title: Assessment of the effects of adjunctive gabapentin on postoperative pain after intervertebral disc surgery in dogs.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of adjunctive gabapentin (GBP) on pain after thoracolumbar intervertebral disc surgery in dogs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, randomized, controlled, clinical, 'blinded' trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-three client owned dogs undergoing hemilaminectomy
  
  
  METHODS
  Dogs were assigned to two treatment groups. The GBP group received gabapentin 10 mg kg(-1) orally every 12 hours starting before anaesthesia; the placebo (P) group received empty gelatin capsules. Background analgesia was initiated with intravenous levomethadone 0.6 mg kg(-1) (as the combination 'L-Polamivet) at anaesthesia induction, followed by a fentanyl patch and levomethadone 0.2 mg kg(-1) subcutaneously every 8 hours for 24 hours. Pain was assessed by the short form of the Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Score (CMPS-SF) without the gait category, and by a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Serum GBP concentrations and cortisol concentrations were measured. Statistical analyses utilized chi square test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, two-way analysis of variances for repeated measurements, Wilcoxon test and Friedmann test as relevant. Correlations were tested by Spearman's and Pearson's correlation coefficient. p < 0.05 was considered significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median CMPS-SF was lower in group GBP than in group P on days 0.5, 1, 4 and 5. However, CMPS-SF and VAS were not significantly different between groups. Both pain scores decreased significantly over time. Cortisol concentrations were not significantly different between groups. Minimum serum concentrations of GBP fell below the detection limit of 1 μg mL(-1) in 6 of 29 and 7 of 28 dogs at 24 and 72 hours, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  10 mg kg(-1) GBP orally twice a day did not result in a detectable reduction in pain behaviour compared to background opioid analgesia alone, although a trend to lower pain levels (p < 0.1) was present. Further studies are needed to determine if this is related to effective background analgesia or an ineffective dose of GBP.
authors.affiliation: Small Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Sonja A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Aghighi
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tipold
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piechotta
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lewczuk
authors.forename: Sabine B R
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Kästner
mesh_terms: D000588:Amines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D000077206:Gabapentin; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000588:Amines; D000700:Analgesics; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000077206:Gabapentin