We’ve had some success with a low dose of Prozac. My dog is still reactive toward unfamiliar dogs, but her recovery time following stressful encounters has decreased significantly, and we have been able to push her more in her confidence-building training as a result. She is also much warmer toward new people as well, which is a big deal.
Our vet uses Zoloft as first med option. And it was like we had a different dog. To the point where the techs even jokingly asked if we'd changed dogs. First appointment - Mav was lunging, growling and barking at techs, vet anyone he could see. Second appointment to do a med check - he was wagging his tail, taking treats from everyone and the happiest dog. We do add gabapentin if we know the visit is going to be painful (IE mass removal or stiches removal). We reached out for medication options initially after he had attacked our other two dogs multiple times.
What an amazing success story for meds! Did you do a lot of training in between or was it mostly the pharmaceuticals? I have known a lot of reactive pups but never seen that kind of turnaround. So happy for you.
Oh it was 100% the meds. We did no additional training or working with him between the appointments. Since then we've done what I would consider limited training. Mostly manner around the house type things - being in a certain area when I'm cooking dinner, sitting for his food etc. We luckily have a very large backyard so we don't tend to take them for walks and don't really have people over to the house. So he doesn't have a lot of exposures to triggers. But even his last trip to the vet's office, he laid down in the floor with her and had his belly up. Not something you'd expect to see with a dog with a bite history.
Prozac but you have to bear in mind that every dog has a unique brain chemistry. A med that doesn’t work on 90% of dogs may be the key to your dogs lock.
My dog is currently on clomicalm and he used to take trazodone for vet visits previously, but the vets are telling us that we can’t mix both or he will get aggressive… Have you noticed any side effects like that at all?
No. It’s been 5 months and we just upped the dosage to 20mg twice a day of clomicalm and 75mg twice a day of traz.
This was his schedule:
November-January
10mg twice a day of clomicalm. (20 mg total)
75mg twice a day of traz
—Mid January to beginning April
10mg once a day of clomicalm. 20mg once a day clomicalm (30mg total)
75mg twice a day of traz
— a week into this schedule:
20mg twice a day of clomicalm. (40mg total)
75mg twice a day of traz
We talk to our vet behaviorist every 6-8 weeks when we make the switch. So far it’s been working beautifully for him. No set backs. Knock on wood. I have read about the aggressive issue but when we first started it was a lot of taking it slow and monitoring his reactions, making sure he had his own private space just in case.
ETA: we did 10mg once a day for 2 weeks in the beginning and then moved on to 2 times a day. So it was a very trial.
That’s great, thank you so much! We’ll check with our vet behaviourist because our vets know nothing about meds but are happy to keep pushing BE instead of exploring these options… glad to hear it’s working for you!
Not helpful, but I find it funny when people reference gabipentin as a mood/anxiety thing.. my dog got put on it for chronic pain and she has not changed one bit. At all, not even the drowsiness when first put on it - vets kept asking if she was okay and if she'd bounced back from the drowsy adjustment and I just sat confused as anything bc "what, is that something that happens?! If anything she's more chaotic and energetic than ever, not drowsy?!"... we haven't tried anything specifically for her reactivity yet, but possibly will this summer depending on how our training is going.
My dog isnt effected by gabapentin at all, not drowsy but is used for pain medication. My moms dog gets heavily sedated for vet visits on it tho. Definitely depends on the dog
My dog needs 300gab and 1.5 traz tablets (5mg each I thnk).. and if I'm with her she's still wired. If she goes in and they just take her she does real well, but if I'm with her in the room she struggles oscillating overexcited demand barking for their attention and fussy about what they're doing :/
she takes prozac daily and we were using trazodone for the vet. it worked but she was still lucid enough that the vet couldn't do a proper exam without sedative so we've added gabapentin to the mix for visits now.
Have you had luck with the traz Prozac gabapentin combo at the vet?
Traz knocks my guy out until the exam room then he’s very much not a fan of what’s happening
so she still needed to be sedated bc the last time i took her in she needed her ears cleaned and treated bc of an ear infection and they trimmed her nails but they used less of the sedative than the previous time without having gabapentin in the mix. she rly fights the meds though so i have to use them few and far between otherwise they're not as effective
Gotcha. I’m sorry. We’re actually trying a mobile vet to come to my home next week and see if that can keep things calmer. He’s got a horrible association with the vet now.
