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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

Anxiety drugs for my dog..

S

sunshine swimmer

Bluelighter
Joined
Feb 24, 2009
Messages
186
Ok..wasnt too sure where to post this thread so i thought id chuck it here. Yesterday i went to the vet to get my dog some vaccinations, while i was there i mentioned to the vet that my dog can get extremely anxious and worked up, especially if there is a storm. The vet said that dogs can be medicated with anxiety and anti-depressents much like humans, even using prozac valium etc. The only thing is that the vet wanted to charge $101 per month for these calmatives for him. i cant afford this, and i thought that if i were to go to the doctor and get prescribed an anxiety drug, and then give it to my dog, it would work out ALOT cheaper.

Has anyone else had experience doing this? i mainly ask so i would know what dosage to give my dog as it would differ to what dosage i would take. He is 32.5 kg. thanks for any advice you can give
 
Dogs need a bigger dose, apparently, my mate once dated a vet and she reckoned doggy valium is stronger than human valium.
 
... And I hate to be a twat, but google really is quite handy ;)

http://www.petplace.com/drug-library/diazepam-valium/page1.aspx

# Dosing Information

# Medication should never be administered without first consulting your veterinarian.
# The typical dose administered to dogs is 0.25 to 1 mg per pound (0.5 to 2 mg/kg) and 0.25 to 0.5 mg per pound (0.5 to 1 mg/kg) in cats, intravenous as needed or as often as every six hours.
# Diazepam has been administered as a liquid solution by the rectum in dogs having convulsions (because other routes of administration are difficult to use in this instance). The dose is higher, 0.5 mg per pound (1 mg/kg).
# Diazepam has been administered to cats at a dose of 1 to 4 mg per cat orally every 12 to 24 hours.
# The duration of administration depends on the condition being treated, response to the medication and the development of any adverse effects. Be certain to complete the prescription unless specifically directed by your veterinarian.
Click to expand...

But I really don't think you should be self medicating your dog with anything. And 62 mgs is quite a lot, considring even if you doctor gave them to you you'd only get 5's, 10's if your lucky.

It would also be an abuse of the PBS if you get them on a healthcare card :\

All round bad idea imo
 
bit_pattern said:
Dogs need a bigger dose, apparently, my mate once dated a vet and she reckoned doggy valium is stronger than human valium.
Click to expand...

no, valium is valium. how is it going to be any stronger? do you mean dosage wise?

don't self medicate your dog, that's what the vet is for if the anxiety is actually an issue. a few storms here and there through the year is no reason to have your dog on valium all year long.
 
If it's pricey, I guess I'd be weighing up the severity of the anxiety in question, and how it affects the members of the household when he gets worked up....?
 
Wow, I wonder how many people are abusing that and are using their dogs meds.
 
sunshine swimmer said:
Ok..wasnt too sure where to post this thread so i thought id chuck it here. Yesterday i went to the vet to get my dog some vaccinations, while i was there i mentioned to the vet that my dog can get extremely anxious and worked up, especially if there is a storm. The vet said that dogs can be medicated with anxiety and anti-depressents much like humans, even using prozac valium etc. The only thing is that the vet wanted to charge $101 per month for these calmatives for him. i cant afford this, and i thought that if i were to go to the doctor and get prescribed an anxiety drug, and then give it to my dog, it would work out ALOT cheaper.

Has anyone else had experience doing this? i mainly ask so i would know what dosage to give my dog as it would differ to what dosage i would take. He is 32.5 kg. thanks for any advice you can give
Click to expand...

I'm a qualified vet nurse, and yes it can be done. But please PLEASE do not do it. It is too easy for you to mess up the dosage without having a very firm knowledge of veterinary medicine and dose rates.

I would highly recommend that you speak to your vet about it, explain that you simply cannot afford $101 per month and discuss your options. Perhaps you can work out a plan whereby you trial giving the meds for a month or two, to see how it goes, plus incorporate a behavioural treatment plan and see if you can wean your dog off the anxiety meds once he's a bit more stable. It can be done :)

Do NOT go to your doctor in an attempt to get yourself prescribed the meds. Not only is it illegal but it's also unlikely to work.

bit_pattern said:
Dogs need a bigger dose, apparently, my mate once dated a vet and she reckoned doggy valium is stronger than human valium.
Click to expand...

