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Gabapentin vs Trazodone for Dogs: What the Controlled Trials Actually Show

November 04, 2026

Calm golden mixed-breed dog resting on a padded bed beside a HempMy Pet 1000mg full-spectrum hemp oil tincture bottle, with a leash ready for a vet visit

The short answer: trazodone and gabapentin are not two versions of the same thing. Trazodone is a serotonin-acting antidepressant used for situational fear and stress, and it has the stronger controlled evidence: in a 2026 blinded, placebo-controlled travel trial of 36 dogs, one dose two hours before a car ride lowered cortisol and anxiety behaviours, while gabapentin did not differ from placebo on any measure. Gabapentin is a nerve-pain and seizure drug that calms some dogs, mostly through sedation. Vets often give both together the night before and 90 minutes to 2 hours before a vet visit, at published doses around 20 to 25 mg/kg gabapentin plus 6 to 10 mg/kg trazodone. Both are off-label in dogs, so your vet sets the dose. Below: how each works, the trial results side by side, doses, timing, side effects, who should not take them, and which to ask about.

The short version. For a scared dog, trazodone is the drug with placebo-controlled wins; gabapentin's anxiety evidence is mixed and partly negative. For a sore dog, gabapentin is the relevant drug and trazodone does nothing for pain.

The trade-off nobody puts in a comparison table: trazodone raised heart rate by about 44 beats per minute over placebo before travel in the same trial where it worked. Worth a sentence to your vet if your dog has a heart murmur.

Gabapentin vs Trazodone at a Glance

Gabapentin Trazodone
Drug class Gabapentinoid anticonvulsant / analgesic SARI antidepressant (serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitor)
Main uses in dogs Chronic and nerve pain add-on, seizures, pre-visit calming Situational fear (vet visits, travel, noise), post-surgery confinement
Controlled evidence for stress Mixed: no effect in travel trial; less lip licking at a vet visit; worse than control alone in shelter dogs Positive in travel and shelter trials; no effect in one placebo-controlled post-surgery trial
Controlled evidence for pain Negative as a surgical add-on in two trials; a majority add-on choice in arthritis guidelines None; not a pain drug
Onset Peak blood level about 1.3 to 2 h Owner-noted 31 to 45 min; peak level highly variable
Half-life in dogs 3 to 4 h About 2.8 h (166 min)
Doses used in dog studies 5 to 10 mg/kg q8 to 12h (pain); 20 to 50 mg/kg before an event 3.5 to 10 mg/kg, up to every 8 h; one guide caps at 300 mg per dose, 600 mg per day
Most common side effects Sedation, wobbliness, vomiting Sedation, stomach upset, higher heart rate, paradoxical agitation
The serious risk Xylitol in human liquids; stopping suddenly in seizure dogs Serotonin syndrome with tramadol, SSRIs or MAO inhibitors
FDA approved for dogs? No (extra-label) No (extra-label)

Sources: Landsberg 2026 · Delabar 2026 · Stollar 2022 · Jay 2013 · Gruen 2014 · Erickson 2021 review · Wagner 2010 · Aghighi 2012 · COAST guidelines 2023. Doses are what published studies used, not a dosing instruction.

"No differences were observed following gabapentin treatment relative to control on any of the physiological or behavioral assessment measures." — Landsberg et al., Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2026

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What Gabapentin Is and How It Works

Gabapentin was developed as a human anticonvulsant and is sold for people as Neurontin. It quiets overactive nerve signalling by acting on calcium channels in nerve cells, which is why it is used for nerve-type pain, as an add-on for seizures, and, in higher single doses, to take the edge off a stressful event. It does not reduce inflammation the way an NSAID does.

In dogs it is absorbed and cleared quickly. Greyhound studies summarised in the 2021 Canadian Veterinary Journal review found peak blood levels 1.3 to 1.5 hours after a dose and a half-life of 3 to 4 hours; dogs, unlike people and cats, convert about 34% of it to N-methyl-gabapentin. Short half-life is the reason pain doses are given every 8 hours rather than once a day. We cover the side-effect side in detail in our guide to gabapentin for dogs.

