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We are trying to be very low key when we come and go. I notice that when she has been dosed, she is far less likely to "shadow" us around the house and whine and pace when are getting ready to leave. We typically dose 90-120 minutes ahead of departure, to give the meds plenty of time to get onboard, as well as clear her system quicker when we get home. We left her alone, uncrated, on Traz yesterday for 4 hours which was a first. Sweet freedom. We typically give her a frozen kong when we depart, and keep the interactions to a bare minimum for the first 2-3 minutes when we get home. We love that the Traz has allowed us to leave her uncrated, and we have come to start to trust (this week) that she will be ok on the loose. I actually forgot to raise the blinds when I left this morning, and as I watched her on the webcam staring out the window for a few minutes, she didn't seem interested in the blinds at all. Whew! I had read the bit about dosing with Traz high enough to "hit" the anxiety. How does one know that this has occurred besides the absence of typical anxious behaviours (pacing, whining, shadowing, panting, etc.)?

Hey Pam, I was speaking in generalities. It was more an expression of my own self-consciousness and likely a projection. I do very much appreciate the support of the forum, and the people such as yourself who make it a rich source of info. And thanks for the encouragement. Re: Trazadone turning folks into zombies. it is another reason we prefer to try an SSRI vs. something that is so sedating. The dose that seems to eradicate the signs of anxiety also totally zonks her out the rest of the day. If we are only going to away for 2-3 hours or so, we hate to dose her with such a sedating medication. We prefer she be even-keeled and secure all the time, and able to adequately handle the comings and goings of an active and spontaneous household (of which she is often, but not always, a part). I know alone training is part of the protocol to get her there. It's how to accomplish that in the context of also having to leave her totally alone on a daily basis for at least a few hours at a time. So, medicating her as we go about this transition and training is what was recommended by her vet and trainer, and what we, in essence, feel optimistic about. Though we are still curious about others' experience with their grey's and Paxil. I see lots of posts on Prozac, but not Paxil, hence the OP.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. Trust me, I am trying my best to get a handle on my own anxiety. I won't go into all the back story, but will say that there are other things that have lent to my own anxiety syncing up with Ruby's. It is one of the reasons I so want to get this right with her. I know the pain and suffering that accompanies anxiety. I, at least, can process it verbally. She cannot. It kills me to see her on the webcam crying and pacing. And it is not lost on me that if I am anxious, she is probably feeling it and it is affecting her. So, that is why I am here. To try to get input from others who have experience with Paxil for their pup. The "personal" stuff is being dealt with in other venues. And in case anyone may be concerned that Ruby is trapped in an asylum with a crazed mom, please know that she is very well cared for, with lots of affection, interaction, variety, stimulation and devotion from people who love her.

And to answer the question around switching from Traz to Paxil, it is because Traz has such a short half-life, and we want her to get to a place of being secure enough for us to come and go without having to structure our lives around making sure we dose her at the appropriate time and get back in time before the meds wear off. As it has been, we have restricted our coming and going exponentially. There is zero spontaneous outings at this point. I get that initially, it needs to be this way as Rubes is adjusting to her new life. And it is not as though we would leave her for long stretches, alone, on a regular basis. But, if we want to catch a matinee last minute, or grab a beer with friends in the evening, or run out to the store, we want to be able to do so without being concerned about her being anxious and in distress. Paxil, theoretically, will build up in her system and allow for a steady state of calm, vs that being contingent on a dose of Traz at just the right time. And to reiterate, we hope that any medication is short term (no longer than 6 months).

