prescription anti anxiety meds

[horsehelper]

Hi we have a little dog who is so stressed out in the wide world he has ended up on meds....im sure its not long till i am to!! im tearing my hair out with him. Background is hes had numerous trainers etc we live in a busy area and there is too much for him to cope yet we cant find anyway of rehoming him to a more suitable life as he is too hyper. Has anyone else had experience of anti anxiety prescription meds? Do they help? I just want him to be happy we are now on house arrest as its all to much for us both

 

[2Greys]

Not for a dog but expect is similar to how meds are supposed to work for humans which I do have experience of. Generally anxiety is flight/fight response & adrenaline kicks in, in that state you can't think rationally and its not pleasant so reinforces that the situation is indeed scary & to be avoided. It can get to the stage where you feel anxious all the time so only takes small stuff to feel too much, it has been described to me like having an oversensitive fire alarm, going off all time when there isn't actually any danger. The meds can help break the cycle by allowing person or dog to feel calmer they can then learn that the situation isn't scary & gradually gain confidence.

It doesn't sound like you have much to lose by giving them a try, though expect depends on drug how long it takes to have desirable effect. Quite a few on American greyhound forum I use have used anti-anxiety meds for their dogs with good results.

 

[Teaselmeg]

I have a dog on medication, it has helped him, but not as much as I hoped. If you want to go down that road, you definitely want to do it via a veterinary behaviourist, so you have a vet who is experienced with the different medications that can be used and will put him on the most appropriate medication.