My dog has anxiety and barks. How can I calm him without meds?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

  Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

  Poor Capo! I'm sorry hear that he's having this problem - anxiety issues like this can be very frustrating to deal with. It does sound like anti-anxiety medication might be helpful for Capo, but only a veterinarian who has examined him in person can make this determination and prescribe meds. If you disagree with your current vet's opinion, you can seek a second opinion from another veterinarian in your area, or request referral to a veterinary behaviorist for a more complete evaluation and a comprehensive treatment plan, which would include medication if the behaviorist feels that it's appropriate. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org
  
  In the meantime, you could try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure to see if this helps - these will likely not be as effective as prescription medication, but may take the edge off of his anxiety a bit for now.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

• Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on June 25th, 2018

  Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Anxiety is typical in animals and there are certain situations that animals will be more anxious than other situations. As dogs become older, hearing and vision can begin to decline. In this situation, Roni may hear certain noises or is not sure what he is hearing and that stresses him out. You can try using products such as the Thundershirt or dog calming aids with Melatonin (which can typically be found online or at your local pet store). If the anxiety becomes much worse, I would recommend discussing anti-anxiety medications with a veterinarian. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

  

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• Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

  Veterinarian

  Published on March 18th, 2020

  You may try something more like Fluoxitine which is meant to give long term for anxiety. You must also address behavior as medication alone will not work. These links may contain some good information:
  https://www.petcoach.co/article/fear-of-thunderstorms-fireworks-and-noise-phobias/
  
  https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-deal-with-noise-induced-anxiety-in-dogs/
  
  https://www.petcoach.co/article/separation-anxiety/
  
  https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-natural-treatments-for-dog-anxiety/
  
  Expect this to be a slow process. You can also found sound tracks that desensitize the brain to loud noises and some dogs respond well to this. I hope this helps.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful