Anxiety Medications - Any Experiences or Advice? Update 3

[Stella]

My younger LD, Chase, will be five this weekend, we have had him since he was nine weeks old. He has always been a highly strung, anxious dog with reactivity issues around dogs he doesn't know. He also starts fights with my other LD, Hartley. Hartley has good bite inhibition and always comes off worst in a fight. We had a couple of years where things were pretty good between them, and I also have done a lot of training and behaviour modification work with Chase which has improved his behaviour in public. We had even been able to go to some agility trials with him. My husband (who Chase was very attached to) and I separated earlier this year, which has changed the family dynamics a bit - it is just me and the dogs now. Chases anxiety is definitely worse, and he and Hartley got into a fight two weeks ago which led to a $780 vet bill for Hartley. We are also going to be moving house soon, which I fear might make things even worse.

I feel that we have come to the end of non-medicinal options. I don't want him to continue to live in a state of anxiety and fear, and I don't want the dogs to keep fighting. I have made an appointment to talk to the vet about starting him on some kind of anti-anxiety medication. I am hoping that if he is less hyper, less ADHD like, less stressed, then he will be easier to get along with and, hopefully, happier.

I would appreciate any experiences you guys have had with these types of medications, and comments as to whether you found them effective or not?

Update: After three weeks on 10mg Fluoxetine/day, there have been no changes in Chases behaviour and sadly since moving house his separation anxiety is worse - he has begun chewing my furniture, which he has never done before. I called the vet and she suggested we increase his dose to 15mg/day, but when I got to the pharmacy they only have capsules in 10mg increments, so we are going up to 20mg/day. If this doesn't work, the vet wants to switch him to Amitryptaline (no idea how to spell it!), which I don't want because of its sedative effects. I don't want to sedate him, I want to help him be less anxious.

Update 2: It is almost the end of February and I wanted to let you guys know how Chase is doing. The Fluoxetine appears to be helping. I took the dogs for a walk in town a couple of weeks ago, which would usually have Chase completely hyper, whining, spinning, pulling etc. But he just tucked in right next to me and walked along. I began taking him to obedience classes (more for socialization than obedience - he knows that stuff already, but refreshers are always good!) and before the medication he couldn't settle on his mat, spun and pulled on the leash, panted, drooled, and had sweaty paws. Now, there is a noticeable difference, he relaxes on his mat, heels beautifully, holds an out of sight stay, and even took a nap during class last week! We still have a long way to go, but I am hopeful that the medication will continue to help and that this will help our training to be more effective.

Update 3: It is ten months since Chase started taking Fluoxetine. I am so glad that I made the decision to start him on it, it has definitely helped him. He is still a silly, goofy dog and he still struggles to focus at times, but he is so much better. When I leave for work now, he just barks once when I close the door. Before, he would start getting anxious and wound up 10 - 15 minutes before I left. He has come with me and Hartley to a whole season of agility trials and so many people commented on how much better he is doing. He is now happy in the agility ring, and even got two qualifying scores (he is still easily distracted!). He loves his agility lessons, and has gained so much confidence. I can now walk him in town and around at agility trials without worrying he is going to explode. He does still react to dogs when I walk down our road, but I think this is more terratorial. I am always on my guard when we are around other dogs, but he is so much less worried than he used to be. He is much less worried about everything in life than he used to be! He will always be a 'work in progress', but I am so proud of how far he has come.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I have had one dog treated for anxiety. I used a combination of acupuncture, pheromones, Bach Flowers and a thunder shirt as well as some Tellington Touch. When the dog was being influenced by these methods, I did training by slowly putting her in the situations that caused her the most anxiety. It worked extremely well and I was pleased with the outcome. Before I started these treatments I ruled out medical causes like thyroid issues etc.

[Stella]

I had previously suspected thyroid involvement because he also suffers from hair loss. But, we did the blood work and everything came back normal. The vet thinks the hair loss is also anxiety related :(

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I used anti-anxiety meds with my Murphy for several months while we worked him through a behavior modification program.  I do think they helped him to relax enough to benefit from the training.  We struggled with some GI side effects, probably because he has IBS and a very sensitive digestive system, otherwise I might have continued them for a longer period.  You are definitely going through a lot in your life now, and he is probably feeling some of that stress too.  I applaud you for sticking by him and doing what will help him to live a better life.

[Stella]

I am sure that all the changes recently, which I know includes increased stress levels on my part, are affecting him. Perhaps he isn't the only one who needs meds?!! He is a crazy, funny, goofy dog and I am hoping that by decreasing his fear and anxiety, I will see more of his true personality coming through!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I just think it's time to remind people that there is no evidence that homeoparhy has no evidence supporting it's use. Holistic methods including massage etc. can be very helpful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

We ( dog and humans) had a very good experience with anti anxiety medications.

I would never hesitate to use them again. My only regret is that they were not started sooner.

[Stella]

Thanks for all of your advice, it helps to hear that others have used these medications with good effect. We went to the vet today and she prescribed Fluoxetine, starting with a low dose to see how he does. I will give him his first dose tomorrow. I had to go to a human pharmacy to get the medication, my vet doesn't keep it in stock, and the pharmacist said it could take up to three months to see the full effects. The vet was lovely with him, and she agreed with me that we should check his thyroid again because of his hair loss. So, we will get that done again in a couple of months. Here's hoping for a happier dog!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good luck, you may see some change in 2-3 weeks.

[Stella]

After three weeks, there have been no improvements so we are increasing his dose. I'm really hoping this is going to help.

[F, Calla & Luca]

It does take time and titration.

[Stella]

I feel that my vet isn't really comfortable prescribing this medication. She only offered me two choices - Fluoxetine or Amitryptalline. I don't really want to use a drug that has a sedative effect, so opted for the Fluoxetine. She offered to refer us to a vet behaviorist (3 hours drive away) which I declined because I felt we have done all we can with training and behaviour modification techniques. Now I am wondering if I should take him to the behaviorist because they might be better educated about the medication options available to us. I think we'll try the increased dose for the next month and see where we are at. The pharmacist said it can take up to three months to see the full effects, but so far I haven't seen any change at all which is disappointing.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I agree about the amitriptyline, an old drug with many side effects. Basically the antidepressants are the drugs of choice but 3 weeks is not a lot of time and the dosage may not be enough. How much does Chase weigh?