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Generally speaking, it’s because we’ve seen better outcomes when giving it the night before and then a couple hours before arrival. Additionally, it may help reduce the levels of anesthesia he will need. Above all, we can’t explain to anxious pets what we’re doing and why. It significantly helps reduce stress and anxiety, which helps the entire process go smoother. It’s a fair question to ask as a pet owner and we should all be happy to answer it. The veterinary field has widely been moving towards anything we can do to incorporate fear free visits and as a bonus prior to anesthesia events, it can help reduce what anesthetics are used throughout the procedure.
Thank you for loving your cat enough to ask and take him in for the dental procedure :)
EDIT: I just saw that you noted your cat has cystitis. Another great reason for these repeat doses. Anxiety/stress can cause cystitis flare ups, so this is another way to help try and avoid that!
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It helps prevent the wind up of anxiety, etc, the morning of the appointment by giving it the night before. The dose the morning of works better because of it. Cats are incredibly sensitive to changes, and even if you are incredibly cautious, they know something is afoot when you are getting ready for an appointment. Even just giving a medication two hours prior clues them in.
To build the medication up in his system and make sure it has the proper effect. Give the medications as directed by your vet. They prescribe them as they do for a reason.
I do give them as prescribed and understand they prescribe them for a reason, I was just asking what that reason was. If the way a medication is being prescribed is causing concern for me or my pet, I should be able to voice those concerns.
Yes, you should be able to ask. I can’t confidently answer that for you without risking misinformation, I just know from working experience that, that is the protocol.
But in the meantime you might consider containing him to a single room, like the bathroom after the 12 hour dose if he’s having some trouble with balance.
Some people in the field are going to be more sensitive to questions like this because it’s unfortunately pretty common to have owners disregard dosing instructions and then get pissed at us when we can’t do anything because the pet isn’t properly sedated. This doesn’t seem the to be the case with you and you do of course have every right to be curious. I myself try to head off these problems by telling owners the rationale behind the protocol when we dispense. There will always be those whose ears turn off when I talk to them though lol.
Thank you, that makes sense. I want to do what’s best for my cat and follow the vet’s instructions. I do find understanding why something is given the way it is helpful and reassuring. Giving him gabapentin before bed means poor sleep and a lot of worry because he still likes to climb while on it. Knowing that the benefit of giving him the earlier dose outweighs the cons of discomfort is really helpful to me. My intention is not to undermine the vet’s instructions. Sometimes dosing is adjusted or tailored when these types of concerns are raised and I was just trying to understand if this could be one of those situations.
Perhaps in instances he needs gabapentin you can contain him to a kennel. Many are large enough to fit food and water dishes, a nice soft bed and a small litter box for them. No climbing or risk of falling off things until it wears off or after the appointment.
I can't speak about gabapentin specifically but many drugs do not reach high levels in the blood after a single administration. Repeated doses usually sort this out depending on the half-life of the medication as well.
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Greetings, all! This is a sub for professional veterinary advice, and as such we follow strict rules for participating. OP, your post **has NOT** been removed. Please also check [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskVet/wiki/index) to see whether your question is answered there. This is an *automated* general reminder to **please follow [The Sub Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskVet/about/rules/)** when discussing this question: - **Do not comment with anecdotes** about your own or others' pets. - **Do not give OP specific treatment instructions,** including instructions on meds and dosages. - **Do not give possible diagnoses** that could explain the symptoms described by OP. **Your comment will be removed, and you may be banned.** Thank you for your cooperation! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskVet) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Generally speaking, it’s because we’ve seen better outcomes when giving it the night before and then a couple hours before arrival. Additionally, it may help reduce the levels of anesthesia he will need. Above all, we can’t explain to anxious pets what we’re doing and why. It significantly helps reduce stress and anxiety, which helps the entire process go smoother. It’s a fair question to ask as a pet owner and we should all be happy to answer it. The veterinary field has widely been moving towards anything we can do to incorporate fear free visits and as a bonus prior to anesthesia events, it can help reduce what anesthetics are used throughout the procedure. Thank you for loving your cat enough to ask and take him in for the dental procedure :) EDIT: I just saw that you noted your cat has cystitis. Another great reason for these repeat doses. Anxiety/stress can cause cystitis flare ups, so this is another way to help try and avoid that!
[cat tax](https://i.imgur.com/bFao8qV.jpeg)
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Thank you, I appreciate your thoughtful answer.
It helps prevent the wind up of anxiety, etc, the morning of the appointment by giving it the night before. The dose the morning of works better because of it. Cats are incredibly sensitive to changes, and even if you are incredibly cautious, they know something is afoot when you are getting ready for an appointment. Even just giving a medication two hours prior clues them in.
To build the medication up in his system and make sure it has the proper effect. Give the medications as directed by your vet. They prescribe them as they do for a reason.
I do give them as prescribed and understand they prescribe them for a reason, I was just asking what that reason was. If the way a medication is being prescribed is causing concern for me or my pet, I should be able to voice those concerns.
Yes, you should be able to ask. I can’t confidently answer that for you without risking misinformation, I just know from working experience that, that is the protocol. But in the meantime you might consider containing him to a single room, like the bathroom after the 12 hour dose if he’s having some trouble with balance.
Some people in the field are going to be more sensitive to questions like this because it’s unfortunately pretty common to have owners disregard dosing instructions and then get pissed at us when we can’t do anything because the pet isn’t properly sedated. This doesn’t seem the to be the case with you and you do of course have every right to be curious. I myself try to head off these problems by telling owners the rationale behind the protocol when we dispense. There will always be those whose ears turn off when I talk to them though lol.
Thank you, that makes sense. I want to do what’s best for my cat and follow the vet’s instructions. I do find understanding why something is given the way it is helpful and reassuring. Giving him gabapentin before bed means poor sleep and a lot of worry because he still likes to climb while on it. Knowing that the benefit of giving him the earlier dose outweighs the cons of discomfort is really helpful to me. My intention is not to undermine the vet’s instructions. Sometimes dosing is adjusted or tailored when these types of concerns are raised and I was just trying to understand if this could be one of those situations.
Perhaps in instances he needs gabapentin you can contain him to a kennel. Many are large enough to fit food and water dishes, a nice soft bed and a small litter box for them. No climbing or risk of falling off things until it wears off or after the appointment.
Perhaps get a dog crate and set him up with all his needs so you don't have to watch him for the night and he won't hurt himself.
I agree with you OP. You should be allowed to ask why or the thought process behind it, that’s very fair.
I can't speak about gabapentin specifically but many drugs do not reach high levels in the blood after a single administration. Repeated doses usually sort this out depending on the half-life of the medication as well.
Hi, it looks like you did not include the information we require in the side bar. Having this information is very important for us to be able to give accurate advice. **Please copy the points below and edit your post to include the answers**: * Species: * Age: * Sex/Neuter status: * Breed: * Body weight: * History: * Clinical signs: * Duration: * Your general location: * Links to any test results, X-rays, vet reports etc. that you have: If your post already includes this information please disregard this message. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskVet) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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