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I had my dog on 2ml of liquid gabapentin every 8 hours for 3 weeks for back pain. He was diagnosed with IVDD. I asked my vet I f I should wean him off of it and she said no I don’t need to. I just gave him his last dose this morning. Now I’ve been hearing and reading that he should have been weaned off of it as it may cause seizures and other complications if he’s not weaned off of it. Can you please let me know.

I had my dog on 2ml of liquid gabapentin every 8 hours for 3 weeks for back pain. He was diagnosed with IVDD. I asked my vet I f I should wean him off of it and she said no I don’t need to. I just gave him his last dose this morning. Now I’ve been hearing and reading that he should have been weaned off of it as it may cause seizures and other complications if he’s not weaned off of it. Can you please let me know.

Updated On February 8th, 2020

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | neutered | 6 years old | 20 lbs

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

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Hi there. Normally, weaning off is only necessary if the animal has been on it to treat a seizure disorder - not when it's being used as a pain medication, as in this case. I have personally never seen a problem with stopping gabapentin "cold turkey," and I use it frequently in my practice. So I would not expect to see any problems. :)

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