What Trazodone Is and How It Works

Trazodone is a human antidepressant from the SARI class. It blocks certain serotonin receptors and slows serotonin reuptake, and at the doses dogs receive it is, as the review authors put it, best understood through its "mild-to-moderate sedation and hypnotic effects." Vets use it one-off before a known stressor and daily during weeks of crate rest after surgery.

A 2013 Beagle study (Jay et al., AJVR) found oral trazodone well absorbed, with 84.6% bioavailability and a half-life of 166 minutes. The catch was timing: the time to peak blood level averaged 445 minutes with a standard deviation of 271, so one dog may peak in an hour and another in ten. Our guide to trazodone for dogs covers the heart-rate findings and the paradoxical reaction in depth.

Which One Is Used for What

Situational fear
Vet visits, travel, grooming, noise

Trazodone first in most protocols, gabapentin often added. This is where the two overlap and where the trial evidence favours trazodone.

Pain
Arthritis, disc disease, nerve pain

Gabapentin only, as an add-on. The international COAST arthritis guidelines list it as an adjunct (6 of 9 panelists at Stage 3, 8 of 9 at Stage 4), never as a replacement for an NSAID.

Confinement
Weeks of crate rest after surgery

Trazodone. In an open-label study, 32 of 36 owners said it helped. In the only placebo-controlled version, it did no better than placebo.

The Controlled Trials, Side by Side

Most comparison pages tell you both drugs "work for anxiety." The blinded and controlled studies are less tidy than that, and they are worth seeing in one place.

Bar chart from a 2026 blinded placebo-controlled trial in 36 dogs: 5 of 12 dogs on trazodone fell below the cortisol stress threshold after a car ride, versus 1 of 12 on gabapentin and 0 of 12 on placebo
Road-travel trial, 36 Beagles, one dose two hours before a 10-minute van ride. Source: PMID 42441254.

The travel trial (2026, 36 dogs). Dogs were matched on how strongly their cortisol rose during a baseline van ride, then randomised to trazodone 10 mg/kg, gabapentin 30 mg/kg or placebo, two hours before a second ride. Trazodone lowered post-travel cortisol by 94 nmol/L versus placebo and cut lip licking, anxiety scores, yawning and restlessness; no trazodone dog urinated during the treatment ride, against five at baseline. Gabapentin matched placebo on everything, and four of its 12 dogs vomited during the treatment ride compared with none at baseline. No dog in any group showed signs of sedation.

The shelter trial (JAVMA 2026, 60 dogs). Delabar and colleagues gave shelter dogs trazodone 8 mg/kg, gabapentin 25 mg/kg, both, or nothing, the evening before and the morning of their neuter surgery. Blinded observers scored 13 stress behaviours. Trazodone alone and the combination reduced stress scores. Gabapentin alone was followed by an increase.

The vet-visit trial (JAVMA 2022, 22 dogs). In a double-blind crossover, gabapentin 50 mg/kg two hours before a visit reduced lip licking during the exam but did not change salivary cortisol, eye temperature or greeting scores. No serious adverse events.

Post-surgery confinement. The 2014 open-label trazodone study reported 89% of owners saw moderate or extreme improvement. The follow-up placebo-controlled trial in 29 dogs, described in the 2021 review as "the only fully randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded study to date," found no difference from placebo in any behavioural category.

Surgical pain. Gabapentin added to other painkillers did not lower pain scores versus placebo after forelimb amputation (30 dogs) or spinal disc surgery (63 dogs). Both studies were small and the dogs were already on strong opioids, which the authors noted limits what they could detect.

Table summarising six controlled dog trials of trazodone and gabapentin for travel stress, shelter stress, vet visits, post-surgical confinement and surgical pain
What each controlled canine study found, by drug.

None of this means gabapentin is useless. A 2024 survey of 50 owners at a behaviour practice (Kirby-Madden et al.) found 72% rated it moderately or very effective, with conflict-related aggression the diagnosis most likely to respond. That is owner opinion without a placebo, but it fits what behaviour vets report: some dogs respond well, many do not, and you find out by trying.

