Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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OMG!!! $29.44!!!! Well now I am glad I mentioned the price! Do you have your vet call in the prescription or something?
Also it doesn’t look like they have 50mg. And because it’s a capsule, I wouldn’t be able to break it in half.
Good morning,
Yes, the vet calls it in. ( tell them which pharmacy)
I don't know why they are not showing 50 mg. You can always do 100 mg dump the capsule, half it, and refill it. I always have blank gel shells on hand, so it is easy to do. Are you pilling the gabapentin? I see you are putting thyroid meds in their meals.
We wish you and the girls the best today for recheck & labs.
Also, you can call those pharmacies and get a price on 50 mg and SEE. It might be reasonable. Go by the good RX prices, pick a pharmacy nearby, and ask. Some pharmacies will give you the best deal when you don't have insurance. CVS and Meijers do this. They all MIGHT. I can only speak for those two who helped us with outrageous meds for Purrkins brother.
Oh I apologize for not remembering about why you are trying to wean her off the Gabapentin, thanks for the refresher! You are definitely in a hard place, asking do I want her pain to go despite how it makes her move? Or is she OK with more limited mobility? Ack. Hopefully as the rehab continues, you'll start to see her walking ability improve even if she's on Gabapentin. It may take time though.
Nellie is on Gaba because of her compromised mobility brought on by an injury her previous owner didn't treat. She shows clear pain signals when she hurts (paw licking, reluctance to go up stairs), so the Gabapenin, along with Meloxicam, and now the Librela, are part of her meds routine. It's all working to help her feel good and move around more.
Our Wyatt Ray was on Gaba too, during the last 4 or 5 years of the 12 he was alive, and for the same reasons.
As for the price you are paying OMG! That is way high. Our vet charges $25.95 for 100 mg capsules, through his online store. I also sometimes use 800-Pet-Meds depending on what we need. Price is $24 on https://www.180.....11172.html
You might also try a compounding pharmacy for the 50 mg dosage. They make custom formulas, but you just have to be careful about the pharmacy you work with. See Holly's post:
Thanks for sharing Jerry! Yeah, I’m gonna have to find out where to get cheaper gaba.
So I gave Tuni gaba about 1.5hrs ago, and this is how she walks just after I give it to her:
When it’s been many hours since I have given it to her, she walks pretty decent actually. Just the last day or two, I even noticed an increase of speed of her walking! But, yeah, I’m in a tough spot because I do believe she is in some kind of pain, but then there’s the other side in which you see in the video.
And what kinda worries me is her possibly doing more harm walking like this. Maybe I need to find a good 12 hr times to give her gaba where she might sleep for 5 hrs to have it ween off a bit before she gets up and use the litterbox or to walk around a bit.
Oh and the pain signals that were listed in the link that I’ve noticed when giving her gaba once a day:
- decrease in appetite
- constantly readjusting
- staring
- some licking of her back leg
Yeah, see what you mean. Hopefully you can get a lower dose to try. Also, maybe it's just something you can give her at night?
FWIW, and I'm cer not ab expert,
But if you can tell a distinct Improvement when she walks without the Gaba, to me that would indicate that she's not in pain. And based on what you've written recently, it seems like she does well without it..... maybe??
Obviously we aren't there and we are not monitoring her 24/7 like you are. I've kind of Forgotten what you thought her pain signals were and why you thought she might be pain. . If I recall, it was just basically because she was off her food a little bit? Yes, that could indicate pain, but it also could indicate a lot of other things. When it comes to a senior cat they're just maybe no specific answer why they don't feel like eating much one day and then eat the next.
Please continue to enjoy all the progress she has made. She's happy and she gets wher3 she needs to go when she needs to. And she's purring again!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
It was actually when I went down to giving her gaba at night is when I noticed those pain signals listed above. I only mentioned loss of appetite, cause although the did notice the others and thought maybe they were pain signals , it wasn’t confirmed until I saw what Jerry linked. Also, the lack of appetite started when I went down to once a day. Today, after giving her gaba in the AM and PM, she is eating like a champ! Because of that, I think I might go back to every 12 hours. I would maybe cut in half, but I remember Holly saying that 25mg won’t do anything.
“Until Jerry linked the article …”
Jerry, I love that you have this site set up to automatically link to articles to pain signals when one types “pain signals .” So smart!!! (Cause obviously I didn’t link it in my posts! 😂 )
Or maybe 25mg might be okay now. I can see it not being enough just weeks after the surgery. Heck, I’d even be willing to do 25mg every 8 hrs, if that would keep her comfortable and walking … not like that.
Has the therapist seen this? I don't like seeing this at all, and I agree with you 100% and would be concerned about this walk/hop is and will cause further issues.
The therapist & vet need to see this and devise an alternative plan for pain and rule that gaba factor out. If you are only seeing this on Gaba, then get alternative pain med if one is needed.
Hugs
No one has seen it cause it wasn’t until yesterday when I finally got a video of it. But I’ll show her. And I should be getting a call from my vet with the thyroid results soon, so I’ll ask then. Tuni’s next rehab appt is Wednesday.
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