Dog amputation surgery: Can I give Gabapentin if she's not eating?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mia. Gabapentin has a very wide dosing range. The amount given will likely make her sedate, but should not cause her any long lasting harm. Give her next dose back on schedule if she is not too groggy. If so, you can wait an extra hour or two to give it more time to wear off. I hope this information helps!

I would give her next dose of gabapentin with food at 5pm. I would not recommend giving any more Rimadyl until you can touch base with your vet tomorrow, because you're right - the vomiting could be from the Rimadyl. Your vet may be able to suggest a different medication to try if they think the Rimadyl didn't sit well with her. The vet may also determine if an anti-nausea medication might be appropriate to help minimize the risk of vomiting while on her meds. Hope this helps! All the best to Chili.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes it can take a bit longer for these medications to kick in. It is generally not recommended to use these medications more frequently than how they are recommended as that can result in undesirable side effects such as gastrointestinal side effects with carprofen and significant sedation with gabapentin. For that reason, it would best to wait till the morning if that is what was recommended by the prescribing veterinarian. If you are asking if these two medications can be given together 4 hours apart then the answer would be yes. Good luck!

Hello, Gabapentin is a pain medication commonly prescribed to pets after surgery. Mild sedation can be noticed as a side effect, often due to the pain relief allowing the pet to get rest. Dosing should be given every 8-12 hours as needed. As she had her last dose over 12 hours ago, any side effects should be starting to wear off and will continue to do so if the medication is not repeated. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The main side effect of this medication is sedation. This is typically dose related so the higher the dose the more likely sedation will be seen. It was a good idea to wait on the am dose if he was super sleepy. You may want to call your vet to ask about the dose and let them know how he is doing. It has a few uses but we do sometimes use it as an adjunct medication for pain control, although more often for chronic pain/nerve pain. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

That is a very high dose if given all at once, it is 1.5 times the maximum recommended dose. 800mg spread out through 3 or 4 doses would be good. If your pet is in pain, gabapentin may not be enough. You should discuss a multi-modal pain protocol with your vet, often adding in steroids, NSAIDs, opioids, acupuncture, laser therapy, etc will be better than a single medication.

It depends what type of pain killers she is taking, as it is every 8 hours i assume it is an opioid which is fine to give even on an empty stomach. antibiotics can also be given on an empty stomach, although not ideal as this can cause nausea. try giving her some boiled chicken, treats or a canned food called a/d from Hills.