Dog Anxiety Medication: How Can Compounding Help?

Like humans, dogs often suffer from stress and anxiety. Luckily, there are ways to manage this condition, one of the options being dog anxiety medication and compounding options.

Anxiety can be a real struggle. In fact, nearly 40 million Americans are afflicted with conditions such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Panic Disorder (PD) every single year. Quarantine certainly isn’t doing anything to lower those numbers; if anything, they’re on the rise as a result of it instead.

But there’s another situation unfolding in homes with pets that’s drawing attention to the same plight in a different species: dogs. Quarantine has many pet owners questioning why their dogs are suddenly acting out, misbehaving, or suddenly reacting in fear to everyday experiences.

They’re crying, demanding attention, and perhaps even engaging in destructive behaviors – what gives?

Fear not: your little furry angel probably hasn’t been switched out by aliens. The real cause is very likely anxiety stemming from stress. We’ll help demystify this condition, and tell you how to treat it, in this post.

Why Your Pet May Be Acting Different During Quarantine

Dogs are incredibly sensitive creatures – they read human emotion and react to it like no other pet can. That can be a double-edged sword when you’re feeling intense anxiety, fear, or frustration yourself. And it’s fair to say that pretty much all of us have experienced that at least once every few days over the last six months.

If your well-behaved dog suddenly begins to display behavior problems or clear symptoms of anxiety, know that you aren’t alone. It’s highly likely that the current chaos and changes to her schedule are  influencing her.

Here’s the good news: no matter what causes your dog’s anxiety, it’s an incredibly treatable condition. But the most important thing you can do is learn how to recognize it and respond to it in your everyday lives. And responding is so, so important – we know through research that dogs who have their anxiety addressed early have a far better long-term prognosis than those who don’t.

In the next section, we’ll tell you about some of the many reasons why anxiety occurs in dogs. Then, we’ll explain what you can do to help your dog manage their fearful feelings, what dog anxiety medication exists, and how your pharmacy can help with treatment.

Other Reasons Dogs Experience Anxiety

We mentioned that quarantine seems to be making some dogs more anxious than others. That’s largely because quarantine is a stressful, confusing, and inconsistent time for them. Maybe they’re used to you going to work all day; now, suddenly, you’re home. Or, maybe they just aren’t expending energy at doggy day care anymore. All of these changes can be stressful enough to spur on anxiety or even panic.

But quarantine aside, just what exactly is it that causes anxiety in dogs, anyway?

The answer really varies. Every dog is different, and individual experiences might make a pup more or less likely to experience fearfulness and anxiety, too.

Merck Veterinary Manual, which is considered the “bible” of veterinary medicine in many animal health clinics, talks about the most common causes here. Here’s a quick run-down to help you identify situational influences in your dog.

Fears and Phobias

• At the top of this list is canine fears and true phobias. These occur when a dog develops an irrational fear of something, usually in response to a bad experience or some kind of trauma. For example, your dog might become fearful of water if he falls into the pool and can’t get out as a pup.

Separation Anxiety

• Canine separation anxiety is also extremely common, especially in dogs who have a shaky start in life (e.g., rescues). Dogs with this condition suffer from intense feelings of fear and even outright panic when they can’t be around their favorite person or even another pet. For example, your dog may bark and whine out of fear all day while you’re away at work.

Compulsive Disorders

• Canine compulsive disorders – similar to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in humans – can also make your dog anxious or even reactive. Your dog may hyperfocus on some kind of behavior, experience, or activity (such as chewing on your favorite shoes) to the point that forcing him to stop causes panic.

Age

• Age can sometimes cause dogs to become fearful or panicky, usually as a result of some kind of canine dementia. It’s far more common in dogs over seven years old, but the exact age really depends on breed. As with humans who suffer from dementia, your dog might express fear after finding himself lost or confused within his own yard or even within your home.

