Dog losing weight on Gabapentin for knee pain? What should I do?

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.

It's difficult to say, because the weakness, lack of appetite and drowsiness could be signs of the arthritis not being controlled well. Gabapentin could be causing these signs, but it would be suspicious of some other cause if this suddenly started happening. I also worry about the paracetamol being responsible for this. Paracetamol is not commonly given to dogs for pain, because it can be toxic to the liver and stomach. Considering all of this, it's really best to have your vet evaluate Rocky and advise any necessary medication changes. They will be able to help narrow-down the cause of this and ensure he gets the appropriate treatment. I hope that helps and Rocky gets better soon.

I have never hear of gabapentin (neurontin) causing this type of side effect however, I have learned to "never say never" in this profession. So, is it possible? Sure. Is it likely? I don't think so. Here is a link to an article about gabapentin and side effects in dogs. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2764 All of that being said, are you talking about excessive shedding or actual alopecia (bald spots)? If it is just excessive shedding with no bald patches or other clinical signs I would not worry about it. If she seems to have other clinical signs then I would suggest you take her back to your vet for a recheck exam. Hope this helps. If you have more questions feel free to post again.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Skye. Gabapentin can cause some sedation and potentially appetite changes when first started. Mist of the time the effects wear off in several days. If her appetite does not return to normal soon, then I recommend contacting her veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This can due to discomfort so if that is the case now that she is on gabapentin she may do better. Unexpected aggression is a classic sign of pain or discomfort. Hopefully she improves on the gabapentin. If she does not, it is very important to let your veterinarian know so they can keep checking what may be wrong with her. The same underlying condition may be what is causing her weight loss which is important though not that significant. I hope she gets better soon!

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.

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!