Is your dog one of those really anxious animals?
Nothing seems to help calm his worries and anxiety, not even a trip to the vet or loud noises.
Then, your veterinarian might recommend trazodone.
Trazodone is utilized in veterinary medicine because of its sedative and anti-anxiety properties.
For dogs with anxiety and behavioral issues, many veterinarians will prescribe the medication either by itself or in conjunction with other psychiatric medications.
What is Trazodone?
Trazodone (brand name Desyrel®, Oleptro®)
Trazodone is a serotonin antagonist/reuptake inhibitor (SARI) antidepressant used to treat behavioral disorders, particularly those linked to anxiety or phobias in dogs.
It is sold under the brand names Desyrel® and Oleptro® (e.g., separation anxiety, noise phobias such as fireworks or thunderstorms, veterinary visits, hospitalization, and travel).
It is widely used as an additional therapy for animals that don’t react to standard treatments.
It is used as “off-label” or “extra-label” to treat behavioral issues in cats and dogs.
In veterinary medicine, many medications are frequently used for off-label uses.
In these situations, carefully adhere to your veterinarian’s instructions and warnings as they may change dramatically from those on the label.
How is trazodone prescribed?
Trazodone is administered orally (by mouth) as a tablet. It can be administered either with food or without.
Try administering the next dose with food or a small treat if your pet vomits or displays other symptoms of sickness after getting the medication on an empty stomach.
When taken for short-term stress reduction, this medication will start working within 1 to 2 hours, but when used for long-term treatment, it may take a few weeks before the full effects are seen.
Dogs’ Trazodone Dosage
Dogs are given oral pills containing trazodone. Trazodone for dogs is typically prescribed in doses of 1 to 19 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day.
The extended-release tablets are to be taken daily and may be prescribed for dogs with persistent behavioral problems.
As long as you are not utilizing extended-release tablets, trazodone can be used as needed with a quick onset.
For unexpectedly frightening occurrences like thunderstorms, this can be really beneficial.
What does trazodone do for dogs?
Although the medication is frequently administered to treat situational anxiety, such as the fearfulness of puppies when traveling, it is also frequently used to treat generalized anxiety in dogs.
Following surgery, some veterinarians prescribe medication to limit activity and speed up the healing of surgical incisions.
It is frequently used as an additional therapy for puppies who don’t react to more traditional treatments.
Trazodone can assist dogs with:
- Travel phobia
- Separation phobia
- Veterinarian visits’ stress
- Noise phobia (for instance, fear of fireworks or thunderstorms)
- Surgical recovery after
Extra-label or “off-label” usage of this medication to treat behavioral issues in animals implies that you must rigorously abide by your veterinarian’s recommendations.
Because they may differ significantly from those on the label created by the drug’s manufacturer.
Trazodone HCl, often referred to as Trazodone and sold under the trade names Oleptro® and Desyrel®, is prescribed to dogs and cats that have behavioral issues or other anxiety-related issues, such as worries about going to the vet or being admitted to the hospital.
Trazodone falls within the Serotonin 2a antagonist/reuptake inhibitor classification (SARI).
This antidepressant is frequently prescribed for behavioral disorders.
It functions by changing potentially out-of-balance brain chemicals (serotonin).
Serotonin is a substance that raises serotonin levels in the brain and helps “messages” between brain cells to be transmitted.
Animal hospital visits are frequently brought on by behavioral issues in canines and felines.
They are also a common justification for pet euthanasia, particularly in cases where unacceptably aggressive or hazardous animal behavior is present.
Animal behaviorists have adapted medications used to change human behavior for use in animals.
And veterinarians have started putting more focus on training and behavior modification in the last ten years.
One of the medications is Trazadone.
It is more tempting than certain other drugs for behavioral modification because it is a relatively cheap medicament.
Trazodone can be accidentally ingested by dogs because it is used to treat depression, insomnia, alcohol and cocaine withdrawal, headaches, and other conditions.
Trazodone is a medication that needs to be prescribed by a veterinarian and is only available from them.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved this medication for animal use, although veterinarians may legally administer it as an off-label medication.
If your veterinarian has not instructed you to, avoid giving this medication to your animals.
Does trazodone help with pain?
There have been investigations into the possibility that trazodone itself has an antinociceptive (pain perception-blocking) effect.
One of these studies, by Garrone et al., was published in 2021 and examined the synergistic interaction between trazodone and gabapentin in mouse models of neuropathic pain.
According to this study’s findings, trazodone does appear to have some antinociceptive properties.
And the combination of these two drugs effectively treats chronic neuropathic pain without causing any significant side effects.
Trazodone for dogs’ anxiety
Trazodone is used to train canines to behave better.
Separation anxiety as well as other anxiety-related illnesses may be treated with trazodone (such as fear of fireworks).
Visit Is Your Dog Suffering From Anxiety for more information about anxiety.
Other applications include the management of anxiety while in the hospital and the temporary easing of anxiety brought on by activity restriction, such as cage rest following orthopedic surgery.
Trazodone is used in cats for travel and vet visit anxiety and is thought to be safe and well-tolerated despite the paucity of studies that document its use.
What does it make dogs feel?
Louie started to feel the effects of the trazodone almost immediately.
He appeared to be more at ease and less tense.
Could it be so simple?
