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Jana | 9 years ago
Normally, Cookie Needs Minimum Of 3 Hours Of High Activity (running Through The Bush, Chasing…

Normally, Cookie needs minimum of 3 hours of high activity (running through the bush, chasing critters, playing …) daily, otherwise she climbs the walls (pretty much literally). Ortho suggesting a month or more of rest. I voice that it is impossible unless Cookie sedated. (Because the more energy she stores up the more she’s likely to go crazy regardless of environment, confinement and situation. As I mention, literally bouncing off the walls. Plus the frustration and feeling unhappy that would come with that I’m sure does not facilitate healing either.

So we discussed it and ortho prescribed the Trazodone as effective and safe. What is your experience with this products? Side effects? Interestingly I specifically asked about side effects and was told there were none. However, when one looks it up there are side effects listed. Of course, side effects such as sedation are desirable. Others, such as vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, hyperactivity, panting, shaking and restlessness are NOT.

Ortho vet also said drug doesn’t not affect either kidneys or liver but infor says should be used with caution if liver, kidney or heart disease present. Cookie does not have those but if it doesn’t affect those organs, why the precaution?

I am not a fan of drugs but I feel that in order for Cookie to be able to undergo the period of restricted activity some chemical management to help her feel more aloof is necessary. Thoughts?

3 Responses

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  1. Jana Post author

    Thank you, would you? Because the other tranquilize options aren’t all that attractive either, particularly Acepromazine … *sigh
    First do no harm, right? But I feel that without some chemical help she will be very miserable and a danger to herself …

  2. Lindsey Knouse

    Hi, I definitely understand your worry. I have personal experience with trazodone and it’s actually been extremely positive. I worked with a board certified veterinary surgeon who used it on pretty much all of his patients post-op if he was worried about activity level. For my dog, I’ve used it for anxiety in the car (as recommended by a board certified veterinary behaviorist). In my opinion it’s a lot better than other sedatives post-op because it really is fairly safe and also reduces anxiety (a lot better than something like Acepromazine). One of the main things you will read about is serotonin syndrome when it is used with other drugs. However, the surgeon I worked with used it with pain meds like tramadol, and just used the lower end of the dose range because he was aware of that risk (I’m sure if your vet uses it frequently they are as well). Most of side effects you listed, while I know they are concerning, are pretty easy to recognize and are side effects of many other medications too…and if you recognize them after starting, you can always just stop the medication. I think that the minor risks of this medication greatly out weigh the alternative risk of her high energy level after a orthopedic surgery, in order to prevent the risk of her needing a repeat surgery.

    Since your baby is healthy and I’m sure they will be doing bloodwork pre-op, I don’t see any reason to be overly concerned about the organ adverse effects. My own dog had a history of acute renal injury after use of NSAIDs and is very sensitive to a lot of drugs (he’s MDR1 positive) and it was safe enough to use for him. It’s a medication that was actually developed for people with insomnia and is newer for use in vet-med but I don’t know of anyone who has experience with it that would say bad things. I think it’s great that you care so much to ask.

  3. Jana Post author

    Thank you, Lindsey, I’m very happy to hear about such good experience(s)!

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
I Have A 17- Month Old Male GSD. We’ve Had Him Since He Was 8…

I have a 17- month old male GSD. We’ve had him since he was 8 weeks old. He is attached to me but is OK when I go out. He watches me from a window and then lays down and waits or goes to my father and sits by him. He goes into his crate with no problem when we go out and he may bark for a few seconds but that is it. I work from home and felt daycare would be good for him to combat boredom, socialize him and allow me to work with focus. My vet recommended the daycare. My dog freaked out when I left him and just paced and panted. He then boarded at the daycare for 14 days to overcome the anxiety. He came home happy and calm and obedient. I took him back to daycare after one day at home, he ran right to his favourite staff person for a greeting and then he freaked when I left. I called to check on him and the owner said he is anxious again and that we need to address this now and we have scheduled a home visit. Before the boarding, my father had a habit of yelling and didn’t see anything wrong with a snout slap and I was overly affectionate and babying. The daycare owner feels this is the problem and that my dad abuses and I coddle. However, we were models of calm and patience and positive reinforcement when our boy came home. We really want to create and enjoy a fabulous dog so we agreed to police each other and give our dog what he needs and deserves. After the drop off this morning and the call with the daycare owner I am feeling dejected and I really don’t know what to think. Is my dog too attached to me? Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

