What is the appropriate gabapentin dose for pain management versus seizure control in dogs and cats?

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Accepted Answer

Gabapentin dosing differs substantially between its analgesic and anxiolytic/behavioral applications, and the veterinary literature does not provide sourced dosing for seizure control in either species within these guidelines. For acute pain in dogs, gabapentin is dosed at 10 mg/kg PO q8h. This dose is recommended for patients with pre-existing neuropathic pain, and the 2020 AAHA guidelines specify a minimum of 10 mg/kg q8h (30 mg/kg/day total) for this indication.1 The 2022 WSAVA guidelines align with this, recommending 10 mg/kg PO q8h for dogs with mild to moderate pain, while noting that gabapentinoids are better suited to naturally occurring chronic pain with a neuropathic component than to acute inflammatory pain.2 For cats with acute or mild-to-moderate pain, gabapentin is dosed at 10 mg/kg PO q12h (20 mg/kg/day total). The WSAVA guidelines specify this frequency for cats, reflecting a longer dosing interval compared to dogs.2 Limited data indicate some efficacy for osteoarthritis (OA) pain in cats at this dose, though sedation was noted and treated cats moved less on activity monitor output.3 Gabapentin's strongest evidence in cats is as a behavioral modifier and stress reducer, not as an analgesic. For pre-visit anxiolysis in cats with low Fear, Anxiety, and Stress (FAS) scores, the dose is 50–150 mg/cat PO administered 2–3 hours before the visit.1 There is evidence to support this application for facilitating veterinary visits and evaluations, which may indirectly benefit chronic pain management by enabling more complete physical and orthopedic examinations.3 In dogs, gabapentin has not been evaluated for analgesic efficacy in chronic pain, and it is unlikely to provide meaningful analgesia for acute inflammatory pain in either species. The 2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines characterize gabapentin as having "virtually no supporting data" for chronic pain in dogs, and the 2020 AAHA guidelines explicitly state it is unlikely to provide analgesia for acute