Anxiety meds for dogs?

[SureIusedtobetaller]

I have a very anxious/reactive dog. Around this time of year it's particularly bad. We've seen a behaviourist and worked on the issues, however any noise is still a big issue.
Vet has suggested various natural remedies which do nothing. We have used sedation once on New Year and it worked well but obviously not an option when there is weeks and weeks of fireworks coming up.
Are there any meds we can ask for over a short term period? Every year it's worse and it's miserable for the poor dog and for us watching it.

I can't comment re noise issues as my dog is fine with fireworks etc. He is however on anxiety meds for separation anxiety and while not a miracle cure he is a happier dog since being on them. It's certainly worth a try I think. In my case the meds have in no way sedated my dog or changed his personality and it's made a big difference in both our lives.

What was he prescribed please? My vet seems very reluctant to prescribe anything. Which is odd as most doctors are very happy to do so! If my poor mutt was a person he'd have been offered medication ages ago!!

You might find some of the resources linked to in this article very useful, the ones from the Fearful Dogs website (Calming Products for Fearful Dogs and Medications for Fearful Dogs) in particular.

Thank you. That's a good link. I'm going to take him this week and ask to try out medication at least. Might make the behavioural stuff work better too.

My dog takes amitriptyline for general anxiety - and prozac I believe can be effective.

You could ask your vet for a referral to a vet behaviourist, that might get him a proper prescription? It took 2 years for me to get medication for mine.

Thank you, we've already had a referral to a behaviourist and it's helped but not enough. Some of the things were just no good - she wanted us to use a crate as a den and he was not having any of that, however lovely we made it!

Oh dear...no, mine won't use a "den" either! She spent nearly 3 weeks under the bed though - the gate slammed shut at our new house and she barely got over it!

Truthfully, the vet behaviourist didn't work for us either - she'd seen 5 trainers/behaviourists before that. So, 6 professionals over about 7 years - she's 10 now, and became aggressive and reactive at the age of about 2. Although she was extremely neurotic as a puppy of 8 weeks.

Eventually I spoke to a vet at our practice and BEGGED him to work out a medication regime for her, as nobody would help us. The vet behaviourist wouldn't prescribe anxiolytics (sp?) because she is aggressive, and they worried that to remove the fear that inhibited her would turn her into an aggressive biter with less inhibition. And then she bit someone, without any meds.

Keep pushing your vet. My dog is better but we have to manage her very closely and keep her world very small. Her life has to be very boring, the slightest trigger will set her off. It's exhausting.

Gosh you've been through the mill. She is lucky to have you.
Mine isn't aggressive (unless you're another dog!) but just scared. Tail between legs, hates leaving the house unless in the car, not getting enough exercise as it needs two to walk him -one to walk and one to distract him enough to get him through the door - and that's after a whole summer of working on it. I just think it's a very narrow life for him

I'm not in the UK and when I saw a specialist behaviour vet she was more than happy to start my boy on medication ASAP. He's currently on prozac and clonidine.

I hope you can get some help for your dog

Luckily my dog can go out and live a pretty normal life and actually loves outings. It's just leaving him that's been an issue.