It is true, my anxiety has shot through the roof since adopting Ruby 6 weeks ago. It stems from her freaking out in her crate on day 4, shredding her bedding, our bedding (the crate was by our bed), peeing in the crate, etc. This came as a shock to us because we thought she was adjusting so well. I started researching and was introduced to the concept of SA and alone training, and honestly, the more I read on it, the more freaked out I became, especially at the admonition that she not be allowed to get to "panic" state. We consulted a trainer who has a history working with grey's in a prison program and she also reinforced the idea that Ruby should not be allowed to build to panic, at which point she **could** (not would) become destructive. Since we had the incident in the crate, we wanted to head any further destruction off before it could even occur, hence the medication. To answer a few more questions, we exercise her daily by walking her at least 2 miles. We have a fenced back year, and she runs and plays out there a lot. We get her together with my bf's dog several days a week and try to socialize her to the outside world as much as possible. She has been uncrated for the past week, as the trainer concurred that crating her may be making things worse. She had to be lured into the crate, and when we got the spycam, I would observe her cycling between being settled and howling in there. She has not been one of those dogs for whom the crate is their "safe space". When we decided to test her outside of the crate, off of any meds, she would pace, whine, cry, and chew on the baby gate blocking her out of our bedroom. It started at 8 minutes, next time was 13 minutes, up to 21 minutes. The trainer said that since the time in distress was increasing vs. decreasing, she felt that a medication consultation with our vet was warranted, which is what we did. The vet consulted the behaviourist, who recommended the medical protocol I laid out in the OP. That is where we are at. What is making this even more stressful is that it is concurrent with hookworms that we are in the process of treating. She just had her second deworming and will have her third in a week. Again, researching can be problematic, as now I know about hookworm larva potentially being in the yard. Reading up on issues and concerns can be a recipe for catastrophizing, I totally recognize that. Straddling the line between trying to mitigate signs and symptoms vs. just rolling with it is a tough call, especially when we hate to think of Ruby being in distress AND potentially destructing a house we literally just finished remodelling, not to mention some of the CRAZY recommendations on eradicating hookworms in the yard, such as blow torching it. Again, catastrophizing, I know. So, yes, I am owning my own anxiety with all of this. We had none of these concerns with our first grey, who we lost last fall to hemangiosarcoma. So, some patience with me as I try to figure out the best path forward will be very much appreciated.

Hello, after consulting with a vet behavioural specialist, our vet has recommended we start our recently adopted 2-year-old girl (Ruby) on 20 mg of Paxil, aiming for 30 mg in 3 weeks. She currently is on 150 mg of Trazadone for acute anxiety when left alone. The plan is to titrate her off the Trazadone as the Paxil builds up in her system. She likes Paxil better than Prozac, because it (according to her) it works well for dogs who urinate in the house. Ruby only did this once when in a panic in her crate, but we are fearful of her doing it again. We just remodelled our house and put down all new (expensive) hardwoods, so want to forestall that going forward. We are hopeful that she will only need to be on a short term course of an anxiolytic, just long enough to get us through the process of alone training and also getting us through any set back that could occur over the summer when my partner, who teaches, is home more, therefore creating a SA crisis when she has to return to school in August. So, my question is, what is your experience with Paxil? When left alone now, off Trazadone, Ruby paces, whines, cries, looks for out the window, has trouble settling, etc. We are terrified of her building to another panic, which is a big no-no with alone training.

