Many Dogs we save are from our local area and MACC. ACC policy is to give 99% of the dog there Trazadone and gabapentin for FAS ( fear anxiety and stress)
Many of you use the arguement that Traz saves lives. Well it also takes lives when overused and not carefully monitered. I am presenting facts and my experience with it. Two sides of the coin so to speak.. any medication when overuses or not used properly can be harmful. Even in humans. Granted cats and even dogs metabolish meds differently than humans. This post is to educate.
Traz reccommended dosage is 10 mg per kilo. As per the manufacturer. So if your dog is 20 lbs the dog should be on 200 mg or less a day. But when coupled with meds such as gabalentin, benedryl it causes the traz to become stronger or longer lasting. Traz will build up in a dogs system when used long term. Just like a humans body.
Every medication is made for a reason. TRAZ WAS STUDIED IN SHORT TERM USAGE For FAS,(fear, anxiety and stress) which is associated with stressful situations,such as vet visits , fireworks, traveling and staying in a shelter... IN DOGS, LONG TERM USAGE was not studied at high doses. In short term usage such as traveling, vet visits , fireworks this can calm your dog down and be quite effective. But when used for months it has many side effects. Any dog with a Heart, Renal or Breathing issue should not be given these meds as it can cause death with a list of contraindications. I have posted several links here to educate the public on the contraindicators as an education purpose. I am not stating this medication should not be used or is bad. It works well short term like its intended purpose. THIS ARTICLE is for educational purposes so you can make the right choice for your beloved pet. Just as any family member. If you dont know the side effects you can not inform your vet of any issues. I am simply sharing my experiences with this medication and promoting the facts. As a pet owner ex vet tech, rescuer and dog trainer with a background as a hospice nurse and medical researcher.
I do this out of love for my dog Nitro. He was almost 2 yrs old. A highly energenic friendly puppy at ACC. He was 42 lbs when we received him frkm ACC. He was transported to us from Manhattan to Rochester NY. We offered to foster and train him as he was on the kill list at MACC. He was given 1200 mg a day of Traz and 600 Gabapentin. Yes folks that aint a typo. Clearly overdosed!
He was panting, bouncing off the walls, pretty much passing out, Ataxia difficulty breathing, coughing and had an erection that would not go away. Drinking non stop eating non stop. He was all over the place... That night I did not give him any meds and we rushed him to the vet. He had seratonin syndrome and could have died. We put a plan together with our vet, to wean him because if you suddenly stop these drugs it can bring out aggression and cause other issues. This was stated by my vet and also found it in my research.
We decided to lower the dose to 800mg for ten days then 700 for ten days ...
still too much for a 42 lb dog.. but was more likely to lessen the chances of any bad behavior and withdrawal. WE stoppee the gaba altogether. Since he would need decompression time and not be handled to much, we felt this was the best choice. After ten days we dropped the dose down 100 mg per dosage, he was getting 2 dosages am and 1 in the pm. The next day he was growling biting and very aggitated. We used a muzzle and tried to handle him. It was unsuccessful. It cause Nitro much stress. Being from a medical bkground I decided to only cut the dosage by 50mg every 10 days. And split the dosage to 3 times a day. Viola it worked! With the vets permission, and by the next few days he was much easier to handle and improved each day. This went on for months. Since being weaned, he is much better behaved. Super smart. Allows cuddling which he never did before. Became more confident and obedient and focused. He still drinks and eats alot but is energenic and maintains his weight. We then started to notice he was not able to catch a ball or toy any longer. He would put his paws up to try to catch it and push it to the floor or it would hit his face. This dog could have been playing for the white sox with his phenominal catching abilities in mid air.... prior to being weaned. Now he is losing wt on his hind quarters and looks to being a bit pudgy in the belly area. He is clumsy. We are checking him for cushings, addison and thyroid. My vet said Traz will affect renal, heart and eyes when overused. I never want this to happen to another dog or family so we are speaking out. Sharing our experience.
Traz was never studied in long term or excessive usage in dogs.
Why does ACC use this drug? Because it was presented to vets as a medication that reduces anxiety and fear. It is a sedative. ACC uses it because an employee was doing a disertation on it. It was to be a trial run at the ACC... in using it at 10 mg per kilo. They never researched it... All these years or ammended its use. Instead they upped the dosage. More and more dogs are found dead in their kennels. They say from pnuemonia. Thats partly correct. Traz should not be given in high doses to an any dog with pnuemonia as it can cause ataxia (breathing issues, high bp or pulse rate) and finally causing death.
On the other side...
DIAMOND was an abused dog that was a puppy momma, had a lvl 3 prolapse and sent outside to live in a small cage in a filthy yard. She was not fed and was 29 lbs on intake at our local shelter. Her coat was bumpy, red, itchy and she smelled like yeast, her paws were raw. She was filthy. I seen how scared she was. I took her home to foster, help her gain weight so she can have surgury. After she had Prolapse repair and spayed, she continued to steadily gained wt. Her coat improved. Very nervous and scared even of leaves blowing around in the beginning. We worked with her and did confidence training. Thru training she became more confident. Passed her good citizens test and became a certified therapy dog. But still to this day she is extremeky scared of fireworks. So for a few days July 3rd 4th and 5th we give her 100 mg of Traz 2 x a day and she suffers no ill effect. It actually helps because she wont go out if the house when dark around the 4th of July to potty. With Traz she now functions and will willingly use the yard. That is the only time we use it.
I hope I presented both sides of the coin. As well as educating ppl. That was our intent.
Traz may be right for your dog. Just watch for the warning signs and always consult your veternarian with any concerns you may have.
Comments