Joined
·
48 Posts
I started our dog on Clomicalm last week. Just wondering from others who have used it, how long until I begin to see a drop in his anxiety level?
Background: this is a 7 lb. chihuahua/rat terrier mix stray who has been with us now for two years. He was about a year old when he showed up and would NOT leave. (We found a new home for him but because we could not catch him, he's still here.) When he first came, we couldn't get within 20 feet of him (literally). Now, he let's us pet him and play with him but he is almost impossible to catch in order to pick up, say to put Frontline drops on him or to get him to the vet for shots. I have to give him a tranquilizer for vet visits just so I can catch him. He is a really sweet little dog with a lot of personality but SO VERY hyper. He is in a large fenced back yard and when one of us walks outside, he begins spinning non stop and just basically goes crazy. I've never seen anything like it. I know it's an anxiety issue. After a few minutes he calms down enough to pet him. But don't even think about picking him up. He bolts every time. I try to work with him every day, especially by playing fetch with him so he can burn off that extra energy. He is not scared of loud noises of any kind or even thunderstorms. He is just so anxious and skittish and very hand-shy. I'm hoping the Clomicalm will bring his anxiety down a level or two so I can at least do some clicker training with him. I'm convinced he has doggie ADHD - seriously! I just wish I could make him understand how much I love him and would NEVER hurt him. I'm convinced he was never socialized as a puppy. He was either a puppy mill dog or was just in the wild before he found us.
Background: this is a 7 lb. chihuahua/rat terrier mix stray who has been with us now for two years. He was about a year old when he showed up and would NOT leave. (We found a new home for him but because we could not catch him, he's still here.) When he first came, we couldn't get within 20 feet of him (literally). Now, he let's us pet him and play with him but he is almost impossible to catch in order to pick up, say to put Frontline drops on him or to get him to the vet for shots. I have to give him a tranquilizer for vet visits just so I can catch him. He is a really sweet little dog with a lot of personality but SO VERY hyper. He is in a large fenced back yard and when one of us walks outside, he begins spinning non stop and just basically goes crazy. I've never seen anything like it. I know it's an anxiety issue. After a few minutes he calms down enough to pet him. But don't even think about picking him up. He bolts every time. I try to work with him every day, especially by playing fetch with him so he can burn off that extra energy. He is not scared of loud noises of any kind or even thunderstorms. He is just so anxious and skittish and very hand-shy. I'm hoping the Clomicalm will bring his anxiety down a level or two so I can at least do some clicker training with him. I'm convinced he has doggie ADHD - seriously! I just wish I could make him understand how much I love him and would NEVER hurt him. I'm convinced he was never socialized as a puppy. He was either a puppy mill dog or was just in the wild before he found us.