Alprazolam (Xanax) for dogs - Panic attack?

[Diana Erhart]

Does anyone have experience using Alprazolam (Xanax) for their dog's anxiety or panic attacks?  When we moved at the end of January the vet prescribed some for Charlie for the ride from Texas to PA.  I didn't use any of it at the time because he did just fine in the car.  But since we have gotten here his anxiety has become worse.  He seems to be getting some separation anxiety at times.  He always has been an anxious dog usually with loud noises, storms and the like.  But lately he has been howling sometimes when I would leave him (not always though).  This morning we had a house full of people and I left with my parents to take them to a doctor appointment.  Next my husband left and Charlie was sleeping in my daughter's room with her and her dog so DH shut the door to her room.  My daughter said when Charlie woke up and realized the door was shut he started screaming and howling and wouldn't stop even after she let him out of the room and went downstairs with him.  He wouldn't sit with her or let her hold him.  It was like he was having a panic attack.  After about an hour and a half of this she took both dogs outside and he calmed down then stopped howling when they came back inside.  I called the vet in Texas who prescribed the meds and decided to give him a dose for the next day or two and see how he does.  But I am worried about him and having him on this medicine.  

If you have any experience with this, do you have to give it to them for ever to keep them calm or will it be able to just help him over this "difficult" time he is having?  I am going out Monday to visit vets here in our new area to try to find one to check him out.  For this weekend I am trying to just get by with talking to our old vet over the phone.

Also, I had him checked out with some of the blood tests and basic thyroid tests before we left Texas because there is a history of Addison's disease in his lineage.  Could this added stress make him more prone to getting this?

We do belong to the anxiety group but none of my searches either in that group or here on the main forum seemed to address this.  Thanks for any help/guidance/advice anyone can give.  

[Cindy Ludwig, M.A., KPA-CTP]

I agree with that - my experience has been that a SSRI (serotonin reuptake inhibitor) such as Prozac (fluoxetine) is prescribed along with an anti-anxiety agent to be used as needed. Since the SSRIs don't reach a therapeutic blood level for a few weeks, it is sometimes necessary to prescribe something to be used on a short term basis in the interim, such as an anti-anxiety agent. In my experience the SSRI anti-depressant (used as an anti-anxiety agent in dogs) is generally prescribed for 6-18 months, not longer, again with the anti-anxiety agent, usually a short-acting benzodiazepine to be used as needed for stressful events.

[Diana Erhart]

Thanks to all of you for your comments and suggestions.  Any comments on the following would also be greatly appreciated....After speaking with our vet in Texas I decided to give Charlie one dose of the doggie xanax.  It was amazing to see the difference in him.  He was so active and full of life.  He played with my daughter's dog like he was a puppy again.  And he seemed genuinely happy.  After about 3 hours he seemed to be ravenously hungry.  He ate 2 bowls of his food (which if you know Charlie, it is usually a chore to get him to eat just one bowl).  

Is this a normal reaction for this medication?  I was expecting him to just be kind of calm and sleepy with it.  I haven't called the vet back to ask him because I didn't want to bother him on the weekend with just a question but will ask tomorrow.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Again from a human point of view, no. Sometimes there are paradoxical reactions when medications cause the opposite reaction form what is expected. An example is giving stimulants for ADHD. I t also could be that Charlie was less anxious leading to this behavior. Increased appetite is not normally part of the picture.

[Cindy Ludwig, M.A., KPA-CTP]

Yes. A huge reduction in stress like that will stimulate the appetite. At therapeutic doses, these short-acting benzodiazepines do not cause drowsiness.

[Diana Erhart]

Thanks Cindy for sharing all of your knowledge.  It was interesting to watch his reaction to the medication.  Now I am wondering if that is the "real" Charlie.  I am guessing he is really somewhere in between the two extremes.  Hopefully with some medical help and some more training we can get there.

[Cindy Ludwig, M.A., KPA-CTP]

You're welcome. Diana, just think about how you might respond to medication like this. It is similar with animals. Normally we function in our day to day life somewhere between a stressed out behavior and a totally relaxed behavior ---- when I think of totally relaxed, I think of drinking Pina Coladas on a beach in the tropics. I don't know about you, but that is not my day to day state of being! 

So, I think you're right, your "normal" Charlie is somewhere in between. It is not normal to be anxious all of the time, but stress, after all is a necessary part of life and change. If there was no stress ("good" stress being called eustress and "bad" stress being called distress) we would all cease to exist! The thing to keep in mind is what caused Charlie's distress and what can you do in the future to prevent or relieve it - the best thing is to prevent it in any way you can.

When I work with dogs that have behavior issues - fear, anxiety or aggression - I look at the antecedants - what happened just before the behavior, the triggers, the opportunities and the consequences - what happened after the behavior.  We can best control the consequences, which is what training is all about, but in behavior modification, we need to be acutely aware of the triggers and antecedants and work with the dog "under threshold" to modify his emotional response to the triggers. Desensitization will help him be less reactive to whatever the triggers are, while counterconditioning (with food) will help him develop a positive association with the triggers. Combining the two techniques, which is what is usually done by professionals is called systematic desensitization.

So, now that you have seen what the Xanax will do, keep it in your back pocket as a resource to use as needed, but also work on systematic desensitization with Charlie to help him overcome what it is he fears or is anxious about.

Try not to depend on the Xanax long term, because these kinds of drugs can become ineffective over time, and they are really meant to be for short term use as sort of a bandaid fix while you do behavior modification with the dog - and the dog adjusts to a more long term medication such as fluoxetine (Prozac) - which again is only meant to be used for a short term, 6 mos - a year or so until the dog has learned new ways of responding to its environment.

Don't forget about the Anxiety Wrap - I still use mine on my dog occasionally. Just the other night she was apprehensive about a thunderstorm - she had never shown a fear of thunderstorms before, but I pulled her Anxiety Wrap out and put it on her and she calmed right down. Took a few minutes - 10, to be exact - because I waited too long and she had a long way to come down from the anxious state she was in, but it worked. I also used it recently to give her a bath - I am trying to bathe her at home now, which is different than taking her to the self-serve - she doesn't do change well.

Just please be sure and use only positive reinforcement training with Charlie! Clicker training is what I prefer - if done properly under the instruction or guidance of a knowledgeable clicker trainer - otherwise it is just traditional training with a clicker! I can't remember if I posted recommendations for Youtube videos on clicker training, but I recommend the Youtube videos posted by "kikopup" (Emily Larlham), "supernaturalbc2008"/"supernaturalbc2009" (Donna Hill) and "tab289" for instruction in clicker training. I have also written some articles on the subject that you can see on Animal Info Publications; my Youtube channel is "ilovcanines." There is a video I posted of a severely anxious sheltie I was able to help with clicker training/behavior modification. You can also refer to my links page on my Canine Connection page (http://www.dubuquedogtraining.com/links.html) for links to resources on training (I need to add some links to vet behaviorists, etc.), including how to find a good trainer.

Take good care of Charlie - he deserves it!