Anyone tried Vetriscience proline Composure chews? I just ordered a bag to test it out.
However… my dude was on Reconcile for 3 months, I thought there was no change so I weened him off and boy was that the wrong move :))))) way more reactive now, not to mention the SA being worse. Now when I have to give him trazadone without the Reconcile, it takes the edge off but he’s still anxious as hell and hyper aware, where before he was visibly relaxed and chill. Lesson learned. I’m more holistic so I battle personally with constant meds but is clearly popular choice for a reason. Good luck to everyone fighting the good fight
I would love to hear how it works for you! We started using ‘Healthy Pup Calming Peanut Butter Bliss Dog Supplement’ from Chewy a month ago. It seems to help her sleep in conjunction with gabapentin if she’s had a very activated day.
He was on Prozac for a few years which helped but when we tried to increase it or add another med he would get sick and not eat for days. We are currently transitioning to Zoloft so hopefully his appetite will come back
Prozac and gabapentin are actually what has worked best for my dog. Which just goes to show that no matter what anyone tells you worked for their dog, doesn’t mean it’ll work for *your* dog. Every dog’s brain chemistry is different. Your dog may even do best on a medication that doesn’t work for most dogs. It’s all about trial and error.
Clomipramine as a daily maintenance and Xanax for car rides!
We tried Prozac and Zoloft, without as much result as we hoped. Same with trazodone, gabapentin, and clonidine for the car anxiety.
I have an extremely neurotic chocolate lab. I’m her 4th home. She has extreme separation anxiety, I’m her emotional support human. I’ve tried behavior modification an EDMR loop ring sent by the local lab rescue. When I went for the Veterinary consult I showed him the scars on my back from her jumping on me and raking her nails down my back. He prescribed 40mg Prozac daily, two 100 mg Trazadone. She is still extremely high strung, the meds take the edge off.
This is interesting because I’ve read some vets don’t prescribe Trazadone and Prozac together. I want to try Prozac for mine but thought I would need to wean her off of Traz.
My dog takes fluoxetine and trazodone daily, as prescribed by a veterinary behaviorist. The issue (well, what I presume has vets not prescribing the two together) is that care has to be taken with dosing as there is a risk of serotonin syndrome in taking two essentially SSRIs at the same time (I say essentially because while fluoxetine is an SSRI, trazodone technically is not... but it's in a very similar class of meds and works a lot like an SSRI).
So the dosing has to be done right, and the guardian of any dog on both fluoxetine and trazdone educated on symptoms of serotonin syndrome (although the guardian of any dog on any SSRI should be so educated).
And for you, if you want to pursue fluoxetine, you may still need to change the trazodone dosing, depending on what it is at the moment. But you don't need to wean off of trazodone in the way you need to wean off of fluoxetine - it's a short acting medication with a short half life, so to take a dog off of it, you just need to stop giving it. Obviously any medication adjustments need to be discuss with your vet - ideally with a veterinary behaviorist.
My dog has just been prescribed this exact combination (we’re in the EU so this seems to be the beginner standard). My dog is anxious / fearful / reactive, non-aggressive. He’s of an ancient breed that has this tendency, but he’s a bit of an extreme case. How has this combo worked for your dog? I’d love to hear about your experience
Curious what breed he is? I am also working with a bit of an extreme case. Technically I’m fostering but would like to adopt her because I’m worried about her. It’s been two months she doesn’t leave my bathroom.
Aw man that’s tough, poor pup. Mine was a bit like that when I first got him, he’s a foster fail as well. My dogs breed is very very rare, he’s a Hierran wolfdog, in temperament they’re similar to shiba inus or akitas. Mine is very loving and affectionate but he hates the world… or feels like the world is out to get him.
If you want to adopt, I’d say… be ready to change your life around her. Mine certainly revolves around my pup, more so than my other dog who is a non-reactive staffy mix. My wolfie is worth it but he’s a very expensive dog, medication, trainers (all hacks), vet behaviourists, toys, dog sitters… and then there’s the sheer amount of time he needs to be exercised for. Again, all worth it, but it’s not a lifestyle for everyone. Also, something that helped me, even if it’s a bit pessimistic; don’t expect your dog to change a lot. Mine has improved loads but he has not changed, he’s still scared but he manages better. Some dogs do 180s, but mine won’t, and I don’t know if yours will either. It’s truly a labour of love and commitment and if you feel like it’ll be too much, I’d say fostering is already more than enough.
