[webe8841]

Hi guys!

My dog (2 1/2 year old german shepherd-blue heeler mix) has had pretty bad separation anxiety in the past. She was a rescue and when we first got her, if we left her alone, she would destroy anything and everything while howling up a storm. We ended up replacing a couch and a bookshelf's worth of books as a result, and we almost got kicked out of our apartment. We had tried everything that our vet and the internet suggested to manage her symptoms (rituals before we leave, increasing exercise, exposure therapy, further training with professionals, etc.) and nothing worked, so our vet suggested we start her on Fluoxetine. I'm personally on an SSRI and I know how beneficial they can be. I did research further into Fluoxetine before we agreed so I could make sure it wouldn't have tranquilizing effects on her. Once we started her on 20mg, she improved dramatically. It was like, instead of being a nervous/anxious mess, she was a happy/playful pup. She seemed the same personality-wise, minus the immense anxiety she appeared to exhibit before.

My question now is this: she has been on this dosage for about a year and a half now, and we're wondering if she needs to stay on this medication. I talked to her vet about it and they said she would always need to be on Fluoxetine. This doesn't really seem right to me, personally. We've noticed a decrease in her energy in the last month or so as well. I'm thinking this might be a result of her being out of the puppy-phase, but I'm wondering if this has anything to do with her taking Fluoxetine.

Any personal experiences or suggestions would be great!

 

[JoanneF]

I don't know the answer but if you use this type of medication, what would happen if you were to reduce your dose? If you think your symptoms would return, would it be the same for your dog?

 

[JudyN]

If she came off the medication, it would have to be done very gradually - you shouldn't just stop giving it. This type of medication is often given as an aid to training, rather than an alternative. She may now be quite happy with you leaving her - SA can be cured - and so if this was the only reason the drug was given, it would make sense IMO (bear in mind I'm not a vet though) to see how she coped if you reduced it very gradually.

It would make sense to do this at a time where you don't have to leave her for long at all, so you can monitor the effects rather than leave her for hours and come home to find she'd got really upset.

I wouldn't do anything without your vet's agreement, though - explain that you really want to try to reduce her dose gradually and closely monitor the effects so you can step back up again immediately if needed.

 

[Laco]

I agree to not do anything without your Vets assistance. Abruptly stopping medication, can cause a lot of problems, and would require your Vet to monitor, perhaps even for a slow reduction of dosage.

 

[Carmella]

well here's my question: have you considered trying CBD oil or CBD cookies for your dog. I know in some people it's an unconventional thought but I personally saw it transform a very scared dog into a loving dog who was able to handle the separation anxiety training a lot better because of it. my last dog was on fluoxitine her whole life and I honestly asked the vet to lower the dose and we tried CBD even on fluoxitine she was a wreck it was the only thing that helped was the CBD cookies. so I mean talk to your vet if you feel like it about CBD there's a lot of evidence it works word of mouth by owners but not really studies yet.