In healthy cats gaba gets flushed out in few hours but in ckd cats it takes maybe twice as much. Its pretty safe for the kidneys, many of us use it regularly and long term. My ckd cat takes about a third of a 100mg daily and he tolerates it fine. He is 6kg. He just gets more relaxed with subQs. But if your cat has never had it, it might knock Study demonstrates that companion cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) will exhibit compliance during veterinary visits on a lower dosage of gabapentin. Two of my cats have had gabapentin. It does help with pain, but in one of my two cats it turns him into a total zombie. The good news is that within 48hrs of stopping the gabapentin, both my cats are back to normal. There are various other painkillers available. Even cats with CKD can take NSAIDs such as loxicom. What is the recommended gabapentin dosage for cats with kidney disease? While the standard dosage for healthy cats is 20mg/kg, cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) should be given a reduced dose of 10mg/kg. Gabapentin may decrease arterial BP in cats with and without CKD and these findings should be taken into account when gabapentin is administered to patients in which measurement of BP is needed. Visits to the veterinary clinic can be a source of stress for both the feline patient and the caregiver. Investigating appropriate dosing for gabapentin sedation in cats with and without chronic kidney disease (2017) Winn Feline Foundation reports on the study's goals and Gabapentin sedation in cats with and without chronic kidney disease (2020) Winn Feline Foundation gives an update, stating that CKD cats seem to have much higher levels of Specific COX-2 inhibitor approved for use in dogs. No safer in renal compromise. Gabapentin 3–10 mg/kg PO q 24 hrs. The best effects are seen when used in combination with other analgesics such as NSAIDs or paracetamol (acetaminophen). Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate 13–15 mg/kg chondroitin sulfate PO q 24 hrs. The question of whether gabapentin is harmful to cats’ kidneys is complex and requires a nuanced answer. The short answer is: gabapentin does not directly cause kidney damage in most cases. However, its use in cats with pre-existing kidney disease warrants considerable caution. The same five healthy cats plus 25 cats with stable International Renal Interest Society stage 2 (n = 14) and 3 (n = 11) CKD were enrolled in a limited sampling study. Cats in both groups received a single 10 mg/kg dose of gabapentin, and serum gabapentin concentrations and compliance scores were obtained 3 and 8 h post-administration. 1. Is gabapentin safe for cats with kidney disease? Yes, gabapentin is considered safe for use in cats with kidney disease when dosed appropriately and monitored closely by a veterinarian. 2. Will gabapentin interact with other medications my cat is taking? The question of whether gabapentin is safe for cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is complex and requires careful consideration. The short answer is: it can be safe when used judiciously, but it’s not without risks and requires dosage adjustments due to the kidneys’ role in its elimination. Gabapentin is usually used to manage chronic pain, especially nerve-related pain. It is also used (primarily in cats) to relieve anxiety associated with veterinary procedures, travel, and other fear-generating situations. Gabapentin can also be used as an additional medication in seizure management. Cats with higher serum gabapentin concentrations were more compliant at the 3h mark. No CKD cats were considered to be overly sedated at the 10mg/kg dose. One limitation of this study was that all of the healthy cats were fairly young compared to the CKD cats so age may have played a factor, although this has not been demonstrated in human studies. The 20 mg/kg stress-reduction dose of gabapentin may be beneficial to facilitate preventive veterinary care in younger, healthy cats, but this dose may be inappropriate for elderly cats, specifically those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Gabapentin should be used cautiously in cats with liver or kidney disease, as we may see it take longer for the effects to wear off. Its use should typically be avoided in pregnant queens. Gabapentin is not known to directly cause kidney failure in cats. The drug is primarily cleared through the kidneys, but it does not usually cause kidney damage. In rare cases, DRESS syndrome, which can affect the kidneys, has been linked to gabapentin.
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