My dog's separation anxiety is worse at night. How can I help?

Poor Rielly. I would try a calming chew like composure or the prescription version, composure pro. You can also put a calming collar on him like adaptil. These may help to curb the anxiety of your leaving in the morning. If this doesn't help, I would talk to your vet about start him on an anti-anxiety medicine to help keep him. This won't change his personality. It should just help him not be so worried about your leaving. If all else fails, when you take him outside in the morning, I would try to lock him out of your room or put a baby gate up at your door to prevent him from being able to get in there. This is a tough love approach but may work. I hope this helps!

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.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Separation anxiety can be difficult to address but with patience and persistence training can help. Rather than starting on anti-anxiety medications right away, I typically recommend trying products such as NaturVet Quiet Moments Calm Chews with Melatonin and an Adaptil collar, which can both be found online or at your local pet store quite easily. I would also recommend using a Thundershirt, which can be found online or at the pet store. It would also help if you began feeding Sienna breakfast and dinner in the kennel so that she becomes used to being inside the cage for positive things. I would move all of her toys to the inside of the kennel and whenever she goes inside the kennel, reward her with her favorite treat. If this does not help, I would recommend speaking with her veterinarian and discuss anti-anxiety medications as these may be beneficial in deterring this separation anxiety she suffers from. 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!

A pheromone collar, such as the Adaptil collar, may help decrease anxiety. Gradual desensitization is also strongly recommended. Calming chews, such as Composure chews (by VetriScience) may help but they are not "magic pills". You will need to modify her behavior. This may require the assistance of a certified trainer.

Behavioral modification things to try: downplay your signals when you leave and give her a long-lasting Kong stuffed with treats to focus on. Don't make a big fuss when you return, either--oftentimes owners are unknowingly making things worse by announcing their departures and arrivals. I've had success with anti-anxiety medication like Lorazepam that your veterinarian can prescribe (off-label) for short-term anxiety management. Anti-depressants like Prozac or Clomicalm are also useful for long-term management. Hope that helps!

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.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern! Unfortunately, separation anxiety can be quite difficult to address for most dogs. I usually recommend a multi modal approach. I recommend the following non-prescription approach prior to anything prescription: 1. NaturVet Quiet Moments calm chews plus Melatonin (can be found online quite easily. 2. Adaptil pheromone collar 3. Adaptil diffuser 4. Thundershirt In combination with this, I typically recommend providing plenty of toys such as a kong toy filled with peanut butter and some other noise making toys. I have recently recommended a product called the Pet Cube. This allows you to watch him via an app on your phone remotely and you can even control a laser pointer and interact with him while you are away. If this does not work or the behavior worsens, I typically recommend adding in anti-anxiety medications such as Trazodone, Amitriptyline, Clomipramine (clomicalm), etc. in combination with the above recommendations. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.