Prozac didn't work for my dog's separation anxiety. What now?

I am sorry to hear about Max. Lexapro is not a drug we normally use in dogs so its safety and efficacy hasn't been evaluated and I would not recommend giving this drug. The drug also requires several weeks of use before effects are truly seen so it would not help you now. There are, however, some prescription medications your vet can recommend and prescribe to help Max to provide both short term and long term relief. You can read more about this condition and treatment options at https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952970 . You can try over the counter products like an Adaptil collar https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952970 and Zylkene calming supplement http://www.vetoquinolusa.com/content/zylkene though in severe cases of anxiety these may not be enough.

I can understand your frustation here. It sounds like Zuess has severe separation anxiety. You are more likely to break him of this if you use both behavioral modification training along with medical management. Here is a website link with certified behavioralists that you can try out. http://corecaab.org/owners/ There is a link on the bottom right side that says behaviorist directory, click there. I would use the behaviorist long with either Prozac again (at a higher dosage because there is a range here) or I would try another medication altogether such as Clomicalm. I hope this helps and best of luck moving forward with Zuess and his separation anxiety issues. You may want to consider boarding him for those days where you are going to be gone for a long period of time just so that he doesn't destroy the house any further. Poor guy. Best of luck to you. Take care. Separation anxiety link - http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=3144

Hi there. Yes, in general, Zylkene is a good choice for a natural calming supplement for dogs with anxiety. However, I would also say that if his anxiety is severe, it's unlikely that a natural supplement alone will make a significant difference. If you didn't feel that the fluoxetine worked well for him, I would suggest talking to your vet about trying a different medication - just as in humans, it often takes some trial and error to find the best choice for each individual patient. Some other daily meds that could be considered would include sertraline, paroxetine, clomipramine, trazodone, or clonidine.

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.

Poor guy. He will need to see your local vet to get the medication (i.e. Fluoxetine, Clomicalm, etc) he needs to have a hopefully stress free and anxiety free time away from you during your leave. I would recommend scheduling an appt with your vet soon. Anything over the counter (Thundershirt, pheromone diffuser) is likely not going to be strong or effective enough to make a difference, especially if he is as anxious as you say he is. Also, it may be better if he is at home in familiar surroundings, than with you in a foreign place. Having a sitter come to the house is probably the best case scenario for him, unless of course you have tried this before to no avail. Best wishes with Germa and I hope you work things out for her. Take care.

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!

Poor Lucy! You could start with some calming chews like composure or the prescription form (stronger) composure pro to see if this helps. You can also put a calming collar like adaptil on her at the same time. If this doesn't help, I would talk to your vet about putting her on an anti-anxiety medicine like fluoxetine to see if this helps. I hope this helps!