Gabapentin question

[RussellsMom]

Great links, white shadow - thank you, I just read through them all.

 

[white shadow]

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RussellsMom - check your messages- you can ignore the link question, though - thanks!

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. We used Gabapentin all the time when I worked at the cat hospital. The typical dosing was 100 mg but for a larger more sensitive frightened cat we would do 200 mg. A dose the night before and one 2 to 3 hours before travel to the vets.

Owners were instructed on how to get the cat into a carrier with the least amount of stress and cover the carrier with a dark towel. Use a carrier that the top can come off of. Keep all noise and talking to a minimum ( no radio) during the trip there.

The cat is only removed from the carrier, or examined in the carrier with the top off one time. None of this in and out for the cat. The cat remains covered until handled.

For cats that had prior stressful visits elsewhere, we added Trazadone to the Gabapentin but reduced the Gabapentin dose.

Gabapentin can make cats happy. But any and all sedation in a cat, the cat will override if they get stressed. When cats are afraid at a hospital, they literally think they are going to die. Adrenaline and other hormones kick in and that’s what causes sedation to not be effective. Since the drugs are actually in their system, once the threat is removed, they have a sort of rebound sedation.

Torbugesic, (Torb) is a very short acting drug with effects only lasting about 30 minutes.

Interacting with cats - Cat Friendly Clinic

Interacting with cats and communicating with their caregivers in the clinic are two aspects at the very heart of the Cat Friendly Clinic programme. Educating and informing caregivers Most cats and cat caregivers find the visit to the veterinary clinic stressful – and some much more than others...

catfriendlyclinic.org

 

[silent meowlook]

The BNP can also be elevated with hyperthyroidism and, or renal disease, not just heart disease.

 

[iPappy]

Please don't be sorry - I was really touched. I think I hadn't fully acknowledged that grief and stress about Danno has been complicating my anxiety about Russell, so that's actually quite helpful to remember. These pains and worries come with the territory, right?

I realized similar emotions when Goofy became sick around Christmas. Lots of things I wish I had done with Tag, I did for him. Those pains and worries do definitely come with the territory.

 

[RussellsMom]

Hi all, my recent threads have gotten a bit mixed up. I posted a detailed update about Russell's echocardiogram, including easy and successful gabapentin administration, in my thread "Extremely elevated BNP - heart disease?" (I'm sorry, I don't know how to link it.)

Short version about the gabapentin: Russell took two 50 mg mini-tabs, each wrapped in a pinch of Greenies pill pocket, like an absolute champ at 7 a.m. and was pretty relaxed by 8:30 when we put him in his carrier for the car ride. He was alert and seemed a little nervous during his echo at 9:30, but his body was very relaxed, so they got good images. The gaba plus the fact that they were so kind and gentle with him really, really helped him get through the appointment OK. Once we got home, the adrenaline wore off, and he got seriously drunk for a few hours - staggering, sleeping deeply, and got the serious munchies. The effect started to wear off about 10 hours after we gave him the pills. And the next day he seemed fine - not stressed out by his visit to the vet. Would 50 mg have been OK? Possibly. But 100 mg was OK too.

THANK YOU ALL so much for your advice and help with my anxiety about using gabapentin. We'll definitely use it again to help keep Russell calm during vet visits in the future.

 

[iPappy]

Hi all, my recent threads have gotten a bit mixed up. I posted a detailed update about Russell's echocardiogram, including easy and successful gabapentin administration, in my thread "Extremely elevated BNP - heart disease?" (I'm sorry, I don't know how to link it.)

Short version about the gabapentin: Russell took two 50 mg mini-tabs, each wrapped in a pinch of Greenies pill pocket, like an absolute champ at 7 a.m. and was pretty relaxed by 8:30 when we put him in his carrier for the car ride. He was alert and seemed a little nervous during his echo at 9:30, but his body was very relaxed, so they got good images. The gaba plus the fact that they were so kind and gentle with him really, really helped him get through the appointment OK. Once we got home, the adrenaline wore off, and he got seriously drunk for a few hours - staggering, sleeping deeply, and got the serious munchies. The effect started to wear off about 10 hours after we gave him the pills. And the next day he seemed fine - not stressed out by his visit to the vet. Would 50 mg have been OK? Possibly. But 100 mg was OK too.

THANK YOU ALL so much for your advice and help with my anxiety about using gabapentin. We'll definitely use it again to help keep Russell calm during vet visits in the future.

This update makes me so happy to know he did so well!
50mg might have been OK, but in this situation I think erring on the side of caution and going for the 100 mg was a good idea. This wasn't an ordinary wellness visit and was much more in depth. I'm glad he's home and not feeling stressed out by his visit.
Here's the link to the other thread for anyone reading.
Extremely elevated BNP - heart disease?

 

[neely]

THANK YOU ALL so much for your advice and help with my anxiety about using gabapentin. We'll definitely use it again to help keep Russell calm during vet visits in the future.

So glad the Gabapentin worked out and the veterinary staff was kind and gentle with Russell.