New Methods of Using Traditional Medicines for Pets

What are some new ways to use traditional medication? Kristen Cooley, BA, CVT, VTS (Anes/Analgesia), instructional specialist at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, explains.

"Some new ways to use traditional medications: I think gabapentin has kind of been shown to be a good drug to give to a cat prior to coming into the hospital. So, sometimes cats are difficult to handle in hospital because they're fearful, and if you have the owner pre-treat them with gabapentin at home—so anywhere from 1 to 300 milligrams per cat—then you wait an hour and the animal comes in a lot more calm and easier to handle. And so, gabapentin has been used in this way in the recent past with great success.

Another drug that I think is not really new anymore but it's really novel is Onsior (robenacoxib). It's a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory that has a really short half-life, so it doesn't stay in the blood stream, but it congregates an inflamed tissue. So, it's easier on the kidneys and GI and all those negative side effects that we oftentimes attribute to NSAID use. It's more comfortable for people to use Onsior versus other NSAIDs in cats, for that reason. I mean, there's Alfaxalone—a newer induction agent that is similar in its effect to propofol—but it maintains the baroreceptor reflex. And so, when your body picks up the fact that you're hypotensive, or those are dilated and hypotensive, the body responds by increasing the heart rate. And propofol doesn't allow the baroreceptors to make that change, but Alfaxalone preserves that reflex. And so, you can have a response to hypotension with an increase in heart rate. And so, people find that comforting as opposed to using propofol."