Torn - should I put my dog on meds...or keep working with her?

[Esther and Joey]

hi there - i know most of you in this group are pro-medication for our doodles.

i am so torn. joey is super fearful of people. otherwise she is SUCH a good dog. great at home, great with people she knows, great with children. but she is so scared of strangers. she is 1.5 years old and since we got her at 16 weeks, we've worked with her daily and with a trainer / in class weekly. she's definitely gotten better since last year but is still so fearful.

most of the trainers that we've worked with said to keep working with her, that she's still a puppy. recently met a new trainer who said that she was borderline. that if she was a hairline less anxious, he wouldn't recommend meds but that if she was a hairline more, that he was def recommend meds.

just got back from the vet with 2 months supply of clomicalm. am still torn on whether i should give it to her or not. am i over medicating? at what point do i say enough is enough and get her relief?

[Ginny Nightingale]

I was in a class with a german shepherd who had anxiety issues and the people had worked with her for years. The trainer recommended clomicalm and a few other things finally and the next week, the dog was totally different! They were particularly concerned because their daughter was about to have a baby and they were hoping to help the dog before the baby arrived. Have no idea how that worked out because the class ended--but the meds made a big difference. This might be temporary too--once you have her calmer and she gains confidence, you can wean her off maybe?

[Patti]

I feel so bad for you and joey, having walked the path you are walking. 

It's a very hard decision to make. Willow has been on Prozac, valium, Xanax, Clomicalm, and just weaned her off of Zoloft.

I am giving up on the meds. and will just keep working with her everyday.  If she changes, well that would be great, if not, well, she will still be loved every bit as much as she is loved now.

[Jonathan Smith]

If you have seen our previous posts about our Joey, also about 1 1/2 years old, you will see we are trying Reconcile (Prozac) for him.  It is a low dose.  I think it helps some but he is still sometimes paranoid, scared of inanimate objects, sounds, etc.  It is tolerable but he takes a lot of work and patience.  Never totally sure if the med helps but I think it does so will stay with it for now.  I would say go ahead and try it and see if it helps...Good luck!

[Esther and Joey]

hi jonathan. we have joey on clomicalm, 1 pill a day in the morning. it's day 3. haven't noticed much change when we're out on the streets.

the thing about us is that we live in manhattan. she's scared of people and we have to take her out at least 4 times a day to go potty! so is suppose when the meds kick in, we'll notice is immediately.

[Jonathan Smith]

Hi Esther,

I was wondering how your Joey is doing now. Do you still use the clomicalm, and how does it work? We have our Joey on Prozac still but not sure how much it helps and thinking of trying another med for awhile.  He is a great dog but it is hard to see him get anxious and not be able to help.

[Esther and Joey]

hi patti - from what i can gather, i think our experience with joey and yours with willow are similar. when we went to pick her up from the breeders at 16 weeks, she was so happy. came running up to my husband. since the day we brought her home, we've worked with her. she's SUCH a great dog when she's at home and around people she knows. once we're out in the streets, she's a completely different dog. we struggled with using medication thinking that her quality of life is still very good. she has a great life. but she's less than 2 and we want her to live on a long life. 

her anxiety and fear causes stress and anxiety on us as we're constantly on guard.

we have her on clomicalm - 1 pill a day in the morning. it's day 3. haven't noticed a difference, just that she sleeps A LOT.

[Adina P]

What is the downside of medication?
Regardless of whether you use meds or not, you would still need to work with her.  So it's not a matter of use them OR work with her.  I think it's use meds AND work with her..or work with her without meds?

[Adina P]

Sorry missed that this was an older discussion.