Gabapentin: Clinical Use and Pharmacokinetics in Dogs, Cats, and Horses.
Authors: Di Cesare Federica, Negro Viviana, Ravasio Giuliano, Villa Roberto, Draghi Susanna, Cagnardi Petra
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Gabapentin: Clinical Applications and Pharmacokinetic Considerations in Equine and Small Animal Practice Gabapentin, an anticonvulsant originally developed as a GABA-mimetic compound for human seizure and neuropathic pain management, is increasingly used extra-label in veterinary medicine across dogs, cats, and horses, yet evidence-based dosing protocols remain inconsistent across species. This 2023 review synthesised current clinical applications and pharmacokinetic data, finding that gabapentin demonstrates established efficacy in dogs for epilepsy, chronic and post-operative pain, and anxiety management, whilst in cats evidence supports its use for post-surgical pain and anxiety control; equine applications, though less extensively documented, centre on chronic pain analgesia. The authors highlight a critical gap in veterinary practice: whilst gabapentin shows promise as an adjunctive therapy—particularly when combined with conventional analgesics and anxiolytics—meaningful pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic correlations remain poorly defined in all three species, limiting evidence-based dose optimisation. For equine professionals, this underscores the importance of individualised treatment protocols and close monitoring, particularly given the variable oral bioavailability reported across species and the absence of established therapeutic ranges specific to horses. Further rigorous pharmacokinetic and clinical trials are essential to establish species-specific dosing regimens that maximise therapeutic benefit whilst minimising the risk of ineffective analgesia or adverse effects in equine patients.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Gabapentin can be considered as an adjunctive therapy for chronic pain and neuropathic conditions in horses when combined with other treatments, but current evidence is limited and dosing protocols need refinement
- •Extra-label use in equines requires careful consideration and further research; practitioners should await additional pharmacokinetic data before establishing standard protocols
- •The lack of defined dosage regimens means clinical use should be individualized and monitored, with practitioners encouraged to participate in or await outcome studies
Key Findings
- •Gabapentin demonstrates clinical efficacy in dogs for epilepsy, chronic neuropathic pain, post-operative pain, and anxiety management
- •In cats, gabapentin showed efficacy for post-ovariohysterectomy pain and anxiety management
- •In horses, gabapentin has been used as an analgesic for chronic pain management
- •Despite beneficial clinical use across species, further pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies and trials are needed to establish effective dosage regimens