My dog is weak, drowsy, not eating on gabapentin. What to do?

Gabapentin is a pain medication that can have various side effects in animal. Weight loss is not a very common side effect, but pain can cause animals to want to eat less. I would talk with your veterinarian and discuss this issue. It is possible that this medication is not fully effective for your dogs pain and so your dog is not wanting to eat. It is also possible that there is something else going on with your dog. Your vet should run bloodwork to ensure that there are no other issues going on with your pet that would cause the loss of appetite.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Hoss. Gabapentin can cause sedation and ataxia (wobbly gait). He may have been so nervous earlier that you are just seeing the full effects of the medication now. Each dose typically lasts 8 hours. I would not give him any other medications u less his veterinarian has directed you to do so. If you are concerned though, he should see an emergency veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

Both of hear medications are within the published dose ranges for a dog Kimber’s size, but gabapentin can sometimes cause sedation and this could be the culprit. You may want to give your vet a call and see if they might recommend reducing the dose or even skipping a dose.

It may be that you’re just feeding too much or haven’t given the diet enough time. Start with the guideline on the bag and re-weigh in a month. If no changes, decrease each feeding by about 25%. Weigh in a month. Continue until you hit his ideal weight, then go up slightly to stop the loss and start maintaining. Weight loss is definitely crucial for managing arthritis so good work in that department. That dose of gabapentin is safe for him (and in fact what I might prescribe to him if you came to my clinic). However, it works much better when given consistently so do get a prescription just for Teddy from you vet. He or she will also want to make sure it’s nothing else serious going on like a fracture, fungal disease, or cancer. My other “go-to’s” for arthritis are high dose omega 3 fatty acids (about 1000mg fish oil daily) and a glucosamine chondroitin supplement. Talk with you vet as there are dozens of other options as well including Adequan, cold laser therapy, stem cell therapy, and many others.

Gabapentin carries a recommendation to slowly wean off the medication because seizures have been associated with humans stopping the medication suddenly. I have attached a handout on Gabapentin below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2764 Part of the decision to suddenly stop the Gabapentin or wean if down slowly depends on the dose and how long a dog as been on the medication. It looks like Angus is on a low dose and has only been on it for a short period of time, so you certainly can discuss stopping it with your veterinarian. However, what you are describing may be a sign of pain not a side effect of the Gabapentin, so you may need to actually increase his dose of Gabapentin or change to another pain medication if Angus is still painful. So, I would discuss it with your veterinarian and see what they recommend. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

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!

Poor guy. Morphine wouldn't cause lack of appetite nor would it cause worsening of his debilitation. It is likely it isn't enough therapy to overcome the advanced stages of his osteoarthritis. Especially since morphine is strictly a pain management medication and doesn't help with inflammation, joint fluid, or cartilage repair. He likely would benefit from more advanced therapy such as Adequan (GAG) injections, joint supplements (Dasuquin) or even physical therapy sessions can help provide him more mobility. His lack of appetite is quite worrisome however and I would highly recommend getting his kidney values rechecked to make sure he doesn't need further treatment to stabilize him first. Because the inability to move could also be caused by generalized weakness due to his underlying kidney condition.