Can Dogs Take Gabapentin and Trazodone Together?

Yes, and this is one of the most common pre-visit protocols in veterinary practice. The reasoning is that the two act on different systems, so a lower dose of each can be used. What the combination studies show:

  • Shelter dogs, 60 dogs: trazodone 8 mg/kg plus gabapentin 25 mg/kg, evening before and morning of surgery, reduced stress behaviours (JAVMA 2026).
  • Arousal in shelter dogs, 50 dogs: gabapentin 20 mg/kg plus trazodone 6 mg/kg lowered arousal scores compared with standard shelter care, with or without added calm enrichment (Front Vet Sci 2026).
  • Before anaesthesia, 6 dogs: gabapentin 20 mg/kg plus trazodone 8 mg/kg two hours before surgery lowered the isoflurane needed from 0.95% to 0.625%, with heart rate lower but normal (AJVR 2025).
  • Eyes, 12 dogs: the combination modestly reduced retinal electrical responses, judged of little clinical importance, though worth knowing before an eye exam (AJVR 2022).

The AKC describes the related "Chill Protocol" (gabapentin, melatonin and acepromazine, sometimes with trazodone). Its published version gave gabapentin 20 to 25 mg/kg the evening before and again 90 to 120 minutes before the visit, and lowered stress scores in 45 anxious or aggressive dogs (JAVMA 2023).

The real risk of combining them is stacked sedation and wobbliness, not a chemical interaction. The combination you must never improvise is trazodone with tramadol, fluoxetine, clomipramine or selegiline, because of serotonin syndrome.

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How Long Each Takes to Work and How Long It Lasts

  • Gabapentin: peaks about 1.3 to 2 hours after a dose and is largely cleared within about 8 hours. The 2021 review recommends giving it at least 90 minutes before a visit, with some benefit reported from also giving it the evening before.
  • Trazodone: owners noticed it at a median 31 to 45 minutes, with effects lasting 4 hours or more (Gruen 2014). Because peak blood levels vary so much between dogs, hospital protocols dose it 90 minutes ahead.
  • Both together: the trials above dosed at least 90 minutes to 2 hours before the event, plus an evening dose in the shelter and Chill Protocol studies. Giving either as you load the car is the most common way owners waste a dose.

Published Dose Ranges (Your Vet Sets the Dose)

Both drugs are used extra-label: neither has an FDA-approved canine label, so there is no official dose. These are the amounts the published studies actually used. They are here so you can have an informed conversation, not so you can dose from a chart.

Use Gabapentin Trazodone Source
Single dose before travel 30 mg/kg, 2 h before 10 mg/kg, 2 h before Landsberg 2026
Before surgery (evening + morning) 25 mg/kg 8 mg/kg Delabar 2026
Vet visit 20+ mg/kg night before and 2 to 3 h before; 50 mg/kg tested once 3.5 to 12 mg/kg, 90 min before Erickson 2021 · Stollar 2022
Hospitalised dogs n/a 4 mg/kg q12h, up to 8 to 10 mg/kg q8h; max 300 mg/dose, 600 mg/day Gilbert-Gregory 2016
Post-surgery confinement n/a 3.5 mg/kg q12h, then 7 mg/kg q12h, up to 7 to 10 mg/kg q8h Gruen 2014
Pain add-on 5 to 10 mg/kg q8 to 12h Not used Wagner 2010 · Aghighi 2012 · Monteiro 2018

To put that in practical terms: 10 mg/kg is 4.5 mg per pound, so a 50-lb dog at that trazodone level would be on about 225 mg. That is why a vet is splitting human 50 and 100 mg tablets or compounding for small dogs, and why the weight arithmetic is easy to get wrong by a factor of ten. Never use a human gabapentin liquid unless it is confirmed xylitol-free, and never use extended-release human trazodone in a dog.

