Laurelin Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 Summer was prescribed fluoxetine (prozac). I'm a bit nervous about using it and the side effects I've read, but I think we have to try something in addition to the behavior modification as it's been a year and not working. Hopefully the prozac will help out. Yes, I'm paranoid when it comes to my dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertranger Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 I'm paranoid about your dogs too. Especially when it comes to drugs. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizmo Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 I didn't know Summer had SA. Poor girl I would be very cautious, too, with drugs for that type thing. I hope it helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurelin Posted April 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 I didn't know Summer had SA. Poor girl I would be very cautious, too, with drugs for that type thing. I hope it helps. Yeah, I've posted about it on Chaz a couple times but never got any replies. I guess I shouldn't post important things in the training section! It's really my only complaint about her but I guess no dog can be completely perfect. I've talked to a lot of people about it and finally decided the behavior modification wasn't doing the trick on it's own. She's far from the worst case I've known. She cries while I'm gone, shakes terribly when I get ready to leave, tries to claw her way out of her crate, etc. Towards the end of last semester she had a bout of pooping all over the floor while I would be gone. We've tried DAP, rescue remedy, behavior mod (switching the way I leave, practicing leaving, etc), crating, but nothing has worked. I don't think it ever manifested itself in her previous home because she was never alone but I have to be gone. It really just sucks to see your dog work herself into a panic every time she thinks you're leaving. It is gradually getting worse so I figure I need to do something before she is destroying the whole house while I'm gone. If it can help her to not be anxious all the time, it'll be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 I hope it works out well. When Dean first went on the Clomicalm, I was concerned. You get used to it after a while and it's no big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizmo Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 Yeah, I've posted about it on Chaz a couple times but never got any replies. I guess I shouldn't post important things in the training section! It's really my only complaint about her but I guess no dog can be completely perfect. It really just sucks to see your dog work herself into a panic every time she thinks you're leaving. It is gradually getting worse so I figure I need to do something before she is destroying the whole house while I'm gone. If it can help her to not be anxious all the time, it'll be worth it. Yeah, I don't think anybody goes in the training section anymore! You've probably tried this, but would getting her used to a crate as "her place", calm, safe, quiet crating times, then working up tp leaving her for long periods of time do anything? I know when my brother leaves Jake starts to pace and cry and/or wait at the door or window till he returns - tale tale signs of mild SA. But if he's in his crate and my brother leaves he's completely fine and calm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoloRiver Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 Oh Jennifer, if only it were that easy. Lauren, if it makes you feel any better, Solo's been on fluoxetine for like, seven or eight years and never had a single side effect. He needs to have his liver function checked every year because there is a teeny tiny outside chance that there could be issues, but there's never been a blip. He is also on amitryptyline. The combo is so he can be on relatively low doses of each med and minimize the chances of side effects with each. One serious side effect of SSRIs is serotonin syndrome, which you have probably read about, but the signs are so very obvious that the odds are very, very low you'd miss it and it would cause any problems. Besides that, the odds are very, very low that it will happen anyway. Good luck and let us know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy in AZ Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 After a prolonged internal debate, I made the decision to put Jill on psychotropic meds. I had discussed the possibility with my vet sometime ago, in the event her fear reactions didn't subside with time and training. She prescribed clomipramine. Jill comes to the office with me everyday where she's typically fine. She gets nervous when a client comes in, but as long as they sit still, she'll lie quietly on her bed under my desk. At home she romps and chases and wrestles with Boo (and sometimes Kit ) with utter abandon, and is happy, affectionate and seemingly well adjusted. She loves hiking and is ecstatic when she gets to be off lead, running full bore in the 50 acre field that's a block away. Those are some of the reasons I hesitated to take this step earlier. But...there are several things that she gets downright hysterical about. She's terrified of strangers, to the point that simply walking down a sidewalk with people walking in close proximity