What Is Maropitant?
Maropitant (Cerenia, Ceritant, Comfor-Trate) is an antiemetic used for the treatment and prevention of vomiting and the prevention of motion sickness in dogs. Injectable maropitant is FDA-approved for the treatment of vomiting in cats that are at least 4 months old.
Maropitant is prescribed “extra-label” or “off-label” in cats for the prevention of nausea and vomiting. “Extra-label” or “off-label” means that there is evidence of safe and effective use but the FDA has not approved that use.
Maropitant starts to be effective within 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the animal and whether it is given by mouth or by injection.
Maropitant is available as a prescription from your veterinarian. It is available in various dosages in tablet form. Tablets are scored into fourths if the pill needs to be split or cut. Maropitant is also available in an injectable form for use in the veterinary hospital. Contact your veterinary compounding pharmacy for alternative dosing options.
How Is Maropitant Used?
Maropitant is usually given once daily by mouth as a tablet. The dose to prevent motion sickness is usually higher than the dose for treating vomiting. Maropitant also comes in an injectable form that is used in the veterinary clinic. This injection is given subcutaneously (underneath the skin) or intravenously (in a vein) depending on the needed treatment.
When giving maropitant to prevent motion sickness, give the tablet at least two hours before travel. Give the tablet with a small amount of food but not with a full meal. This can usually be repeated for a second dose 24 hours later depending on the length of travel.
Maropitant tablets should be loosely covered in food material when being given for vomiting. If covered too tightly, the medicine may not be as effective.
Always follow your veterinarian’s directions for giving medicines to animals. Remember to tell your veterinarian about any medicines, vitamins, supplements, or herbal therapies that you are giving your pet. Talk to your veterinarian before stopping any pet medicines.
What Are the Benefits of Maropitant?
- Maropitant is useful for treating and preventing vomiting except when you think that the animal has eaten something toxic.
- Maropitant is useful in preventing nausea and vomiting if a dog experiences motion sickness during travel.
- Maropitant can be useful in preventing vomiting when the pet is receiving chemotherapy for cancer or other medicines that can cause a pet to vomit.
- Maropitant comes in tablet and injectable forms. A dog can be treated first with the injectable form at the veterinary clinic, and then continue treatment at home with the tablet form if needed.
- Maropitant is well tolerated by animals.
What Follow-up Is Required With Maropitant?
You and your veterinarian should monitor your pet for improvement of their condition, as well as for side effects of the maropitant. Blood tests should be monitored if your pet has liver disease and needs to take maropitant.
Does Maropitant Have Warnings or Side Effects?
Do not use maropitant in animals that are allergic to it or in animals that are breeding, pregnant, or nursing. Use maropitant with caution in animals with liver or heart issues.
Maropitant is well tolerated by dogs and cats, and side effects are uncommon. The most common side effects of maropitant are seen in dogs taking the higher dose needed to prevent motion sickness. Excessive drooling or salivating and vomiting may occur before traveling. It is recommended to give maropitant at least two hours prior to traveling to minimize these side effects.
Other side effects of maropitant in dogs and cats include:
- Tiredness
- Decreased appetite
- Diarrhea
- Allergic reaction (including facial swelling or hives)
- Difficulty walking
- Shaking
- Fever
- Difficulty breathing
- Increased drooling
Dogs with mild side effects will usually improve quickly within a few days once the maropitant has been stopped.
Vomiting of the maropitant tablet can also be a side effect. Giving the dose with a small amount of food can prevent this. Pets receiving the injectable maropitant may experience swelling or pain where the needle went in. Refrigeration of the injectable maropitant can minimize this issue.
If you think that your pet is having a serious side effect or may have been overdosed, call your veterinary clinic immediately. If it is outside of regular office hours, you may contact a local emergency veterinary hospital or an animal poison control center.
You can reach the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435 or the Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661.
Does Maropitant Interact With Other Medicines?
Using multiple medicines can sometimes change how your pet’s medicines work or increase your pet’s risk for serious side effects. Always tell your veterinarian about any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins/minerals, herbal products, and other supplements that your pet is using.
In particular, make sure that you tell your veterinarian your pet is using any of the following:
- Amlodipine
- Cimetidine
- Diltiazem
- Erythromycin
- Fluoxetine
- Itraconazole
- Ketoconazole
- Phenobarbital
- Terbinafine
This may not be a complete list of medicines that can interact with maropitant. Always check with your veterinarian.
Are There Safety Concerns for Pet Owners?
- Keep maropitant out of reach of children.
- Wash your hands after giving maropitant to your pet.
- Do not handle maropitant if you are allergic to it.
What If My Pet Takes Too Much Medicine or Has an Overdose?
Call your veterinarian or veterinary emergency clinic immediately if you suspect your pet has taken more maropitant than prescribed.
What If My Pet Misses a Dose?
If your pet misses a dose, give the maropitant dose when you remember. Continue giving the medicine at the correct time from then on. Do not double the dose of the medicine or give an extra dose.
How Do I Store Maropitant?
Maropitant tablets should be protected from light and stored at room temperature. Once tablets are cut into pieces, those pieces are good for two days. The pieces should be stored in the foil pack that they were prescribed in and protected from moisture as best as possible. Compounded forms of maropitant should be stored according to the compounding pharmacy’s recommendations. Injectable maropitant should be stored in the refrigerator (between 36 to 46 Fahrenheit or between 2 to 8 Celsius) after the first use. The bottle of maropitant is good for 90 days after the first use.
