Not even 200 mg of gabapenton will render this ferocious beast calm for a vet visit. However that dose PLUS creative use of a large bath towel with a hole snipped in it and a wee bit of calm patience meant I could provide the vet with a safe way to give Artan his annual exam and 3-yr rabies booster.
All credit for the bath towel plan and the mantra of "snout awareness" goes to Shelly Roche of Tiny Kittens TNR rescue in BC, Canada. It's thanks to her that we can give Artan his needed medical care without resorting to "happy gas" every time, which his internal organs thank us for. We will still have to use gas for bloodwork, xrays, and any future pre-surgical work (not that we anticipate any) but it's nice to be able to limit his exposure.
Last year we tried only 100 mg of the medication and it was like he'd never taken anything. And that was after letting it set in for a few hours. 200 mg is the magic dose for his 13.5 lb self and all his hatred of any human that isn't his mom or dad.
Artan was very happy to get home and be snuggled by myself and his favorite human, his dad. He was pretty high the rest of the evening and thus was even more cuddly with us than usual. Thankfully he wasn't drooling when he purred. Too much of that squicks the FuzzyHusband out... generally because he's the one being drooled on.
That was our adventure this week. With a little love and luck we shouldn't have to use our tricks again for another year.
See you next weekend!
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