Dogs on Prozac: A newly reformulated version of the popular antidepressant, made chewable and tasty for dogs, can help relieve symptoms of canine separation disorder.
Technology Review
A new canine version of Prozac will soon be available. It is just the latest in pet-specific drugs, as pharmaceutical companies increasingly chase this lucrative market.
Anxiety-ridden dogs that go berserk when left alone by their owners will soon have a new treatment option--a reformulated version of the antidepressant Prozac, known generically as fluoxetine. To be marketed under the name Reconcile by Indianapolis-based drugmaker Eli Lilly, the drug is chewable and flavored with a doggie-delectable zing. It is the latest in a string of recently approved canine drugs, reflecting the growing market for pet pharmaceuticals.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Reconcile in February after clinical tests in dogs showed it significantly improved symptoms of separation anxiety, a problem that strikes 10 to 20 percent of canines with varying severity; dogs affected may bark, chew household items, or urinate in inappropriate locations when left alone. The drug, which will go on the market in April and will be sold along with a behavior modification program, is the first product introduced by a new division of Lilly devoted entirely to pets.
Most drugs used for companion animals, as the pharmaceutical companies refer to pets, are human drugs that veterinarians prescribe off label. The cost of drug development is so high that few companies are willing to spend the money it takes to develop a canine-specific drug, or to run clinical trials testing human drugs for dogs or cats. But as more and more Americans view their pets as family members that is changing, and a new market is opening up: medications are being reformulated and sold in animal-friendly forms, and drugs that never quite made it through the human testing process are being revived.
"I think the human-animal bond has changed in the last few years," says Dawn Boothe, a veterinary internist and clinical pharmacologist at Auburn University in Auburn, AL. "People are starting to say, 'My animal is a member of the family, and I am willing to pay the cost of drugs that were developed for humans.' I think the pharmaceutical companies have picked up on that."
Two other pet drugs were approved early this year: the first diet drug for dogs, Slentrol, and the first motion-sickness drug for dogs, Cerenia. Both are being sold by New York-based Pfizer. Unlike Reconcile, neither drug has ever been prescribed for humans. Dirlotapide, the generic form of Slentrol, was originally tested for human use, but its side effects were deemed intolerable. (Compounds in the same class are being tested for their cholesterol- and triglyceride-reducing properties in humans.)
Veterinarians are excited about the prospect of drugs that have been tested specifically in pets. "Prozac is a drug we've used for years," says Boothe. "But having it approved in dogs gives us a level of confidence regarding safety and efficacy in that species." Although scientists have tested different drugs in cats and dogs, Boothe and others say it has been difficult to get pharmaceutical companies interested in developing them. Nicholas Dodman, an animal behaviorist and veterinarian at Tufts University in Medford, MA, says a drug currently used to treat dementia in humans is helpful in treating an animal form of obsessive-compulsive disorder, but so far no pharmaceutical company has opted to develop it for the pet market.
Lilly's companion-animal division is testing molecules from its vast library of compounds to treat obesity and other conditions in pets, a process they hope will produce some returns on the original investment in those molecules. "Even if you assume only two million of the dogs with anxiety disorder get treated," says Dodman, "with owners paying $50 per month, that's a viable market."
Lets see - we can start naming our dogs Elvis, Jimmy, Janis, Freddie (prinz) and Marilyn (or Anna if you prefer).
Rather than doping up the pups, why not take them out of their cages once in a while, play with them (like Stick Chase or Tug of War), getting a play mate (most animals have social behaviors - especially dogs) and just walk them. If the drug companies need to increase market share this way -they're in the wrong business.
clearly you do not have much understanding of the possible situations. My dog is not caged, gets great love, attention, exercise, and gluten-free food (due to allergies). She is well-trained, is not punished, but corrects by a simple oral command. she gets walks daily, has people around her much of the time, and gets a "play date" every day with a dog the same age (18 months) from across the street. She's great with kids, is the sweetest cuddler you could ask for, but is afraid of sudden sounds, the smell of an outside bar-b-q, thunder, and plays much too aggressively. Prozac helps. Doesn't solve, but helps. We rescued her when she was 4 months and she had been fostered shortly after birth, with her sisters, in a home and then taken back to AWA. Who knows what happened in those first 4 months? Your suggestions fall on deaf ears as they are totally inappropriate and simply speak to your lack of compassion and lack of knowledge.
