Retrospective evaluation of preanesthetic oral gabapentin in cats receiving total injectable anesthesia in a high-quality, high-volume spay-neuter setting.

This retrospective study investigated an anesthetic protocol for 573 cats (221 males, 352 females) in a high-quality, high-volume spay-neuter (HQHVSN) program, with a focus on the role of oral gabapentin in this protocol. Gabapentin (100 mg/cat) was administered to 233 cats (86 males, 147 females) approximately two hours preoperatively. All cats received intramuscular medetomidine (20 μg/kg) and ketamine (5 mg/kg) for induction, with anesthesia maintained via intermittent intravenous boluses of ketamine (2.5 mg/kg) and diazepam (0.125 mg/kg). Local lidocaine (4 mg/kg) administered intraperitoneally or intratesticularly. Meloxicam (0.3 mg/kg) was given preoperatively, and tramadol (1 mg/kg) was used as rescue analgesia. Anesthetic requirements and physiological variables, including preoperative respiratory rate (RR) and intraoperative averages for RR, pulse rate (PR), systolic arterial pressure (SAP), and hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SpO2), were compared between gabapentin and non-gabapentin cohorts. Gabapentin reduced preoperative RR and ketamine-diazepam requirements. Higher PR and SAP were observed in non-gabapentin cohorts. Transient apnea, the most common complication, resolved spontaneously. SpO2 was lower in non-gabapentin cohorts, with more cats showing SpO2 < 90 in females. No differences were noted in the need for atipamezole or tramadol rescue analgesia. Gabapentin effectively reduced anesthetic drug requirements without adversely affecting vital signs. Further prospective studies are required to validate these findings.