Flunixin Meglumine for Pigs: Uses, Dosing & Side Effects

This information is for educational purposes only. Never give your pet any medication without your veterinarian's guidance. Dosing, frequency, and safety depend on your pet's specific health profile.

Flunixin meglumine is a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used in veterinary medicine. In pigs, the labeled U.S. product is Banamine-S, an injectable medication containing 50 mg/mL of flunixin. It helps reduce fever and inflammation, and it may also provide some pain relief. Because it is a potent NSAID, it should only be used under your vet's direction.

In the United States, flunixin meglumine is FDA-approved in swine for the control of pyrexia associated with swine respiratory disease. The labeled route is intramuscular injection in the neck. This is not a medication pet parents should dose on their own. Your vet will consider the pig's weight, age, hydration status, other medications, and whether the pig is part of the food chain before recommending it.

For pet pigs and small hobby herds, flunixin is often discussed as part of a bigger treatment plan rather than a stand-alone fix. Lowering a fever can help a pig feel better, but it does not replace diagnosis and treatment of the underlying problem. If your pig is breathing hard, not eating, acting weak, or has a high fever, see your vet immediately.

The main labeled use of flunixin meglumine in pigs is control of fever linked to swine respiratory disease. In practical terms, your vet may use it when a pig has a respiratory infection with a significant fever and needs supportive care while the underlying cause is being addressed. It can help improve comfort and reduce the inflammatory effects of fever.

Your vet may also consider flunixin in selected off-label situations where short-term anti-inflammatory support is needed. That decision depends on the pig's overall condition, food-animal regulations, and whether safer or more appropriate options are available. In food animals, extra-label drug use has important legal and residue implications, so your vet must guide those choices carefully.

It is important to remember what flunixin does not do. It does not treat bacteria, viruses, or parasites by itself. It does not replace fluids in a dehydrated pig. And it does not make ongoing pain, ulcers, kidney stress, or severe disease go away. If symptoms are worsening, your vet may recommend diagnostics, antibiotics when indicated, fluid support, or hospitalization instead of relying on fever control alone.

In the U.S. swine label, flunixin meglumine is given at 2.2 mg/kg (1 mg/lb), which equals 2 mL per 100 lb, by intramuscular injection in the neck. The FDA approval summary for Banamine-S supports this dose for control of pyrexia associated with swine respiratory disease. Your vet should calculate the exact volume based on an accurate body weight, because even small dosing errors matter with NSAIDs.

For many pigs, dosing is a single injection, but your vet may make case-by-case decisions depending on the diagnosis, response, and food-safety considerations. Do not repeat doses unless your vet specifically instructs you to do so. Repeated NSAID dosing can increase the risk of stomach or intestinal injury, kidney stress, and injection-site problems.

Because pigs are a food-animal species, withdrawal guidance matters even for some backyard situations. The Banamine-S approval summary lists a 12-day slaughter withdrawal period for labeled swine use. If your pig could ever enter the food chain, your vet needs to confirm the correct withdrawal instructions for the exact product, dose, route, and treatment plan. Never guess on this point.

If you are giving an injection at home, ask your vet to show you the correct neck injection site, needle size, restraint method, and safe handling steps. Improper injection technique can cause tissue damage and may affect meat quality in food animals.

Many pigs tolerate flunixin well when it is used correctly and for a short time, but side effects are still possible. The most important concerns are digestive tract irritation or ulceration, kidney stress, and injection-site reactions. In the FDA swine safety data, injection-site irritation was noted, and some lesions did not fully resolve in all animals by 28 days after repeated injections.

Call your vet promptly if your pig stops eating, seems depressed, develops diarrhea, has dark or bloody stool, vomits, becomes weak, or seems more dehydrated after treatment. These signs can point to NSAID intolerance or to the underlying illness getting worse. Pigs that are already dehydrated, in shock, or dealing with kidney problems may be at higher risk for complications.

Mild soreness at the injection site can happen. More concerning signs include swelling, heat, pain, limping, reluctance to move, or a lump that persists. If your pig has trouble breathing, collapses, or seems suddenly much worse after an injection, see your vet immediately.

Flunixin should be used carefully with other medications that can increase the risk of stomach ulcers, bleeding, or kidney injury. The biggest interaction concern is combining it with other NSAIDs such as meloxicam, phenylbutazone, or aspirin. In general, NSAIDs should not be stacked unless your vet has a very specific reason and plan.

It should also be used cautiously with corticosteroids like dexamethasone or prednisolone, because that combination can raise the risk of gastrointestinal damage. Other caution areas include drugs that may affect kidney blood flow or hydration status, such as some diuretics, as well as situations where a pig is already sick enough to have poor circulation.

If your pig is receiving antibiotics, sedatives, dewormers, supplements, or any compounded medications, tell your vet before flunixin is given. Not every combination is unsafe, but your vet needs the full medication list to choose the safest plan. This is especially important in pigs because treatment decisions may also affect withdrawal times and food-safety rules.