Anxiety meds?

Critters yearly vet visit is soon and among all her other issues that will be addressed I've been wondering about anxiety medications.

Basically any abrupt sound (no matter the volume) send her into an unconsolable panic.

Forget Clicker training. Even with the clicker wrapped in masking tape and jammed in a sock and meat in her face she runs away.

She doesn't run and hide, she paces for a while. Looking like a stress case.

This dog wont chew dog kibble. Because the crunch of the kibble scares her. Im serious. If she accidently bites one, forget it, shes across the room.

Vaccumms and my cockatoo screaming are ok tho. Go fig.

She licks obsessively. She'll lay down and lick the couch for an hour. Or her paws. Shes never hurt herself because her coat is waaay thick. shes on the floor doing it now. Its quiet, nothing to stress about...but shes stressing.

There is nothing medically wrong with her that should cause this. Her blood comes back clear.

Anyway. I'd like to help her, but I don't want to drug her. Like in the sleepy sence. If these meds are going to knock her out I already have som'thing that will do that. I'd like to knock back the anxiety, not the energy.

Anyone with any advice experiences? Sorry for the novel.

Crystal

Your critter sounds a lot like my Callie. She's a walking nervous wreck. You can't pet her without her noticing first, she screams in fear. Someone walking, she screams in fear. Clap your hands, close a door, laugh out loud, turn on the television... Yeah.

Now she *loves* people, and when you are on the couch, she'll jump right in your lap and want belly rubs and snuggles. But sudden noises and movements (and oh God, thunderstorms), set her off.

We have done the medication route with Callie, but never long-term stuff. We have acepromazine on hand for thunderstorms, because the last storm that came thru, she ran under our sofa and stayed there for 2 days... and bit anyone that reached in to help her. Other than that, we just try to keep things calm around her and she seems to cope.

Rosie is the one that has us crawling the wall and pulling our hair out. That dog is a walking nervous wreck. At night, she paces and barks and paces and barks and paces and barks. She has seperation anxiety, and is just all around edgy. However, she can't be on any medications for anxiety because the vet said they can't be mixed with the prednisone that she is on for allergies. And she gets benedryl twice a day for the allergies as well, but it does nothing to calm her anxiety, LOL.

My vet wanted to go the holisitic route with Rosie and Callie and suggested this all natural stuff. I have it on order at the specialty store in the city, and they said it would be in next week. My vet, and his staff, have used it with great success they said (my vet has a dog that has massive SA). It's made by OxyFresh but the name of the pills slip my mind at the moment.

You must let me know the name when you remember



she seems to cope ok. I mean shes not mutilating herself or anything.

But shes almost impossible to train. Shes got major ADHD plus everything is scary.

Its taken two years to be able to restrain her and not have her flip out and bite. I can clip nails now, but what takes 20 min to teach with a clicker took MONTHS to teach her using a marker word.

Tippy was afraid of everything too, but she was trainable, and the lightbulb goes on like...oh wow scary thing = treats!

That bulb never has come on with Critter. She can't really see or hear me, and is as old as dirt...so that doesn't help

Fluffy ask the vet for something other than Ace for thunderstorms. Ace has no anxiety-reducing qualities. It just tranquilizes them so they can't outwardly respond to the scary. Xanax is a much better (and safer) option because it acts on the actual fear.

As far as daily anxiety meds for generalized anxiety issues, Harv took Clomicalm and I didn't notice him ever looking dopey/drugged/sleepy. He took Prozac briefly as well though I don't think he was on it long enough to make a true assessment.

I was very happy with his response and his lack of visible side-effects on the Clomicalm. It definitely helped him (he took it mainly for thunderstorm issues but he had other sound issues and general anxiety issues as well- including the clicker!) and he needed the help.

Rescue remedy works for some Many people swear by it.

You could also teach basic obedience for stressful times, this way your dog has a default action to turn to when stressed out. Highly stressed sit down and this becomes a security blanket of sorts. I found this worked excellent for one of my rescues that had panic attacks when going to the Vet or anywhere else for that matter. Teaching her default actions, carrying a kong etc were all very good for calming her. Many of our clients when I worked at the vet clinic would bring in their dogs favorite toy for calming anxiety attacks.

Crios, I found it. It's called Mellow Out.

Oxyfresh.com - "Mellow Out"

I'll remember the name of that drug...thanks




I've heard good things about rescue remedy too, perhaps I'll pick som' up

Having them perform works great for my other dogs, but this dog is so stressed all the time that training is near impossible. She only knows 3 or 4 cued behaviors and those were a nightmare to teach.

Plus I'd have to be cuing her 24/7 because the stress never stops. Ever.

Like right now shes pacing. The other dogs are outside and its quiet. She was laying down and licking, now she walking around looking lost. After pacing for a min she'll lay down again and lick for like thirty seconds, then pace again.

Its not like theres a Trigger, she is the trigger. lol

She also wont use toys. At all. Even smothered in peanut butter. Toys are scary.

Perhaps i should just put earmuffs on her and blindfold her. lol

ETA: thanks fluff I'll have to look it up.

Bales was on Clomicalm for a little while (I'm actually weaning him off now) to help with anxiety. I didn't notice any side effects (though, to be fair, he's a very active young dog -- Clomicalm plus Benedryl for his allergies didn't appear put a dent in his energy level!). Keep in mind that, like similar human meds, it takes a while for it to kick in.

Bailey got anxious when I was preparing for our recent move (he got destructive, something he hadn't been before, even as a younger puppy, and clingy). I was going to put him on something for the 2 day car trip anyway, since he haaaaated car rides, and the vet suggested that I use Clomicalm for a little while to help with the anxiety he was showing pre-move.

I also got him a DAP collar, recommended by the vet. I bought it from Pet Expertise, but you can find them on other sites. The vet recommended this rather than the diffuser (he uses it on a dog he took in that had severe separation anxiety). Vet also suggested lavender EO on a cloth left out in rooms he spends time in at home (and, in my case, also in the car). And training to help build confidence, but sounds like you're all over that.

Good luck; I hope something helps your dog. Poor girl.

Theres a DAP collar? Thats awesome. I'll look into that as well.

I ordered som' rescue remedy online this morning, its a little while until her vet visit.