Dog Separation Anxiety Medication

Dog separation anxiety medication can definitely improve quality of life for anxious/fearful puppies and dogs.

It can be difficult to completely cure a dog of separation anxiety but you can definitely reduce his level of distress with natural products or prescription medicines combined with behavioral modification.

It's also helpful to know that the treatment for anxiety in dogs is similar whether the problem is general canine anxiety, separation stress, or situational/specific fears such as fireworks, car travel, thunderstorms etc.

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• Prescription dog separation anxiety medication options
• Natural products for treating dog separation anxiety

Prescription Medications For Dog Anxiety

For the small percentage of dogs who suffer from extreme separation anxiety your veterinarian may prescribe an anti-anxiety medication, an anti-depressant or a sedative.

Prescription medications can interact with other products your dog is taking, either prescribed or OTC, so always make sure your vet knows about anything else you're giving your pet - including natural, herbal or homeopathic products.

Here are three of the most commonly vet-prescribed dog separation anxiety medication options:

Fluoxetine

This is what's called an SSRI drug (Selective Serotonin Uptake Inhibitor) which helps control anxious and OCD behavior (which includes separation anxiety) as well as depression and aggression.

Also, this type of medication can sometimes have the opposite effect to that intended!

Increased hyper-activity, restlessness or an increase in anxious behavior is possible and obviously if that happens you need to talk to your vet right away.

These should diminish as your dog's body adjusts to the drug. The biggest worry with this drug is that it can have serious implications if it is taken at the same time as some other medications.

Make absolutely sure your vet knows of any medication or natural treatment or product that your dog is also taking!

It can take several weeks for improvement of symptoms to start as it takes a while for the medication to build up in your pet's body. Fluoxetine isn't designed to be taken indefinitely, or for a long time, but by combining it with behavioral training the short-term use (perhaps 3 - 6 months) is usually enough.

Clomicalm

Clomicalm is an FDA approved tri-cyclic anti-depressant that's usually used to treat all sorts of behavioral problems in dogs, that stem from anxiety or fear, including aggression, scent-marking, OCD behaviors (such as spinning or tail-chasing) and of course, canine separation anxiety.

Your dog will may need regular blood tests while he takes this medicine, to make sure that it doesn't have any ill-effects on his body.

Clomipramine can interact badly with other medications or natural remedies, so be sure to discuss anything else you are giving/want to give, your dog.

It is not suitable for dogs with certain health conditions and your veterinarian needs to have a full health history in order to prescribe this safely.

Also, if your pet has ever had a seizure or has gluacoma this is not the drug for him.

Clomicalm may cause your dog to be a little dizzy, or drowsy, but it doesn't usually have a significant sedative effect.

It can take several days, or a week or more for the full effects of this drug to show up (both positive and negative) and for your pet's system to adjust to the medication. 

Amitriptyline

This is a tricyclic anti-depressant which is also used to treat anxiety disorders, including separation difficulties.

It can start to be effective more quickly than the first two dog separation anxiety medications above, usually within about 2 weeks.

Natural Dog Separation Anxiety Medication Options

The following options are gentle, natural medications or treatments which will help to calm your dog and reduce his anxiety without the use of sedative drugs.

For the majority of dogs who have mild to moderate dog separation anxiety, these products alone or combined with behavioral modification and training methods (learn more here) can work wonders.

Let's start off with the products or treatment that reduce separation anxiety as well as general dog anxiety levels, gently and naturally.

These include:

• Nutritional supplements and homeopathic essences/remedies
• Pheromone collars/sprays/diffusers 
• Calming dog treats
• Prescription anti-anxiety medications for dogs

Obviously not every remedy or product works for every dog.

It can be a bit of trial-and-error before you find what works best for your dog in each situation.

Depending on the length of time you're away, whether or not your pup is confined, what type of anxiety symptoms (and to what degree) he shows you can often use more than one treatment at at time.

ALL medications or natural remedies work better, and faster, if you also work on helping your pup overcome his fears with behavior modification and training.

For instance you can use a natural food supplement or essence and a pheromone diffuser, or calming treats and a pheromone collar.

If Fido is taking other medications or supplements and you want something that will ease his dog separation anxiety but won't interact negatively, here are a couple of options you might want to try...

Dog relaxation CD's - these make a great addition to your efforts to calm your dog and can be quite miraculous.

A Thundershirt - which uses uses gentle, continuous pressure to help calm your dog, making him feel safe and relaxed.

Supplements & Remedies

Any of these gentle, natural products could help your anxious dog (no matter what the cause) feel better, without the side-effects of mainstream medications.

Add a few drops to your dog's food, water, a treat, or directly onto his tongue. Made in the USA.

Pheromone Products

Anti-Anxiety Dog Treats

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