Effects of a single preappointment dose of gabapentin on signs of stress in cats during transportation and veterinary examination

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of oral gabapentin administration prior to veterinary examination on signs of stress in cats. DESIGN Randomized, blinded, crossover clinical trial. ANIMALS 20 healthy pet cats with a history of fractious behavior or signs of stress during veterinary examination. PROCEDURES Cats were scheduled for 2 veterinary visits 1 week apart and randomly assigned to receive a capsule containing 100 mg of gabapentin (13.0 to 29.4 mg/kg [5.9 to 13.4 mg/lb]) or placebo (lactose powder) prior to the first visit and the opposite treatment prior to the second visit. Owners were instructed to administer the assigned capsule orally 90 minutes prior to placing the cat into a carrier and transporting it to the veterinary hospital. Standardized physical examinations and blood pressure readings were performed. Owners assigned a cat stress score during transportation and examination, and the veterinarian assigned a compliance score at the visit. Scores were compared between treatments, controlling for various factors. RESULTS Owner-assessed cat stress scores during transportation and veterinary examination and veterinarian-assessed compliance scores were significantly lower when cats received gabapentin than when they received the placebo. Sedation was a common effect of gabapentin administration, and ataxia, hypersalivation, and vomiting were also reported. All effects resolved within 8 hours after gabapentin administration. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Owners' perception of stress in their cats is a primary reason for failing to seek veterinary care. Results of this study suggested that gabapentin is a safe and effective treatment for cats to help reduce stress and aggression and increase compliance for transportation and veterinary examination.

ACVIM consensus statement guidelines for the classification, diagnosis, and management of cardiomyopathies in cats

“…If a stage B2 cat is reexamined, attention to appropriate handling and minimizing stressful stimuli is important. If these measures are (or are likely to be) insufficient, PO administration of appropriate pharmaceuticals, synthetic feline pheromone application or both can be considered (LOE medium). Once the LA is moderately to severely enlarged and antithrombotic treatment is started, management is unlikely to change until clinical signs develop, but at a minimum, it is recommended that owners monitor the cat's resting or sleeping respiratory rate (LOE medium).…”

Plasma disposition of gabapentin after the intragastric administration of escalating doses to adult horses

“…Gabapentin is 1 of the few drugs that controls some forms of neuropathic pain in humans . Although there is a paucity of information on the use of gabapentin in species other than humans, it has been administered to control neuropathic pain in small animals; however, dosing, and likely the type of disease, also complicates gabapentin efficacy in these dogs and cats . Failure to prove efficacy is potentially the result of inadequate dosing …”

“…8 Although there is a paucity of information on the use of gabapentin in species other than humans, it has been administered to control neuropathic pain in small animals; however, dosing, and likely the type of disease, also complicates gabapentin efficacy in these dogs and cats. [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Failure to prove efficacy is potentially the result of inadequate dosing. 17,18 Gabapentin is most commonly used to control the pain of laminitis and other conditions that cause neuropathic pain at 5-20 mg/kg twice daily 19,20 in combination with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents.…”

Cats that get stressed when visiting the veterinary practice: can gabapentin help improve their welfare?

“…Two randomised, double-blinded, placebo controlled clinical trials (van Haaften et al, 2017; Pankratz et al, 2018) addressed the PICO. One study (van Haaften et al, 2017) investigated the use of a single dose of gabapentin (100 mg) in pet cats, administered prior to exposure to transport and a veterinary examination. The other study (Pankratz et al, 2018) examined the use of a single dose of gabapentin (50 mg or 100 mg) in trapped community cats presented to a veterinary clinic for neutering.…”

“…There is moderate to good quality evidence from two randomised, controlled, double-blinded studies (van Haaften et al, 2017;Pankratz et al, 2018) to indicate that the use of oral gabapentin can be beneficial in the short-term reduction of stress in cats exposed to acute stressors associated with the veterinary clinic. One potential weakness relevant to both studies was that Cat Stress Score (CSS), as the main stress assessment tool used, showed poor or fair inter-observer reliability (only assessed by van Haaften et al, 2017).…”