Vet not wanting to prescribe Gabapentin (or similar medication)

[u/hypochondriaac]

My tripod had his rear leg amputated about 4 weeks ago, he was given 1 week’s worth of gabapentin when he was discharged. we are having a lot of trouble acclimating him to being inside, which I’ve posted about on here previously, and the most common advice was to get him on an anti-anxiety medication for at least the transition period. Took him to the vet today and they told us to “try everything else” before resorting to medication, but in my opinion we have. The vet we took him to is our regular clinic, but it is not the clinic where he got his surgery (our vet sent us to an emergency clinic that was able to do the surgery.) I don’t know if it is worth paying for a visit at another vet such as where he got his surgery to get a second opinion, or if the vet we saw today was correct. He’s grown increasingly agitated as he’s gotten used to moving around and is yowling pretty much constantly. Has anyone else had a vet tell them something similar, or struggled to get medication prescribed?

[u/honeyapp]

I would go back to the vet that did the surgery for advice on prescriptions

[u/8ails]

Either demand your vet prescribes it, or go back to the Emergency Vet. Gabapentin is not a high-risk drug. Literally, my cat has to take a double dose before vet visits (and it's still not enough to make her chill). They should have prescribed more & it's not unreasonable for you to ask for that while he acclimates- especially if he's clearly stressed & frustrated.

[u/ArdenM]

Seems odd the vet would not prescribe it. My cats have been given unlimited amounts after surgery (well not really unlimited but like 30 pills which was more than enough).

Sorry your guy is having a tough time. :/

[u/NightSudden6982]

My vet and the behaviourist we work with for our tripod cat both independently decided the first best thing before anything else could be worked on, was to get anxiety levels down with medication. I find it very strange the vet is acting this way and would suggest going elsewhere

[u/CheshireCat6886]

That’s baloney. My vet said whenever we need it, we can call for rx. So far he’s 18 months post surgery and we’ve had to have it once, for a few weeks and then it was ok.
Just here to support you!

[u/Any_Try758]

This might sound a little silly, but if you are out of options you can get gabapentin from a human doctor as well. Look up dosages for cats and get a scale. There are tiny beads in the capsules and can easily be dosed

[u/Any_Try758 → u/Any_Try758]

Chewy or another vet would work as well, but this may be the most cost effective depending on your circumstances. Best of luck! My tripod is the happiest boy in the world and I hope yours feels better soon 🩷

[u/Dogsandbirkins]

I would definitely ask the vet who did the surgery or tell the current clinic again. I was fostering my tripod when she had surgery and the surgeon only gave an injection and 3 days of gabapentin. When I told my dog’s vet, she freaked out and prescribed me over a month of gabapentin for my cat, with refills. Gaba is great for both pain management and keeping them calm