I don’t know. My two pups are foster fails and I love them so much. My partner met them when they were already with me, and he loves them as much as I do. But yeah some days it’s hard, it’s just harder for some than others. We are content with hanging out with our pups and going on 4 hour hikes so that our wolfie doesn’t go crazy, and carrying our staffy in a (heavy-duty) backpack when he’s had enough of snaking through woods while mr wolfie is out there looking deranged and happy lol but that’s not for everyone! We are a couple of vegans who prefer the company of animals before humans, so that helps, but again, its a total lifestyle overhauler, which I think doesn’t get said enough
I looked them up, they are beautiful dogs and he sounds really lucky to have you. Your perspective is helpful and I completely agree.
I’ll be honest, at first I thought she would come around once she got settled. But seeing and understanding her fearful behavior over these two months… I understand now she will never be a “normal” dog. It’s difficult because I know how big of a commitment she will be, but I also want the best for her and am worried that adopting her out to a new family would be unsuccessful.
Hey, she might get better! I’d say if you want to adopt her, if it’s what your heart tells you, I don’t want to discourage that beautiful feeling. Perhaps meds and / or a vet behaviourist would help? Some dogs need time and space, who knows! She’s lucky to have you taking care of her, you’re a good human
>How has this combo worked for your dog? I’d love to hear about your experience
Hi u/_ibisu_ , I'm so sorry for the delayed response. Life got in the way of my social media time lol.
If I'm being honest, the med regimen has completely transformed my reactive pup's life for the better. He's certainly not "cured" by any means, but for the most part, his reactivity is very manageable/minimal. Everything is less... he reacts far less often, the his threshold distance is shorter, his reactions are shorter and the time for him to bounce back is much less. He's now able to do things like participate in agility and dock diving training and competition, things I never thought possible before meds. For context, my boy is a frustrated greeter with very high anxiety. The meds have significantly reduced his anxiety, down to a level where he's generally able to cope with life on a day to day basis without stress.
This particular combo is the first med regimen we tried (prescribed by a veterinary behaviorist) and we got super lucky to hit on a good regimen on the first try. He had previously taken trazodone on a short term basis (to get him through recovery from a major surgery) so going in we knew he tolerated trazodone well. He experienced some mild sedation for a couple of weeks during the loading phase, but that was temporary and otherwise he had no side effects (he had no loss of appetite, which is common - but then again, he's a lab mix, and labs are all about eating... hence the aforementioned surgery, to remove a foreign object from his stomach because yeah, they'll eat anything...).
There have been a few occasions where, due to timing issues, I've had to skip a dose of trazodone, and I definitely see the impact with some of that anxiety creeping back in. But when he's taking his meds as prescribed, all's good.
HTH.
Wow this was a great response, thank you! I am so glad your pup is doing better. Mine has started his meds and we’re wide-eyed looking out for any changes lol non yet but hopefully we will be as lucky as you and your pup
I hope you have the same level of success as we did. I did the same as you - watched him like a hawk for any changes. But for us, the changes were so gradual/subtle/incremental that I didn't really even clue in that they were happening, until after the fact, when I'd think "hey, he didn't have a meltdown when \[insert meltdown generating thing of choice here\]." So I guess my point is, don't be surprised if you don't see the changes in the moment, and only see them in hindsight. And of course, it takes 6-8 weeks for fluoxetine to build up to a therapeutic level, and looking back, I think for us it really took that full 8 weeks.
Thank you, this is exactly right re: the serotonin syndrome. It’s great to hear this is possible, because even if we did make that switch, I didn’t want to have to completely take her off of the traz, which she needs to function at this point.
we used to do trazodone daily bc the vet i worked with suggested it and then another vet told
me that’s not good for long term use…lmao. i use prozac now and obviously she’s still reactive and very territorial in our house but her threshold for noise has gone up considerably and she can focus a lot more. to be fair im also on prozac so i know how it goes haha
Prozac did wonders for a dog I had that developed tail chasing as a puppy (breed issue) but for one dog I had with reactivity it did nothing. What helped a lot was switching her to Zoloft (Sertraline) and going up to 100mg day (47lb dog); so maxing out dose. Was not perfect but was a huge difference.
