Prozac for your pet???

Ok I am sorry. In humans got a problem pop a pill don't worry about getting to the source this "bandaid" will make it all better! And now they are saying to do the same for dogs!! Give them Prozac or equivalent???

This was recently suggested to us for Patches to help her over come her separation anxiety and now this morning I see it is a topic on the Today show. We have chosen to continue thru therapy to help Patch. We rescued her from a shelter in Wyoming last December. She wouldn't attach to anyone really but it was noticed she took attn to Kelda so we made it a point to let Kelda take control of her training. She did latch on and fell in love with Kelda. Sadly too much so. To the point Kelda couldn't as much take the garbage out without her coming literally unglued. We tried leaving her home and she proceeded to rip out the screens in any open window. She ended up ripping out every screen in our old RV in the matter of a 15 min trial of leaving her alone. I know you are asking what about crating her. Yeah right!! I didn't use to believe in crates I felt what was the purpose in having a dog at home to help protect if they are locked up. It felt cruel. Then having this same issue with my Norwegian Elkhound, then further learning thru ownership of a Boxer that my home was safer if I used a crate. So I became a believer years ago in crate training and we have tried from day one of Patches rescue. We have not succeeded in the least. We nearly got kicked out of an RV park because we had to leave her one night so crated her and the mngr said either she goes or we go she barked the entire 3.5 hours we were gone!! Fortunately I have proven my appologies and she is still with us though never left alone. Yes this is hard in times she can't go. I have found we can leave her in the truck and she is content so as long as it isn't critically hot out she should be fine. Fortunately MT doesn't get many of those days.

We tried finding her a home, we don't believe in meds and I have always firmly believed she is just meant to be with us and not being able to find her a home even if we didn't bring up about her anxiety issues I was further convinced her life is with us. Her time here isn't done yet. In my book aside from the anxiety issues she is the perfect dog. I HATE with a passion barking dogs. There is a time and place for barking but when I say enough is enough you should shut up. She rarely barks even when there is a need to bark. She will give a low growl to tip us off that we need to check into things, but that is about her extent. She no longer does her potty business indoors, not a garbage digger, if not chained up outside she isn't a yard digger either. Indoors she is an absolute laid back dog yet you get her outdoors and she has all the energy in the world and sticks nearby without her leash.

We have accomplished her training and integration into the family thus far without meds and I don't believe in pill popping no matter if this is for me, my husband, my children not even my pets. Yes there is a place for it like when Pris was in pain in her final days to help her thru. Could we have put her to sleep sooner....sure we could have. I was being selfish and it just didn't feel like the right time. I kept seeing life in her that glow was not out of her eyes yet. I knew in the final week we were getting close and really the day we had her put to sleep had we left her she was in the process of passing away when we woke her up to go for our vet appt. We could have saved the $40 and allow her to finish going naturally but how much pain was she in??

What I am saying is medications have their place but should not be a band aid to everything wrong in our lives including our pets.