I have a rescue dog that was previously beaten, pretty much starved and chained outside. The dog did nothing to deserve this treatment.
She has behavior problems and has started to get better after 6 months of lots of love, walks, good vet care, premium food, training and time. She is a good dog that knows commands and doesn't chew up anything in the house, but her past abuse left her with a lot of anxiety - about everything and most everyone except for my husband and I. She does love us and I want her anxiety to go away.
She still goes nuts and after exhausting all methods, including DAP, we are going to try prozac - that our vet recommended 3 months ago. I am pretty much against drugging a dog to make my life easier, but her past abuse shows that she needs some help getting over her huge anxiety problem. Hopefully a short cycle of the drug will work for her - but if needed I will keep her on the drug.
Nadine, My situation is exactly like yours...ours was left for dead emaciated full of worms, missing hair, frostbitten, etc. Starting him on it today...please let me/us know how it goes.
For others are making light of this...some of our dogs were brutilized by insensitve people and although dogs are generally very resilient they sometimes still need help (especially with anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress issues). I hope no one in your family ever has mental illness, you are clearly too ignorant to know how ignorant you are!
Nobody is talking about giving meds to scruffy because he seems sad.
Good luck with your rescue dog - they can be a lot of work - but it's worth it ;-D
10 days on 20 mg of prozac for our (now) 50lb rescued dog. She does not have the overwhelming anxiety that she used to - where she would freak out just thinking that something could happen. in the past few days she now enjoys going outside in the backyard,going on walks, sleeps through the night, no fights with our other (well adjusted rescue) dog (knows now that she just wants to play and doesn't freak out and try to attack her), is calm around the cat, and is calmer overall. She still needs more training and she still acts like a typical dog - from the window barks at the mailman, other dogs - but only once or twice and still has problems with other dogs and people when we are out for walks. We will be working on that for quite a while to come. Overall she is not a zombie that I feared when we were indecisive about giving prozac for her. She is closer to being content, settled and happier- which she deserves.
Nadine55 How is your dog doing? I am about to start my dog on Prozac and have been extremely leery of this because I was worried a lot about the side effects. Unfortunately, after having my baby boy for just over a year, some of his behavioral issuses have not gone away as I had hoped, and now I feel that Prozac is my last resort. I hope to not have to have him on it for more than a few months (especially after I saw the price!) Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
I am just now considering Prozac for my son's rescue dog. Like yours, he has had the best life since my son adopted him, but can't seem to settle down and relax no matter how much exercise and attention he is given. I noticed that one of your concerns is price, but almost any chain pharmacy has a plan that sells fluoxetine (generic Prozac) for $9.99 for 90 capsules. You don't need the brand or the beef flavored one-just fluoxetine from your pharmacy.
im pretty sure this article is under the section for to articles for april first. but you never know
I own a dog with Separation Anxiety and if someone were to actually look in to the causes of separation anxiety they might understand that for a lot of cases it has nothing to do with the amount or quality of time spent with your dog. SOme dogs for often unknown reasons develop an unhealthy over attachment to their owners and the separation ,irrespective of the length of time, is very stressful for them.
There are some dogs that are left alone for too long and will bark or chew stuff out of boredom, but that is not separation anxiety.
Medication is not the first choice, there are behaviour modification programs that are often effective. But what if they aren't? The article does state that this medication is to be used in conjunction with behaviour programs.
There may be times that this drug will be used as an easy way to try to solve your dogs problems. But I don't think it should be condemned because of that.
There are plenty of herbal remedies that work well and are perfectly safe. A dogsitter is another option. If sitters are good enough for kids, they're good enough for a beloved pet.
I used to feel the same way until I become mom to a little Yorkie who is extremely unhappy. I believe his issues started during his first year of life. He was not well socialized and rarely out of the crate. When we got him, he would growl and attack everyone, began biting people who can near and would whine as if he were being tortured when we left. People have to go out sometimes. I am a stay at home mom to my dogs, so we don't leave them alone much at all. They go on vacation with us as well. Please don't judge people who want to help their dogs. My little Yorkie is very unhappy, always on guard, afraid of everything. Not the happy go lucky little fella he is meant to be. I have tried training (us and him), spent thousands on training, we spend most of our time with him, but he is just not happy. I am going to try the medications because I would do anything for my little guy to be a balanced, secure dog. This is not for me, I can deal with my "special needs child" but just like the parent of a depressed child, you would do anything to help them. This is my next step. Please do not judge if you have not been where we are. You have no idea how it feels to watch a family member you love be so unhappy and suffering!!
