Author Topic: Doggie Prozac?  (Read 1461 times)

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Offline Pookie

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Doggie Prozac?
« on: November 20, 2014, 11:25:08 AM »
I'll try to Google this later, but am short on time right now and I wanted to pick your brains.  My parent's dog nipped someone this week, and he keeps going after Mom when she walks by to go to bed at night.  "Going after" as in jumping off his bed and making like he's going to nip her.   :o  :(

He has cataracts, but there's a light on when she walks by, and a nightlight for when the main light is off.  He has to be able to smell her if not hear her.  So I was wondering, (as much as I hate meds) if there's a doggie Prozac that he could take that might calm him down?  I've heard of it, but don't know if it's actually Prozac or something else.  Has anyone ever tried it, and if so, would it help in a situation like this?  How did it affect the dog (e.g. side effects)?

I'm going to look into the dog version of Feliway (the name escapes me at the moment), but if that doesn't help, or someone in the household is allergic, he may have to be medicated (assuming that he's not put down, as this is not the 1st time he's gotten someone).

Is there something we're not thinking of?  I would have thought the light would help, but maybe we're missing something?

Thanks everyone!

P.S.  We've tried Rescue Remedy--it didn't help.  Granted, the dose may not have been high enough, but we might need gallons since he's a big boy (lab/great dane? mix).
« Last Edit: November 20, 2014, 11:28:14 AM by Pookie »
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Offline DeeDee

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Re: Doggie Prozac?
« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2014, 11:35:17 AM »
http://k9aggression.com/treatment-methods/medications-used-for-treating-dog-aggression/

They actually use the same drugs they use on people. No experience with it at all.

This stuff calms down V&B for thunderstorms. It's like DAP put inside of them:

http://www.petco.com/product/123940/K-10-Plus-Calming-Dog-Supplement.aspx?CoreCat=OnSiteSearch

I watch weather closely though, and I mix it into their meat about 4 hours before a bad storm is scheduled to hit. That way I know they're getting the full dose instead of it going into Vlad's beard.

I asked them in Twitter if I could put it in food, and they said yes, but it would take longer to take effect. There are also other alternatives at Petco and other pet stores, but I've never tried any of them.

Honestly though, if the dog is old enough to develop cataracts, it needs a full work-up at a vet's office to rule out things like cognitive disorder--doggie alzheimers.
« Last Edit: November 20, 2014, 11:36:56 AM 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 FurMonster Mom

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Re: Doggie Prozac?
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2014, 05:37:26 PM »
Quote
He has cataracts...

How old is he?
Older animals have been known to suffer from dimentia, so you may actually be on the right track with the "doggy Prozac" idea.
meow meow meow meow meow meow? -woof!
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Offline DeeDee

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Re: Doggie Prozac?
« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2014, 06:15:26 PM »
How old is he?
Older animals have been known to suffer from dimentia, so you may actually be on the right track with the "doggy Prozac" idea.

Reading about Archie, and then Edie's experiences with her own dog Frankie is what made me think of it:

http://willmydoghateme.com/dog-health/canine-cognitive-dysfunction-a-vet-explains

There's a checklist in there, but the one thing that always stuck out at me as one of the first problems was:

Quote
Altered relationships with household humans and pets, as well as visitors to the home. The formerly friendly dog may become aggressive, tense, anxious, or vice versa.

As I was reading about Frankie while she was dealing with it, I couldn't get my own Daddy out of my head. Some of those things just stuck like glue.
"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 Pookie

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Re: Doggie Prozac?
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2014, 07:51:00 PM »
How old is he?
Older animals have been known to suffer from dimentia, so you may actually be on the right track with the "doggy Prozac" idea.

He's about 11 or 11 1/2 years old.  This is the same dog that needed a toe amputated a couple of months ago.  He was found under someone's (friends of my sister) hibachi cover in the rain, skinny and I suspect abused and abandoned.  He's always been food aggressive, made worse by my dad feeding him from the table (you can't tell Dad what to do), which then gave everyone else the idea to do it.  I'm the only one who doesn't.

Thanks for the links, Dee.  The one that mentioned the various meds also mentions behavior/training, and I don't think my parents are going to change.  Dad's too stuck in his ways (esp. with the memory issues that he has), and my mother is too overwhelmed with Dad and her health issues.

There is a local vet who does house calls, so that might be an option if they don't need to have him in the office.  If they do need him there, though, that's a problem because he also has hip issues and he can't get in/out of a car anymore, and he's about 100 lbs so getting him in/out is very difficult.  But I can suggest it to my mother and see if she wants to have the vet come out.  The worst they can do is say "no."

The article also mentioned a behaviorist.  I don't think the vet's office has one, but I do know of one near NYC.  That brings up the issue of getting him there, though.

I will definitely pass on this information to my mother.  There's no guarantee she'll act on it, but it's worth a try.  Meanwhile, I think I'll pick up some doggie pheromones and bring them the next time I visit.  At worst, it won't have any effect, but what's it hurt to try?

Thank you all so much, and please, if you have any other suggestions/questions, feel free to post them.  grouphug
2-4-6-8  Please don't over-vaccinate!
"Pass on what you have learned."  -- Yoda, Star Wars:  Return of the Jedi

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