Buspirone for Dogs & Cats: Anxiety & Fear Behavior Disorders

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Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This is a very dangerous situation, having an very large, & aggressive dog around children. Buspirone is a non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic agent used in dogs, but it may take a week or more to be effective; it is not appropriate for acute treatment of situational anxieties. I would never just depend on a medication to address this type of phobia where someone can be seriously hurt. Training, conditioning, muzzles must all be incorporated, along with an appropriate medication to try & manage Truman. You need the help of your veterinarian & a trainer or behavioral specialist if you want to socialize Truman & make him more comfortable & confident around children. I hope this helps. Take care.

Actually now the recommend medication is gabapentin. Ask your veterinarian for some and give it before the visit. With this the cats are just mellow, easy to handle and not as drugged as with the other medications. Diazepam is not used much in cats now due to it causing liver problems. Apromazine can make them sedate but doesn’t reduce the aggression. I personally don’t find Xanax effective. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your cat.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, this medication works very well for anxiety. However, I do not recommend starting this unless it has been prescribed by your veterinarian to make sure that he is healthy enough to receive it. Have a great day!

I don't know of a specific medication for anxiety in treat form, but there are treats with supplements for anxiety, the one I used most of is called Compoaure. However your vet can use a compounding pharmacy to get Prozac in treat form as well as that is likely going to be more effective than a supplement.

Ultimately, this is a decision that really needs to be made by the prescribing veterinarian, as there may be good reasons for choosing one of these medications over the other for a particular patient. But in general, I can tell you that most veterinary behaviorists prefer SSRIs like fluoxetine over older TCAs like amytriptyline as a first-line choice for anxiety issues in cats because they tend to have fewer side effects and are better tolerated by most patients. I personally use fluoxetine frequently in both dogs and cats, and have not prescribed amirtiptyline in years. But again, your vet may have good reasons for whichever medication they recommend - just ask, and express your concerns if you have any so that the two of you can come to the best decision for Fiona :)

Hi there. Yes, there are definitely medications that can help with chronic anxiety in cats, and she would likely also benefit from other changes in her environment to help make her more comfortable. Ideally, I would strongly recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate her in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan for her, including medication if he/she feels that it would be helpful in Sunny's case. You can search for one in your area here: www.dacvb.org If this isn't possible, then you can certainly work with your regular veterinarian if he/she is comfortable treating behavioral issues in cats. You will indeed need to have her seen for an exam in order to start any prescription medication - so you'll need to bring her into the clinic, or you can see if there are any vets in your area who offer housecall services. You can ask your veterinarian about using a calming supplement such as Anxitane or Zylkene before the visit to help make her a bit more comfortable, if needed.

Unfortunately Acepromazine does not take away fear and anxiety. It just sedates the dog, he will appear quieter, but inside, she is just as anxious, just cannot express it. There is a much better medication for that and it is called Sileo. Your veterinarian can provide you with that and give you the proper dosage for Bella. We are not in a position legally to give out dosages. In order to do legally so we would have to have a patient-veterinarian-owner relationship with you. Your veterinarian also knows your dog and the potential risks for your dog receiving acepromazine.