How to help my senior dog's severe anxiety without daily meds?

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.

I hate to hear Whiskey is having this issue. Behavior modification, exercise and medication are the three pillars of treatment with the best success rates. These link should help: https://www.petcoach.co/article/separation-anxiety/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/top-5-ways-to-reduce-separation-anxiety-in-dogs/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/7-natural-treatments-for-dog-anxiety/ I hope this helps.

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!

Hello. Much depends on what is the underlying cause of your pets anxiety. Noise phobias can sometimes respond to gradual conditioning to that noise. Training & training tools & toys can sometimes help with separation anxiety. Often, we turn to pharmaceuticals & supplements. I always recommend OTC products like Zylkene or Composure. These are natural supplements that contain ingredients that are not harsh or dangerous. CBD may help with anxiety, but you need to be sure the company you use has scientifically formulated their products to be sound. Canopy Growth seems to be one doing so for pets (https://canopy animal health.com ) & yes, this is the one associated with Martha Stewart. Prescription medications are often used, as needed or for help with behavior modification. Sileo, Trazodone, acepromazine & anti-anxiety medications like Prozac have all been utilized, but you will need to work with your veterinarian on these. Start with some of the supplements, like Zylkene & go from there until you find the right fit for your pet. Thanks for contacting PetCoach.

This is a difficult question, as the recommendation for which medications or therapies to start for anxiety are very individualized to the patient and the specific things that are triggering their episodes. If you haven't tried some over-the-counter therapies such as a Thundershirt ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/thundershirt-heather-gray-dog-anxiety-solution ) or a pheromone diffuser ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/thunderease-calming-diffuser-kit-for-dogs ) those are often good places to start. If these aren't helping you will need to consider consulting with a vet, who can prescribe Prozac or another anxiety medication, along with behavior modification therapy.

You can always try over the counter remedies for anxiety before resorting to drugs. That being said, I have rarely seen these "natural" products work on dogs especially ones that have severe anxieties. Here are some things you can try: 1. Thundershirt: http://www.thundershirt.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzuHJ_Y2j1QIVFo1-Ch00fwx0EAAYASAAEgKaavD_BwE 2. Rescue Remedy for Pets: http://www.bachflower.com/rescue-remedy-pet/ 3. DAP (dog appeasing pheromone): http://dapdiffuser.com/ If those do not help, I would suggest you speak to your vet about a prescription of Trazodone. I think it is the best anti-anxiety medication without many side effects and it doesn't make them too groggy or "out of it". Hope this helps. Best wishes!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Athena. I am sorry to hear of all of her recent anxiety. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian to try to if she is experiencing residual anxiety from a noise phobia (fireworks,thunderstorms, etc) or if she is experiencing age related changes known as canine cognitive dysfunction. Depending on the cause or if it is a combination of the two, she may be prescribed an anti-anxiety medication. Hopefully then you can all get some sleep. I hope this information helps!