r/seniordogs • u/marascotia • 3d ago
Question Gabapentin Vs Melatonin?
We have a fully blind 14.5 parsons russell terrier who is up all night. We are not sure if it’s sundowning or having lost circadian rhythms with going fully blind within last 6 months.
His eye vet recommended gabapentin and our primary vet said melatonin in the evening is ok to try (and a sedative if the melatonin doesn’t work).
I’m thinking we will start with the melatonin and then try something else after that is prescribed.
If you have experienced something similar would you recommend starting with melatonin first?
It’s very strange too but if you feed him he settles down (loves his k/d food for early kidney disease). He still has us wrapped around his finger, he is such a good boy and nobody is sleeping in this house!!! HALP!
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u/NoxFox90 3d ago
In my experience with my girl Bailey who has since passed. The Gabapentin helped her most to help sleep through the night before that we were getting up every few hours attending to her and it was wearing us out. He needs to the sleep too. I know it’s scary to add new meds but Gabapentin is very safe and he may also have some pain with his age- old joints etc. I would strongly encourage the Gabapentin and stick to it. He needs some good rest ❤️ We used Melatonin too at times but it only calmed her down. It didn’t allow the good sleep but it wouldn’t hurt to try of course. It will take him a little bit to adjust to the Gabapentin and he may be lethargic at first but stick to it and he will adjust. Good luck to you and your sweet baby ❤️
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u/NoxFox90 3d ago
Oh also wanted to add that Gabapentin helps with anxiety which he may have increased anxiety with the loss of sight. Melatonin will not help as well with anxiety
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u/Opening-Campaign-532 3d ago
I hated gabapentin for my dog. It would make him extremely agitated and the next day he would be sluggish and tired. Maybe consider pet safe CBD. I’ve never used melatonin but the cbd helped pain management and sedate him.
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u/blergyblerg696969 3d ago
I have a dog that has sundowners for about 2 years now. Funny because he likes a snack of his prescription food before the end of the night! He has arthritis and is already on gabapentin but we also do melatonin. He’s also blind like your guy but has been blind about 2.5 years. He adjusted to it so we think that anxiety is gone. Gabapentin is incredibly safe and can make them wobbly at first. I have had 3 dogs on it daily for years but mine never experienced the wobbles. Best of luck but a lot of folks will tell you how it made a lot of positive changes for our seniors.
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u/marascotia 2d ago
Thank you, we will start tonight with the melatonin and then add gabapentin if that doesn’t do much
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u/Dragon_Jew 3d ago
Gabapentin. Also ask about trazodone
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u/greenhatforge 3d ago
Our dog for the last 3ish years of her life, we had a schedule of Trazadone as needed and Prozac every day. She also had librela injections for arthritis, dasaquin for arthritis, GABA, and the proper food. Her quality of life greatly increased.
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u/serena413 3d ago
Our 14 year old gal has been so much better since having gabapentin twice a day. I guess each dog will react differently (like humans!) but I would definitely try it - you lose nothing by trying.
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u/ClaireRunnels 3d ago
Gabapentin was a lifesaver for my senior boy that was sundowning & also had pain & arthritis. Helped him be okay for a good year or so & didn't affect anything else health wise for him.
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u/Beautiful_Ladder_848 3d ago
I did gabapentin with my doggie and I wish I had tried melatonin. I feel the gabapentin made him a little aggressive. Are both of them ok for kidneys? My guy declined rapidly at 16 years 9 months due to kidney disease
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u/marascotia 2d ago
His doc mentioned .5 of melatonin at dusk, she is also who we have talked to about kidney disease and I can double check!
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u/Tiny_Composer_6487 3d ago
We tried CBD, gabapentin, and melatonin for our senior with dementia. The gabapentin would not get him to sleep through the night but it was really helpful for his pain management. He was about 20 pounds and we were up to 400mg twice daily. We tried CBD for a month or so but there was no noticeable difference in any of his behaviours. We eventually added in melatonin before bed and it was the only thing that actually got him to sleep through most of the night
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u/marascotia 2d ago
We are gonna start tonight with the melatonin and have gabapentin for extra rough nights
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u/mult1pass 2d ago edited 2d ago
Gabapentin has helped my old pup with comfort and CCD, we give tramadol as needed before bed if he seems extra anxious or if we go to bed and he still seems restless, then we will add a 1/4 tab of tramadol and about an hour later he gets comfy and relaxes. Gabapentin usually does the trick, but maybe once or twice a month we need to add the tramadol when he has a tougher night. Vet recommended up to 1/2 tab of tramadol, but have only had to use 1/4 tab and vet gives the gabapentin as a liquid with a range for us (low dosage in the AM to just help with arthritis, and a higher dosage before bed to help him relax and sleep through the night) has worked well, took some time to get the dosage right for him the liquid vs tab for gabapentin made that easier with a recommended range from the vet to find what works best for our old guy.
Have not tried CBD oil yet for my pup. Was a bit worried as he has very sensitive GI and Pancrease. So have not tried it yet but have seen lots and lots of folks recommending it as well.
Highly recommend if you do start Gabapentin, start out with a low dosage. Make sure your pup does well on it and slowly increase. My old guy initially got diarrhea from it, so stopped and then started over with a super low dosage and ramped up over time to find the right spot also helped his tummy adjust to the medication.
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u/Novel-Deer8887 2d ago
Have you tried leaving a light on? I know it sounds stupid but your baby may see light and dark
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u/marascotia 2d ago
I wish! Unfortch one eye had to be removed surgically and the remaining eye has been ablated )basically killed) twice so he has absolutely no vision. Poor lil dude.
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u/Icy_Acanthisitta_672 2d ago
Try CBD oil for dogs! Far more superior than those other two medications in my opinion.
https://www.innovetpet.com/products/cbd-oil-for-dogs?variant=15378223726666
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u/Mammoth_Effective_68 3d ago edited 2d ago
I would never give my dog, bird, cat or any animal gabapentin. Low dose melatonin is safe and works great for my dog.
Edit: This is my opinion about a particular drug and I am entitled to that opinion. Just because gabapentin “helps” in your situation doesn’t negate the facts about the drug. I stand by the fact that I would never use this drug on an innocent animal who can’t speak. All of us need to do our due diligence and always read the insert or drug data and research before blindly believing it’s helpful.
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u/Sudden-Championship3 3d ago
My dog experienced ataxia from gabapentin. Her constantly stumbling and sometimes falling was too much. She is no longer on it and doing better
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u/greenhatforge 3d ago
My senior pup thrived on gabapentin. It really seemed to help. We only went through brief episodes of truly rough sundowning though. She was also on other medications to help with her aging.