How safe is Buspirone for my dog's anxiety and her liver/kidneys?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This is a very dangerous situation, having an very large, & aggressive dog around children. Buspirone is a non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic agent used in dogs, but it may take a week or more to be effective; it is not appropriate for acute treatment of situational anxieties. I would never just depend on a medication to address this type of phobia where someone can be seriously hurt. Training, conditioning, muzzles must all be incorporated, along with an appropriate medication to try & manage Truman. You need the help of your veterinarian & a trainer or behavioral specialist if you want to socialize Truman & make him more comfortable & confident around children. I hope this helps. Take care.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Klonopin (Clonazepam) is a drug that we commonly use for anxiety in animals. Based on the veterinary drug book, the recommended dose for Clonazepam in dogs is 0.1 - 1 mg/kg by mouth every 12-24 hours. So for example, 30lb would equal 13.6kg. So the dose this body weight should receive would be 1.4mg every 12-24 hours as the lowest dose and 13.6mg every 12-24 hours as the highest dose. I always recommend testing out a new medication prior to using it for its intended purpose to see if it works. If this is expired, I would refrain against using this. As always, I would contact your veterinarian, whom you usually see for Olive and discuss using this medication with the vet on the phone as I do not know the full medical history on Olive. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, this medication works very well for anxiety. However, I do not recommend starting this unless it has been prescribed by your veterinarian to make sure that he is healthy enough to receive it. Have a great day!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. All medications have side effects and possible adverse reactions. Anti-anxiety medication, depending on which one, can be hard on the liver, depending on the medication, dose and frequency it is being used. Most anti-anxiety medications will depress the brain so tend to not cause seizures, but they do affect the brain so some animals can respond with seizures, but this is unlikely. Most of these medications will cause sedation, and the equivalent to 'drowsiness' that a human might feel. If you are seeing seizures or lethargy/weakness with the medications I recommend having your dog seen by a vet and checking blood levels. Also, I notice you have your dog listed as unneutered. If your dog is having anxiety, getting him neutered can help reduce stress and anxiety and would be recommended as part of an anti-anxiety treatment plan. Discuss this with your vet. Best of luck with Bruno.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While hydroxyzine is an antihistamine commonly used for allergies and might cause mild sedation in dogs, it is unlikely to resolve Hunter’s separation anxiety. I recommend trying positive reinforcement, providing distractions, or even using calming supplements for dogs or a product known as a “thundershirt” prior to resorting to medications. You should consult with your vet regarding any medications you may want to give to Hunter to confirm that there will be no interactions with anything he is currently taking and that the dose is appropriate for his size.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your question. From my research, Noni appears to be safe but it is a natural supplement with not much research behind it. With that said, as with any natural supplement, I always caution against using these products. As long as you feed a well balanced commercial diet, you do not need to add in additional supplementation unless there is a problem. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

The answer to this really depends on the dog. A lot of dogs are able to wean off the medication if the appropriate behavioral training and work has been done. However, it’s totally safe if it’s really helping Sadie, you can keep her on the medication for the rest of her life. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.