Gabapentin is a medication used to treat pain in cats. It is also used as a sedative to help reduce anxiety during stressful situations, like car travel and vet visits. Here’s what you need to know about this common feline medication. Martin CJ, Alcock N, Hiom S, Birchall J. Development and evaluation of topical gabapentin formulations. Pharmaceutics. 2017;9(3):31. Guedes AGP, Meadows JM, Pypendop BH, Johnson EG, Zaffarano B. Assessment of the effects of gabapentin on activity levels and owner-perceived mobility impairment and quality of life in osteoarthritic geriatric cats. Gabapentin is often administered as a pre-anesthetic medication to help relax the cat and reduce any discomfort they may experience during the process. After surgery, it can also be used as a pain reliever to help manage post-operative pain, ensuring a more comfortable recovery for the feline patient. The first step in addressing acute pain in felines is to understand what pain is and how to recognize it. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.” 1 That animals experience pain similarly to humans 2 is clearly established, but veterinary professionals still lack Martin CJ, Alcock N, Hiom S, Birchall J. Development and evaluation of topical gabapentin formulations. Pharmaceutics. 2017;9(3):31. Guedes AGP, Meadows JM, Pypendop BH, Johnson EG, Zaffarano B. Assessment of the effects of gabapentin on activity levels and owner-perceived mobility impairment and quality of life in osteoarthritic geriatric cats. This is easier for dogs than cats but can include providing a cat with quiet safe spaces away from people and other pets, providing stimulating “hunting” activities with products like Doc and Phoebe’s Indoor Cat Hunter Kit, ensuring 15 minutes of play in divided sessions per day, and providing places to observe the outdoors like window A study involving 47 hyperthyroid cats revealed that cats receiving a gabapentin dose of 20 mg/kg were notably more relaxed during transport and compliant during veterinary procedures. This outcome underscores gabapentin’s effectiveness as an anxiolytic, showcasing its ability to reduce stress and improve compliance in clinical settings Gabapentin is very effective as a pharmacologic element of multimodal analgesia in patients with chronic pain. The recommended dose for cats and dogs starts at 2 to 10 mg/kg PO q8–12h and may be increased to 50 mg/kg PO q8gh. 8 The veterinarian should re-evaluate patients every 5 to 7 days for potential dose increases. In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education podcast, we review the use of transdermal gabapentin in cats. I suspect many of you agree that giving gabapentin to fractious kitties prior to veterinary appointments has been an absolute game changer! Is Gabapentin Safe To Give to Cats? When used as prescribed and given at the recommended dose, gabapentin is safe for cats. “Gabapentin is not only safe, but remarkably effective,” Fleck says. Complicating matters for dogs and cats are the presence of fur and variations in their skin. Most transdermal drugs must be dissolved in a gel or suspended in a patch. As techniques for transdermal administration improve, we expect to see an increase in the choices we have for veterinary medications. The Pharmacy at PetSmart offers a wide range of medications for cats, including antibiotics, dewormers & more. Gabapentin - 100 mg, 300 mg, 400 mg - Single Gabapentin Transdermal. Gabapentin is a medication that is used to prevent seizures and alleviate pain. It is commonly prescribed by veterinarians for animals such as dogs, cats, and horses. This medication can be used to treat seizures and chronic pain caused by nerve inflammation or cancer in these animals. In cats, gabapentin is most often used as a pain medication for chronic pain, such as from arthritis. Gabapentin is also recognized as beneficial in reducing the fear responses that a kitty may have to the stress of handling and being examined at the vet. Gabapentin is widely used in cats to decrease fear and stress and treat some painful conditions (eg, osteoarthritis). Oral administration can be difficult in cats and can lead to treatment failure; less invasive administration methods are thus desirable. Abbreviations HPLC. high‐performance liquid chromatography. PBS. phosphate‐buffered saline. 1. INTRODUCTION. Gabapentin is a popular drug used in the treatment of several painful and stressful conditions. 1, 2, 3 Unfortunately, traditional PO drug administration can be difficult in domestic cats because of food selectivity and strong fight‐or‐flight response, which can negatively
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