Melatonin for Dogs???

K

Kjs

Guest
Did anyone ever hear of this?

I am trying one day a week at a doggie daycare for my youngest dog. Severe seperation anxiety. Vet suggested prozac, I am going to try a day away once a week and see how she does.

As I was waiting in the reception area last week, a lady was filling out paper work to have her dog boarded. She said, "she is afraid of loud noises, thunderstorms, fireworks. I usually give her melatonin to calm her down"

I piped up and said I didn't know you can give dogs melatonin. She said, Yep. I asked if it knocks the dog out, she said no. Just relaxes it a bit.
She looked at my dog and suggested 1mg. and go from there.

well, I took a 3 mg. tablet, cut it in half and gave it to her. Nothing. didn't slow her down, didn't make her sleep. Nothing.
 

Suz

(the future) MRS. GERE
Gotta love google... google melatonin and noise (ie thunder)...but not specifically for separation anxiety.

What does your vet suggest?

Suz
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
I never heard of giving Melatonin to dogs ... I'd check with the vet first before you did it. Many things that are harmless to people are not tolerated well at all by dogs ... many medications and foods like grapes, raisins, onions, chocolate, etc.

When my first Boston was a small puppy, she went through extreme separation anxiety when we'd leave her alone to go to work. It's been so long now that I'm not sure what they were anymore, but the vet gave us some tiny little yellow pills - we'd give her half of a pill about an hour before we left. It didn't put her to sleep, just mellowed her out enough that she didn't get hysterical when we left. She didn't take them all the time, just when needed. She didn't need to take them for long either. She soon resigned herself to being alone during the day and learned that she hadn't been abandoned, that we'd always come home again. She seemed to "grow out of it" as she adjusted to our routine.

Looking back on it now, I think she would have done much better if we had crate trained her when she was a baby instead of giving her the run of the house when we were gone. The crate becomes their private sanctuary and they feel safe and secure in there - they're much less anxious, plus it keeps them out of trouble while you're gone!
 
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