r/reactivedogs • u/Emotional_Piece_8054 • 5h ago
Meds & Supplements Do behavioral supplements work?
I have a 6 year old medium sized mutt and he has a long history of fear based reactivity with 2 level 3 bite cases. It was more manageable last time but for this past 6 months, it's been hell. Even little things are setting him off and he's constantly stressed out and tense even at home.
Brought him to the vets last week and they recommended to feed him gabapentin 2 hours before his appointment so we did that but he freaked out so badly during the vet visit, wouldn't let me put his muzzle on him (he kept taking it off even in the car) and wouldn't calm down at all.
He was so scared, he even pooped himself. They had to physically hold him down so that he wouldn't attack anyone.
We talked to the vets about his behaviour and the vets said they can't prescribe any medications for him but to try pheromone diffusers and they also gave us a number to a behaviorist. We contacted the behaviorist the same day and had an appointment set up with her the next week but she never showed up and never texted us back. I live in a rural place so certified behaviorists are very hard to come by. I was actually a little disappointed that she ghosted us. We also discussed behavioral euthanasia but the vet said it's not ethical yet because physically he's very healthy.
I feel like I'm failing my dog, tried to desperately get him help but help is never provided. My next step is to try behavioral supplements. Does anyone have positive experiences using behavioral supplements? Or the pheromone diffusers?
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u/tchestar 4h ago
Generally speaking, they might help a bit, but most won't be effective at all for severe cases. Most 'calming' supplements seem more targeted towards soothing during episodes of mild separation anxiety or noise sensitivity (Adaptil, Purina's Calming Care, various amino acid or herbal compounds). If you wanted to see if adding them at home would help lower his baseline anxiety, it's worth a shot, but most take several weeks to start taking effect, and you might want to keep a log or a journal to see if his home behaviors seem different at day 31 vs day 0. Also, none of these are cheap.
The Adaptil diffuser (or collar) produces a supposedly calming pheromone and you can put diffusers in rooms where you'd like him to stay to be more relaxed. Purina's calming care is a probiotic that you add to his food daily that supports a population of gut bacteria that should lower cortisol. Things like Vetriscience's calming chews or Woof's lickable calming treats use various compounds that supposedly help the body regulate stress.
I started using these recently with my dog after she displayed escalating signs of separation anxiety during a trip I took. It's been about a month and she's less anxious than she was when I was on my trip, but that may have happened naturally anyway. They're basically benign, however, so if you can afford to you can get a two month supply and set a calendar reminder to see how things compare down the road.
Things you could consider investigating in parallel: is it possible he's in discomfort? Like are hip or joint issues starting, or is he having GI tract issues, or are his teeth starting to get bad? I know he's hard to vet, for his next visit look at the 'chill protocol' and see if you can get your vet to give you those meds to dose him the night before and day of his appointment - this usually involves two separate doses of trazodone + gabapentin. Some other dogs do better on clonidine or acepromezine before vet visits, but I'd get him in for an exam to see if there's a chance he's got age-related discomfort starting that's making this worse.
For his daily anxiety, double-check with your vet that they genuinely can't prescribe something like reconcile or clomicalm, or if they can't work with you to find calming daily doses of traz/gaba or clonidine just to see if they help him cope while you work to find a behaviorist who has better availability.
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u/Emotional_Piece_8054 4h ago
Thank you for the insight and suggestions!
His tests at the vets showed up normal, his teeth is in perfect condition too, vet even joked that he doesn't look like he's 6 years old because his teeth looks very good for his age.
I'm considering bringing him to another vet for a second opinion too but I'm worried about how he'll react to going to a completely new place with new faces. I figured I'd try the behavioral supplements and then see from there. I'm praying that it'll help in anyway possible, even just a little.
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u/Sitters_4_Critters 4h ago
I’m so so very sorry for you and your dog. You have tried a lot and I wish the veterinary and behavior community showed up for you in a meaningful way. You have taken steps most people haven’t bothered to take.
The behaviorist never showed up?!?! that is shocking. Did you find the person through: International Association of Behavior Consultants: https://iaabc.org/certs/members?
I assume your vet isn’t a behavior specialist. Vets with specialty in behavior: https://www.dacvb.org/search/custom.asp?id=4709 (the wait to get an appointment and the cost might be prohibitive, but I’m putting it out there).
I do not have any experience with pheromone diffusers but I can’t imagine they are some magical solution to this level of distress.
I am very angry for you that your vet dismissed your BE suggestion. My dog had undiagnosed adrenal cancer and he went through surgery for other things and his behavior and wellbeing did a 180. I asked for euthanasia and my vet declined and my dog and I suffered another four years. My dog had plenty of tests that that failed to show the problem.
Your dog doesn’t sound okay. I know you are in a rural area, but check if there is an in home euthanasia option. I’m not saying you should use it, but look into it.
Personally, BE seems like a kindness.
www.losinglulu.com has a free webinar on the BE choice
Aggressive dog.com might have some resources (I found it helpful when I had an aggressive foster dog).
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u/Emotional_Piece_8054 3h ago
Nope, the behaviorists number was given to me by my dog's vet. She also has a dog training academy, I'm a little confused as to why she ghosted me too because she seemed very nice and proactive when I first contacted her :(
BE unfortunately also seems like a very taboo topic too and it's understandable why they don't want to do it. I'll try asking other vets what do they think before taking the next best step for him.
Thank you ❤️
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u/Lumpy_Physics3101 2h ago
"the vets said they can't prescribe any medications for him but to try pheromone diffusers and they also gave us a number to a behaviorist."
OK I'm sorry but when the behaviorist costs $1500/hr I can't help but wonder what kind of a kickback your vet is getting for the referrals
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u/kerfluffles_b 4h ago
Your vet won’t prescribe meds? I’m confused.