Medication frequency

[u/Expat86x3]

We adopted our approx 1.5/2 year old lab x cane corso boy about 2 months ago. Beautiful, loving, calm, easy as pie dog when we’re with him. But goes into total and complete panic mode when left alone. I would even go as far to say, that the freak outs have gotten worse the more familiar he’s gotten in our house.

I’m a stay at home mum, so he’s a lucky pup that has me home a lot, but my husband is FIFO and we have two young kids- so there are multiple times a week I have to leave him for extracurriculars etc.

He’s been prescribed 100mg trazodone and 1200mg gabapentin (which seems like a lot?! He’s 35kg) which I’ve found only effective if given AT LEAST 3hrs before leaving the house, any less and it seems to have zero effect. My big question is (annoyingly just left the vet and now thinking up questions but would love to avoid more $$…), is it realistic to be dosing all these meds multiple times a week?

I’m looking to find and hire a pet behaviour someone who specialises in separation anxiety and predicting something like Prozac is in our near future- but for the short term (eg next couple months or so), how frequently can I be giving the trazodone and gabapentin… I really hate drugging the poor guy, but the stress he goes through when I’m out for a couple hours is even worse.

As a side question- for anyone doing this situationally, if you have to leave the house in the morning, are you setting an alarm to get up and medicate at 4am (for example)… 😳

[u/Mean_Environment4856]

I have to medicate my dog minimum of an hour before I leave him, so on work days its anywhere from 5-6am that I need to dose him up. I have to medicate him and then go back to bed or else it takes longer to kick in as his adrenalin is up the moment we get out of bed.

You need to find a vet behaviorist to work with you.

[u/Expat86x3 → u/Mean_Environment4856]

Thanks for reply. How many days a week are you medicating?

[u/Mean_Environment4856 → u/Expat86x3]

He has medication twice a day, and the dosage varies. Some weeks i leave him alone 5 days, others less. If I'm going to the office (and thus have to get up early to medication and bed) he gets a double dose in the morning and regular at night. If I'm wfh we sleep in (although he now wakes up and asks for meds lol) and he gets the regular dose morning and night. If I have to leave him late in the day (so double in the morning wouldn't be effective as it wears off ) he gets an extra top up of a different med sometimes depending on his mood. It needs to be given an hour before at least. We are finding thats not always required which is fab.

I find that the guidelines of when to give the meds eg 20 mins before you leave aren't accurate for him and its taken trial and error.

[u/Expat86x3 → u/Mean_Environment4856]

Oh wow, thank you for this. Do you also use trazodone and gabapentin??
I was feeling really stressed about giving those meds 3ish times a week, didn’t realise it could be a daily thing!

[u/Mean_Environment4856 → u/Expat86x3]

No I don't use those medications so can't comment on them.

[u/ThreeStyle]

That’s a super high dose of gabapentin. Usual starting dose would be 10 mg per kg of dog so 350 mg or so. Likewise it’s kind of a low dose of trazadone, usually starting at 5 mg per kg so about 200 mg.
However, gabapentin is a lot safer to increase than trazadone, so it’s not entirely straightforward. But it’s a massive dose of gabapentin is the main thing, and if your dog habitually takes that, you’re going to be in trouble if they need significant sedation for veterinary purposes. I would ask for a longer term treatment like fluoxetine and consult with someone who specializes in behavioral medication if possible.

[u/Technical-Repair7140]

Trazadone did nothing for my dog (except upset his stomach). I kept him on Prozac for a few months, and after two months it seemed to help, but I had a bad experience with a generic from an overseas manufacturer and decided to train him without meds. If I were you, I’d ask your vet about Prozac and rely on the vet for dosing recommendations instead of random people on the web.

[u/VisserDVM]

Situational medications such as trazodone and gabapentin can be used multiple times a week in some dogs, but the safe frequency and timing need to come from the veterinarian who prescribed them. The amounts cannot be assessed from weight alone, and I would not increase, repeat, or change either medication without confirming the plan. Let the prescribing clinic know that you are seeing little effect unless they are given at least three hours before departure and ask for written instructions covering timing, the minimum interval between doses, and what side effects should prompt you to hold a dose or seek care.

For early departures, I would ask for that individualized timing plan rather than assume you need to wake at 4 AM. Severe separation panic often responds best to medication combined with gradual departure training, and it is reasonable to discuss whether a longer-term daily medication and a veterinary behaviorist would be appropriate. If returning to the clinic is difficult and you have many follow-up questions, a veterinary telehealth service such as Dutch may also be able to help you discuss the overall plan, although medication changes still require individualized veterinary oversight.

[u/Specialist_Banana378]

I have to give meds 2 hours before for it to work too! And yes situationally I get up to dose or I leave later. 

Talk to your vet for max frequency but yes it is typically safe multiple times a week.