[Dailydrool] Prozac and dogs

[Beverly Szaton]

I used Prozac on Nigel for awhile.
Prozac is not a situational drug, that is, you cannot use it when you need
it and not use it every day. It is cumulative, so that it takes several
weeks (two to four I believe) depending. (On a lot of things.) In that
period it is less to more effective. Once you reach the right amount it
stays, so that consistent medication is the key.
Prozac in and of itself will not change behavior. It may relax a tense and
anxious dog enough so that he can learn. It may help with thunder and fear
of people, but it won't cure it.
Some dogs on a similar drug, Clomicalm, have shown increased aggression. It
isn'tcommon, but it is something to think about.
Despite it's apparent casual use, Prozac remains a powerful psychoactive
drug. It should never just be given without medical supervision. It has
side effects. All drugs do. It may interact with otheer drugs your dog is
getting, especially if you are giving something else for anxiety/separation
anxiety/fear...
Other side effects are:

Lethargy or over-calmness (The "Zombie" effect)
Gastrointestinal disturbances
Anxiety
Irritability or aggression
Sleeplessness
Hyperactivity
 Excessive panting
Loss of appetite
Prozac ranks among the drugs I would simply not give without medical
supervision. Your dog cannot say to you:
"Oooh Dude! This is WEEIIIRRRD!!!!" The way we can. Caveat.

MomPerson who has some personal experience in this and no I will not
discuss it.
Llewis, Nigel, Conley and Doc

This is my opinion only.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.dailydrool.org/pipermail/dailydrool-dailydrool.org/attachments/20130121/74474306/attachment.htm>