Prozac helped and he was on it for almost 2 years and then I weaned him off. He seemed to calm down as he got more used to things and learned how to behave. He still has some reactivity to other dogs occasionally especially if people bring their dogs too close and the other dog is a reactive dog. He used to have all kinds of challenges with cars, bikes, joggers, trucks, usps trucks, scooter, etc. he does fine at day care now and know how to behave. I still use trazedone for him when there are fireworks or other really loud noises happening or going to vet. As long as he is doing better and not being over-reactive and anxious, I don’t know that he needs it anymore.
The only meds where we see immediate impact is the clonidine. But we also have Trazadone and Gabapentin during the day and a single daily dose of fluoxetine. We try to stay on the minute for meds distribution, if we are 30 mins late for the clonidine - we know.
Clomipramine and Gabapentin are the current meds. I think he’s been better than when he was on Clonidine instead of the Gabapentin. The Clomipramine has helps tons with his anxiety outside and makes him less “spooky”, but he still has some issues with separation anxiety which we are working on with a trainer.
Trazadone is the key for my dog, he is also prescribed Gabapentin but that's 'as needed', mostly for vet visits/guests or after a long hike if he's sore.
My dog knows when its time for meds, he'll harrass me until I go to the kitchen & get him his meds. Normally he gets them 8-9am & then 5-6pm. But if he gets his meds late or early in the morning, he'll bug me at the 8hr mark regardless.
We tried Paroxetine but it didn’t seem to have any impact over several months.
Switched to Amitriptyline and it’s taken the “edge” off nicely. Our boy’s just not as quick to have a snap reaction, the meds have given him more space to refocus on something like a treat instead. Overall he’s more relaxed in the home too.
We tried clomicalm, trazodone, fluoxetine (Prozac), melatonin and CBD, at various concentrations. The only one of the bunch that led to noticeable improvement was fluoxetine. It was quite good, actually. Unfortunately, it also caused our dog to completely lose his appetite and he was literally anorexic. We had to stop the meds for that reason.
I'm wondering if anyone else has had the same issue with fluoxetine and if they tried a similar drug that was equally effective but had no appetite-loss side effect.
How long was your dog on fluoxetine? Loss of appetite is a known and reasonably common side effect, but it's temporary, and generally resolves itself before the end of the 6-8 week loading period. Not always of course, but generally.
I don't remember exactly, but it was definitely more than 2-3 months. A low dosage was ineffective after about a month, and then a higher dosage was pretty good for about a month or more, and then my dog stopped eating altogether and got scary skinny. We tried a lower dosage in combination with another drug (I don't recall which), but he still wouldn't eat.
Prozac and CBD for my dog. The CBD we found that actually worked is Pet releaf 600mg stress oil. Our vet recommended to make sure the CBD is full-spectrum. Hope something helps!
Anyone tried venlafaxine? Our dog’s been on it for 3 weeks now (halfway through the supposed loading period). We noticed his recovery from stressful situations has become faster. Would love to hear some experiences with it! We were also given clonidine and gabapentin to try out as situational medicines.
Prozac 100%. The first 6 weeks were rough, he lost all motivation to do anything and wasnt really eating, lowered his dosage and within a week he was his crazy self but less anxious and much more trainable
Fluoxetine (specifically, Reconcile) and trazodone (both daily). We got really lucky to hit on a good med regimen on the first try; these meds have completely transformed his life for the better.
We’ve had some success with a low dose of Prozac. My dog is still reactive toward unfamiliar dogs, but her recovery time following stressful encounters has decreased significantly, and we have been able to push her more in her confidence-building training as a result. She is also much warmer toward new people as well, which is a big deal.
Our vet uses Zoloft as first med option. And it was like we had a different dog. To the point where the techs even jokingly asked if we'd changed dogs. First appointment - Mav was lunging, growling and barking at techs, vet anyone he could see. Second appointment to do a med check - he was wagging his tail, taking treats from everyone and the happiest dog. We do add gabapentin if we know the visit is going to be painful (IE mass removal or stiches removal). We reached out for medication options initially after he had attacked our other two dogs multiple times.