Hello, like you, we have experienced the same kind of second-guessing, fear of the making SA worse by being in a situation where our pup MUST be left alone and therefore perhaps building to a panic (a big no-no with alone training), the chronic stress all of this places on the ability to bond with a new dog, etc. We brought our 2 year girl (Ruby) home 6 weeks ago. We just finished a very expensive renovation to our home. and after she became destructive in her crate and we witnessed her whining, crying, pacing, etc. out of the crate, we were beside ourselves with fear that she would build up to destructive behaviour outside the crate when alone. In 6 weeks, we are out $1200 on replacing shredded bedding (hers and ours), lost wages after getting the spycam and seeing her howling in her crate, therefore prompting a quick cancellation of all afternoon clients to rush home to her, vet bills (she is also hookworm positive), home-based dog training, etc. We finally got to the point where we said to ourselves "either she will get with the program and be a good fit for us, or she will need to be in a home where someone can be with her all the time". She is rarely left longer than 4-5 hours at a time, but we are very active and come and go. It feels like we have been in doggie jail the last 6 weeks, structuring our lives around making sure we dose her with Trazadone at just the right times, and once home, not leaving again for the remainder of the day, etc. What I can say, though, is, we have hope. Finding the right Trazadone dose (150 mg) to keep her anxiety from building has helped tremendously. This has only happened in the past week. Our vet, who consulted with a vet behavioural specialist, also prescribe Paxil, so we are about to start that while titrating her off Trazadone (because it is so sedating and has such a short half-life). As I have allowed myself to have hope that we can keep her, I have opened my heart more. I was so afraid of getting attached, only to have to let her go. I felt such shame at thinking that maybe we did not have it in us to live in turmoil and up-end our lives in order to accommodate her special needs. After reading lots of encouraging words here from compassionate and experienced GH owners re: there being no shame in returning a mismatched dog, I have been able to let go of my own self-criticism on that front. I am willing to continue working with her because I see promise, though I do not have rose colored glasses on. One other thing to mention; the vet behavioralist is not convinced that we are dealing with true SA. She said that since Ruby CAN eventually settle, it may be a case of "separation-related distress", and that these dogs eventually just come to outgrow it as they make the transition from track to the being a family pet. I wonder if that accounts for all the folks who mentioned a switch getting flipped a few months in. Our girl is not anxious in general (other than when she wiped out on our slick floors). Is your boy generally well adjusted other than when you leave him? I'm no expert, but I wonder if the more generally even-tempered dogs will outgrow what looks like SA. Basically, I mainly just want to say, I feel your pain and hope that you, your wife, and your pup find your way to peace and happiness.

Hello, A vet tech/ GH owner acquaintance mentioned that their clinic is test-driving this product after the Vet Behavioral Specialist from the local vet school highly recommended it. Anyone tried it? Heard anything about it? She said they are hoping that it will be a good alternative for anti-anxiety meds. We give our new girl 100 mg of Trazadone an hour before we leave the house to help with separation anxiety. We have a trainer starting tomorrow to help us work through this situation, and would LOVE it if we could find an alternative to Trazadone to help her with her anxiety. https://www.proplanveterinarydiets.com/products/calming-care-dog-probiotic-supplement/?utm_campaign=vdp-branded2019&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_content=dog-unknown-unknown-feeding&utm_term=%2Bpurina%20%2Bcalming%20%2Bcare&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzePjBRCRARIsAGkrSm53zvspRwNTNDbjS_DEcaPtgnUTBj593-zxSPWbQbAMM-ixb7K7TYYaAhbGEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

We have had her almost 5 weeks, and I suppose I forget that it could take a lot more time for her to really settle in. FWIW, we have her on Iams Green minichunks, per so many endorsements on the forum. So far, it has not been the wonder food for us as it has for others. But, I digress . . .

Quick question on poop quality after dosing with Drontal Plus. We gave our hook positive Ruby her first dose of Drontal Plus about 48 hours ago. Her poop is getting even more "loose". It has been the consistency of pudding up until today, and now it is turning into full-blown runny diarrhoea. Could this be worm shedding? Is this a normal Droanal side effect at this stage, post dosing? If so, when should we see improved stools? Tomorrow, she starts her first treatment of monthly Advantage Multi, then a re-dose of Drontal Plus on 3/15. In my heart, I am prepared for months of Drontal dosing. The vet seems to think that just a couple of wormings will do the trick. I do not think they are steeped in the saga surrounding the GH's and hooks. They are about to be, though.

Can you clarify, did you administer Drontal Plus once every two weeks, and if so, for how long? The protocol we are using calls for Advantage Multi on the 1st of each month, and Drontal Plus mid-month (so once every four weeks).

Hi Zoesmom. We are in a similar boat and I am following this thread. I would love to know definitively if sprinkling Diatomaceous Earth on the "cleaned" spots will kill off any hooks left behind. I posted a similar thread yesterday and was told that sprinkling borax will not permanently kill the grass. That was encouraging. For those that have been around awhile, dealing with hooks seems like just another day on the farm. For us newbies (and maybe I should only speak for myself), overcoming a hookworm infestation can seem daunting and overwhelming, when factoring in yards and bedding and licking and what not. FWIW, my vet said that hooks are prevalent in the soil in the south, so it is impossible to get rid of them entirely. Her advice is to pick up poop pronto. I'll be going the extra mile by sprinkling DE or borax or maybe a bleach mixture if that is also safe for the grass.

