Ace For Fireworks Phobia

[Remolacha]

Thanks everyone, lots of good info here! I talked to my vet again this morning, and she said she still felt ACE was the best choice for Fletcher. She had just come back from a vet conference where they discussed Valium, and how it is being reported, recently, as having unpredictable results in some cases. Still the best choice in many instances, obviously, but not fail safe by any means.

 

At any rate, I am going to give him a half-dose tomorrow and see how he reacts, and we will go from there. I will let you know how he does!

 

 

Storms don't seem to bother him much, BTW. We have tried Benadryl, Melatonin, DAP, Rescue Remedy, Canine Lullaby CD, t-shirt, TV & AC white noise, some other herbal thing that I forget the name of ... anyway, I hope this works!

[RobinM]

Ace or acepromazine is used as a tranquilizer but our vets feel that valium works better for the greyhounds

[Guest Wpgkeith]

Just talked with our locum vet as the regular one is off till thursday.

 

I an going to pick up a trial script for ACE, but will use it small doses as per discussion in this thread.

 

"Unfortunately" our fireworks night is approaching Wednesday - Canada Day is July 1st - si I'll try Riley on it tonight. Brogan seems unphased by fireworks.

 

What is the t-shirt solution mentioned in this thread several times? Never heard of it...

 

K

 

[Guest Energy11]

T-shirts are used to cut down their sensitivity to static electricity in Thunderstorms, BUT it might give them a more secure feeling during the fireworks too! Good Luck and Happy Canada Day!

[cmc333]

I have no experience w/ greys and Ace, but do w/ westies and Ace. Used it two different times - certainly didn't calm her down, just made her eyes bug out and the 3rd eyelid bulge.

 

Vet warned me about giving it to my older westie (like I would have!) because it can slow the heart down and my older girlie had a little heart problem.

 

So it's xanax, ativan, or valium for me. Ace also seemed to take a looooong time to wear off.

 

Connie

[greysmom]

OK - Here's my two cents!

 

Biggest difference between Ace and Xanax/Valium - ace is a sedative and doesn't treat the underlying anxiety. Xanax and valium are benzodiazapem's (sp?) and work on the chemicals in the brain that are affected by anxiety reaction. Just like with all drugs, all three can react differently with different dogs (or people). Another thing to remember is that, while Xanax and Valium are now used frequently by vets, that usage is still off-label and not strictly approved.

 

Xanax and Valium can also be very different. I would tend to use Valium for single usages like fireworks and storm phobias as it takes effect rather immediately, whereas Xanax typically needs a week or so of being in the animal's system before becoming effective.

 

My Cash takes Xanax (alprazolam is the generic name) for generalized anxiety. She still does get scared, but the level of her fear is much lower and more manageable for her than without it. I can increase the dosage if we're going to be doing something I know will freak her out - like go to the vet, or for the upcoming fireworks - but again, even at a very high dose, she still feels anxiety.

 

I think Valium would give a result more along what you're looking for than the Xanax. Definitely try the Ace if your vet recommends it, but don't be surprised if it doesn't work. You may need to try several drugs before finding one that works for your particular dog.

 

Good luck!

greysmom

[Guest Winterwish]

I would tend to use Valium for single usages like fireworks and storm phobias as it takes effect rather immediately, whereas Xanax typically needs a week or so of being in the animal's system before becoming effective....

 

Just want to mention that one of the benefits of Xanax for thunderphobia is that it is fast acting.

Edited June 29, 2009 by Winterwish

[Guest Wpgkeith]

Gave Riley a half pill (12.5 mg +/-) last night after our constitutional and before bed. He was definitely a puddle as a result. "Unfortunately", there were no random fireworks so I can't tell what will happen if/when they go off....maybe tonight?

 

On the upside, he was happy an ready for breakfast this morning, so although hugely relaxed last night, there was no visible hang-over effect.

 

Not gonna be my favourite tool, but may be a good short term solution till I can pick up some melatonin in the US next month.

 

K

 

[Remolacha]

Interesting reaction from Riley, too bad there weren't any fireworks to test That's kind of the reaction I'm hoping for from Fletcher tonight.

