prozac for dogs?

[lover in athens]

has anyone put their dog on prozac? if so, what was your experience? did it help?

a little background:
i have 2 wheaten terriers. jj is 4 years old and has been my "baby" in every way. i got him when i first moved to my current state, and it was him and me vs the world in a weird sort of way. he is VERY bonded to me. he was very well socialized as a puppy (we did puppy classes, the dog park, and doggy day care), but he has always been an anxious dog. i got him from a reputable breeder (not a puppy mill/pet store, etc), who i''m still close to. as he''s gotten older, his anxiety has worsened. he gets very nervous when he''s crated (won''t even eat tempting treats in there!), and gets highly agitated when there are people/workmen in the house. he''s really only bad when i''m around (if our sitter is here, or no one is here, he is completely fine). he has nipped 2 people--not necessarily in an aggressive manner, but more just an "i''m nervous and i don''t know what to do" way. he''s never broken skin, or even come close to it (more of a bump of the mouth than a true bite)...but it SCARES me. and he''s nervous around my son...especially since coby has started crawling lately.

i''ve been in touch with our private dog trainer (who we hired to work with the dogs before the baby was born), my vet, as well as jj''s breeder, and they all think that trying prozac would be a good idea. apparently jj''s dad (who i''ve met several times) was also on prozac for a couple years.

so my question is this...have any of you put your dog on? what have your experiences been? did it help? any side effects that you noticed???

thanks!!!

 

[gailrmv]

hi! My dog has always had some anxiety issues which got worse after we had a baby. The vet suggested amitriptelene (sorry probably spelling it wrong) which is another anti depressant/anti anxiety med. She''s been on a low dose for about 6 weeks now. It''s helping her. She''s back to her old self - which is still a dog with anxiety - but not as severe as things were at her worst. The most noticeable improvement is that she has her appetite back, and gets less freaked out about us leaving the house.

 

[Haven]

I''m not sure if it''s Prozac, but we give our family dog Tallulah "doggy downer''s" when we know it''s going to thunderstorm, and on the 4th of July.

She was never fully trained, so she is an unstable dog when it comes to loud noises. We have to give her the downers several hours before the event, so it''s a guessing game at times, and when she''s on them she looks stoned. She hangs her head really low when she''s awake, and she usually just curls up in a ball and sleeps. It breaks my heart, to be honest, but she''s my mom''s dog and my mom doesn''t want to properly train her to cope with this fear.

No adverse side effects, though. She''s 12 years old, and she''s been on them for years.

 

[lover in athens]

thanks for the replies!

i also hate the idea of giving drugs to my dogs (especially in our society that seems to think that EVERYTHING should be fixed by a little pill). but on the other hand, i do NOT want this to escalate into a bigger problem, especially with my son...

we''re going to start the pills tonight or tomorrow....i will let you know how it goes...

 

[Barcelona]

One of our dogs has been on Prozac since he was 8 months old, he is now a year and a half. I don''t think there has been a huge difference, but our vet thinks it''s important to keep him on it for awhile. He was prescribed it due to separation anxiety. We also have him on Ace Promazine which is a sedative, and I see a huge difference when he takes it. We have a vet appointment next week to evaluate if we are going to continue Prozac or switch to Clomicalm (I think).

 

[icekid]

lia- Keep us updated! My poor dog has developed bad separation anxiety, likely from my ridiculous work schedule (I am in medicine, too.) She is currently taking an extended vacation with my parents, where she does much better. But we would really like her to live with us again, eventually. Another one of my resident friends has tried prozac with great improvement. Like you, I have been very hesitant to drug my dog though.

 

[lover in athens]

thanks for your input guys...

well, i DID start him on the prozac, but only at a dose of 1/2 mg/kg so far. he''s been on it for about 5 days. the final straw was that he nipped two workmen in our backyard in 2 days!! it''s never a true bite, more just a nervous warning-type-thing, if you know what i mean...

no difference yet, but of course it''s too early to tell. i think i will up him to the full dose of 1mg/kg tomorrow. i did some more reading and saw that you can even do as much as 2mg/kg... so we''ll see!!

i feel guilty every morning when i give him the pill though!!!

ICEKID: i know what you mean about the training schedule! luckily, in derm, it was never that bad for me (i got JJ when i first started residency...AFTER internship, thank goodness). although i did always work full days. he had bad separation anxiety as a puppy (i tried to crate train him and he would poop EVERY TIME i left him in the crate...total disaster!!). that''s gotten a bit better, but i hate this anxiety stuff around strangers! in any case, i hope your pup can come home soon.

anyway, thanks guys! and keep me posted on what''s going on with your pups...

 

[Barcelona]

Oops, I didn't realize you were talking about mg per kg. Our dog is currently on 10mg and he weighs 30 lbs. He was as high as 15mg and as low as 5mg, but our vet thought 10mg would be fine.

 

[wheatenowner]

Lover in Athens, I also have a wheaten - a 2 year old neutered male. Like yours, he is very anxious about a handful of things. Much of the time he is calm, playful and happy, but the rest of the time he is highly anxious and unpredictable. He has not bitten or nipped anyone, yet, but I do believe he would if given the chance. I have worked with trainers and recently met with a behaviorist who confirmed that he does have fear aggression. In addition to a behavior modification program, she suggested that I give him prozac at least until he is 3 and reaches social maturity. I am all for using the medication if it will help him and give him a better life. Before I commit to doing that, I am trying to find stories of other owners who have used it. If you are still checking this board, would you mind replying to say how it is going so far with your dog? Thanks so much for your time.

 

[lover in athens]

hi wheaten owner!!
wheaties are the best, aren''t they? except when they''re not!! haha.

JJ is doing ok. he''s still only been on the prozac for a VERY short time... i can''t say i''ve noticed a huge difference so far. he breeder/groomer was here last week and she thought he seemed a little zoned out (not necessarily in a bad way), but otherwise no change. if anything, i''d say he''s a bit more affectionate. i''m still hoping to seem improvement in the fear aggression stuff...

i''ll keep you posted. let me know if you decide to start your baby on prozac too...we can compare notes!