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Please Note - Medical Advice
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Gabapentin and Tramadol - treatment for rabbits
- Thread starter BinkyBun
- Start date
Jack's-Jane
Wise Old Thumper
Yes
I dont have any first hand experience, but I posted on your other thread that your Vet could give Bristol Rabbit Clinic a call and ask their opinion/advice
http://www.langfordvets.co.uk/rabbit_team.htm
Hopefully Marie Kubiak may see this thread too xx
marie_kubiak
Alpha Buck
I use tramadol quite frequently in rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas with pain that is not controlled by non-steroidals like metacam, or where NSAIDs can't be used due to other health issues. It works well to control soft tissue pain, less well for bony pain and rarely causes sedation and I've had no adverse reactions. Doses required for pain relief in bunnies are much higher than in cats and dogs.
Gabapentin I use only for nerve-damage related pain so far less frequently but has seemed to give some relief in a number of these cases.
Jane - Bristol Rabbit Clinic no longer exists. Richard Saunders now works part-time at Highcroft Vets in Bristol so is still around.
Marie
Gabapentin I use only for nerve-damage related pain so far less frequently but has seemed to give some relief in a number of these cases.
Jane - Bristol Rabbit Clinic no longer exists. Richard Saunders now works part-time at Highcroft Vets in Bristol so is still around.
Marie
Jack's-Jane
Wise Old Thumper
marie_kubiak
Alpha Buck
you have a p-m
Thanks Marie. Darcy has spondylosis in his spine and osteo-arthritis in his hips (they are totally the wrong shape now). He suffers from fits approx twice/three times a week right now. My vet originally thought these were pain spasms but Cristobels thinks its more likely eplileptic fits. Which of these drugs would you think better in this case? Darcy is already on high dose of metacam daily.
Jack's-Jane
Wise Old Thumper
TY :wave:
marie_kubiak
Alpha Buck
Hi,
Christobel will be able to talk you through the best pain relief option for him as it will depend on whether there is nerve involvement and any other factors in his health that affect drug choice. You have a good vet so talk to her and trust in her decisions
Hi,
Christobel will be able to talk you through the best pain relief option for him as it will depend on whether there is nerve involvement and any other factors in his health that affect drug choice. You have a good vet so talk to her and trust in her decisions
Cristobel is wonderful but she is not my vet unfortunately. She is way too far away (hour and half journey). I only went to see her for acupuncture session and her opinion to take to my own vet. She suggested these two medication but actually told me to check on here with you guys about them as she has never used them herself on rabbits.
All information, advice and ideas extremely welcome right now!Coineanach
Wise Old Thumper
I can only tell you about the hoomin effects of meds. I have absolutely no idea if they work the same in bunnies so my information may be useless. All of the below is human indications and uses for the drugs, it will save me writing 'in humans' ten million times.
Tramadol is a synthetic opiate. Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant. They are completely different classes of drugs and can be used together. Tramadol actually lowers the seizure threshold and made my fits far worse so it wouldn't be recommended in someone with epilepsy. Tramadol can be prescribed with an anticonvulsant to stop the additional seizures, but generally it's recommended just not to give it in the first place as in humans we have alternate drugs. For people with epilepsy gabapentin is not normally the drug of choice anyway, gabapentin is indicated more for neuropathic (nerve) pain than for seizures. I take tramadol and an anticonvulsant called pregabalin (a more potent version of gabapentin) and was started on them both for pain, but the pregabalin has the beneficial side effect of decreasing the seizures too.
As you may or may not know, I have a lot of problems with joint pain etc, I don't have spondylosis or other OA problems but my joints, especially the ball and socket ones, are the wrong shape and I will certainly develop OA in the next ten years or so (I'm 22). I know very, very little about rabbits but *assuming* that we process pain in a similar way, Darcy and I probably have similar pain issues. I found the combination of the two very helpful but if I had to pick one over the other for pain relief it would be tramadol. If I had to pick one to stop the seizures it would be gabapentin.
I have a lot on information on all this stuff but it is all in humans so probably not useful to you. It might help you to understand the basics of the drugs but I cant tell you how they work with buns. If you need to know anything else please give me a shout. Hope Darcy is still doing okay within himself.
Thank so much for your advice and info on the meds. I am really sorry you suffer from so much pain with your joints. x
My vets won't use Tramadol at all. Apparently the Practice Head (or whatever they're called can't remember) doesn't approve the use of Tramadol as it is "human drug". They do use Gabapentin though and if they consider it useful for Darcy once the tests come back, they would consider using it.
She did warn that Gabapentin causes heavy sedation/wooziness in rabbits. Has anyone else found this??
She did warn that Gabapentin causes heavy sedation/wooziness in rabbits. Has anyone else found this??
Coineanach
Wise Old Thumper
Again, I can't comment on rabbits but it certainly does with humans. Every person I know who has tried gapbapentin has been very drowsy for the first wee while and most dizzy as well, however once you get used to the drug the side effects do decrease.
A shame about the tramadol though. Have they mentioned anything else as there are other opiates which can be used in buns - the first one that comes to mind is buprenorphine. This would be for pain relief as opposed to seizure control though.