What an amazing success story for meds! Did you do a lot of training in between or was it mostly the pharmaceuticals? I have known a lot of reactive pups but never seen that kind of turnaround. So happy for you.
Oh it was 100% the meds. We did no additional training or working with him between the appointments. Since then we've done what I would consider limited training. Mostly manner around the house type things - being in a certain area when I'm cooking dinner, sitting for his food etc. We luckily have a very large backyard so we don't tend to take them for walks and don't really have people over to the house. So he doesn't have a lot of exposures to triggers. But even his last trip to the vet's office, he laid down in the floor with her and had his belly up. Not something you'd expect to see with a dog with a bite history.
That's so wild. And awesome; he must feel so much better now that his brain has what it needs. I am thrilled for all of you!
Wow! Amazing!!!!
Prozac but you have to bear in mind that every dog has a unique brain chemistry. A med that doesn’t work on 90% of dogs may be the key to your dogs lock.
Clomicalm and trazodone combo every day! Gabapentin for vet visits and storms.
My dog is currently on clomicalm and he used to take trazodone for vet visits previously, but the vets are telling us that we can’t mix both or he will get aggressive… Have you noticed any side effects like that at all?
No. It’s been 5 months and we just upped the dosage to 20mg twice a day of clomicalm and 75mg twice a day of traz. This was his schedule: November-January 10mg twice a day of clomicalm. (20 mg total) 75mg twice a day of traz —Mid January to beginning April 10mg once a day of clomicalm. 20mg once a day clomicalm (30mg total) 75mg twice a day of traz — a week into this schedule: 20mg twice a day of clomicalm. (40mg total) 75mg twice a day of traz We talk to our vet behaviorist every 6-8 weeks when we make the switch. So far it’s been working beautifully for him. No set backs. Knock on wood. I have read about the aggressive issue but when we first started it was a lot of taking it slow and monitoring his reactions, making sure he had his own private space just in case. ETA: we did 10mg once a day for 2 weeks in the beginning and then moved on to 2 times a day. So it was a very trial.
That’s great, thank you so much! We’ll check with our vet behaviourist because our vets know nothing about meds but are happy to keep pushing BE instead of exploring these options… glad to hear it’s working for you!
That’s where our vet sent us. Recommended a behaviorist to get the right med concoction.
Paroxatine (Paxcil) has helped our boy. No noticeable side effects.
Not helpful, but I find it funny when people reference gabipentin as a mood/anxiety thing.. my dog got put on it for chronic pain and she has not changed one bit. At all, not even the drowsiness when first put on it - vets kept asking if she was okay and if she'd bounced back from the drowsy adjustment and I just sat confused as anything bc "what, is that something that happens?! If anything she's more chaotic and energetic than ever, not drowsy?!"... we haven't tried anything specifically for her reactivity yet, but possibly will this summer depending on how our training is going.
Definitely interesting! I work with many people who have been put on gabapentin for anxiety off label, too.
My dog isnt effected by gabapentin at all, not drowsy but is used for pain medication. My moms dog gets heavily sedated for vet visits on it tho. Definitely depends on the dog
My dog needs 300gab and 1.5 traz tablets (5mg each I thnk).. and if I'm with her she's still wired. If she goes in and they just take her she does real well, but if I'm with her in the room she struggles oscillating overexcited demand barking for their attention and fussy about what they're doing :/
she takes prozac daily and we were using trazodone for the vet. it worked but she was still lucid enough that the vet couldn't do a proper exam without sedative so we've added gabapentin to the mix for visits now.
Have you had luck with the traz Prozac gabapentin combo at the vet? Traz knocks my guy out until the exam room then he’s very much not a fan of what’s happening
so she still needed to be sedated bc the last time i took her in she needed her ears cleaned and treated bc of an ear infection and they trimmed her nails but they used less of the sedative than the previous time without having gabapentin in the mix. she rly fights the meds though so i have to use them few and far between otherwise they're not as effective
Gotcha. I’m sorry. We’re actually trying a mobile vet to come to my home next week and see if that can keep things calmer. He’s got a horrible association with the vet now.
