Effect of gabapentin on ambulatory, direct, systemic arterial blood pressure in apparently healthy cats in the at-home and in-clinic environments.

OBJECTIVES: Situational increases in blood pressure (BP) frequently confound the accurate diagnosis of pathological systemic hypertension in cats. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of gabapentin on direct, ambulatory systolic arterial BP (SBP) in cats in at-home and in-clinic environments. METHODS: Six adult purpose-bred cats with surgically implanted femoral artery telemetric BP-sensing catheters were administered 100 mg of gabapentin or a placebo orally in two randomized, masked, crossover study phases. In the first, direct BP was measured continuously in undisturbed cats for 24 h before (at-home baseline) and 4 h after administration of study drug. The mean SBP after administration of the drug was compared between treatments. In the second study period, cats were administered gabapentin or placebo 90 mins before transport to a clinic, where direct BP was measured continuously during a simulated veterinary visit that included an indirect BP measurement session. Changes in mean direct SBP relative to the 24-h at-home pre-treatment period were calculated for each of one waiting room and two examination-room periods, and compared between treatments. Concurrent in-clinic direct and indirect SBP measurements were compared within-cat. Data were compared using linear mixed models. RESULTS: Direct SBP data from one cat were excluded due to implant failure. There were no differences in at-home or in-clinic SBP between treatment groups, with large inter-individual variability. Cats in both treatment groups experienced in-clinic increases in direct SBP relative to at-home baseline (range 11-50 and 10-52 mmHg in placebo- and gabapentin-treated cats, respectively). Across all visits, direct SBP was 15.6 mmHg higher than indirect SBP (P <0.001). No effects of treatment on difference between direct and indirect SBP were identified. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Significant effects of gabapentin on direct SBP were not identified, though a type II error is possible. Situational increases cannot be excluded in gabapentin-treated cats with high SBP.

Behavioral Characteristics of Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio) after MS222 Anesthesia for Fin Excision.

The health of laboratory animals is an ethical responsibility of researchers and a critical determinant of experimental outcome. Therefore, all husbandry procedures should be evaluated for their effects on mortality, behavior, and physiology to maximize animal welfare and minimize experimental variability. For adult zebrafish, the excision of a small portion of the caudal fin (that is, 'fin clipping') under MS222 anesthesia is a common procedure to obtain tissue for genotyping. The potential effect of this procedure on behavioral and physiologic assays of feeding, anxiety, and stress has not previously been assessed. Here, we evaluated feeding behavior, anxiety-associated behaviors, and physiologic indicators of stress at multiple time points within 24 h after performing a standard fin-clip procedure under MS222 anesthesia. Within 1 h of the procedure, fin-clipped fish showed a mild increase in anxiety and exhibited reduced feeding; however, these effects were short-lived, and the fish exhibited baseline levels of anxiety and feeding by 6 and 24 h after fin clipping. Together with the zebrafish's ability to regenerate fin tissue and the low mortality associated with fin clipping, our data support the continued practice of this technique under MS222 anesthesia as a routine husbandry procedure that is unlikely to alter experimental outcomes related to feeding, anxiety, or stress.