greymatters Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I have a couple of questions for those of you with experience in giving fluoxetine (Prozac) to your hounds. We started our 4 y.o. boy on this about 2 weeks ago, in order to help work through some behavioral issues stemming from anxiety and fearfulness. Prior to starting the fluoxetine he had a thorough regular vet check (w/full thyroid panel @ MSU) and is in excellent health; and yes, we are working with a behaviorist and are following a behavior modification plan. The fluoxetine is on board solely to help him be more receptive to the training program. First, as to dosing: Our vet initially prescribed the full therapeutic dose of 40 mg/day (so ~1.2 mg/kg for our 75 lb dog), but at our request dropped it to 20 mg/day to start out. We did this because Merlin is prone to GI upset and I was concerned about that and about appetite loss. The plan is to increase to 40 mg/day after 30 days, but I'm just wondering if there's any evidence of therapeutic efficacy at a lower dose in greyhounds? Any idea whether introducing the drug gradually, as we are doing, will help to minimize potential side effects or merely delay them? We began seeing some mild appetite loss within the first week, but nothing too worrisome at this point. He's a bit off his breakfast and suddenly picky about treats, and we are seeing some nausea in the a.m. as well. But he is still eating part of his breakfast and all of his dinner. When might we expect his appetite to improve? Or is it more likely to get worse (e.g., when we increase the dose) before it gets better? Lastly, I believe that appetite loss is the most common side effect of this drug, but are there other things that we should be particularly watchful for? I'm especially concerned about how best to recognize any adverse behavioral effects, e.g., increased depression or anxiety. Thanks in advance - I appreciate any insights or advice based on experiences with your greys. -Michele Quote Merlin (Heathers Wizard), Mina (Where's Rebecca), and Mae the Galga - three crazy dogs in the house of M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest happygrey Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Hi! We used it on Bentley for several months after getting him to combat his separation anxiety. He suffered no observable side effects from it. It definitely helped him get over the hump (along with lots of other training). I can't remember the dose we used, but I do remember that we stepped him up. If you are interested in the dosage he took, let me know, and I will look it up. Good luck! I hope it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houndtime Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 We took our late John E to U of P to a behaviorist. We started John on a prozac dosage of 10 mgs and then progressed to 20 after a month or so. The goal was to reach 40 mgs, but he definitely mellowed out at 20 and he remained there for the rest of his life. Those who didn't know him before, may not have noticed any difference in his demeanor from any other dog. Those who did know his prior personality, said he was more relaxed and confident. He had no ill effects. If I have a suggestion, it would be to start at the lowest dose and then gradually work your dog up, and you may find, like we did, that a lower dose was sufficient. Good luck. Quote Irene Ullmann w/Flying Odin and Mama Mia in Lower Delaware Angels Brandy, John E, American Idol, Paul, Fuzzy and Shine Handcrafted Greyhound and Custom Clocks http://www.houndtime.com Zoom Doggies-Racing Coats for Racing Greyhounds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jbbuzby Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 Ferguson has been on Fluoxetine since December or so. He has separation anxiety and would go into a state of panic if he even thought we were going to leave. The fluoxetine definitely helped make learning possible for him and while he still dislikes me leaving, he no longer cries or harms himself against the bars of the crate/pen. He only gets 20mg daily though, and we worked up from 10mg. At first he had a little Diarrhea, but this subsided after a day or two. His appetite is admittedly not good in the morning, but he was like that before he was on the fluoxetine...not sure if it's made it worse or not. Other than the D and potential appetite loss, he's had no side effects that we can see. Good luck with your pup... I hope it helps them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riverbosun Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Michelle 40 mgs is aggressive in my opinion. I start humans on 20 and depending on age and sensitivity would consider 10mgs. I would have started at 10 with Merlin and work up and level off at 20. In humans high doses of Prozac can be overly stimulating i.e agitation and anxiety so I wouldn't be that aggressive until you are sure he's tolerating it. Quote Barbara Majestic and Ranger "If you want to hear the patter of little feet I'll put shoes on my dogs." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greymatters Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Thanks very much to all for your responses and your good wishes for our Merlin. Now I'm really glad I insisted on starting him at a lower dose than the 40mg our vet initially prescribed! I didn't realize that starting at 10mg was an option, but 40mg definitely seemed high to me to start with. Even though everything I've read says that the therapeutic dose for fluoxetine in dogs is 1-2 mg/kg, I really haven't been able to find much in the way of good data on this. At this point, we're more than two weeks into the 20mg dose and he's tolerating it OK. So I don't see a reason to reduce it, but am inclined to stay where we are for a while and see how he does before we increase it any further. Obviously, I want to give the lowest amount that provides some benefit for him...if 20mg is enough to help him then I wouldn't want to go any higher. Quote Merlin (Heathers Wizard), Mina (Where's Rebecca), and Mae the Galga - three crazy dogs in the house of M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Are you seeing any positive changes in his bahavior at this point? At two weeks, it's possible to begin to see some changes. We had our girl on fluoxetene for a month and there was no discernable change in her behavior, even at 40 mgs. We switched to Paxil and saw a difference within four days. These are the same class of anti-anxiety drug, but they work on different parts of the brain. You may want to consider trying it if you don't see anything positive soon. Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeylasMom Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Michelle 40 mgs is aggressive in my opinion. I start humans on 20 and depending on age and sensitivity would consider 10mgs. I would have started at 10 with Merlin and work up and level off at 20. In humans high doses of Prozac can be overly stimulating i.e agitation and anxiety so I wouldn't be that aggressive until you are sure he's tolerating it. I was told by an experienced veterinary behaviorist that generally the recommended dosage is twice what is actually appropriate for a dog. She also strongly recommends starting with Reconcile first (doggie prozac) and then after you've had time to build up levels in the blood and see the effect you can try switching to generic as some dogs don't respond as well to the generic as they do to the brand name product. Quote Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart "The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walliered Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Vet put Da Vid on Prozac about a year ago. I believe it was 40mg to start off. It made him crazy. Took him off of it and never tried it again. She also tried Valium and it did the same. His was thunderstorm anxiety. Still is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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