Need recs for daily anxiety meds

[ramonaghan]

Several weeks ago, we were walking the dogs and there was a clap of thunder out of nowhere. It started raining lightly and Doolin dragged us home. He's always been absolutely terrified of storms, to the point that now even a slight wind or gentle rain will have him camped out and trembling on the bathroom floor. So, I believe this event is what triggered our current problem: he absolutely refuses to go for walks now. He seems excited to go but then just shuts down when we try to leave the yard. We have cajoled, dragged, tight-circled, treated, and used a different door or route, and he just statues and shakes. It's heartbreaking. He is more sensitive to *any* noises now—thumping bass, construction, loud mufflers, air brakes, planes, etc.—which is unfortunate since we live in a neighborhood with all of that on a regular basis. @palmettobug I think you predicted this because of the Jimbo Scotty in him. He's having accidents overnight because he doesn't have an evening walk to fully empty out, and his yard breaks are quick—he wants to get back inside asap.

We have used CBD oil and the Happy Hoodie with some success during storms, but I don't think they can get us over this hurdle. Xanax doesn't seem to do much except knock him out. I think it is time to talk to the vet about a daily med, with the goal that eventually we could wean him off and get him back to where he was two months ago—still a timid boy, but not 75 pounds of jello. He will happily go for rides and sometimes will walk elsewhere, but that's not practical for two walks a day with a tripod sister. This week we have just been leaving him home when we walk Willa and hoping the FOMO will kick in. 

So, talk to me about anxiety meds. What have you used with success? Any you would avoid? He's still a happy, relaxed boy at home so I don't want him in a stupor. I just want him to enjoy being outside again and playing with his sister, and she needs her walking buddy back. 

Thanks for reading.

ETA: Oops, should have put this in Training and Behavior. @Jeff can you help?

Edited March 22 by ramonaghan

[Houndtime]

We did use Prozac with John E for anxiety and leash aggression.  He was supposed to reach a prescribed amount (which I don't remember) but, after starting at 10 mg and going to 20; we stopped at 20.  If you didn't know him, nothing was apparent.  People who knew him said he was more relaxed.  Different drugs work for differently for individual people and I guess the same is true for dogs. 

[FiveRoooooers]

Aww Dooo  Seamie   did the same throne-hugging during a storm but something changed he eventually became brave enough to Sphinx on the porch and shake. I've got nothing but I'm sure that someone, something will help. 

[ShebasMom]

For my exceptioanally timid beagle(also afraid of ALL noises from storms, rocket launches, car doors slamming, people, etc.), my vet has her on  a combo of 2 100mg gabapentin twice daily and 1/2 tab 20-mg fluoxetine daily. She is 25 pounds. She is not a zombi but still doesn't like to be outside for long. Ask your vet about this combo. 

[macoduck]

We tried everything, and I do mean everything,for my podenco Howie. Either the meds had no effect or they doped him up too much.

Ask your vet about Amitriptyline. It's an older medicine that also helps with pain. Howie is a much calmer, much less fearful boy on Ami. No side effects. Inexpensive too.

If Doolin isn't on any kind of serotonin med, it should be ok to use.

[ramonaghan]

Thanks, all. We're off to the vet on Tuesday with the cat for her annual exam and will bring these suggestions with us for Doo. Hopefully we can get something that kicks in before tornado season does.

[dante2zoe]

We have used generic prozac successfully on more than one hound.  Zeke is an anxious mess but not about walks.  He is 76 ponds,  The vet started him on 30 mg once a day and even after a couple weeks, it was more sedating than we liked, so we weaned him down to two and now he is on one 10 mg capsule a day.  The incessant whining has stopped and when he isn't having a bad disk flare, he is a happy boy. 

Angus was put on it due to space/food guarding and that has been really helpful (plus additional modifications to our routines).  The fact that he hasn't put a hole in Lacifur *yet* (I am super vigilant) speaks volumes on how well it works for him.  She is relentless.  

I also used it on an elderly whippet with separation anxiety and it got him over the hump and was eventually weaned off and remained fine. 

I have also used gabapentin when Fancy was getting anxious as her health deteriorated and it helped with her lumbar discomfort and calmed her down.  

I got both prescriptions filled at Costco (they each have canine accounts) and the medications are pretty inexpensive.  I prefer using 10 mg capsules or 100 mg capsules so I can tweak the dose without having to get a new prescription filled.  

Scritches to your cutie-pie and hope that you can find the assistance he needs to get his life back.  Anxiety sucks.  

