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Can dogs take oxycodone?

Oxycodone is not used in dogs
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By | Feb. 6, 2025 Medically reviewed by Emma Ryan, DVM
Brown and white dog: Can dogs take oxycodone?

Key takeaways

  • Oxycodone is not used in dogs.

  • There are no standard or recommended oxycodone dosages for dogs.

  • The most common side effects of oxycodone in dogs are sedation, loss of coordination, and slowed breathing.

  • Do not give oxycodone to dogs.

In this article:

Oxycodone is a common opioid pain reliever. It’s the active ingredient in the brand-name drug Oxycontin, a long-acting version of oxycodone. Veterinarians avoid giving oxycodone to dogs or other animals because it’s poorly absorbed and lasts only a short time in the dog’s body. Because of potential hazards, caregivers should never give their dogs oxycodone. 

RELATED: Save up to 80% on oxycodone

What is oxycodone used for in dogs?

Oxycodone is an opioid agonist, a powerful family of analgesics used for chronic pain, cancer pain, and medical procedures in people and animals. All opioids work by attaching to opioid receptors on the nerves that pass pain signals to the brain and slow them down.

Opioids do more than slow down pain signals. They also slow down nerve signals that regulate important bodily functions like breathing. If a dog gets too much of an opioid, the breathing slows down so much that the dog starts perishing from lack of oxygen, a condition called respiratory depression. If the dog gets far too much oxycodone, the dog stops breathing completely, a condition called respiratory arrest. 

Opioids are dangerous and potentially fatal. For this reason, veterinarians don’t use some of the opioids that are commonly given to people, including oxycodone, because they’re too unpredictable. It’s too difficult to get the dose right. When a dog is given an oxycodone pill, the dog’s digestive system does not absorb much of the drug. What is absorbed doesn’t last very long in the dog’s body. The drug will work, but its unpredictability increases the risk of respiratory depression or respiratory arrest.

That doesn’t mean dogs can’t be given opioids. Many opioids are more predictable in their effects on an animal and can be more reliably dosed. The most commonly used opioid in veterinary medicine is tramadol, which veterinary professionals use to treat osteoarthritis pain. Veterinarians use opioids such as morphine injections, fentanyl, codeine, buprenorphine, oxymorphone, butorphanol (for mild pain relief), hydromorphone (for surgical procedures), or hydrocodone (for cough), 

Is oxycodone safe for dogs?

Veterinarians do not consider oxycodone to be a safe opioid for dogs or other animals because it’s unpredictable and short-acting. 

Oxycodone and all opioid analgesics are hazardous medications, so caregivers should never give oxycodone to a dog for any reason.

Side effects of oxycodone in dogs

Because veterinarians do not use oxycodone in dogs, its side effects are understood only when dogs have accidentally ingested the drug or owners have given the drug to their pets. All opioids cause the same side effects in dogs, though some opioids are more powerful than others and more likely to cause adverse effects.

The most common side effects of opioids in dogs are:

  • Sedation
  • Coordination problems
  • Dizziness
  • Loss of appetite
  • Anxiety
  • Tremors
  • Loss of appetite
  • Upset stomach
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation

The most serious side effects are often associated with an opioid overdose due to accidental ingestion. In these cases, pet owners are dealing not with adverse effects but oxycodone toxicity, requiring immediate emergency veterinary care:

  • Slow and shallow breathing
  • Extreme sedation
  • Loss of coordination
  • Pinpoint pupils
  • Stumbling
  • Drooling
  • Vomiting

Interactions of oxycodone with other pet meds

All opioids are similar in their drug interactions, but dogs aren’t given oxycodone. Veterinary literature hasn’t recorded oxycodone drug interactions in dogs. 

Oxycodone does have significant drug interactions. If a dog accidentally ingests oxycodone, the effects may be worse if the dog is also being given:

Oxycodone dosage for dogs

There are no standard or recommended oxycodone dosages for dogs in veterinary medicine. 

Do not give a dog oxycodone for any reason.

Can dogs overdose on oxycodone?

Dogs can not only overdose on oxycodone. They can die if the dose is large enough. 

If a dog accidentally consumes oxycodone pills (or any other opioid), take the dog to a veterinarian or animal hospital for emergency treatment, particularly if it shows clinical signs of an overdose such as:

  • Pinpoint pupils
  • Excessive sleepiness 
  • Stumbling and poor coordination
  • Slow and shallow breathing
  • Tremors
  • Slow heart rate

Can I give my dog oxycodone every day?

Do not give a dog oxycodone for any reason. Neither short-term nor long-term oxycodone use is safe in a companion animal.

Oxycodone alternatives for dogs

Although oxycodone is not used in dogs, veterinarians can prescribe other opioids used for pain control in dogs, including tramadol, codeine, fentanyl, morphine injections, buprenorphine, and hydromorphone. As in people, veterinarians are careful about prescribing opioids for pain because of the hazards.

Opioids are generally reserved for the most severe pain cases, but veterinarians also use other drugs for analgesia. These include:

  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): Most NSAIDs that people take, like aspirin or Tylenol (ibuprofen), are not safe for dogs, so veterinarians use veterinary NSAIDs like carprofen or some prescription NSAIDs such as meloxicam.
  • Corticosteroids: Drugs like prednisone dramatically reduce swelling, so they are effective at relieving pain caused by inflammation, such as in osteoarthritis.
  • Maropitant
  • Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
  • Acetaminophen

Some of these drugs work immediately, and others may take days or weeks to improve a dog’s pain.

Pain medication isn’t the only solution. Other complementary or natural treatments that may help a dog with chronic pain or osteoarthritis include:

Among alternative treatments for osteoarthritis pain in dogs, the most proven are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Summary

Veterinarians do not use oxycodone. Do not give a dog oxycodone for any reason. For accidental ingestion, call an animal emergency hospital or veterinarian. Immediate veterinary care could save the dog’s life.

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