Side Effects Compared

Effect Gabapentin Trazodone
Sedation Most common; 70% of owners in one survey reported at least one side effect, sedation the most frequent and more likely above 30 mg/kg Common, and often the point
Wobbliness (ataxia) Common, worst at peak and after dose increases Possible
Vomiting / stomach upset 4 of 12 vomited in the travel trial Possible; giving with food helps (VCA)
Heart rate No rise in the travel trial Higher heart rate and lower heart-rate variability in two blinded studies
Paradoxical agitation Stress score rose in shelter dogs given it alone Increased anxiety and aggression listed by VCA; 3 of 6 dogs aggressive after IV dosing
Rare but serious Withdrawal seizures if stopped abruptly in seizure dogs Serotonin syndrome; priapism; one case of liver toxicity at 4 mg/kg

Sources: Kirby-Madden 2024 · Landsberg 2026 · J Vet Cardiol 2025 Holter study · Jay 2013 · VCA trazodone · VCA gabapentin · Erickson 2021.

Who Should Not Take Them

Gabapentin: caution or avoid

Kidney disease (cleared by the kidneys, so it builds up; the AKC notes a lower dose). Pregnancy. Any xylitol-sweetened human liquid. Antacids within two hours. Other sedatives without your vet knowing. A seizure dog whose dose would be stopped suddenly.

Trazodone: caution or avoid

MAO inhibitors such as selegiline (contraindicated). Tramadol, SSRIs such as fluoxetine, and tricyclics such as clomipramine without deliberate vet oversight. Known heart disease or a murmur, given the heart-rate data. Liver or kidney disease. Pregnancy. A past paradoxical reaction.

Either: tell your vet

Every medication and supplement, including hemp, melatonin and calming chews. Any upcoming eye exam or anaesthesia. Your dog's real current weight. Our CBD and dog medications guide covers the interaction research drug by drug.

How to Give Them: A Practical Protocol

  1. Do a trial run at home on a quiet day. Give the prescribed dose and watch for two to four hours. You want to see sedation level, steadiness and whether your dog seems calmer or edgier before the day it matters.
  2. Time it. At least 90 minutes to 2 hours before the event, and the evening before if your vet prescribed a two-dose plan.
  3. Give it with a small meal to reduce nausea, especially before a car ride, where gabapentin dogs vomited more in the travel trial.
  4. Block the slippery floors and stairs. Rugs, a hand under the belly, no jumping into the car.
  5. Write down what you see: time given, time of effect, how long it lasted, any vomiting, any agitation. Your vet adjusts from that.
  6. Use the drug to make training possible, not to replace it. Medication lowers the fear; desensitisation and counter-conditioning change it.
  7. Daily use is different. Ask for a review date and a taper plan; do not stop daily gabapentin abruptly in a seizure dog, or daily trazodone after weeks of use.

When to Call Your Vet

Call now or go to an emergency vet if your dog cannot stand or be roused, has a racing heart, tremors, high temperature, agitation or a seizure after trazodone (possible serotonin syndrome), ate the bottle, or was given a human gabapentin liquid that may contain xylitol. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center is on (888) 426-4435.

Call within a day if wobbliness is getting worse after day three, your dog got more anxious or aggressive rather than calmer, vomiting keeps happening, or the dose seems to have stopped working. Those are reasons to adjust the plan, not to add a tablet.

Which One to Ask Your Vet About

  • A dog terrified of the car, the clinic or the groomer: ask whether trazodone, or trazodone plus gabapentin, suits your dog, and whether a test dose at home is possible first.
  • A dog with arthritis or nerve pain who is also anxious: gabapentin may do double duty as a pain add-on. Ask whether the pain plan itself is adequate, since an NSAID or anti-NGF antibody is first-line, and our arthritis stages guide explains why.
  • A dog with a heart murmur: ask specifically whether the trazodone heart-rate findings matter for your dog.
  • A dog already on tramadol, fluoxetine or selegiline: ask about serotonin syndrome before any trazodone. Our tramadol guide covers why that drug may be doing less than you think.
  • A dog on gabapentin for anxiety that seems unchanged: ask whether the controlled evidence supports continuing, and whether a different drug or a training plan would serve better.