Cindy

[ramonaghan]

1 minute ago, dante2zoe said:

Scritches to your cutie-pie and hope that you can find the assistance he needs to get his life back.  Anxiety sucks.  

Scritches delivered, thanks, and yes it does—I can attest to that personally as one who firmly believes in "better living through pharmaceuticals"!

[EllenEveBaz]

No pharmaceutical experience; just sending soothing yet encouraging vocalizations to the Doo.

 

Quote

Hopefully we can get something that kicks in before tornado season does.

[greysmom]

Anti anxiety drugs are really very individual - it all depends on your dog's brain chemistry and how it interacts with the particular drug.  Most vets start with the ones made specifically for dogs - Reconcile (fluoxetine/Prozac), Sileo (specifically for noise phobias), Clomicalm (clomipramine).  All other drugs are off label uses of human anti anxiety meds.  The familiarity of your vet with using these types of drugs will also come into play.  

The biggest issue is you don't really know how your dog will respond to any drugs without trying it.  And some of the ones most commonly tried take up to two weeks to build up to a effective level.  I usually recommend that folks begin with drugs that take effect more immediately like Trazadone and/or xanax, and other single use-type drugs, to see if that can get them over an immediate need and back to square one.

There's also been - as Ducky mentioned - a return to using older drugs not specifically for anxiety in dogs - amitriptyline and gabapentin.  Which can be wonder drugs for some dogs.

I'm assuming you believe ha's past the point where something like calming chews, or Anxitane (L-Theanine), CBD chews would be useful.  We used a chinese calming herbal product called Calm Shen (purchased from Amazon) for LIlly.  She had some sprinkled on her meals everyday and it did appear to help.

I would definintely talk about the Sileo with your vet.  It's specifically developed for thunder and noise phobias.  There's been several threads in H&M about it since it was released a few years ago.  

{{{hugs}}} for you and  for Doolin!!

[ramonaghan]

Thanks, Chris @greysmom. I remember hearing a lot of talk about Sileo here years ago, but not so much more recently, so I didn't know if it was still used and/or recommended. I will definitely ask, since noise does seem to be his biggest issue (though he does not seem to mind Willa barking directly in his face ). I just really worry for him, especially since (I don't want to type this ) he will likely outlive his bold sassy sister. Fortunately, and somewhat to my surprise, he doesn't seem to have bad SA.

[Remolacha]

I used Sileo for Conner, it worked well and is fast acting, but doesn’t last as long as some of the others. In addition to that I used CBD oil, calming chews, and AnimalEO Calm-a-Mile. All this was just for active storms/fireworks, except for the Calm-a-Mile which I kept going in the diffuser 24/7. Xanax did nothing for Conner, but worked well for some of my other dogs, so like everyone has said, trial and error.

Doolin 

[ramonaghan]

Thanks again, everyone. I've run out of Likes today  but please know Doolin and I really appreciate the advice and support. 

[palmettobug]

G takes Prozac in combination with Gaba and Rimadyl to help with his issues, he's space-aggressive and very pain reactive. He has gotten much better at sharing space, still working on pain and having his feet handled.

My kitty Bibbi was treated for FLUTD with Amitryptiline, my vet in Memphis would compound it so it could be smeared in her ear. The same cat that rode all the way from Texas as a tiny kitten, not a peep, got freaked out every time the washer got out of balance! Combined with diet, she was much better the rest of her life (lymphoma got her in the end).

I hope you can find the right combo of treatments. You can try the doggie hormone diffuser thing too, it comes in a collar for walkies.

[Time4ANap]

Not a med, but an app that may be helpful for storms.Petunia and Kate were both petrified of storms. I have a feeling they went through a tornado together on the farm at some point.

I bought an app for the IPhone called My Lightning Tracker. I think it was about 2 dollars when I bought it. The app allows you to draw a radius around your location and receive an alert if lightning strikes within the radius. I was able to get notification of lightning strikes which allowed me to check the radar and see where the storm was and the direction it was heading. It gave me enough time to medicate Petunia and Kate well before the storm reached us if it was headed our direction and gave the meds time to kick in before they were needed. 

After seeing Gracie have no stress at the vet this week, I'm thinking that a dose of 2 100 mg Gabapentin may be better than anything like Xanax. Gracie normally is stressed at the vet. This time we gave her 2 Gabapentin at the Vet's direction a couple hours before the appointment. She wagged her tail, got pets and was a normal dog during the visit instead of being stressed to the point of being sick, like her previous visit. Not something I would probably use all the time, but in a pinch it may well help. 