So, how can you know if your dog is experiencing anxiety symptoms? Pay close attention to his or her behavior. Confident dogs who feel comfortable will stand normally, with ears alert. Their tail typically stands tall (at attention) or straight back from their bodies, not tucked between their legs. Of course, shaking, whining, or shrieking are all signs of intense anxiety, as is fearful biting or lunging.

Early Intervention Options

We mentioned that early intervention is really helpful for canine anxiety – that’s especially true for training, lifestyle adjustments, and alternative therapies. Your vet might recommend one or more of  the following non-drug options:

• Building your dog’s confidence or engaging in exposure therapy to overcome his fear. This includes training your dog to pay attention to you instead of focusing on fear-inducing stimuli as well as exposure therapy.
• Adjusting his environment and/or schedule to eliminate the source of anxiety and/or fear. For example, you might put up a fence or keep him in a separate room when company comes over.
• Using a thundershirt. These can also be very helpful for some dogs, as can exercise and even agility training. This form of compression therapy “hugs” the dog, which can be very comforting. It’s particularly effective for loud noises.

Unfortunately, non-drug treatments aren’t always enough. When dogs continue to struggle and suffer with symptoms despite all early interventions, or when anxiety is so severe they can’t even concentrate on them anyway, it’s typically time to consider the different types of dog anxiety medication. We’ll talk about those options next.

Types of Dog Anxiety Medication

Your veterinarian is the only one who can decide if dog anxiety medication is right for your pet. That said, it might surprise you to learn that most of the drugs he or she would prescribe are the same drugs used to treat anxiety in humans!

The most common examples are:

• Benzodiazepines, such as Xanax, Valium, and Ativan. These drugs are immediately sedating and influence a sensation of calmness while also helping slow activity in the brain. They’re effective, but can be addictive, too.
• SSRIs, including Reconcile, Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil. These drugs are for the long-term treatment of anxiety and other mental health conditions (yes, even in dogs). They work by altering and stabilizing certain brain chemicals.
• Buspirone, an anxiolytic that works similarly to SSRIs, but acts on other brain chemicals to prevent panic and intense “fight or flight.” This, too, needs to be taken for some time before effects are witnessed.
• Clomicalm, which is a tricyclic antidepressant with a similar effect to SSRIs. It is most effective for separation anxiety, especially in dogs who can’t tolerate SSRIs.
• Sileo, an alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonist that slows activity in areas of the brain responsible for anxiety. It is especially effective in treating dogs who become anxious in response to loud noises (e.g., fireworks or kids hollering).

Does Human Medication Work?

As we mentioned, many of these medications are also prescribed for humans. We want to state for the record that this does not mean you should give your dog your medication (or anyone else’s, for that matter). Dog anxiety medication is specially formulated to be safe for your furry companion, in much lower doses. Giving human medications can be dangerous, causing toxicity, overdose, or even death.

Now that we have that out of the way… what happens when it comes time to give your dog a pill? Your compounding pharmacy can help; we’ll tell you how.

How a Compounding Pharmacy Can Help

Anyone who owns a dog knows it isn’t always to get them to take medication. They can be almost as, or even more than, stubborn about it than children. You can’t exactly explain to them that it will help them. But you don’t want to make medication time a source of additional anxiety by forcing it on them, either.

The reality is that, at least to your dog, medication is detected as a foreign and potentially harmful substance. Their natural instincts tell them to avoid it whenever they possibly can even if it’s what’s best. Instead of fighting them on the subject (to absolutely no avail), call your pharmacy and ask about compounding.

A good compounding pharmacy can reformulate just about any canine medication into something much more palatable. Compounded pet medication includes reformulating pills into tasty treats, easy-to-apply topicals, or even dissolvable films you can place inside their cheek for quick delivery. If your dog happens to need multiple medications, they may even be able to combine them into one easy dose, too.

The bottom line? Neither you nor your dog have to suffer the effects of anxiety in silence. Reach out to your pharmacy today to learn more.