Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Effectiveness of gabapentin in combination therapy for phenobarbital-responsive sialadenosis in a Toy Poodle.
- Journal:
- The Journal of veterinary medical science
- Year:
- 2026
- Authors:
- Noda, Masashi et al.
- Affiliation:
- Tennoji Animal Hospital · Japan
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old Toy Poodle was brought in because it suddenly started drooling a lot, vomiting, and retching, but these symptoms didn’t get better with usual treatments. A month later, the dog had swollen and painful salivary glands, along with weight loss, occasional stiffness and tremors, and unusual behavior of snapping at flies. An MRI showed that the salivary glands were enlarged, and treatment with phenobarbital (a medication) helped a lot, confirming that the dog had a condition called phenobarbital-responsive sialadenosis (a problem with the salivary glands). After adding gabapentin (another medication), the drooling and retching improved almost completely within a day, and there were no signs of the problem returning over the next three years while continuing both medications.
Abstract
A 9-year-old Toy Poodle presented with sudden hypersalivation, vomiting, and retching unresponsive to symptomatic treatment. One month later, the mandibular salivary glands were enlarged and painful. Additional signs included weight loss, intermittent stiffness and tremors, and a fly-biting behavior, which is atypical for this disease. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral enlargement of the parotid and mandibular glands. Oral phenobarbital (PB) led to marked improvement, confirming phenobarbital-responsive sialadenosis. Residual hypersalivation and retching almost completely resolved within 24 hr after gabapentin (GBP) addition, with only mild hypersalivation (about 10% of the initial level) remaining. No recurrence was observed during a 3-year follow-up, during which PB (3.6 mg/kg administered orally twice daily [PO BID]) and GBP (15 mg/kg PO BID) were continued at the same doses.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41371661/