Prozac for Puppies?

Bill Porter

Bill Porter

Forums Enthusiast
Howdy Everyone,

Our 40lb. Sheltie, Remy, was neutered yesterday a few days before his first birthday. Remy is an overly anxious dog that absolutely freaks out at things like cars driving down the street and even our family members going in and out of the house. It's really abnormal behavior the way he gets so upset by even the simplest of things. In talking with our vet who was giving me some holistic options like CBD oil, etc., when I described his behavior with more depth, she then recommended a mild dose of Prozac. To be honest, I think he needs something like that to be happier because sirens, cars, separation anxiety really upsets him to an unreachable level. Although I could probably use a little Prozac in my own life, I actually don't know of anyone in my family or friends who has admitted to using this type of drug. I really know nothing about it or how it would possibly help my precious puppy.

Would really like some input from this Forum that has helped me so much with all of my pet issues.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Bill
 
Bill Porter said:
Howdy Everyone,

Our 40lb. Sheltie, Remy, was neutered yesterday a few days before his first birthday. Remy is an overly anxious dog that absolutely freaks out at things like cars driving down the street and even our family members going in and out of the house. It's really abnormal behavior the way he gets so upset by even the simplest of things. In talking with our vet who was giving me some holistic options like CBD oil, etc., when I described his behavior with more depth, she then recommended a mild dose of Prozac. To be honest, I think he needs something like that to be happier because sirens, cars, separation anxiety really upsets him to an unreachable level. Although I could probably use a little Prozac in my own life, I actually don't know of anyone in my family or friends who has admitted to using this type of drug. I really know nothing about it or how it would possibly help my precious puppy.

Would really like some input from this Forum that has helped me so much with all of my pet issues.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Bill
Click to expand...

Oh boy, do I feel for YOU!
You sound exactly like me when Liam started getting scared of everything. It is really painful to see them scared and shutdown.

Some people have recommended:
Rescue Remedy Stress Relief Pet Supplement
https://www.chewy.com/rescue-remedy...3u-lIfhIVLxUwm__tspv_vbBzquiyaShoC0fYQAvD_BwE

I purchased some but have not needed to use it yet. Having Beau with Liam on walks really helps to give him confidence.
I am sure others will give great feedback.
 
You got to do what you got to do but the issue I have with stuff like Provac is that your are treating a symptom not providing a cure (applies to people also). So even if you do the drugs keep hunting and trying to help him with the real issue. Maybe one thing at a time to improve his confidence. Give him a hug and pet from us.
 
My holistic vet just recommended a Chinese herb for my Flurry who is an extremely anxious dog. Her anxiety exacerbates her skin allergies, so it's a difficult situation. The herb is called Concentrated Shen Calmer (click for link) and there are several varieties online. I have the capsules which I open and sprinkle on her food, but it also comes in a powder. It might be worth trying one of these before you go to the chemical meds. I've tried those too for her and honestly, they didn't do much more than make her sleepy, but still anxious! So far, this seems to be helping her some.

This is another blend that doesn't require a prescription from your vet, made by Herbsmith. https://www.herbsmithinc.com/calm-shen/
 
ghggp said:
Oh boy, do I feel for YOU!
You sound exactly like me when Liam started getting scared of everything. It is really painful to see them scared and shutdown.

Some people have recommended:
Rescue Remedy Stress Relief Pet Supplement
https://www.chewy.com/rescue-remedy-stress-relief-pet/dp/135502?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Rescue Remedy&utm_term=&show-search=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAr6-ABhAfEiwADO4sfTTnfTp9yyCGbgcLE6YZJv3u-lIfhIVLxUwm__tspv_vbBzquiyaShoC0fYQAvD_BwE

I purchased some but have not needed to use it yet. Having Beau with Liam on walks really helps to give him confidence.
I am sure others will give great feedback.
Click to expand...

We have tried Rescue Remedy to no avail. As well as some CBD and CBD with some good stuff. Remy is wired for sound pretty much all of the time. We have tried to calm him down and get him used to certain things but it has proven virtually impossible. We just put up with it now but have to soft muzzle him when we need quiet at home, and no one enjoys that. We are an all natural, holistic family first but if that route doesn't work, we will try other things to help the situation. Remy goes into an unreachable zone when he's upset - no treat, no commands, no cuddling, no nothing gets his wide eyes any sense of calm. I do not medicate anyone in my household easily which is why I've come here to discuss before we order this medication. We've been trying all sorts of things up until now - but watching people walk their dogs all over the neighborhood makes us sad that ours is incapable of doing so.
 
Della is on Fluoxetine (aka Prozac or Lovan) and will be on it for life. As she has been debarked I can guarantee she has been on it before (it's a requirement to exhaust all avenues before debarking), but she certainly didn't come to me on it. My sister also has her golden retriever on it, and she started fairly young. I know quite a few dogs who use it, there's probably more but owners are often too embarrased to admit it as it looks like they failed.

I do think you have more chance of reprogramming his behaviour by catching it early and retraining now, so don't be disheartened about starting him on it. Della has made a lot of progress, I used to not be able to walk her at all and she had fence aggression problems. I guess the 2 most noticeable things for me is she can be walked now and I can call her off when she starts barking. And she absolutely loves going to dog training.

Admittedly, a couple of months ago I was lamenting that Della seemed to be going backwards - turned out she had kidney stones and was in pain, now that's cleared up she's heaps better and she smiles now (she never used to).

