Is your dog on anti anxiety meds?

[Thetoasterhasbroken]

And if so, what for and for how long?
The reason that I ask is because of our 2.5 year old rescue dog.
We have had him for 8 months.
Its been and up and down journey with him.
Due to his last history of being locked up in a crate from 7 weeks old until approx 1 year, he has a great many anxieties over many things.
I also suspect he may have been abused.
We have worked with a dog behavioural expert do everything recommended, some things are working well, some not so much but his anxiety over some things is so deeply engrained it is going to take time to get him to a calmer place.
I really think that some kind of anti anxiety med may help with this transition.
He is lovely and calm with me during the day (it’s usually just the two of us day time) and he is fine with dh as well (in fact he seems to have bonded him more so than any of us). He is wary of our 15 and 17 year old but is coming round to them and they are gentle and leave him be most of the time.
However, many other things make him howl and yelp with anxiety. These include opening doors and the gate to go on a walk and he will leap at them, sink his teeth into them and attack the doors and gate (doesn’t do this to the door if just going out in the garden though and he does enjoy his walks). Getting into a car (hates cars and car journeys so we are simply just letting him get in and out of the car atm but this still causes anxiety). He attacks the vacuum cleaner. And he hates meeting new people (again we have kept this to a minimum, although, weirdly he is fine meeting people on our walks!). Has zero dog aggression and seems to love all other dogs.
It doesn’t take much to raise his anxiety levels, the poor mite. We keep his world calm, as quiet as can be and small. We do everything the behaviourist has suggested but I really feel he may possibly need a bit of medicinal assistance to reduce some of this anxiety.
However, when I asked the vet (that was an event in itself, vets and travel are not a good combo atm), he was loathe to prescribe anything. He suggested herbal supplements. I have spent a small fortune on various ones and they either do nothing or make Bear vomit or give him an upset tum. I have all the plug ins and collars too, they don’t help his extreme anxious moments.
I may change vets for a second opinion.
Has your dog ever been on anti anxiety meds? What were they for? Did they help?

We were recommended some from the vet. Available online so he wasn't trying to have our eyes out! Will go check if I can find it and get back to you... We got a dpuppy a few weeks before Covid landed. She was a wreck for a good couple of years.. Took the pills for a good few months then weaned off..

These op..
Our vet rescued ddogs in Australia and he used these he said...

Following.
My dog has just started prozac, but has had the side effect of decreased appetite. We've persisted for 14 days (usually the side effects should go away), but now she's losing weight, and she was skinny enough to begin with (she is anxious around mealtimes and doesn't eat much anyway). So today I decided to drop back to half her dose, and try that for a couple of weeks.
I really hope it works.
Like you, previous vets have been reluctant to prescribe. I've tried all the natural stuff, sprays, collars, supplements etc. It was only when I got the most experienced vet at the last visit, and explained how it effects every single aspect of her life, that he agreed she needed meds.

Mine’s been on Trazadone since Feb following a Tibial Tuberosity Avulsion fracture when he was 3 months old. Very restricted exercise and it’s worked well in calming him down as he’s not allowed to do zoomies. It’s also good for nervous travellers and just takes the edge off the anxiety.

Ah i am so relieved to find others suffering with this , although of course I wish you wasn't!
I have two reactive brothers , they were neutered as recommended but I honestly feel they have been more anxious and shown more fear based aggression since!
I've tried nutripaw calming tabs , adaptil collars , you move calming , etc etc nothing helps , they won't take the chews either so blend them into their food which they then won't eat
I don't have anyone round as I'm pretty much a single lonely person lol but even when my dad comes they are nervous will settle and then any movement causes a reaction ! They hate other dogs etc
The thing is I'm nervous to put them
On proper medication in case it affects their health long term yet I can't stand the thought of them being so anxious that they have a poorer quality of life either
Please let me know how you get on OP

Thanks for that Thesunwillcomeoutverysoon, we have tried those and sadly they were one of the ones which made him vomit!
wandawaves I hope they start working for her soon, it’s tough when you’ve tried everything and just hope and pray you can find something, anything which may help. The vet was very reluctant to prescribe anything stronger than off the shelf stuff but that was back in December and we’d only had him a few months, I’m hoping they will take us more seriously this time, like your poor ddog ours is experiencing anxiety in many corners of his life so it’s having quite an impact on his well-being. Hopefully, he will change is mind on prescribing.
SoupDragon1066 I have read Trazadone is good for dogs, I will ask the vet about it.
foxlover47 I really feel for you, it is so hard having reactive dogs. It’s a real shock to the system for us as our last dog who sadly passed away last summer was the calmest most easy going dog ever, he was a dream. I thought rescuing would be so rewarding, it’s been so very stressful but we love him very much and are determined to get him to a better place. I will keep you informed and hope you can get somewhere with your ddogs too 🤞

This is a question you should be asking your qualified behaviourist. If they have not suggested talking with your vet I wonder if they are qualified?

A behaviourist can not recommend medication but can talk with your vet to discuss the options. This decision is usually made by vet owner and behaviourist.

I did ask her IngGenius, she just said anti anxiety meds can make dogs aggressive and she wasn’t a fan of them. She recommended all of the herbal remedies we have tried but they have had no positive impact, only to make him poorly.

Our nervous lab is on Pexion daily to reduce her anxiety levels. She also takes Xanax when it's stormy weather as the wind triggers her. We've seen a behaviourist (at the suggestion of our vet) who advised our vet which drugs might be most suitable.

Also, there is something called an anxiety scale for dogs and if yours scores over 30 then medication is recommended rather than chews & non prescription tablets.

My fear aggressive rescue was put on Prozac by our Veterinary Behaviourist while we worked through a behaviour modification programme with him. Back then we had to buy human Prozac from the pharmacy via a veterinary prescription and it cost a fortune, but I believe there is a canine version available these days.

It definitely helped him. It meant we were able to work with him under threshold and while he was never what you would consider a ‘normal’ dog, after a lot of work, he went from reacting to just about everything and everyone to being able to walk calmly past and ignore his triggers. He didn’t need to stay on the Prozac indefinitely, just for the period of intensive training and then he was gradually weaned off them.

Then I would change behaviourist. That is incorrect and not educated information.

I think they may be a dog trainer and just call themselves a behaviourist.

There is no evidence that any of the herbal supplements work. In a high anxiety case you will be wasting your money

My dog has been on Trazodone since October last year.
He suffers from separation anxiety, vet anxiety and nervousness when travelling.
Its been a game changer for both of us.
He is much more relaxed, no side effects, no change in personality.
I can go out without worrying that he’s barking non stop (as he was before)
He no longer barks/pants in the car.
Costs £42 a month, which I reclaim from his insurers.
Good luck OP!

Thank you OhMrDarcy, I will ask the vet about those.
CaveCanem that’s just what we are hoping for, that the meds will just help us whilst we work with helping him and his triggers, I don’t want him on them permanently but hopefully they help him a little with his stresses. Glad they worked for your dog, that’s encouraging.
IngGenius Tbh, I went with her because she was the cheapest and most of our local behaviourist are out of our budget sadly. I can not afford one of the others atm, they charge a small fortune.
BumFluffBumFluff that’s good to know, thanks. I’ll check our insurance.

@Thetoasterhasbroken thank you and wishing you all the best too