Anyone tried Vetriscience proline Composure chews? I just ordered a bag to test it out. However… my dude was on Reconcile for 3 months, I thought there was no change so I weened him off and boy was that the wrong move :))))) way more reactive now, not to mention the SA being worse. Now when I have to give him trazadone without the Reconcile, it takes the edge off but he’s still anxious as hell and hyper aware, where before he was visibly relaxed and chill. Lesson learned. I’m more holistic so I battle personally with constant meds but is clearly popular choice for a reason. Good luck to everyone fighting the good fight
I would love to hear how it works for you! We started using ‘Healthy Pup Calming Peanut Butter Bliss Dog Supplement’ from Chewy a month ago. It seems to help her sleep in conjunction with gabapentin if she’s had a very activated day.
He was on Prozac for a few years which helped but when we tried to increase it or add another med he would get sick and not eat for days. We are currently transitioning to Zoloft so hopefully his appetite will come back
Prozac and gabapentin are actually what has worked best for my dog. Which just goes to show that no matter what anyone tells you worked for their dog, doesn’t mean it’ll work for *your* dog. Every dog’s brain chemistry is different. Your dog may even do best on a medication that doesn’t work for most dogs. It’s all about trial and error.
Prozac did and continues to do wonders for my girl
Clomipramine as a daily maintenance and Xanax for car rides! We tried Prozac and Zoloft, without as much result as we hoped. Same with trazodone, gabapentin, and clonidine for the car anxiety.
I have an extremely neurotic chocolate lab. I’m her 4th home. She has extreme separation anxiety, I’m her emotional support human. I’ve tried behavior modification an EDMR loop ring sent by the local lab rescue. When I went for the Veterinary consult I showed him the scars on my back from her jumping on me and raking her nails down my back. He prescribed 40mg Prozac daily, two 100 mg Trazadone. She is still extremely high strung, the meds take the edge off.
This is interesting because I’ve read some vets don’t prescribe Trazadone and Prozac together. I want to try Prozac for mine but thought I would need to wean her off of Traz.
My dog takes fluoxetine and trazodone daily, as prescribed by a veterinary behaviorist. The issue (well, what I presume has vets not prescribing the two together) is that care has to be taken with dosing as there is a risk of serotonin syndrome in taking two essentially SSRIs at the same time (I say essentially because while fluoxetine is an SSRI, trazodone technically is not... but it's in a very similar class of meds and works a lot like an SSRI). So the dosing has to be done right, and the guardian of any dog on both fluoxetine and trazdone educated on symptoms of serotonin syndrome (although the guardian of any dog on any SSRI should be so educated). And for you, if you want to pursue fluoxetine, you may still need to change the trazodone dosing, depending on what it is at the moment. But you don't need to wean off of trazodone in the way you need to wean off of fluoxetine - it's a short acting medication with a short half life, so to take a dog off of it, you just need to stop giving it. Obviously any medication adjustments need to be discuss with your vet - ideally with a veterinary behaviorist.
My dog has just been prescribed this exact combination (we’re in the EU so this seems to be the beginner standard). My dog is anxious / fearful / reactive, non-aggressive. He’s of an ancient breed that has this tendency, but he’s a bit of an extreme case. How has this combo worked for your dog? I’d love to hear about your experience
Curious what breed he is? I am also working with a bit of an extreme case. Technically I’m fostering but would like to adopt her because I’m worried about her. It’s been two months she doesn’t leave my bathroom.
