Ketoprofen 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.

Ketoprofen is a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used by veterinarians to reduce pain, inflammation, and fever. It belongs to the propionic acid class of NSAIDs, the same broad family as several human anti-inflammatory drugs, but pigs should only receive veterinary-directed products and dosing.

In swine medicine, ketoprofen is typically used as an injectable medication for short-term support rather than long-term daily treatment. Your vet may choose it when a pig needs help with comfort after handling, injury, inflammation, or certain disease processes where pain control matters.

Like other NSAIDs, ketoprofen works by blocking inflammatory pathways, especially cyclooxygenase activity. That can improve comfort, but it also means the drug can affect the stomach, kidneys, and blood clotting in some animals. Because pigs are a food-producing species, your vet also has to consider legal use, meat withdrawal times, and whether the planned use is on-label or extra-label.

Veterinarians use ketoprofen in pigs for short-term control of pain and inflammation. Depending on the product and country, it may be used around episodes of lameness, soft-tissue inflammation, fever, or as part of supportive care in respiratory disease alongside other treatment chosen by your vet.

In practice, your vet may consider ketoprofen when a pig is sore, reluctant to move, or recovering from a painful event. It may also be used when reducing inflammation could help appetite, mobility, and overall welfare while the underlying problem is being addressed.

Ketoprofen is not an antibiotic and it does not treat the root cause of infection by itself. If a pig has pneumonia, an injury, or another medical problem, your vet may pair pain relief with diagnostics, nursing care, and other medications. The goal is to match the treatment plan to the pig's condition, age, production role, hydration status, and food-safety needs.

Ketoprofen dosing in pigs should come only from your vet. Published veterinary references and international swine product information commonly list 3 mg/kg once daily by intramuscular injection for pigs, often for a short course of 1 to 3 days depending on the indication and product. In food animals, even small dosing changes can matter because they affect both safety and withdrawal planning.

The exact dose and schedule depend on the product concentration, the pig's body weight, the reason for treatment, and whether the use is on-label in your region. Your vet may also adjust the plan if the pig is dehydrated, very young, systemically ill, or receiving other medications that raise NSAID risk.

Do not combine ketoprofen with another NSAID or a steroid unless your vet specifically directs it. Do not guess the dose from dog, cat, horse, or human instructions. If a dose is missed, contact your vet before repeating or doubling treatment.

Because pigs may enter the food chain, ask your vet to write down the meat withdrawal interval for the exact product and use. Some swine ketoprofen labels outside the US list a 7-day slaughter withdrawal after treatment, but withdrawal requirements can vary by product, country, and extra-label use.

Many pigs tolerate ketoprofen well when it is used for a short period under veterinary supervision, but side effects are possible. The most important concerns are the same ones seen with other NSAIDs: stomach or intestinal irritation, reduced kidney perfusion, and bleeding risk.

Call your vet promptly if your pig seems more depressed after treatment, stops eating, vomits, develops dark or bloody stool, shows unusual bruising, or becomes weak and dehydrated. Injection-site soreness can also occur. In a sick pig, subtle signs like worsening lethargy, less interest in feed, or reduced water intake may be the first clue that the medication is not a good fit.

Pigs with dehydration, kidney disease, liver disease, stomach ulcer risk, or clotting problems may have a higher chance of complications. The risk also rises when ketoprofen is used too long, at too high a dose, or together with other drugs that stress the kidneys or digestive tract.

Ketoprofen can interact with other medications, so your vet should know everything your pig has received recently, including injections, feed medications, supplements, and over-the-counter products. The most important interaction is with other NSAIDs such as flunixin or meloxicam, because combining them can sharply increase the risk of stomach ulceration, kidney injury, and other adverse effects.

It should also be used carefully with corticosteroids such as dexamethasone or prednisolone, since that combination can increase gastrointestinal injury and bleeding risk. Extra caution is also needed with drugs that may affect kidney blood flow or hydration status, including some anesthetic events, severe illness, and medications that can stress the kidneys.

Because ketoprofen may have antiplatelet effects, your vet may avoid it or time it carefully around surgery, trauma, or any pig with active bleeding concerns. In food animals, your vet must also consider legal extra-label use rules and establish an appropriate withdrawal interval when needed.