Anyway, from my experience I really recommend having a training plan to work on when you start the Fluoxetine, as you may only see small progress with just the drug. My sister didn't bother and her dog often needs to take a second med to get her anxiety down. I did add in a second med, but once we got the kidneys sorted out Della's only needed the Fluoxetine. Dog clubs are a handy and safer way to teach a dog to learn and focus around other dogs. You also need to work on slowly increasing the threshold (eg start with 5min in hard to walk places and only slowly increase the time if he is coping). And remember to take breaks from stressful situations to let the adrenalin levels drop.

The Fluoxetine made a big difference training Della. She loves going to the dog club and we use the commands she learns there to get her to focus in other places - like it switches her into work mode. At the club we started by working a bit away from the group but now she's good working around other dogs as long as I keep her working. Walks have been slower, but I don't always walk her every day if her adrenalin levels are still high from the day before (often she will decide by refusing to put her collar on). We intersperce walks in public areas with walks in quiet areas, and the walks in public areas are shorter (she's up to about 30min now).

Honestly, I don't think Della would have made it without the Fluoxetine, that's probably why she's had so many homes. If her anxiety had been dealt with when she was younger it would have made a huge difference.

If you think it will help you re-train Remy then go for it. Better to do this while he is young and those synaptic pathways are maleable, and hopefully when he gets through this he will be a confident adult. Some dogs just find adolescence more difficult. Tully went through a really tough adolescence, I even considered sending her back! Now she's the most sweet natured and confident girl and I learnt so much I became a trainer!
 
I totally understand...I’ve experienced that as well with my soon to be 3 year old Finnie. Has your vet suggested Clomicalm? I had put Finnie on it (can also be used to help with noise aversion) probably last February to see if it would make a difference at obedience class to help stop the anxious barking but then COVID hit and everything shut down. I had him on it for about 3 months and there was a noticeable difference. Certainly nothing dramatic but over time the dog just doesn’t react as much allowing you to work through it. It also doesn’t dope the dog up...they’re their normal self just not quite as anxious.
 
Caro said:
Della is on Fluoxetine (aka Prozac or Lovan) and will be on it for life. As she has been debarked I can guarantee she has been on it before (it's a requirement to exhaust all avenues before debarking), but she certainly didn't come to me on it. My sister also has her golden retriever on it, and she started fairly young. I know quite a few dogs who use it, there's probably more but owners are often too embarrased to admit it as it looks like they failed.

I do think you have more chance of reprogramming his behaviour by catching it early and retraining now, so don't be disheartened about starting him on it. Della has made a lot of progress, I used to not be able to walk her at all and she had fence aggression problems. I guess the 2 most noticeable things for me is she can be walked now and I can call her off when she starts barking. And she absolutely loves going to dog training.

Admittedly, a couple of months ago I was lamenting that Della seemed to be going backwards - turned out she had kidney stones and was in pain, now that's cleared up she's heaps better and she smiles now (she never used to).

Anyway, from my experience I really recommend having a training plan to work on when you start the Fluoxetine, as you may only see small progress with just the drug. My sister didn't bother and her dog often needs to take a second med to get her anxiety down. I did add in a second med, but once we got the kidneys sorted out Della's only needed the Fluoxetine. Dog clubs are a handy and safer way to teach a dog to learn and focus around other dogs. You also need to work on slowly increasing the threshold (eg start with 5min in hard to walk places and only slowly increase the time if he is coping). And remember to take breaks from stressful situations to let the adrenalin levels drop.

The Fluoxetine made a big difference training Della. She loves going to the dog club and we use the commands she learns there to get her to focus in other places - like it switches her into work mode. At the club we started by working a bit away from the group but now she's good working around other dogs as long as I keep her working. Walks have been slower, but I don't always walk her every day if her adrenalin levels are still high from the day before (often she will decide by refusing to put her collar on). We intersperce walks in public areas with walks in quiet areas, and the walks in public areas are shorter (she's up to about 30min now).

Honestly, I don't think Della would have made it without the Fluoxetine, that's probably why she's had so many homes. If her anxiety had been dealt with when she was younger it would have made a huge difference.

If you think it will help you re-train Remy then go for it. Better to do this while he is young and those synaptic pathways are maleable, and hopefully when he gets through this he will be a confident adult. Some dogs just find adolescence more difficult. Tully went through a really tough adolescence, I even considered sending her back! Now she's the most sweet natured and confident girl and I learnt so much I became a trainer!
Click to expand...

Yes, Fluoxetine 20mg is what she prescribed for him. She did mention a couple of non-drug items at first but we've tried most of them and they have 0 effect on him - zero effect. It's late right now and he's resting on the bed, but an ambulance is off in the distance and he just went from dead sleep to barking loudly in a flash. If he hears a door open he runs to try and shut it. We've tried to work with him on not responding so erratically with treats and other deterrents but he is really unreachable. I pick him up a lot and try to calm him but he remains focused on what's bothering him. Every single "tuff" toy folks have recommended in here has been destroyed by him - we don't give hard items though other than bully sticks. He doesn't cuddle much and if he isn't crated during the day, he won't nap at all. I have the strongest harness you can buy that we use with a steel chain link leash so he won't gnaw through it and it will be strong enough to hold him back from his craziness on outdoor adventures. At 40lbs, he pulls like a freight train and only I (big guy) am allowed to take him outside on the leash. With as much as we've tried to walk him (every day) and his lack of progress, I know that he needs medication in order to calm himself down.
 
Maybe with meds you can start to make progress like Caro did with Della. Good luck and give him a pet from us (and pick him up for a snuggle/torture like I do with Spitfire :ROFLMAO:)
 
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