The problem is that the term 'separation anxiety' very often is totally misunderstood. Separation anxiety exists, but it normally has nothing in common with the described symptoms of dogs going berzerk in the absence of their owners. Dogs that suffer from separation anxiety are frightened, which results in behaviours like shiverring, extreme salivation or uncontrolled urination, but apart from that they tend to be rather quiet.
The 'berzerks', which can easily be observed by video cameras, have a completely different motivation. They express a mixture of frustration and anger for being left alone, which in most cases is symptomatic for a conflict in the human-animal relationship. In the eyes of the dog the person must not leave the house without the dog and so the dog revolts.
To treat these dogs with downers means complete neglection of the source of the problem.
SSRIs aren't "downers" - they alter brain chemistry. Keeping more seratonin in between the synapses in the brain.
Emily,
I think you made a great point about the Prozac we are considering this method for our dog. She is a pure Breed Bull Terrier. We have had her for about 12 months and she has been threw training and now we are going to look into taking her to a behaviorist. Our trainer says that she is at her teenage stage and she has to learn she cannot be the dominate alpha female but after training and training and spending time with her. I am beginning to think that she just has seperation anxiety from my husband. Sometimes she is just the happiest dog in the world and then snaps or freaks out when my boyfriend leaves. She tries to dominate everyone and it is getting out of control no matter how we approach the situation. We love our dog and we have tried so many things but now it has come down to option of possible medication. How old was your dog when you resulted to medication? Its a hard decision but I will leave it up the behaviorist. If anyone has any other suggestions I am open to hearing them.
any thoughts on valvular disease?
This may sound odd but apparently 5HT has been linked to the damage in many valve diseases and particularly some dog mitral problems. Anyone aware of any data in dogs showing that Prozac is good or bad for this? In as much as 5HT release from platelets may be involved and this seems to inhibit platelets, you could speculate it would be helpful.
Thanks.
Re: any thoughts on valvular disease?
Sorry, I can't resist, there is some human data suggesting Prozac reduced valve damage among diet pill users ( not stat sig not controlled prospective study etc),
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19679875?ordinalpos=1&itool=Email.EmailReport.Pubmed_ReportSelector.Pubmed_RVDocSum
"Furthermore, fluoxetine, a 5HT transporter inhibitor, while having no effect alone, suppressed Fen-5HT (3)HTdR inhibition when administered with Fen plus 5HT."
Certainly doesn't prove anything of clinical relevance but interesting and suggestive.
Prozac is one of the deadliest cons ever unleashed on the public. This drug is linked to so many murder/suicides that the public would be absolutely shocked to learn the true details of how many people have been killed by these drugs.
Here is the ugly truth about Prozac.
From the beginning, patients experienced psychotic and manic episodes, and made people commit suicide, but Eli Lilly covered it up by recoding and removing the negative reports. That was the only way Prozac got approved, was by
covering up the truth and lying to the public about the dangers of this drug.
Within one decade, there were 39,000 adverse reports about Prozac sent to Medwatch. It was estimated that the actual number of people who suffered such problems was 100 times as many, or roughly four million people. This makes Prozac
the most complained about drug in America.
The FDA received a flood of adverse event reports. but never told the public. It took a decade for the FDA to begin to acknowledge the increased suicides and the violence it can trigger in some people.
It has been demonstrated that suicide related to Prozac is two to three times higher than any other anti-depressant.
Prozac's maker, Eli Lilly not only knew their star drugs were more dangerous than alternatives, but they actively sought to suppress the release of that information in order to protect profits. They have frantically fought any change in the prescribing guidelines for antidepressants even after allegations linking the drug to suicides, murders, murder-suicides and mass murder-suicides because of financial greed.
When Prozac came to market, Eli Lilly's value on Wall Street, its capitalization, was around 2 billion dollars. By the year 2000, the time when Prozac was its number-one drug, its capitalization reached 80 billion dollars -- a forty-fold increase.
