I haven't put a dog on those kinds of meds, so I can't speak from personal experience.
It's my understanding that they work pretty much the same way they do in humans - they affect the parts of the brain that we share with dogs. If he has extreme separation anxiety, it could help with that as well.
I am curious because you said he used to let you clip his nails and now he doesn't, so I'm wondering what changed for him. Have you considered getting a trainer?
I don't know if you are familiar with desensitizing dogs generally. Usually it does take a while. For an extreme case like that, I would start when he's very relaxed and maybe getting his belly rubbed. Then I would just touch his paw for a second, say "good boy", and go back to rubbing his belly. I would do this several times in one session, probably twice a day. Then the next day, I would touch his paw for two seconds. Then after a week, I would try holding his paw for just a second. Then after a two weeks, work up to examining his paw with the clippers nearby. Then after three weeks, maybe cutting a nail, with lots of praise and treats.
It does take a long time, but OTOH, so do meds. Maybe you've already tried this approach, just wanted to throw it out there. |