Please Note - Medical Advice
Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.
You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.
We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.
Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.
Wow, they are some hefty drugs. What are they used for in bunnies? Seizures?
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
Really :shock:
What happened?
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
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.
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
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.
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.
She did warn that Gabapentin causes heavy sedation/wooziness in rabbits. Has anyone else found this??