Reptile Analgesia Without Respiratory Depression

In collaboration with Dr. Kurt Sladky (Surgical Sciences, UW School of Vet Med), our goal is to test and develop pharmacological approaches for providing pain relief in reptiles with minimal or no respiratory depression. To test for analgesic effects of drugs, noxious thermal stimuli are applied to the hindlimbs of awake turtles before and after drug administration. Breathing in freely-swimming turtles is measured as described above to measure any respiratory depression.

Our major findings are that butorphanol (most widely prescribed drug for pain relief in reptiles) does not provide analgesia, while morphine provides analgesia and causes severe respiratory depression.

Current studies show that tramadol given orally produces long-lasting analgesia (up to 3 days after drug administration) with only modest respiratory depression.