Dogs require more mg/kg of diazepam to have the desired effect, but due to their small size (in comparison to us) the total dosage often works out to be less than or approximately equal to the same dose as humans. So as leftwing said, it's exactly the same product for humans and animals.
This occurs a lot in veterinary medicine, a lot of the meds are exactly the same thing for humans, sometimes just in different concentrations and/or different packaging (and almost always increased cost 8))
 
Good post n3ophy7e, thanks
14.gif
 
leftwing said:
no, valium is valium. how is it going to be any stronger? do you mean dosage wise?
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I meant.

Neo, are my calculations above incorrect? Going by that link at 2mg/kg a 32 kg dog would require 64mgs, no?
 
Man I don't think you should be giving your dog any drugs, that shit isn't right. You aren't qualified to dose it or know the long term impact. I think you would find it hard to get enough valium to keep the dog on it alot anyway, especially seeing as how your a member of BL I am guessing you may be tempted to use some yourself.

What happens if your dog gets addicted and you can't get anymore? Withdrawal is bad enough for humans and can be fatal who knows what it would do to a dog! It is seldom wise for a person to start relying on antidepressants and benzodiazepines imho, I can't see why it would be different for dogs.

I don't think its that big of a deal for a dog to get a bit anxious or frightened, overall they live a comfortable life in a nice environment and it would have to be pretty serious impact quality of life to the extent that warrants medication.

Just my 2c.
 
Your dog doesn't need anti anxiety medication.
It's natural to have fears!
 
A suggestion that I'm pretty sure I saw on Harry's Practice back in the day:
Would it be that bad an idea to make a tape/cd/whatever of the noises that work your dog up, and just have them playing for a few hours a day to desensitise the dog to the noise?
You'd need to look into this sort of thing first, but I've seen it a couple of times on TV and it seems to work.

My old cat use to hate going outside (since it was dumped nearby a busy road) but soon enough after taking him out on a lead and reassuring him, he would always try to run out the door every chance he got.
 
my dog was diagnosed with OCD and depression and was treated on and off with antidepressants, anxiety medication and also got monthly injections of steroids for skin irritations... we also took him to get acupuncture a few times and tried a few natural therapies recommended by an animal naturopath.

we tried all sorts of different treatments but in the end he was always a happier dog when he wasn't on any sort of medications.... i would seriously consider all other options before you start your dog on medications like that
 
^^ Good post, thanks for sharing your experience.
I have a similar yet opposite story: we had a patient (Bull Terrier X) who had debilitating anxiety and would self-mutilate any time it was left alone. We tried a few different medications, amitriptyline (Endep), fluoxetine (Lovan), diazepam (Valium), etc. In the end it was a combination of Endep and Xanax that was able to control this dog's anxiety. She was so much happier on meds!! She was actually able to function!

But it just goes to show that, just like humans, different meds and different methods can be appropriate for different animals.

Cornishman said:
Your dog doesn't need anti anxiety medication.
It's natural to have fears!
Click to expand...

Yes but debilitating phobias are not good, for humans or animals! :)

phase_dancer said:
Good post n3ophy7e, thanks
Click to expand...

Any time mate :)

bit_pattern said:
Neo, are my calculations above incorrect? Going by that link at 2mg/kg a 32 kg dog would require 64mgs, no?
Click to expand...

IV/IM dose rate for dogs is about 0.4mg/kg, or about 0.4mL/5kg, give or take (this method wouldn't be used for behavioural issues, moreso as an anti-convulsant treatment or for pre-medicating before anaesthesia).
The oral dose rate is about 1mg/kg, lower for less severe cases. 2mg/kg could be prescribed as a one-off for severe anxiety I suppose...but usually not quite that much, and probably not for maintenance therapy.
 
Basically, don't self medicate any animal. The introduction of a drug to any animal without the guidance of a trained professional is irresponsible and potentially quite dangerous.

If you're unable to afford the prescribed medication then seek guidance on cheaper alternative treatments.
 
My families dog that is 13 years old now (jack russell) used to suffer from separation anxiety really bad. The vet scripted her amitriptyline and said something along the lines of it being "dog valium" which it really isn't at all if your aware of the effects of both drugs. She wasn't on that crap for long.
 
^^ Amitriptyline is fucking harsh in terms of side effects! Lethargy, dizziness, nausea, fuzzy eyes etc. That would be horrible for a dog to endure when they didn't know why it was happening :(
 
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