Saturday, August 02, 2014

My Drunk Dog

I recently took Sloopy to a new vet.  I wasn't dissatisfied with our old one, it was just a matter of convenience and logistics.  We were originally going to a vet on the east side of Columbus because that's where the previous owner was taking her.  Now that we've moved a little further north, it just feels far.  I had gotten a flyer in the mail about a dog's only veterinary clinic right next to the YMCA, so I decided to check it out.  $300 later, they had checked me out.

One thing I discussed with the vet was Sloopy's anxiety regarding thunderstorms.  It's bad.  She pants and shakes and tucks her tail and hides.  It goes on for hours, long after the storm has finished.  I worry that she's going to have a heart attack.  We've tried everything - foil, dryer sheets, thunder shirts.  Nothing seems to work.  Because of her heart murmur this doctor was concerned that she might have a heart attack so she prescribed us some anti-anxiety meds.  Today we had a super bad storm so we tried them out.

You are supposed to give them to the dog two hours before an expected storm, however, we didn't have time for that.  The storm approached quickly and it was massive.  We gave them to her as soon as we could.  We gave her the lowest doses too.  Then we put her in her crate and went to lunch.  (Yes, we went out in this storm.  This is what happens when there is no food in the house; you're willing to go out in a bad storm with a baby just for lunch.)

When we came home from lunch Sloopy was a whole new dog.  We were told that these drugs would sedate her and she'd just want to sleep.  That's not what happened at all.  In fact, she was hyper and kind of drunk.  She would take a few steps and her legs would give out.  She would jump on and off furniture like she normally does and she would fall.  It was sad and funny all at the same time.  The most awesome thing she did was suspiciously check out her reflection in Anderson's beach ball.  I wish we had gotten that on video.

A few hours later she was back to her old self, long after the storm had passed.  I'm not sure the pills helped or hurt.  We'll have to try them again.  Personally, I hated seeing her all drunk and strung out, but maybe that helps her not freak out?  Anyone out there have experience with anti-anxiety medicine for their dogs?  Should I be calling the vet?

2 comments:

Carina said...

No experience with dogs, but if it were me, I'd rather be sedated/drunk than scared and anxious!

Unknown said...

My springer spaniel recently had anxiety issues, she was having panic attacks. The vet recommended Rescue Remedy...it's an herbal supplement to help relieve stress. It works great so far, it just relaxes her, without getting her too drowsy. My vet had it at the office, so he gave me a bottle. Some herbal stores carry it, and you can also find it on Amazon.