4 Responses

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  1. Kasia R

    Sounds like separation anxiety, which a trainer could give you advice on. Also, a “snout slap”..that is a form of abuse, please, don’t let anyone hit your beloved puppy!!

  2. Kasia R

    Not saying that you abuse your dog at all, but hitting is hitting, and some might think nothing of it but my dogs are “family”, and I’d never raise a hand to them.

  3. Anne Wright

    Just as a follow up, I do not agree with any form of hitting, or threatening with anyone’s pets. The reason he was boarded was to combat the separation anxiety. And as I said, even though my dad is 89 and “old school” he has agreed to never raise a hand or yell and we are now watching out for each other to curb any bad behaviour on our part. My worry is that after two weeks of boarding/training to curb the separation anxiety my boy was anxious again and not happy about me leaving him.

  4. PK Dennis

    I say skip the daycare.  Your dog is happier being at home waiting for you and spending time with your dad.  I really don’t trust vets to give advice on behavior – most of them have not been trained in this!  I would spend the time, energy, effort and money on training your dog to entertain himself at home so you can focus.

    I worked out of my home for years with 2 to 7 dogs in my house.  I fenced in 4 acres of land (I know most people can’t provide that much land for their dogs) and my terriers & shelties would go in and out the dog door – hunting for chipmunks, sunning, and occasionally checking on me while I worked.  They were never disruptive to my job and if I was on the phone with a client a snap of my fingers told them to be silent.

    For what you pay in daycare you could afford to have a trainer come to your house and work with you, your dad, and the dog!  Or, you could take the dog to training classes to expose him to more dogs and people (this will be even less expensive than daycare!).  Letting your dog be with his pack, and giving him a strong leader (a well trained YOU!) is going to make for a happier dog in the long run.  Believe me! 

    What do dogs really want?  They want their pack, their familiar space, a strong leader, and routine.

    PK

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
Maltese. 10 Pounds. Ate An Old Chocolate Brownie That Is The Size Of A Hand…

Maltese. 10 pounds. ate an old chocolate brownie that is the size of a hand. acting fine, playing, barking, running, but panting and has a weird breathing pattern. but she is taking medication because she has Addison’s disease

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  1. brianna capistrano

    can’t afford to take her to the vet

  2. brianna capistrano

    I called my vet and they said to bring her in but I can’t afford to

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
Please No Negativity Here. Let Me Explain The Situation. I Live With Roommates And I…

Please no negativity here. Let me explain the situation. I live with roommates and I have 2 females and she has 2 males, I had my females before she got her males. Anyways, we had separated the males from the females at the end of May. I don’t know how I missed all the signs, denial? I don’t know but it wasn’t until July 5 when I noticed that her teats were getting bigger and realized she was pregnant and didn’t know how that could have happened as we had separated them and the reason why we separated them was because we were going to get them fixed through a program but they couldn’t do it until the middle of this month so we thought it’d be best to separate them. Anyways, at around 1130pm on July 13th I heard a lot of cries coming from outside as if to say an animal was in distressed, so I went outside to check on my two and they were both acting very excited and my pregnant girl disappeared into the back yard where it was dark, so I grabbed a flash light and followed her and that’s when I realized she was in labor, she was panting heavily and found herself a spot.

So I picked her up and took her into a bigger spot where I can keep an eye on her and I waited with her. At 1:30am July 14, she had her puppy but only 1 so I thought okay, we got lucky and only have to find a home for 1 puppy.