behind us causes her to panic. Same for waiting at the crosswalk for the light to change. Someone coming unexpectedly out of a store on the street gives her the vapors. The window washer outside the bank sent her into a panic. We've walked to the post office umpteen times and in the 20 seconds it takes to enter the building, drop the mail in the mail slot and walk back to the exit, she scrambles madly to get out. Going into the feed store is a traumatic experience for her, despite treats offered every-single-time. Seemingly simple things that she's been repeatedly exposed to still freak her out and she'll bolt to the end of the leash or make a mad dash to escape. Temps will be climbing pretty soon and the memory of her near collapse from an episode of heat exhaustion (she exhibited severe ataxia and head lolling) brought on by stress last fall at our obedience class is still fresh in my mind. So I asked myself why should she have to succumb to these terrible panic attacks if there is a means to help her overcome her fears? If the use of meds, along with behavior modification will give her a better quality of life, then who wouldn't want that for their beloved companion?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda-pop Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 I have xanax (alprazolam) to use on my cat when he freaks himself out about the dogs. I needed to use the xanax so that I could begin behavior modification. It created the window in his anxiety so that learning could take place. It was a lifesaver! I hope the medication helps your girl learn to settle down and makes her life easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurelin Posted April 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 Thanks for all the encouragement. I'm so happy there are others on this board that have had these issues as I've mentioned before it doesn't seem that common on my other boards. Nancy,you explained exactly why I hesitated. Well, that and the fact her regular vet kept telling me if she wasn't destroying anything, then it was fine. Melanie, thank you for your posts in the other thread. I got her appointment right afterwards. I hope this works as well for her as it did with Solo. We've gone our first day with no side effects so I'm relaxing a bit. You've probably tried this, but would getting her used to a crate as "her place", calm, safe, quiet crating times, then working up tp leaving her for long periods of time do anything? I know when my brother leaves Jake starts to pace and cry and/or wait at the door or window till he returns - tale tale signs of mild SA. But if he's in his crate and my brother leaves he's completely fine and calm! Oh, she's fine with her crate.... until you walk out of the room. She'll sleep in there at night, she'll go in there of her own accord and bring a chew or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMack Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 Flouxetine has been wonderful for my shy/reactive dog. She's been on it for a few months now. She still flings herself at the front door if anyone approaches the porch but no longer does it when, say, a leaf fall from a nearby tree. I don't think I realized just how much of a change it had wrought until I realized that she doesn't react much to mild thunder, only to full-out storms. It used to be that at the slightest rumble she'd be under the bed. You may see some stomach upset. I've ended up breaking the pill in half & giving it with food twice a day. That seemed to help (& I think Durga just got used to it). Thanks for all the encouragement. I'm so happy there are others on this board that have had these issues as I've mentioned before it doesn't seem that common on my other boards. Nancy,you explained exactly why I hesitated. Well, that and the fact her regular vet kept telling me if she wasn't destroying anything, then it was fine. Melanie, thank you for your posts in the other thread. I got her appointment right afterwards. I hope this works as well for her as it did with Solo. We've gone our first day with no side effects so I'm relaxing a bit. Oh, she's fine with her crate.... until you walk out of the room. She'll sleep in there at night, she'll go in there of her own accord and bring a chew or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurelin Posted April 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 Well, it seems she's having some weird side effects now. She's been shaking a lot like a typical small dog, but she's never done that before. She's also super lethargic. She's always been high energy and lived to run but now she's just sleeping all day. I can't even get her to jog across the yard now. She won't eat even her favorite treats... It's just awful. I'm bummed and I'm not sure what to do. It's not going to be worth it if she turns into a completely different dog. Should I try a smaller dosage or a new medicine or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted April 8, 2009 Report Share Posted April 8, 2009 I'd check with the vet. Some side effects are temporary and others warrant stopping the medication altogether. Only your vet would know the right thing to do for this effect. On the right medication you won't have a completely different dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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