My dog got gabapentin early after surgery. Should I worry?

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!

Hi, Gabapentin overdose can cause sedation and drowsiness and its effect should gradually disappear over the next 12 hours. If Bunty is excessively sedated I would ring your closer vets to have her checked over. Hopefully she has not eaten it !

Hello. Thank you for using PetCoach. Gabapentin may be given with or without food so it doesn't matter that she is NPO. If you normally hide the medication in food you would need to give her the medication by placing the pill directly down her throat. If you don't know how to do this here is a video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN5Iil1hCAg So, I would give the Gabapentin tonight but not tomorrow morning as during the surgery the vet will likely give a narcotic (like morphine). Gabapentin can interfere with the efficacy of the narcotics. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi, the sedative effects described are expected with the high dose Maggie received. The good news is that they should wear off over the next few hours and within 4 hours she should be more alert and almost back to normal. If you are worried though please have her checked over !

Gabapentin has quite a large safety margin, the maximum dosage is about 15mg per pound but even a higher dosage for a one time ingestion is not likely to cause any severe side effects. how much does you puppy weights?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The dose Peanut ingested is about three times the upper end of the daily dose for a dog his size. Gabapentin commonly causes signs such as lethargy and difficulty moving/disorientation. Peanut may need supportive care such as fluids, administered by a veterinarian if he develops these signs. In the meantime, I recommend keeping a very close eye on him, and having him seen by a vet right away if he develops the signs above. I hope all is well!