These days, dogs and cats are true members of the family, in every sense of the word. Like humans, dogs and cats may experience health problems, including pain and convulsions during their lifetime.
It is natural for your loving owners to want to alleviate this annoyance and to care for your pets with the best possible treatment available.
With advances in veterinary science and treatment, it is possible to ensure that your pet lives a happier and healthier life!
What is gabapentin for dogs?
Gabapentin is a medicine already in use for humans, which has recently been discovered to be an effective veterinary medicine.
Gabapentin for dogs points to the animal’s nervous system, which can help with neuropathic pain and seizures suffered by dogs, especially those with epilepsy, chronic pain or in the last years of their lives.
How does gabapentin for dogs work?
So how does gabapentin for dogs really work? Well, as with many medications used in medicine today, veterinarians generally understand how gabapentin works, however, there is still an investigation that is being carried out to find out the specific mechanisms of their Amazing effects.
Pain is a complex process in the body, and over time veterinarians have changed their approach to their management in their hairy patients greatly.
Veterinarians now prefer to treat animals using their professional criteria, based on the situation (for example, postoperative pain) instead of any external signs of pain that the animal may be exhibiting.
Gabapentin is a unique drug in which it does not directly influence pain, but is believed to act as a type of nervous system “shock”.
Affecting the voltage-blocked calcium channels in the brain, gabapentin effectively reduces calcium streams in the central nervous system.
This means that connections in the brain responsible for pain, convulsions and even anxiety are temporarily obstructed, leading to a decrease in these symptoms.
As a neuropathic drug, gabapentin itself does not block the signs of pain from reaching the brain. However, its ability to “Quiet ” The nervous system means that it can amplify the effects of other analgesics used to treat chronic pain in combination with them.
From relieving nerve pain to dog convulsions: what is gabapentin used in dogs?
Gabapentin for dogs has been found to have a wide range of important uses for canines.
One of the main uses of gabapentin in dogs is to help alleviate chronic pain conditions such as arthritis pain.
When used in conjunction with opioid analgesics or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, gabapentin has been shown to increase efficacy, resulting in more effective pain relief for your dog.
It is also an important drug for post-surgical recovery in dogs, ensuring that the animal’s pain is as small as possible while curing an operation or procedure.
If you have a dog that has epilepsy, then you may already know about gabapentin. Gabapentin is particularly effective in preventing seizures in dogs due to epilepsy, which is a wonderful relief for homeowners with a pet who suffers from this troubling condition.
Gabapentin for dogs is also emerging as an excellent solution for use in dog anxiety because it has a soothing effect on the nervous system.
Another excellent feature of gabapentin for our furry friends is like a safe sedative in stressful situations, such as before surgery or a veterinary visit.
Doses and How Long does Gabapentin Stay in a Dog’s System
It is important that your veterinarian calculates individually and advises on the optimal dose for pain relief for your pet, but the information below can be used as a general guide.
For the treatment of seizures in dogs, the gabapentin dose starts at 5 to 10 mg per pound (10 to 20 mg/kg) every 6, 8, or 12 hours. For the treatment of pain control in dogs, gabapentin doses range from 1.5 to 5 mg per pound (3 to 10 mg/kg) every 24 hours.
Your veterinarian will also take into account other factors when calculating your doses, such as dog breed and its reaction to medication. The short half-life of gabapentin means that it only stays within the system of a dog for about 2-3 hours.
Gabapentin is available for purchase at different dosage concentrations. Read more: How Many Teeth does an Adult Dog Have?