 

FWIW, Melatonin was one of the many things that had no effect on him, but it works great for many dogs (and people!), so worth a try. Good Luck!

[Guest Wpgkeith]

Riley update....So last night I wanted to get Riley and Brogan walked before the FW started...so I figured heading out at 9:45 would beat the 10 pm start time for most of the neighbourhood...I was wrong.

 

At 9:50 I heard the first sound...so did Riley. He stopped..then kept going at my coaxing. By the time we had walked the 50 or so yards to the constitutional place, there were a small number of items having been sent up...but way in the distance...it was like they were in our backyard to him...so neither he nor Brogan would take care of business...and he was shaking by the time we got home.

 

Brogan happily accepted her peapod treat, Riley would have none of it...this was not good because it was stuffed with the half-tab (12.5 mg +/-) of ACE. I eventually had to pill him, which he did take, Brogan snarfled down the the other peapod and off we went to bed.

 

He was not overly happy, but once the sedative kicked in, he became the puddle of greyhound that I guess happens with this drug. The bursts came more frequently later but he seemed to be okay, I got up, cuddled him a bit and put a golf shirt that I had worn earlier that day over him like a blanket.

 

At 3 am there was another short barrage - he didn't wake up or flinch so far as we could tell.

 

This morning...he jumped up and ran downstairs for brekkie, just like normal. His eyes look clear and bright, and he came over to me for some scritches.

 

So...although the bottle says to give him 1-2 tabs, 2ce a day !!! - half a tab before bed seems to be the ticket! And after tonight, we probably won't have to worry about fireworks for awhile.

 

I am not sure what we are going to do for New Years...I think I mentioned it earlier...I am a fireworks technician (hugely part-time...mostly for fun) so my shoot tonight will not include DW, or Riley and Brogan. But New Years shoots have in the past included Riley, although we would put him in the car (cave) and move it around behind the house where we do the shoot. We'll figure that one out later.

 

Here's hoping this helps...good luck with all your houndies as July 4th approaches...at least here in Canada, we will be mostly done after tonight!

 

K

Edited July 1, 2009 by Wpgkeith

[Remolacha]

Good to hear Riley survived:)

 

I gave Fletcher a half dose (1/2 25mg tablet) last night. At first, I thought it hadn't started to work until two hours after I gave it, because about an hour after, he jumped up off the couch and ran to the window when some people walked down "his" street. He was sleeping pretty soundly before that, though, so maybe it started earlier. The rest of the night, he was pretty zonked, walked kind of like he was drunk, but didn't seem distressed, and is fine this morning.

 

So, maybe I need to give him the whole pill? Maybe start earlier? I am still full of questions about what to do. sigh

 

[NeylasMom]

No, no and no (imho ). Ask your vet for Xanax (or valium). It actually calms the dog, rather than just sedating him.

[Anne]

Honestly, I would NOT give him the whole pill. I would give him the 1/2 pill earlier. If you still think you need more, break the half that you didn't give and only give small pieces of it. I find that the 25 mgs. will totally zonk most greyhounds. I use this drug a lot and find that it's best to start out with small doses and titer them upwards in small incriments if you need to do so. I did this recently for my dogs separation anxiety.

I want my dogs to be able to react to the world around them, get up when someone comes to the door, go potty, eat if needed etc. I just want them to be less anxious about being left alone or storms or fireworks. The only reason I would drug so much that the dog was out of it is if that dog were the type who tried to jump through the windows when anxious or terrified etc.

 

[Guest sorenkkg]

I thank you guys for the opinions and links to info and the t-shirt idea.

 

Last month (victoria day in canada) was Haka's worst night, having gotten worse in the last 2yrs or so (he's 9 this year).

 

I talked to our vet, who, like the article, says this does get worse with age... She suggested I try the Bio-Calm (I tried a search here and didn't see anything on it?) first-- the ingredients are mostly B-vitamins and milk and soy proteins, from what I can read on the ingredients.

2tsp I believe for him, 1hr before the event.

 

the vet says she has good experience with this, but that if it doesn't work, we'll talk about drugs-- I think she mentioned valium, but we didn't get into details.

 

Hope everyone's pups do ok this week, and I'll report back on the bio-calm.

 

Thanks!

Soren