My dog has anxiety. Are melatonin calming chews safe? What are side effects?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Romeo. His bloody diarrhea could have been stressed related from the vet visit, but I do not recommend giving him Benadryl. Benadryl is used in pets for allergic reactions, not for calming, and it can actually have the opposite effect. In terms of the Melatonin, I can't say for certain it is safe for him. I would check with his vet. Best of luck.

Melatonin is generally used for sleep disorders and phobias. The dosage for Melatonin is 0.1mg/kg OR 1-9 mg per dog (depending on size), given 1-3 times a day. So that is around 2 mg or up to 5mg every 8 hrs for a medium sized dog like Sadie. Therefore I would recommend waiting at least 8 hrs in between doses before giving Sadie another dose. Also I would consider asking your vet for another anxiety specific medication such as Alprazolam. I hope this helps and best of luck getting Sadie calm during the remainder of her time away from her regular owner. Take care.

Hello, thank you for your question. I’m sorry to hear that visits to the vet are stressful for Luke. Yes, melatonin can be safely given to dogs. There are other medications that can also be used to help with anxiety prior to vet visits (gabapentin, Benadryl, acepromazine). I would recommend contacting your veterinarian to discuss which product they prefer and to get accurate dosing for Luke. Hope this helps!

You’re welcome to try the melatonin (1-3mg once to twice daily). My guess is that it won’t work to be honest, but you never know. I’m a huge proponent of anti-anxiety medications (of which there are several) . They tend not to have serious side effects, are relatively inexpensive, and I have had great success with them. I wish you and Flash the best!

You can try NaturVet Quiet Moments Calm Chews with Melatonin and see if this works. You can pick this up at your local Petco and give as directed on the container. If this does not work, he may need an anti-anxiety / sedative. Something may also be bothering him as well so it may be worth having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. 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.

Melatonia and CBD would generally be safe to give together. I would recommend checking with your vet briefly because there could be reasons not to give melatonin based on your pet's condition(s) or an alternative path that would work even better than melatonin.

That is quite a large dose for a dog that small. While it may just make Max very drowsy, it is best to seek out care ASAP in the event of a large dose or if Max is acting ill. Signs to watch out for include vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy/confusion.