Where Hemp Fits, and Where It Doesn't

Hemp is not a replacement for either drug in a panicking dog, and we will not tell you it is. Trazodone has placebo-controlled evidence for situational stress; our oil does not. Our own research was in dogs with chronic joint discomfort, which is a gabapentin question, not a trazodone one.

On that joint question, the data are worth knowing. In our 90-day study overseen by Dr. Robin Downing with Colorado State University researchers, 30 of the 32 dogs that completed it showed a benefit and 94% of owners reported improved quality of life. Of the 23 dogs on gabapentin at enrolment, 10 came off it and 11 reduced their dose, every change made by the dog's own veterinarian. It was an open-label pilot with no placebo group, so it is a signal, not proof. Independent work points the same way for joint comfort: a 2024 crossover study of 37 dogs found owner-reported pain scores fell 46.2% on full-spectrum hemp oil at 2 mg/kg twice daily (Frontiers 2024).

On combining them: the canine liver-enzyme research (Court 2024) found CBD inhibited the enzymes that clear tramadol, not those relevant to trazodone, and gabapentin is barely metabolised by the liver. The practical overlap is drowsiness. Start low, tell your vet, and watch the first two weeks. Our dosing guide and side-effects guide have the details.

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Grown on our own Colorado farm, formulated in-house, third-party tested every batch. Start low, go slow, and tell your veterinarian what you are giving. Doses used in the dog studies →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does gabapentin make dogs calmer?
Sometimes, and less reliably than its reputation suggests. In a 2026 blinded placebo-controlled road-travel trial, a single 30 mg/kg dose of gabapentin given two hours ahead produced no difference from placebo on any physiological or behavioural measure. In a 2022 placebo-controlled vet-visit study, 50 mg/kg reduced lip licking but did not change cortisol. Owners of dogs on gabapentin at a behaviour practice rated it moderately or very effective 72% of the time, so some individual dogs clearly respond. Much of the calm owners see is sedation, which is most common above about 30 mg/kg.

Can I give my dog gabapentin and trazodone at the same time?
Yes, if your veterinarian prescribes both. The combination is a common pre-visit protocol, usually one dose of each the evening before and another 90 minutes to 2 hours before the appointment. Controlled studies have used 20 to 25 mg/kg gabapentin with 6 to 8 mg/kg trazodone without serious adverse events. Do not combine leftover prescriptions on your own, because the sedation adds up and the right amount depends on your dog's weight, kidneys, heart and other medications.

Does trazodone work better than gabapentin?
For situational stress, the controlled evidence favours trazodone. In the 2026 travel trial, trazodone lowered cortisol, lip licking, anxiety scores, urination, yawning and restlessness, while gabapentin did nothing measurable. In a 2026 shelter trial, trazodone alone and trazodone plus gabapentin reduced stress behaviours, while gabapentin alone did not. For nerve pain and as a pain add-on, gabapentin is the relevant drug and trazodone is not a painkiller at all.

When should you not give a dog gabapentin?
Do not give it to a dog with a known allergy to it, and never give a human oral solution sweetened with xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. Use it with caution, usually at a lower dose, in dogs with kidney disease, because gabapentin is cleared by the kidneys. It is not recommended in pregnant dogs. Separate it from antacids by about two hours, and tell your vet about every other sedating drug. In a dog taking it daily for seizures, never stop it suddenly.

How long does it take for gabapentin and trazodone to kick in on a dog?
Gabapentin peaks in the blood about 1.3 to 2 hours after an oral dose in dogs and is mostly gone within 8 hours, since its half-life is 3 to 4 hours. Trazodone's owner-reported onset was 31 to 45 minutes in one study, but time to peak blood level varied enormously between dogs (about 7 hours on average, plus or minus 4.5). That is why vets ask for both to be given at least 90 minutes to 2 hours before an event, and often the night before as well.

What happens when you mix trazodone with gabapentin?
Mostly, the dog gets more sedated than with either alone. In a 2025 study, gabapentin 20 mg/kg plus trazodone 8 mg/kg given two hours before surgery cut the amount of anaesthetic gas needed by about a third, with heart rate lower but within normal limits. A 2022 study found the combination slightly reduced retinal electrical responses, which the authors judged of little clinical importance. The two drugs do not share a metabolic pathway that causes a dangerous interaction; the practical risk is stacked drowsiness and wobbliness.

