My dog has FCE. How can I calm her anxiety and help her walk again?

Royal canin calm food can be very helpful with anxiety and nervous behaviors, as can thundershirts and pheromone products. I would also recommend your husband feeds and walks her in the garden for toilet breaks so she can build up her confidence with him in positive, non-threatening routine patterns of behavior

Thank you for your question. I can't tell you why she is having anxiety, and it would be so much easier if our pets could talk to us! Anytime there are changes in our pet's behavior, I recommend a visit to the veterinarian to make sure there are no signs of illness. If everything checks out alright, I do have a couple suggestions you can try. Composure chews can help with mild anxiety, and are easy to give like a treat. https://www.petco.com/shop/ProductDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=10001&categoryId=&productId=19852&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&urlLangId=-1&langId=-1&top_category=&parent_category_rn=&storeId=10151 Comfort Zone contains a calming pheromone that comes in a diffuser or spray. If you try these and there is no improvement you can always discuss prescription medications for anxiety to help Adela relax. Thanks for using PetCoach.

It's possible that this behavior is not entirely pain related if Emily is not responding to medications. Many older dogs will show signs of cognitive dysfunction and panting and pacing at night along with disorientation can be some of the signs. You could try a calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure (if they are available near you), or you could try a diet like Purina Bright Minds. Pain might still be playing a role as well so you may want to call your vet to see if a different pain medication might help. Finally, it's possible that these symptoms are related to another underlying illness so if she still isn't improving you may want to find a way to have her rechecked by your vet.

It sounds as though Skye may have anxiety when travelling. I would recommend using a product called NaturVet Quiet Moments Calm Chews with Melatonin, which can be found online quite easily. I would also consider using products such as Rescue Remedy for dogs and an Adaptil Pheremone collar, which also can be found online. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Poor Ophelia! There are many things you can do to help get Ophelia feeling more comfortable and help control her anxiety. It’s great that you are being proactive about preventing issues in future! I would advise seeing your veterinarian to rule out any medical causes for Ophelia’s behavior first, and then visit the following links for some good tips on training http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=T&C=33&S=0 ,https://healthcareforpets.com/videos . Also visit the following link to learn more about Adaptil, a synthetic pheromone that is available in a diffuser and spray form that promotes calm feelings in dogs, and can often be useful in cases of anxiety http://www.adaptil.com . I strongly recommend you speak to a trainer who uses positive reinforcement or a veterinary behaviorist to help give Ophelia her best chance at becoming a well adjusted, happy dog. See the following link for more information on that https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/findabehaviourist . Good luck!

This is a difficult question, as the recommendation for which medications or therapies to start for anxiety are very individualized to the patient and the specific things that are triggering their episodes. If you haven't tried some over-the-counter therapies such as a Thundershirt ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/thundershirt-heather-gray-dog-anxiety-solution ) or a pheromone diffuser ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/thunderease-calming-diffuser-kit-for-dogs ) those are often good places to start. If these aren't helping you will need to consider consulting with a vet, who can prescribe Prozac or another anxiety medication, along with behavior modification therapy.

A pheromone collar, such as the Adaptil collar, may help decrease anxiety. Gradual desensitization is also strongly recommended. Calming chews, such as Composure chews (by VetriScience) may help but they are not "magic pills". You will need to modify her behavior. This may require the assistance of a certified trainer.