My dog is more aggressive on anxiety medication. Is this normal?

If you have a dog with severe aggression, you will not be able to resolve the problem with medications alone. Any severe problem requires medication while you are doing intensive behavioral training. Then, once you have the problem well controlled with the medication, you can slowly taper the medication. For aggression, I always recommend working with a veterinary behaviorist. I would recommend consulting with a veterinary behaviorist ASAP for this problem with Bongo. A veterinary behaviorist is a veterinarian who has additional years of training in behavior. They can also prescribe or change medications if needed. Hopefully you can find one near you here. http://www.dacvb.org/about/member-directory/ There is at least one in the UK even though this is a US organization. Sagi Deneberg Langford Vets Ltd. University of Bristol www.langfordvets.co.uk Email: behaviour@langfordvets.co.uk Langford house Langford United Kingdom Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Phenobarbital is within a group of drugs known as barbiturates. The most common side effects in dogs, by far, are sedation, increased drinking, increased urination, and increased appetite. If the drugs were the cause of the behaviors you are witnessing, this would have to be classified as some sort of paradoxical reaction to the medication. In other words, it would be causing symptoms that are opposite to the purpose of the drug itself. Though I have not personally witnessed this, there are reports in rare instances of dogs becoming hyperactive and agitated after use of phenobarbital. While I can not say with certainty that this is the cause of the behaviors, It is definitely curious that they began at the same time as medication was started. You may want to speak with your vet about these observations and possibly choose a different medication.

It sounds like Bongo has some generalized anxiety issues as well as some aggression issues. You have already done some good things to help get this behavior in control. Neutering will definitely help even though you may not see the effects of immediately. Trazodone is a great drug but works mainly for sedation and not as much to relieve overall anxiety. I would recommend speaking with your vet about starting Bongo on an anti-anxiety medication like Prozac. This may help him as well. I would also recommend working with Bongo on routine/common commands and exercising him frequently. Both of these things will help him feel more relaxed and secure. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

That is not normal. Changes in pain can sometimes lead to aggressive behavior, however, this medication should help reduce pain, instead of increase it. I would speak with your regular veterinarian to try an alternative to the cosequin, such as a different joint supplement, or one that uses other ingredients like MSM or fish oil rather than glucosamine and chondroitin.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry to hear about Blue, but you are not alone! This type of behavior is usually related to fear - fear that is so extreme that the pet has no choice but fight or flight. It often leads to aggression. The bad news is that an expensive trainer may not be able to help Blue anyways because her fear level is so high. The good news is that there are several great anti-anxiety medications that can make a HUGE difference in Blue's life. Not only will they reduce fear (and therefore aggression), but they will make whatever training you try MUCH more effective. (Pets cannot learn when they are scared). My favorites are amitiptyline and trazadone, but there are others available. Talk to your vet about what is available and reasonable to try for Blue. I hope this helps and best of luck to you and Blue!

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.

Hi there. I would recommend discussing this with Diesel's regular veterinarian. Xanax can occasionally cause something called "paradoxical agitation," meaning that the dog gets more restless and anxious rather than more relaxed, but this shouldn't suddenly happen if he's already been taking the medication and it's worked well for him in the past. There may be room to increase his dosage, or your veterinarian may recommend switching to a different anti-anxiety medication instead. We cannot legally advise you to make any changes in how you're currently giving a prescription medication, so I would call your vet in the morning to discuss your concerns.