Prozac for Puppies?

Good Luck with it all going forward. I really do get your struggles. Mindy is the exact same way with cars. We cannot take normal walks. We live in suburbia so definitely have cars always. Left to her own devices, I know Mindy would chase a moving vehicle and be crushed under its tires. It’s terrifying. My husband just left home and Mindy flipped. It takes her about 10 minutes to sort herself out when someone leaves. It’s sort of like having a disabled child. You have to plan things out for the least amount of disruption possible. The normal counterconditioning to these situations you would do with your average dog just doesn’t get through.

On the other hand, over time I’ve adjusted my expectations of Mindy. I’m always working to figure out what she likes and can handle and do more of that. It means we spend a lot more time training and doing games inside at home than I would like, but I’ve come to appreciate the unique relationship we have and the lessons I’m learning along the way.

Remy is lucky to be with a caring family who has his best interests at heart. Let us know how things go!
 
DianeP said:
Bill, we feel your pain in our household! Your Remy sounds very similar to our Mindy with the exception of being 25 pounds heavier than Mindy. I don’t know how I could do it if Mindy was huge.

We have struggled for the 2.5 years she’s been with us and she is now on three meds. Yes, three. AND they really help and make us all happier. She is on Lexapro (similar to Prozac), she takes Gabapentin which is a mild drug meant for nerve pain but helps with anxiety and also Clonidine which helps with anxiety, and in our case, also helps with her irritable bowel. I wish she was on none of these, but I’ve parented 7 other dogs, including 3 Shelties and none of them have been anywhere near like her. I’ve titled other dogs and have taught agility classes. So, I feel like I have some solid ground to say Mindy is different.

I’ll also publicly admit to taking Prozac, myself, for years and it makes my life better. You don’t magically get cured of tough emotions but it allows you to exist in a way that you can work out and work on problems without becoming totally overwhelmed.

Dogs who are as anxious as Mindy and Remy cannot learn. The meds hopefully get them to a place where they can learn with our help. Imagine being that anxious yourself and how horrible it would feel. Mindy could not nap EVER either, but right now she’s snoozing in the chair with me which NEVER would’ve happened without pharmaceutical help. I know some folks think meds are a cop out but in my humble opinion, when appropriately used they are an act of kindness. You don’t stop training your dog, but you hopefully get a dog who feels safe and calm enough to learn.

Here’s a great presentation on meds by a very reputable vet.

Hope some of this helps!
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Well you said with first hand experience what I was going to suggest and that was perhaps trying medication would allow Remy to be desensitized to some of his triggers while in a more relaxed state. My five year old singleton we ended up trying something for (forgot what) for nail trimming. Within six months we tapered off using it and in less than a year were able to stop completely. Now I can trim all four feet in one sitting. He doesn’t love it, but tolerates it. Even without that degree if success, you may have enough to reduce dosage.
 
Happy Birthday, Remy! It may just be coincidence, but Mindy first went on meds right around her first birthday. Maybe something happens developmentally around that point for these anxious babies. Hope he recovers from the neuter quickly!
 
Happy birthday Remy!!

Has anyone recommended the Control Unleashed book series yet? I think “Control Unleashed: The Puppy Program” by Leslie McDevitt might be really helpful for Remy. It’s written to help reactive and fearful dogs. I love the series. In the latest book (Reactive to Relaxed), the author talks about medicating dogs, and she does say it’s helpful for certain dogs.

https://www.amazon.com/Control-Unle...ocphy=9032798&hvtargid=pla-571308469377&psc=1
 
Follow Up: We've been waiting to give Remy the Prozac type drug until we see if his post-neuter personality calms down naturally. He's still pretty much his same self but he certainly isn't humping the ladies much anymore which is great. He does suffer from severe anxiety over too many things (he freaked seeing the Valentine bouquet up on the counter this morning) so we're probably going to start his treatment soon. But overall, he seems happier than he has ever been.
 
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