What makes dogs sleepier, trazodone or gabapentin?
It depends on the dose more than the drug. At the doses used in the 2026 travel trial (trazodone 10 mg/kg, gabapentin 30 mg/kg) no dog in either group showed signs of sedation. Gabapentin's most common side effect at home is sleepiness, more likely above 30 mg/kg. Trazodone in humans is used mainly as a sedative, and some vets describe its effect in dogs as sedation rather than true anxiety relief. Together they are sleepier than either alone.

Can a dog overdose on gabapentin and trazodone?
Yes. Gabapentin has a wide safety margin, and an overdose in a healthy dog usually means heavy sedation, wobbliness and vomiting. Trazodone is the more dangerous of the two in overdose: a dog that eats a bottle can develop serotonin syndrome, with agitation, tremors, a racing heart (above 150 beats per minute has been reported), high temperature and seizures. Combining trazodone with tramadol, fluoxetine or an MAO inhibitor such as selegiline raises that risk. Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435 straight away.

Is gabapentin or trazodone stronger for dogs?
Neither is simply stronger, because they do different jobs. Trazodone has the better controlled evidence for situational fear and stress, and it raises heart rate. Gabapentin is a nerve-pain and seizure drug that some dogs also find calming. In the pre-visit protocols vets use, they are often given together precisely because they work on different systems, and the combination is more sedating than either.

Which is better for a dog that is scared of fireworks or storms?
There is no published fireworks trial for either drug that we could find. The closest controlled evidence is the 2026 road-travel trial, where trazodone reduced stress measures and gabapentin did not. Many vets use trazodone, gabapentin or both for noise events, given one to two hours before the noise starts and often the evening before. Do a trial dose on a quiet day first, and pair the medication with a safe den, background sound and closed curtains.

Can my dog take hemp or CBD with gabapentin or trazodone?
Ask your veterinarian. The canine liver-enzyme research on CBD flagged the pathways that clear tramadol, not trazodone or gabapentin, and gabapentin is barely metabolised by the liver at all. In our own 90-day study, 23 dogs were on gabapentin at enrolment and, under their own vets, 10 stopped it and 11 reduced it, though that study had no control group. The practical issue is additive drowsiness, so start hemp at a low serving and watch the first two weeks.

The Short Version

Trazodone is the anxiety drug with controlled wins, and it raises heart rate. Gabapentin is the pain and seizure drug whose anxiety evidence is mixed. Vets often use both together, timed 90 minutes to two hours ahead, and the main risk of the pair is stacked sedation. Test at home first, tell your vet everything your dog takes, and never improvise doses from old prescriptions.

Shop Hemp for Dogs → See Our Dog Study

Trazodone for Dogs · Gabapentin for Dogs · Tramadol for Dogs · Rimadyl (Carprofen) · CBD and Dog Medications · Hemp for Dog Anxiety

About this article
Marc Brannigan
Co-Founder & CEO, HempMy Pet

Marc co-founded HempMy Pet in 2016 with his business partner Natalie Mondine, the company's COO. HempMy Pet breeds its own hemp genetics, grows them on its own Colorado farm and formulates every batch in-house to human-grade standards — seed to sale, nothing sourced overseas. Every batch is third-party tested and the certificates of analysis are published. He is not a veterinarian. More about us.

The research behind our claims
90-day trial · Colorado State University

HempMy Pet's own 90-day study enrolled 37 dogs with chronic joint discomfort. Of the 32 that completed it, 30 (93%) showed a benefit, and 94% of owners reported improved quality of life. It was overseen by Dr. Robin Downing, DVM, MS, with Lori Kogan, Ph.D. and Peter W. Hellyer, DVM of Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, and published in the Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association. It was an open-label pilot with no control group. Read the methodology.

