Question re Pain Relief

I wasn’t sure where to post this so I chose the general health forum.

My vet recently gave Buddy a trial of gabapentin for some limping he’s been having. He jumped off the bed a few weeks ago and has been limping a little ever since--not consistently, but usually after laying around a while. I think the jump aggravated his old joints and maybe the beginning of arthritis.

She prescribed gabapentin because he’s on furosemide and benazapril due to his heart problems.

Anyone have success with gabapentin for pain management for dogs who have aches and pains?

Gabapentin is very specifically for neurological pain relief. It is not a general painkiller (actually, it's not a quick painkiller at all, it acts by suppressing nerve pain and preventing it from coming to consciousness and needs to be given regularly throughout the day) and simply won't work on something like arthritis. If your vet thinks that Buddy's pain could be caused by CM/SM, gabapentin working on it can be an indicator that this is correct, though a proper diagnosis can only be made by an MRI scan. But giving gabapentin because a dog is already on frusemide for something else is peculiar.:?

Pain after jumping is more likely to be a pulled muscle or a disk problem (or, as you suggest, arthritis) - for both of which the usual treatment is rest and a painkiller such as Metacam.

Hope Buddy gets sorted,

Kate and Ruby

Kate is absolutely right. Gabapentin works on neurological pain only.

Metacam is very good for inflammation such as muscle strains or arthritis. Low dose Asprin is also good for muscle or other general pains and I would think it would work well with furosemide and benazapril.

Is your vet newly qualified? Possibly he is one of the many who believe all Cavaliers suffer from Syringomyelia and that all symptoms are relevant to that condition?

My Sydney was on the same medications as Buddy, plus a few others, for his heart disease. He also had arthritis. When needed, he was given Metacam for pain. I would absolutely double check this issue with your vet.

Let us know how Buddy is doing.

Thanks for your input everyone. From what I’ve read, metacam isn’t necessarily safe for dogs with certain heart problems, and since we don’t know what specifically is ailing Buddy’s heart until July 9, I think she chose gabapentin for its safety at this point--although, like you said, it’s prescribed for neuro pain and not muscular pain.

Karen,

I've given Metacam to several Cavaliers with heart problems over many years, without any problems.

I repeat, Gabapentin only works on neurological pain.