The con of pharmaceutical-based medicine is the biggest con ever perpetrated on the American people. Virtually the entire profession has been bought out and participates in this scheme. On average, every physician in the country gets $13,000 per year from the drug companies. Some get about $500,000 a year, and it has been so successful that no one within academic medicine can speak out. Everyone gets rich -- the drug companies, the psychiatrists, the researchers, the advertising agencies -- It's all a big gravy train. And the clients get drugged out of their minds and damaged for life.
Now that Eli Lilly has lost patent protection on Prozac, they need a new revenue stream. People pamper their pets now more than ever and Eli Lilly is going to take full advantage of it.
As a side-note, if your dog has anxiety or depression, there are plenty of natural herbal remedies that work better than pharmaceutical drugs and have no side effects at all. They work just as well for people too.
Sources and additional information:
Eli Lilly Knew Prozac had 1200% higher suicide rate than other antidepressants
http://www.newstarget.com/003086.html
Experts say antidepressant drugs cause suicides instead of preventing them
http://www.newstarget.com/019342.html
Eli Lilly lied about Prozac, hid suicide evidence, charges Harvard psychiatrist
http://www.newstarget.com/003201.html
Psychiatric Drugs: Chemical Warfare on Humans - interview with Robert Whitaker
http://www.newstarget.com/011353.html
Neurologist Dr. Fred Baughman talks about the fraud of ADHD and the poisoning of U.S. children.
http://www.newstarget.com/020227.html
My dog is super aggressive and has attacked our other animals a number of times. We were at out wits end the last time (she really hurt our other dog rather badly) and nothing seems to help. Making it worse is the fact that most of the time she is very loving. You can never tell what she'll do though. I wanted my vet to pull her canines since they do all the damage but he was against that and prescribed Prozac however it has made her a mess. She is shaking and paranoid all the time. If ANYONE can suggest a naural way to treat her occational aggression I am all ears?! Thanks, Mary
Mary,
that is the same problem I am having as well. Now it has become a tough decision. She bites and is aggresive. She is a bull terrier. Was your dog agressive after the prozac? Did you keep your dog on it? We are considering it as well even though I am having a little bit of problems trying to make the right decision. But I guess you will never know till you try.
Can prozac cause a person to be suicide, yes I do believe that is one of the effects. I have never read murder, I can not see that being a side effect. But that just means that med is not for that person. Think of it as being alergic to that med, so they just have to try a different medication. MOST psych meds have a side effect of suicidal ideations. Just like every med you take, they can cause nausea, diarrhea, constipation, ect. But not everyone gets those side effects. You have to look at the other side, how many people have been helped by these meds.
Your single source --- newstarget.com --- is questionable. The site is alarmist, puts forth dubious research and has suspected links and funding from Scientology:
http://www.drumsnwhistles.com/2006/08/31/newstargetcom-another-scientology-site/
If my dog ever tries to kill himself, I'll let you know.
...Are profoundly ignorant, misguided, and prejudiced.
By and large it's either some variations of "that's terrible", "you dont love your dog", "hugs and classes are the only acceptable therapy" and other similar prejudices.
All of those are false - the facts are that:
1- The brain is an organ
2- Like other organs, it sometimes malfunctions
3- Treating it is as acceptable as treating, say, a kidney.
4- Not treating it is as unacceptable as not treating a kidney
5- Limiting therapy options to only classes and hugs is as foolish as limiting your kidney therapy options to diet changes, classes and petting.
The simple way to avoid such prejudices is to say to yourself "liver" instead of "brain" when you are reviewing the therapy options available for your dog.
It may very well be that, say, a diet change is the best approach to treat your dog, but it may be that medication is the better approach.
Heart,
SF51
PS Regarding separation anxiety, it's a very real issue with some dogs, and it goes well beyond being uneasy or longing for companionship.
There are physical symptoms, including drooling, elevated heart rates, blood pressure, dilated pupils, shivering and urination.
The best human analogue for it is a full-fledged panic attack, lasting multiple hours. In addition to producing traumatic suffering, it is also very unhealthy physically.
Behavior modification can often break the association between separation and anxiety/fear, particularly early on.
