Author Topic: Has anyone ever given their dog melatonin?  (Read 3884 times)

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Offline DeeDee

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Has anyone ever given their dog melatonin?
« on: July 02, 2013, 11:14:58 PM »
Calming Your Dog on July 4th: 7 Simple Steps

http://sarahwilsondogexpert.com/calming-your-dog-on-july-4th-7-simple-steps/

Quote
3) Mete out melatonin

Dr. Aronson of Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine recommends melatonin for sound-sensitive dogs. I used it for many years with my Australian Shepherd, Caras, and found it calmed him several levels without sedating him. In a perfect world, you give it before the sound starts but that is not always possible. I kept both liquid and  1 mg pills in the house, dosing with liquid, the most fast acting if the sound had already started then dosing the next time with plain melatonin pills.* Always check with your dog’s veterinarian to see what is right for your dog in your situation.

Here’s what I have been told the doses are:

1 mg for dogs under 10 pounds,
1.5 mgs for dogs 10-25 pounds
3 mgs for dogs weighing 25-100 pounds
Up to 6 mgs for over 100 pounds but start with 3 mgs as that may work.

It usually rains on the 4th, and they're predicting it this 4th too, but I've already gotten Barkly some rolled-cotton to fashion some ear plugs for him that won't go down in his ears and get lost.

I saw that though, and started wondering if I should call the vet's office and ask about it. Even with his calming collar on, he's had some of those funny "jumps" outside since last weekend. He's not as panicked to try to get to the door to go in, but he's not exactly calm either.
« Last Edit: July 02, 2013, 11:18:00 PM by DeeDee »
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline AnnStaub

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Re: Has anyone ever given their dog melatonin?
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2013, 10:06:56 PM »
I was researching some stuff and was thinking about doing this. Or L-Tryptophan supplements which I think I read somewhere had calming or sedating effects. Can't remember where I heard this from though.

Offline The Kittens

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Re: Has anyone ever given their dog melatonin?
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2013, 10:57:14 PM »
Ever wonder why, you feel like taking a nappy, after eating TG dinner? ::)

Its because turkey, has the trip-to-fan, in it, LOL.  :)

We give kittens, at shows, the first show or so, turkey baby foodies, cause, it has trip-to-fan in it, and we only give a couple 3 licks, in the morning.  Any more than that, and they get real drowsey in the afternoon.

I don't know if you can give doggies, baby foodies, or even how much to give, but it does work with kittens.

I forgot to take their food to the hotel once, all I had was a jar of baby food, so gave them that. That, earned me diarea, the next morning, so I learned the hard way, ya can't give them too much, LOL.   HeadButt Bumpurr1 cat4 TexasFlag bumpgif   

Offline AnnStaub

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Re: Has anyone ever given their dog melatonin?
« Reply #3 on: August 09, 2013, 03:01:59 AM »
Oh that's a cool idea! I don't know much about cat shows. Doggies can have a lil bit of baby food I'm sure. Of course, I'm not sure if a little jar of turkey baby food would affect my 50 lb dog, but maybe it would...

Offline DeeDee

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Re: Has anyone ever given their dog melatonin?
« Reply #4 on: August 09, 2013, 08:48:46 AM »
I tried the melatonin in July when they were making our area sound like a war-zone with the fireworks--didn't work. Benadryl didn't work. The Xanax the vet gave me have didn't work. Neither did their calming collars. Next year we're just going somewhere that doesn't have fireworks if we can find one. At least we can do that on the night it's the worst of all.

Turkey is one of their meat rotations out of six, and I've never noticed them getting sleepy after eating it. Does it need to be cooked for it to work?
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline The Kittens

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Re: Has anyone ever given their dog melatonin?
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2013, 09:08:20 AM »
Kittens weight, ballpark, 5 lbs, when they start shows at 4 months old. Some weight less, some weight more, depending on the breed. Mine, Maine Coon, prob weighed 7 lbs, LOL.  ::)

Their first show, was 5 hours away, the show hall was real big and real noisey, so I gave them a couple of licks, thru out the morning. By the afternoon they were real drowsey.  They were sitting in the judging ring, their little eyes, fighting sleepys, LOL.

Somebody told me, ya gave them too much, ya only needed the couple 3 in the morning.

Its also how we teach kittens, to walk from their bench cage to their bench table, when they get on the bench table, they get a few licks, positive reward, as in, bench tables are goody places, they has treaties on them, LOL.

Now, I don't even use the baby food, they are seasoned showers, nothing bothers them. I use the Pure Bits freeze dried chicken treats. I place a treatie on the bench table, the first time they walk out in the morning. The rest of the day, I open the door, they walk right out. I still take the baby food, just in case.

We use Gerber baby food, chicken or turkey only, for kitties. A jar is 2.5 oz and kittens only get a few licks, that it makes them drowsey, a whole jar, gives them diarea.

Using that formula, your vet should be able to advise you, how much to give a doggie, and how much would be safe for them.

