Quote Originally Posted by Emeraldgreen View Post
Thank you so much for this information! I'm going to speak with my vet about it. May I ask when Pirate was diagnosed with DM? I'm guessing it was 4 months ago because she started the Gabapentin then but I wasn't sure. And I'm also wondering if Pirate had ever had any incontinence issues related with DM?

It sounds like the Gabapentin has really helped Pirate and I'm very excited that there is something out there that could help Muddy. My vet must not know of this. The other thing that is confusing is that she said Metacam does nothing for DM because DM doesn't cause pain. She said Metacam would be useful for the arthritis he might be suffering with but because of his kidney issue she wanted to hold off on the Metacam. Do you think DM is causing Pirate pain and/or do you think the anti-inflammatory properties of Metacam help Pirate with the DM?
Pirate has only lived with me for seven months. The DM goes back way farther than that, but her last owner couldn't be bothered to take her to the vet. She's got to be 15 now by my best guess.

Pirate has both bladder and bowel incontinence issues. The bladder problems are unrelated to her spine and are treated with DES. The bowel problems are related to the DM. I clean up feces from her bed pretty much every morning. When she lays down for an extended period of time, she can't control her bowels. Fortunately, she rarely has runny stools so it's usually a pretty easy clean up! I am very careful with her diet. She doesn't get treats very often. On her kibble I usually give her a tablespoon of canned food, just because the other two dogs who eat inside get canned food. Any more than that or a bigger treat and I have a big mess to clean up in the morning! That dog loves her dinner. Nothing keeps her from her food and she'd eat herself sick if I let her! I believe when Pirate stops eating she will be telling me it's time to let her go.

The use of gabapentin in dogs is fairly new. My vet clinic doesn't even carry it. I have to fill the prescription at my pharmarcy, much to the fascination of the pharmacist! Pirate's vet says that when it works for a dog, it works quickly. Pirate responded within a week and seemed to reach maximum improvement in about a month. Pirate doesn't show any negative side effects, but it can apparently have a strong sedating effect on some dogs.

Pirate has other issues that cause pain. She has athritis in her knees and hips and a cancerous tumor on her side. That's what the metacam is actually for, but I think the anti-inflammatory side of it helps her as well. We were going to switch her to Tramadol and Prednisone a few weeks ago, but she almost died while under light sedation for an attempt at removing the tumor. After that I decided to just leave things as they are and keep her comfy for as long as possible. She likely doesn't have much time left, but she's happy and pain free for now.

Good luck. I hope you find something that helps Muddy.