Once the anxiety is entrenched, it becomes far harder to break as the expectation of suffering produces anxiety, which in turn produces suffering; the cycle is self-reinforcing.
That is according to the theory that behaviour is caused by the brain...
Besides, no chemical tests are done on dogs (or people's brains) to determine what chemical is missing so the correct drug can be used.
That is merely a theory.
So, who is really ignorant here?
um.. there are tests done. it happens to be so, like any other issue, you need to try different medications to see what works best for you. obviously if a SSRI is working for you, your seretonin levels were off.
I've read of at least one clinical trial that used dogs as test subjects.
100% correct! This I know because, I myself, have anxiety/panic/paranoia issues. And although I have tried natural ways, because I do not like taking medication of any kind, it didnt work. And the way people and animals need to take medication for their heart, or diabetes or any other organ, sometimes we need to take medication for our brain. A lot of the time its the seretonin levels that are off. and no amount of love, walks, petting is going to change that imbalance enough to make a significant difference, unfortunately.
Big Pharmacuetical Marketing budgets are the only thing that exceeds R & D costs. There appears to be more intelligence in the market and public relations than in the science.
There are many comments and concerns about "Separation Anxiety" in dogs. Perhaps this seems obvious or simple, but aren't dogs inherently social animals and run in packs and are pretty much ALWAYS with other dogs and running around if they are in the wild? If you took any "healthy" dog and let it loose, it would find other dogs to hang out with if it could and would prefer it. Isn't it actually more unusual that a dog would LIKE to be alone? Maybe the fact that some dogs can tolerate being alone waiting for their "owner" to come home is really the UNUSUAL thing, or the extraordinary thing? Not that the animals that can't tolerate it are somehow freaks that should be on drugs. Drugs may subdue them, but maybe the dog who wants to be with other dogs or humans isn't actually "sick"?
this is true. very true. but wouldnt you want to ease their stress? i know what it feels like, and i wouldnt wish it on anyone.. esp. an animal.
dont get me wrong... i cried when i gave my dog Reconcile. I didnt want to give it to him, i felt that i was making a choice for him. and that maybe hes happy being crazy. i dont know. i fought with it for a year, before i decided to give it to him. it wsnt until i was threatened that i would have to bring him to a shelter that i decided to give it to him. since being on the medication, hes not as shaky, doesnt bark at the wind, and has finally gained some weight! and it didnt change his mood. not lethargic, which i feared.
so sometimes we have to take the chance
There are many comments and concerns about "Separation Anxiety" in dogs. Perhaps this seems obvious or simple, but aren't dogs inherently social animals and run in packs and are pretty much ALWAYS with other dogs and running around if they are in the wild? If you took any "healthy" dog and let it loose, it would find other dogs to hang out with if it could and would prefer it. Isn't it actually more unusual that a dog would LIKE to be alone? Maybe the fact that some dogs can tolerate being alone waiting for their "owner" to come home is really the UNUSUAL thing, or the extraordinary thing? Not that the animals that can't tolerate it are somehow freaks that should be on drugs. Drugs may subdue them, but maybe the dog who wants to be with other dogs or humans isn't actually "sick"?
Natural treatments for anxiety separation
So what are the natural alternatives then?
Firstly an understanding of the psychology of the dog-human relationship is needed, and methods of managing this. Here are some good links to start with:-
http://www.denes.com/advice/fact_sheets/valerian.php
http://www.isabellevets.co.uk/health_advice/dog/info/destructivedog.htm
http://www.gsdhelpline.com/dap.htm
Then some of the herbal alternatives to Prozac:-
http://www.pet-helper.com/prodailment.php?a=44
http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/petcalm-cat-dog-separation-anxiety-herbal.html
http://www.enaturalremedies.co.uk/pet-remedies/petcalm-cat-dog-separation-anxiety-herbal.htm
Try searching through Google for "herbal treatment dogs anxiety separation" and see the wealth of information available.
I hope reconcile can save my dog.
I just recently put my dog on Reconcile. My vet prescribed fluoxetine hyrdochloride to my dog not because she has seperation anxiety but because she has general anxiety almost all of the time. Her anxiety did not arise because I don't spend enough time with her or because she was not properly trained. My dog was trained to be a guide dog but was career changed because of her anxiety issues. I exercise my dog very regularly and reward her with positive reinforcement. My household is calm and predictable yet she still has serious anxiety attacks that can last for hours on end.