[ramonaghan]

Thanks, @Time4ANap! I will download the app; sounds well worth it. We have a great group of local weather buffs too at NashSevereWx; I am usually glued to their Twitter feed during the spring. They are more accurate than many of the local news stations and I love that they tell us when it's safe to go to bed.

I have Gabapentin on hand so that seems like an easy enough thing to try. Much appreciated. 

[Time4ANap]

5 hours ago, ramonaghan said:

Thanks, @Time4ANap! I will download the app; sounds well worth it. We have a great group of local weather buffs too at NashSevereWx; I am usually glued to their Twitter feed during the spring. They are more accurate than many of the local news stations and I love that they tell us when it's safe to go to bed.

I have Gabapentin on hand so that seems like an easy enough thing to try. Much appreciated. 

I have the phone next to my bed overnight, and the tone for the lightning alerts is a fairly gentle chime that's just attention getting enough that I will hear it when asleep. It won't jolt you out of bed if you get a middle of the night storm. Hope it helps. 

[ramonaghan]

Just wanted to add a quick update that we started Doolin on Prozac last week. Our vet said it's the thing she's seen the most success with, including with her former colleague's umpteen greyhounds over the years. His prescription is for 20mg and we started him on 10mg the first few days to lessen any side effects. So far, so good in that department, but no miracles for the anxiety yet. We know it'll take a few weeks (and yesterday's weather was not helpful), so we're still hopeful this will do the trick. We're also taking him to the vet Tuesday for bloodwork just to make sure there's nothing physiological contributing. I'll keep you all posted on our progress. Thanks again.

[Houndtime]

This is what worked for John E.  It does take a few weeks for all to settle in.  The change will be so subtle, but, you will appreciate the calm.

[ramonaghan]

Another update: we're in our 5th week on Prozac and things have been up and down. Doolin still does not want to walk in the neighborhood, but he's had a very good couple of days, having found his appetite again and even playing yesterday and roaching today for the first time since he started the meds. I'm hopeful that means he's over the hump of acclimating. His bloodwork was normal.

We will be meeting with a board-certified behaviorist next week to see if she can help with the walks and general noise sensitivity.  

[FiveRoooooers]

Eating, playing, roaching, there's a good boy, Doolin  Hang in there, sweet boy.

[GreyPoopon]

Good boy Doolin. Keep making progress, buddy.

[racindog]

Have you tried BACH's Rescue Remedy?  Goldie was so spooky he would cower  in the back of his kennel etc. Had to feed him by himself in a quiet back bedroom etc. It was downright sad.  Began giving him 4 drops of Rescue Remedy twice per day. Just drop it onto his gums/tongue from the dropper and put a few drops in his water to.  Also I coincidentally acquired my soulmate hound, SLIM,  who was bold and aggressive not long after Goldie arrived. Within 2 years Goldie morphed into an outgoing happy hound that was NOT afraid anymore-even of new things.  Even his bark changed.  When I got him and he was such a scared and trembling thing he had a little girl squeak bark-even though he was ~a 70# male.  After 2 years of being with Slim and getting the Rescue Remedy his bark morphed into a deep strong man bark! And he was a happy dog from then on out.   The BACH flower essences are effective because it is energetic healing- they help the patients energy be healed and that is often the problem. Like Einstein said-everything is energy. Anyway it absolutely will not harm him in any way so you've nothing to lose by trying it. And don't try to substitute other brands-only BACH's is the real deal. Good luck and don't give up hope. Goldie didn't change overnight but he seemed to get better and better everyday and kept moving in the right direction until his true happy and self confident self was allowed to emerge. Personally I would leave the anxiety meds alone and go with the flower essences. They're just not a cure pill and may even be harmful. And they could inactivate the Rescue Remedy if you give him both at the same time. While you're getting the Rescue Remedy pick him up some Mimulus and give that to him also.  And it doesn't hurt a thing to put a few drops into their water so they get some when they drink.  Mimulus helps them with overcoming fears btw.  Sending love. Don't give up. Success may be just around the corner.

[ramonaghan]

Thank you, Donna @racindog. We did try Bach's as well as the product from Greyhound Gang, though only situationally (during storms) since at that point we weren't dealing with the more general noise anxiety. I would say both took the edge off slightly, but maybe with more consistent use they would do more. I have never heard of mimulus and will look into it. 🙏