He was less nervous, but he was also less aware, which was unfortunate.
He wasn’t his usual vivacious self, but he didn’t bark at onlookers either.
His nervousness was treated with tramadol, but this was not my son.
Trazodone is typically safe for dogs, according to anything you can find online, but it doesn’t specify how they feel.
I looked at reviews from individuals who have used Trazodone for conditions comparable to Louie’s in order to gain some understanding of that.
Trazodone was clearly effective for some people, but it clearly had negative side effects for others.
I discovered over 1600 reviews with an average rating of 6.1 out of 10.
How should I keep a medicine name?
This drug should be kept between 20°C and 25°C (86°F and 77°F). Keep away from light and in an airtight container.
Trazodone Delivery Method
There are brand-name and generic versions of Trazadone.
The most typical tablet sizes are 50mg, 100mg, 150mg, and 300mg.
Trazodone oral extended-release tablets are available in 150 mg and 300 mg strengths.
What happens if I forget to give my pet the medicine or my shipment arrives late?
If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you recall, but if it is almost time for the next dose, omit the missed dose and take the following one as scheduled.
Then, resume your usual dosing schedule. Never administer additional dosages or two doses at once to your pet.
Canine side effects of trazodone
Trazodone is thought to be relatively safe to use in dogs, only rarely leading to minor adverse effects.
The dog will typically become more drowsy or drugged than anticipated.
The medication may occasionally produce little anxiety or agitation in some dogs; in rare cases, this anxiety may manifest itself in aggressive behavior.
Additionally possible are GI symptoms like nausea or vomiting.
The following are a few potential negative effects of Trazodone in dogs:
- Anxiety
- Increased hostility
- Fatigue or sleepiness
- Panting
- Diarrhea
- Gagging or throwing up
- Alterations in appetite
- Dilated eyes
- Colitis (painful inflammation of the inner lining of the colon) (painful inflammation of the inner lining of the colon)
- Priapism (prolonged, painful erection of the penis) (prolonged, painful erection of the penis)
- Ataxia (lack of muscle control) (loss of muscle control)
- Arrhythmia
Following the administration of trazodone, be sure to contact your veterinarian if you have any of the symptoms mentioned above.
Trazodone Overdose in Dogs
If dogs mistakenly take too much trazodone or ingest the pill bottle, they may experience an overdose.
Make sure your dog cannot access this or any other medications.
Serotonin syndrome, a severe disease that can result from a trazodone overdose, can lead to the following:
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Depression
- Drooling
- Hyperthermia (high body temperature) (high body temperature)
- Seizures
- Blindness
- Difficulty breathing
- Paralysis
- Coma
- Death
If your dog takes too much trazodone, get help from a specialist right away.
Call your neighborhood vet, a nearby animal emergency facility, or a pet poison hotline like ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline at (855) 764-7661 if your pet has consumed poison.
If the overdose has been placed within the previous hour, you might be told to induce vomiting.
In order to treat symptoms and offer comfort, your dog may also require veterinarian supportive care.
Source– https://todaysveterinarynurse.com/toxicology/trazodone-in-veterinary-medicine/
What actions should I take in an emergency?
Call your veterinarian’s office if you notice any symptoms of serotonin syndrome.
Call your veterinarian’s office right away if you think your pet may have taken too much medication or is having an unfavorable reaction to it.
Follow their instructions for contacting an emergency facility if they are not readily available.
Trazodone danger signs
For dogs who are overly sensitive to the medication, the drug is not advised.
In addition, it should not be administered to dogs that have heart illness, renal disease, or liver disease.
The drug shouldn’t be given to dogs who have narrow-angle glaucoma either.
A veterinarian should weigh the risks and advantages of administering Trazodone to a pregnant dog.
Some animal studies have shown that extremely high doses can have negative effects on fetuses.
Is this drug subject to any monitoring requirements?
While your pet is receiving this medication, no special monitoring is necessary.
To ensure that the drug is having the desired effect, your veterinarian may check on your pet.
Reactions with Other Medications
To enhance its therapeutic effects, trazodone is frequently administered in combination with other drugs.
The most frequent combination of trazodone and gabapentin is. A mild sedative and anxiolytic, gabapentin is.
These medicines work better together because they boost each other’s efficacy.
In order to cure anxiety, this mixture is frequently utilized. They can be mixed without risk.
Certain other medications and trazodone should not be taken together. These consist of:
Antifungal medications such as ketoconazole, itraconazole, or fluconazole Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), such as fluoxetine Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), such as selegiline.
Some medicines, including erythromycin and clarithromycin
Conclusion
Trazodone is a drug that is administered off-label to dogs to treat anxiety disorders.
Other behavioral problems that it can help with include aggression, obsessive behavior, separation anxiety, barking, and howling.
Trazodone is frequently used to calm down anxious or fearful dogs at the groomer or in the veterinarian clinic.
Trazodone is also used in some dogs before going to the vet since it helps calm down canines that become frightened or hostile there.
To keep your dog comfortable and relaxed throughout the examination, you can administer this medication before to the visit.
There are also circumstances where you need reliable medication for your dog to travel with.
When traveling by vehicle, airline, or any other kind of transportation, dogs can benefit from the usage of trazodone.
Contact your veterinarian if you have any questions regarding giving trazodone to your dog.
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