I love Trazodone for Jackson. I only give it when he REALLY needs it. Xanax did *nothing* for him.
Jackson gets really bad anxiety during long travel, thunder, fireworks, etc. He can send himself into a total panic - pacing, panting, shaking. He also does not like vets or groomers. He shakes so bad. It's funny because in 90% of his life, he's a wonderful "bombproof" dog -- he's good on family vacations, he loves exploring new places/towns/etc, meeting new dogs and people, etc etc.
Anyway he is 18lbs and I have found 1/2 of a pill relaxes him for about 4 hours. I have to time it right. If I give it too close to the stressful event, it doesn't help much. I have to give it about 1 hour prior. What I like about it is that it doesn't just sedate him. It actually takes his anxiety away where he's able to go lay down and relax. I can almost see the weight come off his shoulders.
There is nothing wrong with helping your dog through their anxiety with medication. I'd rather have him on pills a few times a month than watch him being THAT stressed.
Prior we tried Rescue Remedy, calming chews, sprays, Thundershirt, etc, to no avail. |