Pet Separation Anxiety

[DOGS101]

I have a three year old male Boxer who suffers from Separation Anxiety. A friend suggested that ask my vet to take him of Colnacalm and her prescribe Lorazapam. Initially, the Colnaclam worked great; however, I don't sense that it is helping him anymore. I would appreciate any input on this subject.

Thank you,
Jan

[BeagleMum]

I had tried Clomicalm (Clomipramine) on my beagle Spencer but it made him very ill and did not agree with his stomach. He had been on it for 14 days and I never saw any results from it. From what I know, it can take up to 30 days to start to work and that is only if you are also working on a Behaviour Modification Program at the same time.

What does your dog do when you leave? I am just wondering how bad you would say that his SA actually is?

[DOGS101]

Thank you! Sorry for the delay in getting back to you - my computer skills are very poor. My dog was on Clomicalm for six months for compulsive behaviour. Specifically, licking his legs until they bled. When left alone; especailly in a car, he literally looses it. Picture an aggressive junk yard dog on a leash and a stranger walking by; we can only stop the behaviour by giving into him. ( If we don't, he will physically hurt himself). One vet suggested that he was having panic attacks, and that the Clomicalm would help him, while a behaviourist claimed that the Clomicalm would not help him if he was indeed having panic attacks. Lorazapam has been suggested as a treatment to lessen the anxiety. I personally do not want to give him drugs, but I do understand that it might be necessary to manage his condition. Needless to say, I want to compile as much research as I can. Any feedback or opinions concerning this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Jan

[BeagleMum]

Well, I have Spencer on Amitriptyline right now so that might be one for you to research. It is an anti-anxiety medication for humans actually so by the sounds of your dog, this might be one to try. I have read a lot of testimonials where people have used this medication to combat self grooming and it has worked. We have only been using it for just over a week at a very low dose so it has not kicked in yet. This medication can take up to 30 days before you start to see any results.

SA is something that requires a lot of patience. I know when I left Spencer in my SUV once when I ran into my dad's house, he ate the roof and it cost me $1,300 to replace it (it was a lease). Spencer is also agressive when he is on leash towards other dogs. We had tried everything and the only thing that has worked for us is the prong collar. If you are going to go this route, make sure to find a trainer or someone who can help you have it on properly because if it is on wrong, it can do a lot of damage. I have actually not had to use any corrections with it so that is good.

I would suggest that you read the 2 books by Cesar Millan. He talks about being the pack leader and how to take control of your dog. I have also read a few other articles about SA that were pretty good as well as buying a few other books. If you are interested in them, please let me know and I will give you the names.

[Daveyo]

Wow, you people do have a problem controlling your pets. I pity the person having to repair the roof of their car of 1,300 dollars. Whew.

If all else fails either get a cage to control your dog, or consider either hysterectomy (remove the ovaries and uterus, or spay the male and remove the testicles.

High amounts of testosterone causes the male dogs to be very aggressive and the same happens to humans as well. Removing the balls, causes this aggression to go down and the dog returns to being normal.

On the other hand, you can control the hormone levels by a Vet who can prescribe the counteractive meds such as premarin or estradial (which is female hormones). The male dog might get tits, but at least you can also control such behavior the same way.

up to you folks.

[BeagleMum]

Obviously you have never had to deal with Separation Anxiety, it is not that easy. My dog has been neutered since he was 4.5 months old. Why don't you do a little researd on SA, deal with it for a while then come tell me how bad of a job I am doing at controlling my dog.

[Daveyo]

Beagle- I truthfully had the same problem with my dogs as well and I got 12 of them. What I did was in my training was started doing it 10 minutes and leave them at home a couple times a day. Gradually I increased the time factor over the months following. Now I have reached 14 hours which is max and they have adjusted to the point they can control themselves with me gone for X number of hours.

Its a pure simple fact that a dog owner cannot always take their pets with them every place they go. It is best to train them in small amounts and it takes time.

In your situation you are dealing with a very severe case requiring to the point of medication and doping your dog all the time. I sympathize with you, and I know you will always have this big problem. Maybe you can try to re-train them slowly by trying my method out but I cannot say for sure if it will work, because by med stage it has gone way too far.

I don't know what else to tell you. Most of this problem is mental on the dog and emotions as well.

[BeagleMum]

With Spencer, we have been doing that training but he knows the difference of when we are practicing or actually leaving. For the longest time, I couldn't even get out of the room without him getting upset. We have gotten to the point where I can come upstairs and go outside for about 30 seconds. However, when we are actually leaving, he knows the difference and ets very upset long before we even leave.

The medication that I am currently giving to Spencer does not make him groggy at all, it is actually an anti-anxiety medication for humans. The Clomipramine definitely mad ehim tired but he has all the energy in the world with the Amitirptyline. I have been told that it is likely a chemical imbalance in his brain causing him to be so severe and until I can get that under control with the medication, I am not going to be able to just teach this into him.

So ya, it is not just as simple as neutering him and giving him female horomones, it is a lot more complicated than that. Spencer has had SA since day 1 that I have had him (at 8 weeks).

[Daveyo]

Funny how smart animals are. I once had a parakeet named Tweety Pie back in the late 70's and the bird was so smart it knew every time I was leaving and always flew to my shoulder. When I was at home it always sat either on my head or kept bugging me on my hand playing all the time. It also knew when I was going to take a shower because Tweety loved the water, and without fail followed me to the shower room. During T.V. time it sat on my shoulder always talking to me. Eventually Tweety liked to stay with my father more than I expected and my father loved that bird to death since he was retired. I lost both of them in 1983. They went together. So I know they will meet me when my time to go comes around.

Same for my dogs here. They too know when I am leaving just by hearing me put on my clothes or the keys especially my hat. This I think clues them in.

Dogs are very observant animals. They sort of know just by watching you and is able to put things together to know when your going to leave or your going to stay. Very smart. When I do my laundry, they all take a spot on the stairs watching me work with the clothes. It is like having an audience with you all the time. When I cook food for myself or say the word goodie time, they all go crazy and pile up literally on top of my feet. When I am mad at them and say the word goddamn it, they all run and hide under the couch every single one, and then you can see them peeking from under the couch covering. They also stay there and wait until they see me calmed down, and I will hear a quick bark from another room and they all come out. They simply know one way or another. Very hard to hide from them. They follow my trail using their noses if they do not see me around at first. I hid myself several times watching them and seeing what they do. Eventually they get hot on my trail scent, and then bingo they all find me standing there. Yea I play with them a lot too.

Hmmmm 30 seconds that is a start. Keep working on it.

good luck.

[gail715]

Hi Im new here. Found this site out of desperation! My little mini schnauzer is four months old. I was hoping this separation anxiety was just a puppy thing but after reading some of these posts I am a little worried. I just came home after being gone only 2 hours and my neighbor said my dog had been "screaming" the whole time. He also chewed the rubber door sweep from the bottom of the front door. His face was wet and now he is so exhaused he is just laying in my lap panting. I hate to medicate him. Do dogs outgrow this?