All cats were sedated using butorphanol (Butorphanoltartrate injection, Butorphic; 0.2-0.25 mg/kg IM). Acepromazine (Acepromazine maleate injection, Vetone; 0.03 mg/kg IM) was administered in 1 cat that required additional sedation. Six cats received gabapentin (Gabapentin capsules, Ascend) before the hospital visit (100 mg/cat, PO). %PDF-1.7 %µµµµ 1 0 obj >/Metadata 155 0 R/ViewerPreferences 156 0 R>> endobj 2 0 obj > endobj 3 0 obj >/ExtGState >/XObject >/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC Gabapentin is widely considered to be safe to use in the presence of cardiovascular disease and not to significantly affect echocardiographic findings. e.g. ‘Gabapentin produces no known cardiovascular effects, direct or indirect, in cats.’ Oral gabapentin or melatonin given to cats 70 mins before echocardiography effectively increased compliance without causing substantial changes in HR, SBP, ECG and most echocardiographic variables, including surrogates for systolic function. The cat owners administered gabapentin to their cats at home around 90 mins before the appointment at the veterinary clinic. The chosen dose of gabapentin was based on previous studies that elected a dose of 100 mg of gabapentin per cat, with a dose range of 13–29.4 mg/kg 1 and 9.2–47.6 mg/kg, 2 and they had positive results in tranquilization. Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant drug, which presents an established clinical efficacy in human patients for the management of refractory partial seizures, secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and for the control of chronic neuropathic pain. Gabapentin was synthesized as a structural analogue of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, with GABA-mimetic effects, able to cross the blood VPS advice on routine use of gabapentin for cats prior to ultrasonography (cardiac or otherwise) Cats aren’t always easy to scan and especially to echo! It’s not good practice to struggle to restrain them: for humane reasons, for patient safety and, perhaps most importantly, for the safety of staff. The aim of this study was to evaluate, using echocardiography, the effects of oral administration of a single dose of gabapentin on the physiologic variables (heart rate [HR], respiratory rate [RR] and systolic blood pressure [SBP]) and systolic and diastolic cardiac function of healthy cats. Gabapentin tranquilized the cats when it was given 60 mins prior to ECG and SBP measurement, and 70 mins prior to echocardiography, without interfering with systolic echocardiographic indexes. Melatonin also decreased the CS, but without sedation in most cases. As a potential alternative to injectable sedative drugs that can cause hemodynamic effects, 4, 5, 6 anxiolytic drugs such as gabapentin and trazodone have been prescribed to control signs of stress, fear, and anxiety in domestic cats. 5 gabapentin is a structural analog of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA); however, its main mechanism of action is an inhibitory Gabapentin is a drug known to facilitate both the transport and examination of cats. 5,6 Recently, its oral administration 2 h before echocardiography proved to be effective in tranquilization, although it decreased some systolic echocardiographic parameters. 7 In feline medicine, melatonin is best known for acting in the reproductive field, 8 Gabapentin improved evaluation of diastolic function on echocardiogram because it reduced the fusion of ventricular filling waves during the evaluation of the diastolic function of the LV. Gabapentin did not cause adverse effects on the cardiovascular hemodynamics of young healthy cats. Gabapentin improved evaluation of diastolic function on echocardiogram because it reduced the fusion of ventricular filling waves during the evaluation of the diastolic function of the LV. Gabapentin did not cause adverse effects on the cardiovascular hemodynamics of young healthy cats. Oral gabapentin is a well-tolerated anxiolytic used in cats. Gabapentin Dosage for Cats. The dosage for gabapentin may vary depending on a cat’s size, as well as whether it’s being used as a pain medication, as part of seizure management, or as a sedative before vet visits or travel. From a safety perspective, a gabapentin dosage for cats will typically not exceed 50-100mg per cat to address pain or Sedation for cats • Gabapentin given at home 2−3 hours before the visit at 50 mg−100 mg/cat orally. • If Gabapentin does not provide sufficient sedation, administer: Butorphanol (0.2 mg−0.4 mg/kg, intramuscular [IM] or IV) or . Butorphanol (0.2 mg−0.4 mg/kg, IM or IV) plus alfaxalone* (1 mg−2 mg/kg, IM or IV) or The incidence of heart murmurs in apparently healthy cats is only 16% to 44%. 6-8 The prevalence of cardiomyopathy detected by echocardiography in a large population of shelter cats was 15.3%, and the most prevalent primary heart disease in these cats was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. 8 For cats with heart disease, arrhythmias may have more Single-dose oral gabapentin is well tolerated in healthy cats and produces a modest decrease in several echocardiographic parameters of systolic function; however, all affected variables remained within established reference ranges. Commonly used oral single doses of gabapentin are 50, 100, and 150 mg cat −1 , or ∼10-30 mg kg −1 , which caused sedative effects for most cats (10,12,13). Gabapentin improved evaluation of diastolic function on echocardiogram because it reduced the fusion of ventricular filling waves during the evaluation of the diastolic function of the LV. If a cat is know to be predisposed to anxiety and subsequent uncooperative behaviour, pre-emptive at-home sedation with gabapentin (50-100mg PO, 2-3 hours before visit) is very useful. 8 Alflaxalone 2-4mg/kg + midazolam 0.3mg/kg IM
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