Guest HersheysMom Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Sonie started Prozac about three weeks ago. She started on a low dose of 20 mg/day for one week, then the dose was increased to 20 mg 2x/day. She had some appetite loss for a day or two when she first started the low dose, then her appetite came back completely. Now that we have increased the dose (going on two weeks with the increased dose) the appetite is going downhill again. She will eat treats and plates of warm ground beef put in front of her, but never jumps to her food bowl when it's put down as she used to. She eats dinner out of her bowl after some hesitation, but not breakfast or lunch. So she is currently eating just one good meal a day and snacks/treats if they are treats that she likes. She does not appear to have lost any weight. I've read some human literature that says that this side effect, at least in humans, tends to go away after the first few weeks. I was wondering if this is true in dogs. I was hoping someone else on the board has used prozac and maybe went through this same thing and could advise me if this is likely to pass. This is the only side effect I have noticed so I really hate to take her off of it without good reason. She's had no lethargy, she's still got her energy and her same personality, only she does seem less anxious. She used to get up several times a night and since she started the prozac she's been sleeping through the night. While it's still early on, it does seem to have some benefits so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HersheysMom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Really? No prozac dogs here that had this happen? I'll call the vet today - I think maybe I'll try lowering the dose for a bit and see if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phall Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Sorry to hear that Sonie lost her appetite again, Carolyn. How frustrating! I don't have any advice, but I'm hoping she's back to normal again soon. I know the Prozac was helping her with that exception. Keep me posted. Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest krystolla Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Sorry, no dog experience but as a human I did have that happen. No appetite at all on prozac until I was starving, it was a weird sensation. It never went away entirely for me but it did lessen a bit after six months so that I could notice that I was hungry before the I'm-going-to-chew-my-own-arm-off stage. Personally, I'd wait until she'd been on the drug for a full month before making changes. Prozac builds up in the system slowly, at two weeks on the new dose she's probably just hit the peak concentration and is now having time to adjust to side effects. I'm not a doc though, so it's just an opinion. Good luck with your girl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sighthounds4me Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Sorry, no dog experience but as a human I did have that happen. No appetite at all on prozac until I was starving, it was a weird sensation. It never went away entirely for me but it did lessen a bit after six months so that I could notice that I was hungry before the I'm-going-to-chew-my-own-arm-off stage. Same here! I have never given it to animals, but am on it myself. I have felt pretty "normal" for a while now, but at first, I would have little appetite, till I got so hungry I felt like I was going to die. Then I'd eat very little, and be full. VERY weird, but I feel more "normal" now. Quote Sarah, the human, Henley, and Armani the Borzoi boys, and Brubeck the Deerhound.Always in our hearts, Gunnar, Naples the Greyhounds, Cooper and Manero, the Borzoi, and King-kitty, at the Rainbow Bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HersheysMom Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Thanks for the replies! This is actually very helpful. I'm going to try to stick it out another week. She still wants the "good stuff" I don't think there is any great concern as I was just eating ELFudge cookies and she really perked up watching me intently, so I gave her one (without the fudge middle) She also wanted bread, yogurt, and treats today. She ate a bit of regular dog food, too, but that had to be hand feed. Very odd, but as long as I can get food into her I will stick it out just a little longer. Those that were on the prozac, were you nauseous too or just not hungry? If I knew she wasn't feeling good I'd take her off it right away, but she's acting totally normal other than being really picky. She's keeping everything she does eat down and has good-looking poop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest krystolla Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Those that were on the prozac, were you nauseous too or just not hungry? If I knew she wasn't feeling good I'd take her off it right away, but she's acting totally normal other than being really picky. She's keeping everything she does eat down and has good-looking poop. For me, no nausea just not hungry. I had to put myself on a schedule to make sure I ate something at meals even if I didn't feel like it, so I can sympathize with the treats-only attitude. Unfortunately it's a lot easier to eat something really tasty when you aren't hungry than eat something healthy and less tasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busderpuddle Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I am glad you posted this as I was thinking about posting the exact same thing. Ruby has been on Prozac 30mg a day for a month now and just today, she decided that she would only eat a couple bites of her kibble and then tonight, I thought she would be starving and she just stared at it for a while, ate a couple bites and was done. I haven't tried any treats today because I want her to eat the real stuff first. She isn't acting hungry at all. I know when it was started the vet told me this could be a side effect. Ruby goes in next week for a vet visit and blood work so will talk to him then. I haven't noticed that the Prozac is helping her at all with her S.A. either but I don't know how long it is supposed to take. Anxious to read what everyone has to say here. Thanks for starting this topic. Quote Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sighthounds4me Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Those that were on the prozac, were you nauseous too or just not hungry? If I knew she wasn't feeling good I'd take her off it right away, but she's acting totally normal other than being really picky. She's keeping everything she does eat down and has good-looking poop. For me, no nausea just not hungry. I had to put myself on a schedule to make sure I ate something at meals even if I didn't feel like it, so I can sympathize with the treats-only attitude. Unfortunately it's a lot easier to eat something really tasty when you aren't hungry than eat something healthy and less tasty. No nausea here. But I believe it is a documented side effect. I would have to look back at the literature... I am glad you posted this as I was thinking about posting the exact same thing. Ruby has been on Prozac 30mg a day for a month now and just today, she decided that she would only eat a couple bites of her kibble and then tonight, I thought she would be starving and she just stared at it for a while, ate a couple bites and was done. I haven't tried any treats today because I want her to eat the real stuff first. She isn't acting hungry at all. I know when it was started the vet told me this could be a side effect. Ruby goes in next week for a vet visit and blood work so will talk to him then. I haven't noticed that the Prozac is helping her at all with her S.A. either but I don't know how long it is supposed to take. Anxious to read what everyone has to say here. Thanks for starting this topic. For me, I started on 20 mg. It did very little, even after 3-4 weeks. My doctor increased my dose to 40 mg, and after about 2 more weeks, I began to notice a difference. So it happens fairly fast, but the dosage may need to be tweaked. Quote Sarah, the human, Henley, and Armani the Borzoi boys, and Brubeck the Deerhound.Always in our hearts, Gunnar, Naples the Greyhounds, Cooper and Manero, the Borzoi, and King-kitty, at the Rainbow Bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HersheysMom Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Okay, she's eating out of her bowl again. He prefers the plate placed in front of her, but today once she finished the plate she was looking for more so I put the rest in the bowl and she ate it. Good. I'm still thinking her dosage is a bit high as it seems a lot of humans are on 40 mg a day and she's just a dog! But when you look up dosage for dogs she's right on target. .5 to 1 mg per pound, it says. Karen, I would give it a good week. This was how long Sonie's appetite was out. I bet she'll rebound within a few days if it is in fact the Prozac. In the mean time, just keep getting some food into her each day. Please post an update. Thanks everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busderpuddle Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 Well Ruby started eating normally the next day and things were fine for a few days. This morning, not a bite. I don't think she even walked over and sniffed her food. I even tried to entice her with adding some canned pumpkin, which she normally loves. Hope she eats tonight. She seems very lethargic today but still happy when I took her for a walk. Hope she's alright. We have a visit scheduled to the vet on Tuesday so will get some more answers then. I sure hope Sonie is continuing to do well. Quote Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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