I have tried natural remedies and taken her to a behavior specialist. I'm certainly did not put my dog on Prozac for an easy way out, but because I felt like it was our last option. I love my dog and have given her the happiest and healthiest life I can.
Re: I hope reconcile can save my dog.
Hello luckygwen!
Did you have any success using Reconcile? My beloved Toby has horrible storm anxieties... trembling, panting, drooling, trying to climb up me (all 100 lbs of him)... he's just terrified nearly to death. Now, his anxieties have extended to trucks starting up, me closing the windows in my sunroom - which making a rumbling sound & almost everything. I'm seeking something that will give him peace & relaxation. BTW, I have 2 other dogs, with whom he plays, that are not bothered at all by storms. He has even started being a little aggressive with them, as his anxiety mounts, as he doesn't seem to know what to do with the energy. My dogs run freely in & out of the house into a 1 acre fenced yard & are well-loved & cared for. There is no 'drama' in my home. Thank you so very much for your input.
I didn't read all of the threads here, but I did read a few and people are blaming the owners. That they should play with their dogs more often. This actually does not treat the problem.
I had my puppy for 3 days, he was 8 weeks old. He got pnemonia and the vet told us he was probably going to die. He was sent to the hospital for 4 day. He was in isolation because he could make the other animals there sick. He was intebated for a day, for tests to be done. He came home for a day or two, and got sick again. He went back to the hospital in isolation for 3 more days. Afer ALOT of money he is now a happy 1 year old boy.
If you think about it, including humans if they have a tramatic childhood, they can have psych problem throughout their life. My dog has separation anxiety, he needs all the attention from us. If his brother (litter mate) comes near us for attention he bites him. There are days that he will pase around the house wining because he is so anxious. He acts out by chewing things and had peed on the floor when he gets really anxious. (and yes he IS house trained) It's NOT that he is locked up and he does not get attention. With the amount of money that we spent on him and are still paying for, he is obviously part of our family. We have a fenced in yard that him and his brother love to chase each other around. We live near the beach, where they go to play fetch and swim. He gets plenty of attention and exercise. We don't want to try prozac because we don't want to deal with him. It's for HIM, I hate watching him get so anxious and pase and wine.
I'm sure there are people out there that are not taking care of their animals. But those of you out there, that don't believe in medications. There are animals out there that are loved and well taken care of. They need the meds not for the owners, but for them. So they can have a day of not being anxious, and enjoy life.
i was reading the concerns about the med i am at my wits end. i have a dog pack my 6 yr old dog gets so upset if some one comes to my front door he attacks my 2 yr old dog.the vet put him on it yesterday and told me to move the mail box. that whould help. these dogs are together all the time. i have four dogs he only attacks this one when some one comes to my door. they all go on walks togher no problem eat out of the same bowl. he is out of control when the kids swim in the pool if you make him lay down he shakes when they are in the pool swimming. i dont want to make a choice of which dog to keep. these are family dogs. so i hope this will help oh we have had to replace front windows from him hitting them so hard when some one walks to close to the house.
It is indeed sad to think of how many dogs become diabetic and yet this same company, Lily, years ago deemed it unprofitable to continue making and selling (at least in the USA) bovine-based insulin. Structurally, this is the most similar amino acid chain design to that of a dog's insulin. Because only about '6%' of the humans using insulin used it, it was dropped. Now the poor dog gets human structured insulin, which, depending on its own particular immuno system function, will ultimately cause many sad effects we will generally just attribute to the disease. I'm glad they are taking a marketing interest in such things as behavioral drugs, but how about the reported 1 in 300 dogs in the USA who eventually become diabetic? Considering how many dogs are used in drug testing, etc., is it not only right to at least make this marketing change?
