Fluoxetine (Doggy Prozac)

shellyk

shellyk

New member
We started our 4 yr old male rescue McGee on fluoxetine this weekend. He takes three pills per day. The Vet warned it could cause vomiting or lessen his appetite. He needs to lose weight so maybe that's not bad. He's 3 days in and while we wanted it to take the edge off of his anxiety and reactiveness it has really just made him very sleepy. This morning he didn't even want to get up with the other dogs. He just snoozed at the end of the bed while the other two ate. He finally came out but didn't eat. Should I call the Vet about lowering the dose or give it more time?
 
shellyk

shellyk

New member
The Vet lowered his dose to one pill and his appetite is coming back. Last night for dinner I tempted him with scrambled eggs, cheese, left over brown rice and a little peanut butter. He loved that. This morning he looked at his normal breakfast and I think he was a little disappointed but he ate. The Vet will see him on Friday and decide whether or not to continue with this med or try something different. They said it's just like humans and it might take a while to find the right med and dosage.
 
shellyk

shellyk

New member
He is super dog fear aggressive. We only walk him places where other dogs will be on leash and there is enough room to make a wide pass around them. We've taken him to BAT classes to work on it and it works to just turn around and walk away from dogs. In the back of our van on the way to this park, if a dog is being walked he goes berserk barking and lunging at them. He loves people but sometimes even goes berserk with just walkers. We have cats and have a gate separating them. He will sit at the gate watching the cats one minute and charges the gate with 150 pounds in the next minute. We are going to visit our daughter in North Carolina for a week the first time we've been away from him and it's right around 4th of July. Of course he's reactive to fireworks. Luckily our son and girl friend who live with us will stay with the dogs/cats so we don't have to board them. He also licks and chews his feet/legs furiously. We have his allergies under control and the Vet said it is nervous, soothing behavior. He's also a licker. He will lick the face of our female newf for as long as she will let him. He will lick my hand or leg the same way. The meds are to just take the edge off so hopefully there won't be any incidents while we are away.
 
W

wrknnwf

Active member
Oh gosh! I'm so sorry he's so reactive! He's very lucky to have someone (you) who is doing all they can to help him. But it must be heartbreaking in many ways.
 
Tricia2

Tricia2

New member
My German Shepherd has a number of similar behaviors and didn't do well on Prozac (increased vocalization, hypervigilance, reactivity and self-injuring chewing.) At one point there was consideration that she might need to have her tail amputated for obsessive chewing. We switched to clomipramine (Clomicalm), an older class of tricyclic antidepressants, and she has done very well on it. It takes a little bit of alchemy to get the right drug and the right dose. Don't be afraid to discuss other medications if you find you aren't getting desired results. Caveat: We worked with a medical behaviorist as well as her vet to redirect her behaviors. It took several months but was well worth the effort. I applaud your commitment to help your boy. I needed to be reminded that most of these behaviors are due to anxiety not misbehavior.
 
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shellyk

shellyk

New member
Thank you for sharing your experiences. He hardly misbehaves and those I didn't mention...digging trenches in the yard...because I feel that if he is that bored - that's our fault for not giving him a job or something to do. It's nice to have another drug name or type to discuss with the Vet. Also now that you mention it he does have increased vocalization. He has always been a barker but normally there was a cause or a reason - not so much now.
 
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