I had to washy their little bee-hinds, in the bathroom sink and I called my vet, Sunday morning no less, LOL, she said to give them 1/4 tablet of pepcid ac.  She said if no more diarea, they can show, if they have diarea again, bring them home.  They were fine the rest of the day. She also said, ya won't be doin that again, will ya??  LOL   Never forgot to take their foodies to the hotel after that, LOL.   8) HeadButt thumbsup1 Bumpurr1 cat4 TexasFlag bumpgif   

Offline The Kittens

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Re: Has anyone ever given their dog melatonin?
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2013, 09:23:15 AM »
With kittens, it has to be cooked. The baby food, the Pure Bites turkey treaties, would all have been cooked. I don't even give them the turkey treaties in the morning, that too, makes them too drowsey in the afternoon.  I give them the Pure Bites chicken treaties.

The Pure Bits are just freeze dried turkey or just freeze dried chicken, thats all that is in there. I get mine at Pet Smart. 

http://www.purebites.com/

I do not give my kittens raw anything, no offense to those that feed raw, LOL, I had a real bad experience, coming home from a show, that could have gone really really south.   cat4 TexasFlag bumpgif



Offline DeeDee

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Re: Has anyone ever given their dog melatonin?
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2013, 10:51:48 AM »
I do not give my kittens raw anything, no offense to those that feed raw, LOL, I had a real bad experience, coming home from a show, that could have gone really really south.   cat4 TexasFlag bumpgif

We feed raw, and no offense taken. I'm one of the ones that feeds raw vegetable puree too, so I've heard a lot against that anyway.

I've dealt with 3 dogs with cancer in a row, though, so they're going to get the antioxidants from veg & fruit even if I have to give them digestive enzymes along with it. The one thing I shy away from is grains. I had an Airedale that was allergic to grains, and I know if I don't feed them, they can't develop allergies to it.

Been feeding a kibble snack during the day to keep them from refusing to eat kibble in case of weather, etc. emergencies, but that's ended when I finally found a raw alternative that's dehydrated called Dr. Harvey's Oracle Grain-Free Beef. Now they just get their raw diet with complex carb vegetables & some fruits.

I've got what I call the only finicky Corgi on earth. He won't eat canned. Oracle is the first dehydrated food he'd eat. There are only 3 kibbles he'll eat (And I bet he won't do that for us anymore), but he'll scarf up that raw meat and veg.

He also gets hysterical about fireworks. A calming collar works on thunderstorms and the weekend-target-practice out here, but it does NOT work on fireworks when it's rattling our whole house.

That's why I was trying to find an alternative to the Xanax or any other actual drugs--but I guess if Xanax doesn't work, nothing's going to, huh?
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline AnnStaub

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Re: Has anyone ever given their dog melatonin?
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2013, 12:02:36 AM »
Xanax is as intense as it gets I think lol. There is another drug you could ask the vet about. It's what we most commonly prescribed for fireworks - Acepromazine. It's a sedative.

And Kittens - I assume the answer is going to be yes, but are you in Texas? If so may I ask which area? I've never been to a cat show before but would love to attend one just to look around. I'm in Austin.

Offline The Kittens

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Re: Has anyone ever given their dog melatonin?
« Reply #9 on: August 12, 2013, 09:32:55 AM »
I am from Houston. The carpetbaggers kidnapped me, and sold me to the gypsies, who brought me up North, and now I am stuck, living amongst yankees!!   :o   :'(

I know where the South's gold is buried, and I won't tell them, so they won't let me leave.

I met Pookie, at the Garden State show a few years ago.

Texas is in Region 3, the Gulf Shores Region. Here is their site and their show schedule.

http://www.cfagulfshore.org/

http://www.cfagulfshore.org/showsched.php

Ya want to be real real real careful with giving ace. Its commonly given to show horses, altho, its illegal. If given too much, or under the right conditions, they can literly, flip out.  I know of some too, that give it to show kitties, altho, that too, is illegal. I feel, if a kitty is to scared or to upset to be shown, they should not be drugged, to show, the same with horses.  They can also flip out, when coming down off it.

 

Offline DeeDee

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Re: Has anyone ever given their dog melatonin?
« Reply #10 on: August 12, 2013, 12:53:58 PM »
Ya want to be real real real careful with giving ace. Its commonly given to show horses, altho, its illegal. If given too much, or under the right conditions, they can literly, flip out.  I know of some too, that give it to show kitties, altho, that too, is illegal. I feel, if a kitty is to scared or to upset to be shown, they should not be drugged, to show, the same with horses.  They can also flip out, when coming down off it.

I've heard about that before, and it wasn't even suggested by the vet, so I'm not going to suggest it on my own. Getting me to try Xanax with him was already a stretch. But I did. Since it did no good, I see only one alternative. POSSIBLY finding somewhere next year that doesn't have fireworks for the 4th at all. IF there IS somewhere without them near here, you'll be sure I'll be finding it!
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

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