Have any of you people commenting about prozac for dogs actually owned a dog with this disorder?? I adopted a dog with this disorder...I have taken time off from work to retrain this dog... They are very anxious, salivate constantly, urinate and deficate, destroy wood work. This is just my dog's behavior..I have heard of worse..She is not crated and I spend a lot of time with her..I went to my vet for help. We put her on prozac.. If this doesn't work, I can no longer deal with her. She is giving me anxiety..What about all the behavior drugs given to children?? I don't really see any difference..These dogs are usually put down,abandoned or send to shelters..Unless you have dealt with a dog with this disorder, there is no way you can know what it is like. I have owned 5 other dogs and have never had one dog have all these problems at one time... I think dogs like these are usually given up. I also hate crating animals..Did you ever notice how some zoo animals pace back and forth in cages? This is anxiety..My dog also paces and she is never crated.. Maybe another dog might help but people in multiple dog families, have had one dog with anxiety.. A dog with this disorder is not a happy animal,so for now my dog will be on prozac..
I have always avoided crating my dogs, until I had one that suffered major anxiety issues. We started crating him for HIS safety when we left as he would tear apart the blinds, open the 'fridge door etc. We were afraid he would hurt himself...so we bought a HUGE crate with a fluffy bed in it...after a few days of using his 'house' when we were gone, he got to the point that he would go into his crate on his own. It became his 'room', his own 'safe spot' he could go whenever he wanted...everyone needs a place like that....even dogs :-) I am not saying that I advocate crating dogs all of the time, but for some dogs who have a lot of anxiety, a crate (left open when you are home for in and out access) might be worth a try. Good luck!
My dog is an ideal candidate for Prozac and we'll be putting him on it as soon as I get a chance to bring him to the vet's. He is (supposedly) a Boston terrier, but most likely cross-bred with Boston bull dog. He's huge and his jaw strength is unimaginable. He eats my house when we're gone through the day. And no, I'm not going to quit my job to stay home with a dog! That's such a ridiculous thing to say, it's not worth commenting upon. My dog has a dog companion-- a female collie who is wonderfully good-natured and plays with our male a lot. We have a doggie door that they are free to enter and exit, which leads to our fenced backyard. Yet, as soon as we leave for work and school, the Boston terrier chews everything in site-- baseboards, furniture, even floor tile-- he's removed the grout from my ceramic floors just be compulsively licking them. He chewed the legs right off a mahogany table I had. It fell over and the glass doors shattered. Luckily, neither he nor my collie were hurt. To suggest that he simply needs more exercise is also way off base. He gets walked daily and has free-run time in our neighbourhood dog park. He simply can't stand to be away from human attention. So, if doggie Prozac can relieve his house-eating (and butt-biting of people, which is his newest thing, then of course I'll put him on it. Nothing else has worked.
By the way, my collie freaks out during thunder storms, even when we can't hear them, or the sky isn't all that overcast. I have to throw a children's Gravol down her throat to make her calm down and sleep, otherwise her heart-rate is thrumming like an engine, she's drooling all over the place and hurting herself trying to crawl into the fireplace, cupboards, etc. This isn't a learned behaviour: the breeder told me her father is exactly the same way. Her father lived in the breeder's house. My collie stayed in the dog kennels with the mother. It wasn't a learned behaviour. The point is, sometimes drugs are necessary.
I have had my foster dog on Prozac for about 3-4 months now; he is extremely reactive and attacks other dogs when he is walked; he barks like a car alarm and even though we do counter conditioning/classic conditioning he is always upset and shaking, whining and screaming. He gets along fine with my own dogs and ignores the cat but he was miserable until started on prozac. (15 mg, 15 lb dog) The problem however is that he is losing bite inhibition; he bit me a few days ago, not hard but last night lunged and bit my thumb hard,(left holes and a bad bruise) when I looked to see what was in his mouth, and I wasn't even touching his mouth. I am very concerned because he will be so difficult to adopt out;no kids, obviously and he will need a dog-savvy owner who is home a lot. Has anyone had this problem? I am thinking abou ttaking him off the prozac to see if the bite inhibition improves but I am concerned that his anxiety will return. The prozac has not cured his anxiety but reduced it. As an aside, the best treatment for a storm phobic dog is Xanax, it acts fast and works like a dream.
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MartinLee
1 Comment
How can people use that kind of dug to their pet?
It is like that you leave your kid alone at home, and then give him/her a pile so your kid can feel better without his/her parents. How could that be so?
Why people take more time to hang out with their pets?
I prefer to have a virtual pet at www.chatany.com, but give my real dog a pile instead of playing with it.
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