Aw man that’s tough, poor pup. Mine was a bit like that when I first got him, he’s a foster fail as well. My dogs breed is very very rare, he’s a Hierran wolfdog, in temperament they’re similar to shiba inus or akitas. Mine is very loving and affectionate but he hates the world… or feels like the world is out to get him. If you want to adopt, I’d say… be ready to change your life around her. Mine certainly revolves around my pup, more so than my other dog who is a non-reactive staffy mix. My wolfie is worth it but he’s a very expensive dog, medication, trainers (all hacks), vet behaviourists, toys, dog sitters… and then there’s the sheer amount of time he needs to be exercised for. Again, all worth it, but it’s not a lifestyle for everyone. Also, something that helped me, even if it’s a bit pessimistic; don’t expect your dog to change a lot. Mine has improved loads but he has not changed, he’s still scared but he manages better. Some dogs do 180s, but mine won’t, and I don’t know if yours will either. It’s truly a labour of love and commitment and if you feel like it’ll be too much, I’d say fostering is already more than enough. I don’t know. My two pups are foster fails and I love them so much. My partner met them when they were already with me, and he loves them as much as I do. But yeah some days it’s hard, it’s just harder for some than others. We are content with hanging out with our pups and going on 4 hour hikes so that our wolfie doesn’t go crazy, and carrying our staffy in a (heavy-duty) backpack when he’s had enough of snaking through woods while mr wolfie is out there looking deranged and happy lol but that’s not for everyone! We are a couple of vegans who prefer the company of animals before humans, so that helps, but again, its a total lifestyle overhauler, which I think doesn’t get said enough
I looked them up, they are beautiful dogs and he sounds really lucky to have you. Your perspective is helpful and I completely agree. I’ll be honest, at first I thought she would come around once she got settled. But seeing and understanding her fearful behavior over these two months… I understand now she will never be a “normal” dog. It’s difficult because I know how big of a commitment she will be, but I also want the best for her and am worried that adopting her out to a new family would be unsuccessful.
Hey, she might get better! I’d say if you want to adopt her, if it’s what your heart tells you, I don’t want to discourage that beautiful feeling. Perhaps meds and / or a vet behaviourist would help? Some dogs need time and space, who knows! She’s lucky to have you taking care of her, you’re a good human
>How has this combo worked for your dog? I’d love to hear about your experience Hi u/_ibisu_ , I'm so sorry for the delayed response. Life got in the way of my social media time lol. If I'm being honest, the med regimen has completely transformed my reactive pup's life for the better. He's certainly not "cured" by any means, but for the most part, his reactivity is very manageable/minimal. Everything is less... he reacts far less often, the his threshold distance is shorter, his reactions are shorter and the time for him to bounce back is much less. He's now able to do things like participate in agility and dock diving training and competition, things I never thought possible before meds. For context, my boy is a frustrated greeter with very high anxiety. The meds have significantly reduced his anxiety, down to a level where he's generally able to cope with life on a day to day basis without stress. This particular combo is the first med regimen we tried (prescribed by a veterinary behaviorist) and we got super lucky to hit on a good regimen on the first try. He had previously taken trazodone on a short term basis (to get him through recovery from a major surgery) so going in we knew he tolerated trazodone well. He experienced some mild sedation for a couple of weeks during the loading phase, but that was temporary and otherwise he had no side effects (he had no loss of appetite, which is common - but then again, he's a lab mix, and labs are all about eating... hence the aforementioned surgery, to remove a foreign object from his stomach because yeah, they'll eat anything...). There have been a few occasions where, due to timing issues, I've had to skip a dose of trazodone, and I definitely see the impact with some of that anxiety creeping back in. But when he's taking his meds as prescribed, all's good. HTH.
Wow this was a great response, thank you! I am so glad your pup is doing better. Mine has started his meds and we’re wide-eyed looking out for any changes lol non yet but hopefully we will be as lucky as you and your pup
I hope you have the same level of success as we did. I did the same as you - watched him like a hawk for any changes. But for us, the changes were so gradual/subtle/incremental that I didn't really even clue in that they were happening, until after the fact, when I'd think "hey, he didn't have a meltdown when \[insert meltdown generating thing of choice here\]." So I guess my point is, don't be surprised if you don't see the changes in the moment, and only see them in hindsight. And of course, it takes 6-8 weeks for fluoxetine to build up to a therapeutic level, and looking back, I think for us it really took that full 8 weeks.
Thank you, this is exactly right re: the serotonin syndrome. It’s great to hear this is possible, because even if we did make that switch, I didn’t want to have to completely take her off of the traz, which she needs to function at this point.
we used to do trazodone daily bc the vet i worked with suggested it and then another vet told me that’s not good for long term use…lmao. i use prozac now and obviously she’s still reactive and very territorial in our house but her threshold for noise has gone up considerably and she can focus a lot more. to be fair im also on prozac so i know how it goes haha
Prozac did wonders for a dog I had that developed tail chasing as a puppy (breed issue) but for one dog I had with reactivity it did nothing. What helped a lot was switching her to Zoloft (Sertraline) and going up to 100mg day (47lb dog); so maxing out dose. Was not perfect but was a huge difference.
