How to manage a deaf, blind, anxious dog's car rides & potty schedule?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am very sorry about Pancho! Going suddenly blind can be very hard on anyone. Pancho likely has his days and nights confused. Dogs memorize where the furniture is in the house. You have to be very careful going forward to not move things around in your house very much. I can provide suggestions of things for you to discuss with your Vet for Pancho but we can not prescribe drugs or doses. I would discuss melatonin with your Vet to give 30 mins before bedtime. If that doesn't work then I would try it combined with Alprazolam or trazadone or acepromazine. During the day you need to work with Pancho to guide him around the house and help him memorize where things are. Practice having him lay where you want him to sleep at night and consider confining him there (your bedroom or a crate or a laundry room) to prevent injury until he acclimates to the sudden loss of his sight. I hope this helps and I wish you and Pancho the very best!

Molly may benefit from some anti-anxiety medication at this stage, and pain medication if she is having arthritis or other medical issues. Take her in for a full workup and ask your vet for anti-anxiety meds like Lorazepam as this may help her feel less anxious when you are gone. There are things we can do medication-wise to really help her quality of life at this point.

If she is anxious in the vehicle it is best to contain her in a crate. That would be the first consideration. There are not many over the counter medications you can give that will make her sleepy other than antihistamines (like Benadryl) but even sometimes they do not have that affect on dogs like it does in people. I suggest you try Benadryl at home on day when you are there to see if it actually works. Dogs take a very large dose compared to people so a dog her size would need 5 of the 25mg adult human tablets. If it makes her sleepy then on the day of travel you can give it to her 1-2 hours before you leave for the vet. You can buy the generic Benadryl (diphenhydramine). Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Many dogs suffer from anxiety when travelling, acclimatizing them to a safe crate now before the journey home, which can be used in the car can help as can calming supplements, pheromone sprays and magnetic collars. In severe cases, a vet may prescribe mild tranquilizer medications but these are not without risks outside of the supervision of trained veterinary staff, especially on a long journey and with an older pug. Keep safe and good luck

Hello. I would start with an over the counter anxiety product like Zylkene. I would also start using a dog appeasing pheromone in the home ( room diffuser ) or it comes as a collar. The pheromone can calm an anxious dog without drugs. Adaptil is the name of this product. If this does not help over the course of a couple of weeks, you will need to talk to your vet about possible behavior modification therapy & the use of prescription medications like Trazodone. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I am sorry that Rusty seems to be having a difficult time asjustinng to his new surroundings. If you have taken him into the vet already and received a clean bill of health I would believe that his issues are more likely psychological now. It is hard to know what Circumstances Rusty was living in before you brought him home. He may need extra time to feel secure and comfortable in your home. I would try some of the following Tactics to help him; Two walks a day (even if short) Special meal of boiled boneless chicken breast, steamed rice and cooked carrits Thunder coat

Shat a handsome boy! Usually lipomas do not cause pain so they should not be the reason he doesn't want to go outside. He may be painful or was scared by something outside. I recommend putting him on a short leash and having a treat to lure him outside. Take him for a short walk in the backyard only to start, come in and praise him and reward him again. That should help build his confidence and see if its due to anxiety or pain. Some dogs who hurt don't want to walk like they used to due to discomfort. Often they will be stiff rising, want to go, but only go for a short way before stopping. What you are describing does sound like more like anxiety than pain. You can add the supplement Solliquin which is for anxiety or there are other brands of calming supplements sold at PetCo. You may also want to try having a dog he likes come along when you are taking him out since he may want to walk again if he has a relaxed companion going along with him. I haven't found deafness alone to cause these symptoms. I veterinary exam is always a good idea also, and they may want to do a trial of pain medication to see if that helps the situation. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Danny.