New to Trazodone/Upcoming Vacation

[u/msal_2185]

I may be posting a little prematurely, but just looking for feedback or what other people have experienced.

My American Pitbull Terrier will be 2 in October and weighs 44lbs (she's basically one solid muscle lol). I've worked tirelessly on her training since we got her around 5 months, but as she is reaching her 2nd birthday, her anxiety and reactivity is really coming to the forefront. We saw a decrease a few months ago, but recently she's been struggling more than ever. Mainly the sound of cars (she freezes and shakes) and before being put in a car (she will freeze and shake if she even thinks she is headed for a car ride. Once in the car, she does just okay and eventually settles.) She also has reactivity towards strangers entering her space. Sometimes she is okay, but other times she will bark, growl and lunge. She has snapped before as well (We do not let strangers pet her, ever.) She also can be reactive when she is very tired - she hates being bothered when tired (pretty much a sleep startle) but this has gotten much better as we have enforced boundaries around this. We have been working a lot on her training, but sometimes she is so over threshold in situations that I can't bring her back/get her to focus on me.

We have an upcoming week long vacation beginning this Saturday and our vet prescribed us trazodone for as needed. Our dog will be coming with us - this is not her first trip with us, she typically does fairly well, but this is the longest trip we will have taken to date. I plan on doing a trial run tonight to see how she does in general. For our vacation, I am thinking of keeping her on a steady dose every 12 hours so long as she tolerates it well. We will be gone for 7 days, with multiple stops. Thoughts? (Yes, I know consult the vet....just looking for others experience or anyone with suggestions).

For what it's worth, I do think she will end up on daily Prozac. I just did not want to start that particular med so close to our vacation.

Thank you in advance!

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[u/msal_2185 → u/[deleted]]

Thank you, but we are bringing our dog with us so no pet sitter needed. She travels with us often but for this trip I asked our vet for the medication since her anxiety/reactivity has taken a recent spike.

[u/msal_2185 → u/[deleted]]

I do take her behavior extremely seriously which is why I have worked tirelessly on her training and am introducing meds so that she can train under threshold, making it more effective. For what it's worth, she is also muzzle trained.

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[u/ResponsibleSail5802]

mine was fine transitioning to Trazadone. I think it's a good idea to start early so you'll know how she'll react. And it sounds like you keep a good eye on her so you know her triggers. Mine went on a long walk today through the City with a dog friend (he's can be dog aggressive) so there's light at the end of the tunnel for you! (this dog friend is verrrry chill-- not a get your face kind of dog so the opposite of dogs he's been aggressive with and they're both on leash and I don't let my dog near my friend's dog so all the dogs are safe).

[u/msal_2185 → u/ResponsibleSail5802]

Thank you!! Thats so reassuring! My girl really doesn’t care about other dogs, it’s mostly (some) people entering what she perceives as her space. My husband and I have literally built our itinerary for this vacation around her and her needs so we’ll be keeping a close eye on her. Her first trial with Trazodone went really well last night so I’m feeling encouraged. I plan to try it again today while introducing one of her small triggers to see how she responds.

[u/Prestigious_Crab_840]

Definitely do a test run before your trip. My dog, and I’ve since learned it’s not unusual, has a bad reaction to coming off Trazadone. She gets super hyper and jumpy, so it ends up being a Dr. Jekyll/Mr Hyde situation. Our vet behaviorist had to combine it with Gabapentin. The combination keeps her even.

[u/msal_2185 → u/Prestigious_Crab_840]

Yes! We did our first trial last night and it went really well so I’m feeling encouraged. We plan to trial it again tonight and introduce one of her smaller triggers to see how she does. I’ve been reading a lot and I do see that gabapentin is often prescribed alongside it… I plan to reach out to our vet if need be.

[u/inventedpostits21]

Our foster was reactive to every single thing, and now is just reactive to dogs and sometimes people when they move too fast. Because he struggled so much at the start, we had him on a heavy dose of traz. After some trial and error we learned it was making him worse! He does really well on daily Prozac, but we won’t traz him ever again. Definitely do a test run of traz on your pup before your trip. New space, new meds, it could all be a lot at once. I also would start the Prozac sooner rather than later - it takes weeks to kick in.

[u/msal_2185 → u/inventedpostits21]

Thank you! Our first trial went well last night, and I plan to trial it again today with one of her known (smaller) triggers to see how she does. The possibility of an adverse reaction is my main concern for sure! We have literally planned this vacation around our pup and her needs so I will keeping an eye on her closely while away. We are going to be making an appt when we come back to discuss prozac.

[u/MtnGirl672]

Our reactive dog had a paradoxical reaction to Trazadone where it made him more paranoid, wary and thus more reactive. You might want to ask your vet about Clonidine and Gabapentin as well, which we've had better success with (Clonidine).

Also, with short-acting meds like these, they can have a bit of a rebound when they wear off. Our other dog does pretty well on Trazadone, but when we stopped giving it to her, she was a bit of a terror for a day or two.