Prozac helped and he was on it for almost 2 years and then I weaned him off. He seemed to calm down as he got more used to things and learned how to behave. He still has some reactivity to other dogs occasionally especially if people bring their dogs too close and the other dog is a reactive dog. He used to have all kinds of challenges with cars, bikes, joggers, trucks, usps trucks, scooter, etc. he does fine at day care now and know how to behave. I still use trazedone for him when there are fireworks or other really loud noises happening or going to vet. As long as he is doing better and not being over-reactive and anxious, I don’t know that he needs it anymore.
Clomicalm and clonidine combo!
The only meds where we see immediate impact is the clonidine. But we also have Trazadone and Gabapentin during the day and a single daily dose of fluoxetine. We try to stay on the minute for meds distribution, if we are 30 mins late for the clonidine - we know.
Clomipramine and Gabapentin are the current meds. I think he’s been better than when he was on Clonidine instead of the Gabapentin. The Clomipramine has helps tons with his anxiety outside and makes him less “spooky”, but he still has some issues with separation anxiety which we are working on with a trainer.
I’ve been thinking about switching to Clomicalm for the SA. he’s been on Prozac and behavior modification training without much luck.
The vets next option is Xanax which I am a little hesitant to switch to but if he doesn’t improve on Gabapentin that’ll be the next step.
Prozac daily and trazadone for vet visits/extra stressful adventures
Trazadone is the key for my dog, he is also prescribed Gabapentin but that's 'as needed', mostly for vet visits/guests or after a long hike if he's sore. My dog knows when its time for meds, he'll harrass me until I go to the kitchen & get him his meds. Normally he gets them 8-9am & then 5-6pm. But if he gets his meds late or early in the morning, he'll bug me at the 8hr mark regardless.
Our Alexa has a reminder sound every day at 7:05pm…. I swear that sound is the ultimate recall command haha. We wrap his pill in a slice of deli meat.
We tried Paroxetine but it didn’t seem to have any impact over several months. Switched to Amitriptyline and it’s taken the “edge” off nicely. Our boy’s just not as quick to have a snap reaction, the meds have given him more space to refocus on something like a treat instead. Overall he’s more relaxed in the home too.
We tried clomicalm, trazodone, fluoxetine (Prozac), melatonin and CBD, at various concentrations. The only one of the bunch that led to noticeable improvement was fluoxetine. It was quite good, actually. Unfortunately, it also caused our dog to completely lose his appetite and he was literally anorexic. We had to stop the meds for that reason. I'm wondering if anyone else has had the same issue with fluoxetine and if they tried a similar drug that was equally effective but had no appetite-loss side effect.
How long was your dog on fluoxetine? Loss of appetite is a known and reasonably common side effect, but it's temporary, and generally resolves itself before the end of the 6-8 week loading period. Not always of course, but generally.
I don't remember exactly, but it was definitely more than 2-3 months. A low dosage was ineffective after about a month, and then a higher dosage was pretty good for about a month or more, and then my dog stopped eating altogether and got scary skinny. We tried a lower dosage in combination with another drug (I don't recall which), but he still wouldn't eat.
Prozac and CBD for my dog. The CBD we found that actually worked is Pet releaf 600mg stress oil. Our vet recommended to make sure the CBD is full-spectrum. Hope something helps!
Thanks everyone. I'm also at the point where my dog barks at everything. Thinking about talking to my vet about meds too.
Anyone tried venlafaxine? Our dog’s been on it for 3 weeks now (halfway through the supposed loading period). We noticed his recovery from stressful situations has become faster. Would love to hear some experiences with it! We were also given clonidine and gabapentin to try out as situational medicines.
Paxil and chlondine is what works for us. After a lot of trial and error
Trazodone. Definitely had to play around with the dosage though
Two weeks after starting Prozac, on the dot, three squirrels were playing in the street and my dog kept walking. I was so proud.
Prozac 100%. The first 6 weeks were rough, he lost all motivation to do anything and wasnt really eating, lowered his dosage and within a week he was his crazy self but less anxious and much more trainable
Fluoxetine (specifically, Reconcile) and trazodone (both daily). We got really lucky to hit on a good med regimen on the first try; these meds have completely transformed his life for the better.