Why Dr. Downing: in 2005 she became only the third veterinarian in the world credentialed as a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management. She founded the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management, is a Diplomate of the ACVSMR, a Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner and a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, and was the AVMA's 2020 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year. Read the published paper (PDF).

Every dose, onset and trial figure on this page is taken directly from the peer-reviewed studies linked in the text. This article is general information, not veterinary advice. It is reviewed and updated as new peer-reviewed evidence is published, and where the evidence is thin or negative we say so.

How We Sourced This Article

  • Landsberg G, et al. Acute trazodone administration reduces behavioral and physiological indicators of travel-induced anxiety in dogs in a road travel model. Front Vet Sci. 2026. Full text. Source for the travel-trial results, the heart-rate difference, vomiting counts and the absence of sedation.
  • Delabar A, Koch C, et al. Oral trazodone alone or in combination with gabapentin reduces the expression of stress-related behaviors in a randomized controlled trial with shelter dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2026. PubMed.
  • Stollar OO, Moore GE, et al. Effects of a single dose of orally administered gabapentin in dogs during a veterinary visit. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2022. PubMed.
  • Erickson A, Harbin K, MacPherson J, Rundle K, Overall KL. A review of pre-appointment medications to reduce fear and anxiety in dogs and cats at veterinary visits. Can Vet J. 2021;62:952. Full text. Source for gabapentin pharmacokinetics, dose ranges, the placebo-controlled confinement result and serotonin-syndrome signs.
  • Jay AR, et al. Pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, and hemodynamic effects of trazodone in dogs. Am J Vet Res. 2013. PubMed.
  • Gruen ME, et al. Use of trazodone to facilitate postsurgical confinement in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2014. PubMed.
  • Gilbert-Gregory SH, et al. Effects of trazodone on behavioral signs of stress in hospitalized dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2016. PubMed.
  • Effect of trazodone on heart rate, heart rate variability, and QT intervals in dogs. J Vet Cardiol. 2025. PubMed.
  • Aiello, Carson, et al. Effect of oral premedication with gabapentin and trazodone on the MAC of isoflurane in dogs. Am J Vet Res. 2025. PubMed.
  • Violette NP, et al. Effects of gabapentin and trazodone on electroretinographic responses in dogs. Am J Vet Res. 2022. PubMed.
  • Cisneros, O'Hanley, et al. Combined enrichment and pharmaceutical intervention reduces excessive arousal in shelter dogs. Front Vet Sci. 2026. PubMed.
  • Gabapentin, melatonin and acepromazine before hospital visits. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2023. PubMed.
  • Kirby-Madden, Waring, et al. Effects of gabapentin on the treatment of behavioral disorders in dogs. Animals. 2024. PubMed.
  • Wagner AE, et al. Perioperative gabapentin for forelimb amputation in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2010. PubMed. Aghighi SA, et al. Adjunctive gabapentin after intervertebral disc surgery. Vet Anaesth Analg. 2012. PubMed. Monteiro BP, et al. Palliative care in dogs with osteosarcoma. PLoS One. 2018. PubMed.
  • Cachon T, et al. COAST Development Group international consensus guidelines for the treatment of canine osteoarthritis. Front Vet Sci. 2023. Full text.
  • Court MH, et al. Cannabidiol and cannabidiolic acid: in vitro drug interactions with canine cytochrome P-450. J Vet Pharmacol Ther. 2024. PubMed.
  • VCA — Trazodone · VCA — Gabapentin · AKC — Gabapentin for Dogs.
  • Kogan L, Hellyer P, Downing R. The Use of Cannabidiol-Rich Hemp Oil Extract to Treat Canine Osteoarthritis-Related Pain: A Pilot Study. J Am Holist Vet Med Assoc. 2020;58:35–45. DOI 10.56641/UPRM3253. Our disclosure: HempMy Pet supplied the hemp extract and reimbursed clinic costs; per the journal we had no input into study design or interpretation. We had no involvement in any other study cited here.

If you find something here that conflicts with your veterinarian or with a source we missed, email us at support@hempmypet.com and we will correct it.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is educational and is not veterinary advice. Never start, stop or change your dog's prescription without your veterinarian.


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