This is the first blog in a 3-part series about separation anxiety medications co-authored by Dr. Sophie Liu, Malena DeMartini, and Kathryn Gabriele.
Let’s talk about medication! For many guardians of dogs with separation anxiety, medication considerations are top of mind before they begin working a separation anxiety protocol. And with good reason. They can elicit a range of strong and potentially challenging feelings, raise several questions and concerns, and come with much uncertainty; they’re all valid.
In this first blog of our three-part series, our goal is to alleviate some of those concerns, answer some of those questions, and acknowledge the feelings that often surface when making medication-related decisions. Not all dogs need medication to overcome separation anxiety, but for those who do, it should not be a last resort.
There are indeed many cautions and caveats to consider before placing any dog on medication, and the good news is the evidence for using medications alongside behavior modification to help anxious dogs is robust and compelling. We are excited to share this information with you and also recommend you begin by speaking with your veterinarian (or veterinary behaviorist) about any medical decisions you make for your dog.
Separation Anxiety is a Welfare Issue
Dogs suffering from separation anxiety are having a hard time, not giving you a hard time. It is a debilitating panic issue, akin to a phobia, that leaves the dog flooded with fear when left home alone. Just like with humans experiencing a panic attack, dogs will engage in a number of involuntary behaviors that are outward manifestations of that internal feeling of being truly terrified. Common among them are vocalization, destruction, and elimination, to name a few.
There are real and long-lasting, sometimes irreversible, emotional and physical consequences for dogs that are repeatedly experiencing prolonged periods of stress. In the same way most guardians would consider it a medical emergency if their dog were showing early signs of diabetes or suddenly no longer able to walk comfortably, we need to treat separation anxiety as a behavioral emergency and with the same sense of urgency in our response to it.
While separation anxiety is a welfare issue for the dog, it’s also a welfare issue for the guardians. Caring for a dog with separation anxiety takes a toll on caregivers. It requires emotional labor, financial resources, mental energy, time, and personal sacrifice. While the journey of helping your dog overcome separation anxiety will be worth it in the end, that journey is exhausting. You owe it to yourself to ease that caregiver burden as much as possible and before reaching a point of mental, emotional, and financial exhaustion. Talking with your vet about medications to support your dog is one way to help both your dog and you.
You Are Not Alone
It is no secret that living with a dog suffering with separation anxiety causes significant distress – both for dogs and their loving families. If you have ever cared for a dog struggling with alone time, you can likely identify with the very challenging feelings that surface when you realize that your dog constantly cries and whines or paces and frantically tries to scratch through the door when home alone. While expert training alone can often help, for some dogs, medication is a helpful (and necessary) complement to behavior modification for realizing success.
Making welfare decisions on behalf of your beloved pup (or anyone you care about) is not easy. For many guardians, considering medications as part of their dog’s treatment process requires acknowledging and working through some strong and potentially triggering feelings and questions. Have I done something wrong that I haven’t been able to “fix” this? Will it change my dog’s personality? Are they truly safe?
These and many other questions and concerns you may have (e.g., financial burden, personal biases) are all valid and deserve attention as part of that decision-making process, too. If you’d like to learn more about the 15 most common reservations guardians have about using medication as part of their separation anxiety treatment, please check out this blog post: The Medication Conundrum.
Anxiety Medication Safety and Efficacy
Why do veterinary professionals believe that medications can be helpful in treating separation anxiety? Well, we have compelling evidence that anxious dogs actually have different brain architecture than dogs without anxiety.1,2 This means that not only can medication enhance learning, but it can also have therapeutic effects, improving the dog’s overall quality of life.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Reconcile (fluoxetine)3 and Clomicalm (clomipramine)4 for the treatment of separation anxiety in dogs in conjunction with behavior modification. FDA approval means the medication was found to be both safe and effective in several studies, which means veterinarians can make confident and informed decisions about proven medications to help dogs suffering from separation anxiety!
At the same time, it is extremely important to recognize that there are no “silver bullets” or quick fixes; improvement of symptoms and full resolution are different. What works well medication-wise for one dog may not for another, and finding the right combination of medication(s) and behavior modification to achieve resolution can take time. Careful, humane behavior modification is essential to reaching resolution, and medications can help the behavior change process by increasing how quickly dogs reach their alone-time goals.
This is Not Your Fault
We can empathize with how taxing caring for a dog with separation anxiety can be. We love our furry friends because they enrich our lives, and knowing they struggle with debilitating conditions like separation anxiety can hurt. Fortunately, we have a robust body of scientific literature that demonstrates the efficacy and safety of certain behavioral medications that can help alongside working a separation anxiety protocol.
We have each worked with countless dogs whose training and overall quality of life have improved tremendously with the addition of medication to support their learning and progress. We also recognize this is not a decision guardians make lightly on behalf of their beloved pups. So, please remember, this is a welfare issue for both your dog and you, and you are helping, not failing, your dog by using medication.
Citations:
- Vermeire, S. T., Audenaert, K. R., Dobbeleir, A. A., De Meester, R. H., De Vos, F. J., & Peremans, K. Y. (2009). Evaluation of the brain 5-HT2A receptor binding index in dogs with anxiety disorders, measured with 123I-5I-R91150 and SPECT. Journal of Nuclear Medicine, 50(2), 284-289.
- Dhonnchadha, B. Á. N., Hascoët, M., Jolliet, P., & Bourin, M. (2003). Evidence for a 5-HT2A receptor mode of action in the anxiolytic-like properties of DOI in mice. Behavioural brain research, 147(1-2), 175-184.
- Reconcile Fluoxetine Hydrochloride Chewable Tablets: Dogs. (2007). Freedom of Information Summary NADA 141-272. https://www.reconcile.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Reconcile-FOI-Summary-2018.pdf
- Clomipramine Hydrochloride Tablets: Dogs. (2006). Freedom of Information Summary NADA 141-120. https://animaldrugsatfda.fda.gov/adafda/app/search/public/document/downloadFoi/646
