Weird Behavior First Week Doggie Prozac

[desmondgoomb]

Hi everyone!

I recently adopted a 4 y/o Catahoula mix (who I have posted about before) and we started her on 40 mg of Prozac for her dog aggression/reactivity. This seems to be a pretty low dose since she weighs over 52 lbs and the recommended dose is 0.5-0.9mg/lb. (Also, she is not spayed yet but has an appointment a few weeks out).

Today is her 4th day on the meds and she's been reacting strangely to sounds outside of our apartment. In the past, she'd only ever reacted to the 2 chihuahuas that live at the end of the hall when they pass by our door and bark at her. Other than that, there have been plenty of instances where she's heard other noises (our neighbors opening/locking doors, footsteps, talking, etc.) and has never acknowledged them. Today, however, she's started growling and barking at any little noise outside our door. It hasn't gotten too too bad yet, and for the most part, I've been able to just say "no" and she'll stop, but then she'll grumble for a little bit like she's annoyed.

I already called my vet and they said that she shouldn't be experiencing any mood side effects yet since it's only been 4 days. However, we haven't changed anything else in our house; no new pets, no new furniture, or anything like that. We have been transitioning her to a new food for a few days now due to loose stool and we have also been desensitizing her to wearing a gentle leader (which she doesn't like a ton but it's been getting better), but I can't really think of anything else that could be setting her off.

Could this be a symptom of her adjusting to the meds? Or could it be part of her adjusting to living with us? (We've only had her for 1.5 months). Has anyone experienced weird behavior in the first week on prozac?

Many thanks for your help!

 

[youngwolf]

@desmondgoomb That's somewhat of a high dose to start with; in my experience, they usually start a dog on the low end, 25-30 based on your dog's weight, and go up in gradual increments. Benefits include (1) less chance of adverse reactions and (2) if the fluoxetine doesn't prove effective, it's easier to gradually wean your dog off before you start trying something else like Clomicalm.

Anyway. With our current dog, we did not have any of the possible side effects BUT a lot of members of this community report that their dogs have had a period of increased reactivity in the first month of the fluox.

Hope this gives you some perspective and hope you guys have a specific plan for DS and CS to go along with the meds!

 

[desmondgoomb]

@youngwolf What do DS and CS mean? Fairly new to this! And I guess that is a pretty high dose I just assumed it was low cause it’s not the highest for her body weight but what you said makes sense

 

[youngwolf]

@desmondgoomb Densensitizing and counter-conditioning. The fluox or other SSRI are generally prescribed as temporary measure while you work on DS and CC with your dog's specific triggers. Once you've done that, most vers and veterinary behaviors would advise slowly weaning your dog off the meds. I've seen cases where a dog stays on meds indefinitely but that is generally the exception, not the rule.

 

[desmondgoomb]

@youngwolf Yup, we’ve been working on that with a trainer! She’s been doing better with her triggers although she still reacts, which is why we ended up putting her on the fluox (we live in an apartment with a bunch of dogs and it’s impossible to avoid them, she’s also a puller and taking her on walks in new places is really hard) were hoping that the combo of training and the meds will help her settle in to her new life and hopefully we can wean her off once we move to a place with a fenced yard and no other dogs

 

[yahhuah]

@desmondgoomb That's a fairly high dose. Most humans start at 20mg. Also, it takes a month or so to become effective.

 

[bablu]

@desmondgoomb My dog is also on a fairly high dose starting off (8mg for a 9lb dog) and is having increased reactivity too. I've been trying to keep him stimulated with kongs/walks off "peak hours" for other dogs outside. Fingers crossed it levels out and helps them soon