medication for anxiety

[hvtopiwala]

quick backstory, we got our pup from a rescue at 8 weeks old, they had found him with his litter mates under a truck and had no human interaction. for about a week after i brang him home we tried to socialize him but he refuse to come out of the corner of our room so we took it slow with him until he trusted us. once he trusted us we started to socialize him as best we could (and we still are actively doing it and hes 11 months now). anyways, when hes inside my house hes pretty tame and not too scared of random noises such as the pressure cooker or doors, but as soon as we go outside, it has always been **** on a leash. cars, bicycles, people, small noise, big noise, etc. makes him completely flip out. i dont think we have ever been on a single walk without his tail between his legs. we have used a private trainer since day 1 that is still with us to keep helping us out. we always use treats outside (which he generally doesnt care for, even high value ones), never punish him for this issue but we also dont coddle him for it.

so out trainer has a strict policy on not medicating dogs as its just a gateway to make training easier, but he is recommending this time to put our pup on anti-anxiety medication short term to help him deal with this problem and help him get over his fears outdoor.

what is your guys experience on this? whats the difference between being on prozac, xanax or something OTC like Melatonin?

i have a vet appt later today to talk with my vet about this also, but want to have some solid info on my belt too as i know vets dont know too much about psychological drugs/behaviors.

[GatorBytes]

I would try melatonin first before going to the big guns (xanax/prozac) an hr. before any type of conditioning...also dilute a few drops of lavender oil in some water and spritz on a bandana...calming.

Ashwagandha is an herb that indicated for anxiety...I was scrpted this for my dog from my holistic vet to help my dog through a major renovation in the building I lived in...ended up doing double duty as my dog used to "announce" himself going into elevators and scare the crap out of people, now he is the biggest love bug and the fave of all the dogs in my building - even those that loathed him now love him.

PLOS ONE: Naturopathic Care for Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial ISRCTN78958974

This herb is being studied and has been found promising for thyroid/adrenals, immune modulating, and cancer

PLOS ONE: Selective Killing of Cancer Cells by Ashwagandha Leaf Extract and Its Component Withanone Involves ROS Signaling

[Jax08]

springtime inc has a calming pill with ginseng. The place I foster for is using a DAP collar and rescue remedy for the dog that comes home with me on the weekends.

[hvtopiwala]

yeah i was loooking into melatonin first before pulling into prozac and xanax, i will speak to my vet about it. i dont really want him on long term drugs unless its needed, wat is your experience with having dogs on these type of meds and then weening him off? does his behavior decline or does it stay consistant? how soon do you start noticing affects in behavior with these types of meds? i dont want these drugs to knock my dog out (hes already a couch potato) or change his good behavior, will that happen?

[kiya]

I have been taking melatonin myself to help me sleep better. I told my doctor and she said that's fine. I don't know if it will give you the results your looking for, I can say I think it helps me to not wake up a much as I used to.
You can also try bachs rescue remedy or thunder shirt.

[hvtopiwala]

i mean im not trying to sedate him, just make him less scared of evertyhing so i can work with him to realize he shouldnt be fearful of all this.

[Gretchen]

Melatonin is used to help your body get ready for sleep, it also it not long lasting. I would not use this, it is to regulate sleep cycles, like after jet lag.

I would not give prescription medications except for super traumatic events, like thunder or 4th of July.

We found Pet Naturals of Vermont Calming chews to be helpful. We found some XL chews on Amazon.com.

Our dog did not respond to treats for training until she was about 1 1/2 years, so keep trying with treats or toys, your dog may change. Maybe just go out for short durations, 5 minutes for a couple weeks, then gradually increase time by another 5 minutes or so?

He sounds like a couple of my feral cats! One never became adjusted to humans, the other one finally started to get relaxed and friendly about 4 years old.

[blehmannwa]

I had great results with Prozac for severe seperation anxiety. A friend was going to have to get rid of her dog b/c of its destructiveness. I becam involved and helped pay for the meds. It worked like a charm of course it was coupled with behavioral therapy but the meds helped enough that therapy became possible.

[hvtopiwala]

so our vet gave us some Xanax 1mg to use as needed. I actually found a vet that specializes in behavior conditions that i will be seeing in 2months so i am not sure if i should hold off on the Xanax for now or not. He said it was fast acting and i should notice a difference within a few hours of giving him a dose, is that true? should i not give him any and just wait for behavioral vet?

[GatorBytes]

Originally Posted by hvtopiwala

so our vet gave us some Xanax 1mg to use as needed. I actually found a vet that specializes in behavior conditions that i will be seeing in 2months so i am not sure if i should hold off on the Xanax for now or not. He said it was fast acting and i should notice a difference within a few hours of giving him a dose, is that true? should i not give him any and just wait for behavioral vet?

1mg????
Well, I have xanax for ME and it's only 0.5mg and they knock you out

it comes in .25, .5, 1 & 2mg....heck my doctor wouldn't give me a 1mg script.

MELATONIN

Melatonin for stress WebCanine.com
^^^ these links both ref. AVMA but no link to - so you would have to do a search...