Daisy's SM

[Sabby]

Hi

I have noticed Daisy is drinking a lot more what med could be causing that ?.I also noticed after forgetting to give her 6 pm Gabapentin that
missing it did not seem affect her and this was about ten hours after her 6am one ,so it crossed my mind are the Gabapentin actually doing anything
for her and also as it was only when she went on Omeprazole that I noted a huge reduction in her scratching .I shall of course ask her Neuro when we
go back for her three month assessment in a couple of weeks .Any thoughts please .

A few times I have forgotten to give Ebony her Gabapentin and nothing happened, but then on other days she needs it every 5 hours otherwise she starts scratching. Ebony has been on Gabapentin for 15 month now and I have not seen any increased drinking.

Best to ask the Neuro.

[Brian M]

Hi Sabby

Thank you for my reply .

[Kate H]

Hi Brian

The average time it takes for Gabapentin to pass through the body (metabolise) is 8.5 hours. This means that some dogs, like Sabby's Ebony, may take only 5 hours, others will take 12 hours, so it may just be that Daisy is at the top end of the scale. But how much Gabapentin helps a particular dog can vary - for some it is a miracle drug, for my Oliver (who seemed to be able to go about 10-11 hours between tablets) it helped, but wasn't entirely effective at controlling his headaches. One of the characteristics of SM seems to be that medication can be very individual - it can be a case of trial and error for a few months until you find the mix of drugs that helps your particular dog, and even then the mix may need to be tweaked from time to time as the disease progresses or (as in Oliver's case) a new drug is tried that works better for him.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

[Brian M]

Hello Kate

Many thanks for replying on this as of course I am on a huge learning curve so its thanks to you and others that by replying to
my questions help me provide a better level of care for Daisy and also of course the superb staff at Chestergates where Daisy
attends every three months .I do appreciate every dog is different but its good to read other peoples experiances so thanks again
for your reply.

Rgds

Brian

[Brian M]

Hi

I think Daisy seems to be scratching a tiny bit more so I phoned Chestergates and spoke to Ulreke and we agreed to up her Gabapentin 100 mg from
twice a day to three times which is in line with most on here ,we also go back for her three monthly visit on Nov 5 th and then we Simon in Feb which
is the big one I fear.

[Waggles]

Good luck for the 5th Nov Brian and Daisy, will be thinking of you both.
Zoe

[Brian M]

Hi Zoe

And good luck to all you down there .I normally stay with them till midnight but generally they are not too bothered unless its a huge bang which some lately seem to be but they all
seem to doze off as normal and leaving sitting there on my own .If I think back to some of the stupid stunts I got up to with my mates when was 14ish its a wonder I am still alive.

[Brian M]

Hi
Just at work ,doing a bit for a change ,but again Cavaliers pop into my mind as always.!!! Question please -with Daisy now on three types of medication and with the two of us going to see Ulreke on 5 th November should I be asking to have her bloods checked ?

Thanks

Bri

[MomObvious]

Hi
Just at work ,doing a bit for a change ,but again Cavaliers pop into my mind as always.!!! Question please -with Daisy now on three types of medication and with the two of us going to see Ulreke on 5 th November should I be asking to have her bloods checked ?

Thanks

Bri

Personally I think that is a good idea. I know with humans its always a good idea to have labs ran at least yearly when they are one ANY meds. My son takes ADHD meds and we have a complete physical with labs and EKG's every year. To me its a simple thing to ensure the meds are doing more good than harm.

[Kate H]

If Daisy is on a diuretic such as frusemide or Zitac, Clare Rusbridge recommends regular blood checks, at least yearly. This is because a diuretic lowers the fluid level in the body as a whole, not just in the brain, and this can sometimes - usually after prolonged use - affect the kidneys. Your local vet can do this for you, and if there is any abnormality will consult with your neurologist (or perhaps I just have my vets well trained!).

Kate, Oliver and Aled