Thanks for that feedback on the borax. That soothes some of my fears. For some reason, our previous grey, who was a big runner, did not tear up the year. Maybe because it was so large. Now, she did dig. In fact, we often said, that was the very worst complaint we had of her. It wasn't terrible, but it did annoy my partner. Especially when she would start us down and do it anyway before we could get to her. Little devil!

cgs - I just got off the phone with our vet, and she basically validated everything you wrote. Once the larval leak is effectively disrupted (via the ongoing application of Advantage Multi), and the recurring hooks in her intestines are finally purged via the regular deworming, then getting re-infested from the yard should not occur, because she will stay on preventive medicine. This was a relief to hear, and it does make sense, otherwise, it seems most every dog that visits a dog park or doggie day care or greenway, etc.would be battling a never-ending cycle of hookworms due to exposure. Dr. Ng's protocol is once monthly Advantage Multi, vs every other week, as is the Prison Protocol. She also advises EITHER Drontal Plus or 5 days of Panacur. The vet I spoke with today advises 5 days of Panancur, saying that she has not had great experience with Drontal Plus clearing the hooks. This was discouraging since we just dosed with Drontal Plus and have another dose in the cupboard for mid-March. She advised that if Ruby still has soft serve poop next Monday, to come in and get a 5 day course of Panacur, a prescription of Metronidazole, and some Forti-Flora. I know each vet is different (our actual vet is out of town, so we are consulting with her colleagues). It is so confusing when we get different recommendations. We do know that we are in for the long haul treatment with this. We can hang with that, assuming we do not have to torch the yard. On to addressing what may be separation anxiety next . . . We just cancelled a 50th birthday trip to MX bc since adopting Ruby, our resources, both financial and emotional, are stretched to the max. It is very stressful to be worrying about her well-being, not to mention the multiple hits to the budget that we had not anticipated.

Hello, New to the forum, and a recent adopter of our second GH. We lost Rosie in 2018, and brought Ruby home on 1.27.19. She was dewormed in foster care, but fecal tested positive for hooks yesterday. Dosed with Drontal Plus yesterday, and so far has tolerated it without concern. Will begin monthly Advantage Multi on March 1. Will re-dose with Drontal Plus mid-month until she has 3 clean fecals. We feel optimistic about the course of treatment (which we found here via a link to Dr. Jennifer Ng's hookworm protocol). My question involves treating the yard. We have a very large fenced, grassy back yard, and Ruby has not landed on a particular area to do her business, so we are talking a very large area that is potentially contaminated and we will need to stay on top of. We clean up the stools each time she poops, but inevitably, because it is the consistency of soft serve, it is impossible to get it all up. Also, we have only just started cleaning after every poop in the last few days, when we became aware of the necessity to do so. For the first month we had her, we would scoop poop every other day or so, and are worried that the yard was potentially contaminated during that period. I have called around the Nashville area and no pest control company treats yards for hooks (at least that I have found). Online research turned up a product called Wondercide. Does anyone have feedback on the effectiveness of this product? Also, have read that sprinkling diamataceous earth on the spots where she poops will also kill the larvae. Anyone have experience with this method to keep the yard clean of hookworms? Should we use food grade DE? Please do not judge, but our lush, green lawn is my partners' pride, and doing something drastic like killing off the grass with Borax or spraying bleach on the spots where Ruby poops is not going to go over well. I am looking for a method of decontamination and ongoing maintenance that is effective yet also allows for our yard to remain my partner's pride. Help, please. This is coming on top of Ruby having a degree of separation anxiety/isolation distress (another thread on this soon, possibly). I share that only to give context for spending a lot of $$$$ and our lives have become way more stressful than we ever experienced with our first GH. It seems like each time we turn around, there is something else to contend with.