Anxiolytic Medications for Outpatient Ultrasounds
We are committed to providing a calm and comfortable experience for your patients. To support this, we strongly recommend the following medication options.
For optimal effectiveness, these medications should be administered on an empty stomach, two (2) hours prior to the appointment.
An additional dose, with or without food, may be given the night before the appointment and may enhance the effect.
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Feline
- Gabapentin 5-20 mg/kg PO
- Typical effective doses are 50 mg for a medium size cat and 100mg for a large cat.
- *Consider dosing lower at ~ 2.5-5 mg/kg for geriatric or azotemic patients. Cats with renal insufficiency can be very sensitive to the sedation effects of Gabapentin
- IN COMBINATION WITH ONE (1) OF THE FOLLOWING:
- Buprenorphine 0.015- 0.02 mg/kg Transmucosal/Sublingual
- Safe to dose in combination with Gabapentin.
- OR
- Trazodone 12.5 mg – 25 mg total dose per cat, PO
- Safe to dose in combination with Gabapentin.
Canine
- Gabapentin 10-20 mg/kg PO
- *Consider dosing at 5-10 mg/kg for geriatric or azotemic patients
- IN COMBINATION WITH
- Trazodone 2-5 mg/kg PO
- *Safe to dose in combination with Gabapentin