of side effects in many cats, extreme caution is warranted in certain situations and completely contraindicated in others. Tramadol is a synthetic opioid that has scarcely been researched in cats, although its clinical use appears beneficial. Benefits of the compounded tramadol product over the commercially available film-coated tablets include palatability and more accurate dosing for the feline species. This article discusses tramadol, provides a brief literature review on tramadol studies, provides case reports documenting the use of tramadol in each case, and provides a compounded tramadol oral suspension formula for use in felines.