My senior blind deaf dog's severe anxiety: natural remedies failed.

I am so sorry you are having to go through this with little Chili. Neurologic disease in elderly pets can be difficult to treat, understand, and very hard to watch, just like with people. It sounds like her seizures are well-controlled with the Keppra, but she is displaying additional neurological symptoms: pacing, circling, confusion. I am not entirely convinced these are all due to anxiety though. Usually neurologic disease in elderly dogs is due to only a few things: metabolic disease (liver, kidney, or diabetic issues), vascular events (strokes), or a brain tumor. If you have ruled out metabolic disease, which I'm sure your vet has, the other two diagnoses carry a very guarded prognosis. My concern is that the symptoms you are seeing are likely the result of progressive disease due to one of those two possible causes. While anxiety medication might help some, I fear that it's not going to give you or Chili the results for which you're hoping. In this case, it's important to think about quality of life for Chili: what's fair to her? If adding in an anti-anxiety medication helps her resume normal activities where she goes back to being Chili and doing the things that make her "Chili," fantastic. If not, it may be time to make some difficult decisions about what's best for her. If you do decide to pursue an anti-anxiety medication, your vet might consider Selegiline (specifically for cognitive dysfunction in people, not a lot of reported success in animals), Clonazepam (in the valium and Xanax family, but slightly different), or Clonidine (a blood pressure medication, also used to treat anxiety) in combination with an anti-depressant, such as Prozac. All of these would require careful monitoring and consideration in combination with the Keppra. Whatever you decide, best of luck to you and Chili!

Poor pup! This level of anxiety about noises isn't normal, so I would consider talking to your veterinarian about prescription anti-anxiety medication for him. This could dramatically improve his quality of life, just like treating chronic pain with medication. If your veterinarian isn't well-versed in behavior issues, you could see a veterinary behaviorist instead - you can search for one in your area here: www.dacvb.org In the meantime, there are a few other things you can do that may help. I would suggest getting a white noise machine to help mask noises from the upstairs apartment and keep him from being able to hear every little thing that happens. He might also benefit from a DAP pheromone diffuser and a daily calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure.

Choppee should be examined by a vet if you think he has vision problems or may have sudden separation anxiety. Your vet can run some lab-work to look for medical reasons and then determine if treatment is needed. He could be developing separation anxiety or have some cognitive dysfunction and your vet may be able to prescribe medications to help.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am very sorry about Pancho! Going suddenly blind can be very hard on anyone. Pancho likely has his days and nights confused. Dogs memorize where the furniture is in the house. You have to be very careful going forward to not move things around in your house very much. I can provide suggestions of things for you to discuss with your Vet for Pancho but we can not prescribe drugs or doses. I would discuss melatonin with your Vet to give 30 mins before bedtime. If that doesn't work then I would try it combined with Alprazolam or trazadone or acepromazine. During the day you need to work with Pancho to guide him around the house and help him memorize where things are. Practice having him lay where you want him to sleep at night and consider confining him there (your bedroom or a crate or a laundry room) to prevent injury until he acclimates to the sudden loss of his sight. I hope this helps and I wish you and Pancho the very best!

I'm sorry to hear that Henry has anxiety issues! If you feel that they're severe enough to be impacting his quality of life, I would definitely encourage you to talk with your veterinarian about medication options. SSRIs like Prozac or Paxil are very commonly used in dogs for generalized anxiety - they're quite safe, and don't have any significant side effects in most dogs. They're also quite inexpensive (on the $4 list at places like Walmart or Kroger, usually!) Your vet can help you decide if starting a medication like this would be a good choice for Henry. In the meantime, you could also consider trying a daily natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure Pro - these can work well for some dogs, although the effects will be more subtle than with a prescription medication. They are available over-the-counter, and can be purchased at pet stores or ordered online.

Molly may benefit from some anti-anxiety medication at this stage, and pain medication if she is having arthritis or other medical issues. Take her in for a full workup and ask your vet for anti-anxiety meds like Lorazepam as this may help her feel less anxious when you are gone. There are things we can do medication-wise to really help her quality of life at this point.

Shat a handsome boy! Usually lipomas do not cause pain so they should not be the reason he doesn't want to go outside. He may be painful or was scared by something outside. I recommend putting him on a short leash and having a treat to lure him outside. Take him for a short walk in the backyard only to start, come in and praise him and reward him again. That should help build his confidence and see if its due to anxiety or pain. Some dogs who hurt don't want to walk like they used to due to discomfort. Often they will be stiff rising, want to go, but only go for a short way before stopping. What you are describing does sound like more like anxiety than pain. You can add the supplement Solliquin which is for anxiety or there are other brands of calming supplements sold at PetCo. You may also want to try having a dog he likes come along when you are taking him out since he may want to walk again if he has a relaxed companion going along with him. I haven't found deafness alone to cause these symptoms. I veterinary exam is always a good idea also, and they may want to do a trial of pain medication to see if that helps the situation. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Danny.