Senior dog dealing with severe anxiety

**sasvermont** · 04-22-2009, 08:28 AM

Many vets recommend Prozac for pets. It seems to work wonders on many animals. It is not a horrible drug and was one of the earliest mood modifiers - on the market for years and years. I would stick with the drug for weeks and then try to reduce the dose. But of course, follow the vets instructions.

Hope this helps.

**mruffruff** · 04-22-2009, 09:33 AM

I truly understand what you're feeling. Samson began showing signs of extreme anxiety, especially at night, when he was about 12. He was a hound/shepherd mix. He always slept with me. But he would pace and growl half of the night. I tried to keep him in bed by tying him to the leg of the bed, but he just chewed the headboard. He got confused, lost in the house, forgot who I was, and was a very grouchy and mean old man. The vet didn't think Prozac would be a good solution for him.

If the Prozac is helping Muddy, stay with it. Don't change anything else for a while until you know how it's working. Later you can try implementing with more meat, or niacin, or whatever. But if you try everything at once, you won't know what works and what doesn't.

Sending you prayers and patience.

**Emeraldgreen** · 04-22-2009, 11:43 AM

Thank you for your posts guys. I will stick with the Prozac for Muddy and see how it goes.
We had a very bad night last night and he barked for most of it. And when we went to let them out this morning we found that Muddy had had an accident overnight and pooped all over the floor.

Now I'm wondering if all this anxiety is over the loss of control over his bowels. He is always so good about doing his business outside and he may be stressed about having the accidents. We let the dogs out one last time just before we go to bed every night but this may not be enough anymore.

I'm going to see if there is any kind of diet that can help him. He is currently eating First Mate grain free dry kibble Chicken and Blueberry. It's a Canadian company.

He does seem confused too so maybe it's everything happening all at once to him. I feel terrible for him and for all our pets. I have a few cats who have an upper respiratory disease that lays dormant unless they are stressed. When it becomes active, they sneeze like crazy and get a fever and become lethargic for a week. They are all sneezing now because their room is located right above Muddy's and they hear him barking all night.

**Brewster** · 04-23-2010, 10:37 PM

Hello! I know your post was a year ago, but I thought my experience might help you, too. I have found in my senior dog that feeding him oatmeal with every meal is helping his bowel issues. Without it, he has diarrhea, and with it, he does great, and he seems so much happier. He just feels better.

He takes amitriptyline for his anxiety and nerve pain, but he did take Anipryl, and it worked wonders when he was on it (for about three years). My vet says that Prozac also is great. You have to do what works in these kinds of drugs because they do keep the dog happier. However, you can add some natural aids like the Calming Moments pills or Rescue Remedy for Pets. They do help to calm my old man down quite a bit.