My dog is on doggie Prozac.

[TNDemo]

Actually it is called Clomicalm. She started today. She is a beagle/basset mix that is a 5-year-old rescue we adopted six months ago. She is attached to me and bays and wails if I leave and won't even go out to pee if I don't go with her. She has been abandoned so she has reason to fear but I thought she would be better by now. The vet said the #1 reason for owner turn-ins is the separation anxiety. So this medicine is to be used for 3-6 months with behavior training to see if she can become a mentally healthy dog. Anybody else use this drug and what did you think?

[Not_Giving_Up]

1. Had a siamese that had to be on an anti-depressant

No idea what is was, years ago. She only had to take it for a short time, and then all was well.

[Vanje]

2. A friend gave it to a truley great working sheepdog

This dog had a healthy upbringing, but some border colliesw are out on the extremes of temprement. Exentric geniuses.
When this particular border collie wasnt working sheep, he used to lick the skin off himself.
The drugs helped. He no longer mutilates himself and he is now off his meds.

[flvegan]

3. My dane had very bad separation anxiety

When I adopted him. He had been dumped twice, 2 different shelters. If I wasn't around, he was very destructive. In about a year, he learned that every time I left, I was coming back. He had to be crated when I wasn't home, so that he wouldn't hurt himself. Now, he's mah big boy, and very well behaved.

I didn't use clo, but I wanted you to hear a story about a dog getting over separation anxiety.

[48pan]

4. Are those...

Puppy Uppers or Doggie Downers?

[Blue-Jay]

6. d'oh

[Blue-Jay]

5. doggie downers

better than puppy uppers, I suppose.

[amazona]

7. my friend's dog was on the real-thing Prozac

The calm that ensued lasted less than 2 weeks and he went back to being psycho-dog again.

She has tried everything short of euthanasia.

Fortunately the vet understands that she is low income and can provide free samples of all these drugs that don't work. It does work for some dogs, but her dog would truly be considered "bipolar" with lots of "mania" if he were human, so doesn't work for him at all really.

I will keep my fingers crossed for better luck for your dog. By coincidence, her dog is now almost 5 years old also, and it was a rescue. Unfortunately, a dog's character is usually shaped in the first few months of life. She has been working on this project since the dog in question was found when it was an older puppy, with really no relief whatsoever.

I'll hope for the best for you, as I do for her. I feel entirely helpless to offer any good advice so will only offer my best hopes. I don't think the dog will ever be "mentally healthy" whatever that means but you can reduce some of the frustration and suffering. My friend has learned by giving her dog his own pen, where other dogs cannot challenge his territory, he is doing much better and at least he isn't going crazy and causing the other dogs to bite him and even injure him, as used to happen. But there is no question of her dog ever being mentally normal.

On Edit -- Pay attention to the post about the dog who was crated when the owner was away from home. The one thing that has helped my friend's dog the most, and far more than any drug, was crating him when she can't be with him. Their psychology is not like ours, and apparently the crate gives him a feeling of security he cannot otherwise enjoy! Worth a try...

[auburngrad82]

8. We have one on doggie downers

Actually the drug is Amitryptilene and it's because she's a total psycho without it. She's nine years old and before we put her on doggie downers she used to obsess over things and occasionally would attack one of our other dogs who was twice her size. She'd bite and never let go.

She's a lot better now. She's been taking the doggie downers for about 4 years now.

Best thing we ever did was make sure she was heavily medicated...