Now today she is still crying and panting and keeps licking her vulva, is that really normal? I’m just very concerned with her and right now she is crying too. I need advice please.

5 Responses

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  1. Crystal Reed

    By the way my female dog is a white german shepherd/lab mixed and the father of the puppy is a boxer/german shepherd mixed

  2. Anonymous

    please get her to a vet.  now.

  3. Crystal Reed

    Sorry it’s been forever ago since I posted here. Had my hands full. Ok, I took Chloe to the vet and they told me she was fine even t he though she wasn’t acting herself.

    She had only 1 puppy, I have an appointment to have my other dog and my roommate male dogs as well but of course they won’t fix the mama dog until her puppy is weaned at 8 weeks and everything. Chloe seems to be doing much better though

  4. Crystal Reed

    I will be keeping the little guy as his mom refuses to feed him anymore and I have been bottle feeding him since he was about a week and a half and he is now 3 weeks old as of yesterday. I just haven’t decided on a name for him yet.

  5. Crystal Reed

    I am adding this special little guy to our family, his name is Buddy and he is so advance for his little age, it is so cute and adorable. I just love him and he is an awesome addition and his mama has a spay date as well.

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
When She Was Panting One Night She Went To The Bathroom And Jumped In The…

When she was panting one night she went to the bathroom and jumped in the bathtub. My dog and I are visiting someone for a week and are staying in a apartment. Is it possible she might be home sick?

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  1. Adam Wysocki

    If you have to ask if you need to take a pet to a vet, the answer is always yes. 🙂

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
My Dog Has Started To Breath Really Heavy Tonight He Is On Steroid Tablets For…

My dog has started to breath really heavy tonight he is on steroid tablets for allergies and has started to breath a lot heavier than usual. His nose is dry and he’s panting occasionally is this normal?

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Pawbly | 11 years ago
Ok So My Mom Passed Away Almost 3 Months Ago And I Now Take Care…

Ok so my mom passed away almost 3 months ago and I now take care FULL TIME of her 14 year old shin tzu who knows me very well. He is completely blind and deaf. My issue is that I cannot leave his side for more then 10 minutes or he will start panting and crying like really crying, witch I’ve never heard him do in his entire life. I don’t know what to do ???? I can’t go anywhere or even clean the house because he starts to freak out. I’ve though about maybe having him put down but I don’t because he still does what I call his happy mode, after he eats he does this thing where he rubs his head into the bed kinda under the pillow and I engage with him using my hand. It only lasts for a couple minutes or so but he does this about 2 or 3 times a day. And I feel like that shows some signs of still having a good quality of life. But oh my god he is driving me crazy with not being able to be alone. HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE TELL ME WHAT SHOULD I DO ????????

1 Response

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  1. Anonymous

    Hi Angie,

    I am sorry to hear that you and the dog are having a tough time.

    If you think the dog is still having a good quality of life then there are some things you could try.

    -Treat puzzles such as Kong. The dog can still smell so get something like a Kong and fill it with treats the dog enjoys. You can even fill it with his food. Let him smell it and see if that takes his attention off of you. They make these toys for senior pets too so it won’t be to hard on his teeth.

    -Dirty laundry. Leave a shirt or something that you have worn that has your scent on it near the dog
    and see if that calms his nerves

    -All natural calming aides. You can find these at almost any pet shop. They are drug free and usually contain chamomile.

    It is important to remember that dogs mourn the loss of loved ones in a similar way that we do. This has been shown time and time again. Maybe the dog is really missing your mom?

    Also, because he is blind and deaf he is probably even more confused. Continue to be patient.

    If you think the dog’s quality of life is suffering due to his health then of course consult with your vet. Additionally, it maybe a good idea to have your vet check him out as he could be in pain.

    Best of luck!

    Margot Ahlquist (http://www.pawstotalk.com)