So, we've had some difficult days with the sudden heavy snow, avalanche blasting and snow ploughs working. Wow, how they've worked! Great for us; they've cleared more than they've ever done before. Normally, they pile the snow on the pavements, but, no, it's all been cleared! They have even cleared "Ginny's corner", which is just a rough patch of land where about three cars can fit to get away from having to pay for their parking. But, all that work means that there has been a lot of rumbling past the apartment block, which is very low-level noise for us, but worries Willow.
Anyhow, I was talking on a FB page for one of the anxiety courses I've done, and we were discussing what meds (if any) our dogs were on. Someone mentioned Gabapentin, and others chipped in to say it's really helped when used in conjunction with an SSRI. The only exposure I have to it is as one of Ginny's many pain relief drugs after her amp, but I looked into it, and it appears it's relatively new but becoming more common to be used in cases of anxiety, too. I talked to a lady who uses it, and who I respect, and she gave me more information on how it works for her dog, so I dropped my vet a line, and he was happy for me to trial it with Willow.
It has a very short half-life, only a few hours, so she is on three-times-a-day schedule. Apparently, though, even though the half-life is short, it does have a cumulative effect, so she shouldn't experience the crashes she did when she was on Clonazepam. An added benefit is that it starts to take effect within minutes, reaching a peak after about two hours. I struggled with the Clonazepam to "hit" that sweet spot where it had started to take effect (after about 90 minutes) and before she started to come down. Plus, I had to set an alarm to get up to give her the meds because I walk the dogs first thing in the morning before work.
I started her on it last night. I waited about an hour after her dose to try to take her out; she had already declined when I asked her if she wanted to go a few other times. We have done some playing in the hallway and on the stairs, but she's refused to go up the last set of stairs to the external doors. After the Gabapentin dose, she did go up. I felt I coerced her far more than I wanted to (but I needed her to go to the loo, too - I don't want her to become ill), using steak to lure her up, but she can't be lured for anything if she really doesn't want to go. So, although it wasn't perfect, I did see an improvement. I waited until the road was very clear before opening the external door - when she's scared, I don't have her on lead, because I want her to have ultimate control. From there, there is a little bit of path before the pavement, then the road. When she's anxious, she won't go onto the pavement, and huddles back by the door, wanting to go back inside. But, I had a plan. Because, for all the fear that accompanies it, she actually LOVES snow, and there was a big snow bank on the other side of the road. So, I got her out the door (making sure there was no traffic), then I ran straight across the road to the snow bank and started kicking the snow in the air. She immediately sprinted over to me and started chasing it - it's her favourite game in the world! Then we had a wonderful ten minutes, digging the bank, throwing snow balls into it for her to find, and kicking it around. She loved it. We then went back inside and straight out again; I wanted to practice the good feelings of going outside to play. I would have done it a few more times, but sadly I had to get back to work.
This morning, being Saturday, I could wait until 90 minutes after her morning dose, while we walked the other Labs, and emptied Ginny. Then, I asked Willow if she wanted to go out, she said yep, and walked straight up the stairs. She had a tiny hesitation on the last flight, but I just said, "Let's go!", and she ran on up. Straight out the doors, no hesitation, and back to our snow bank, kicking the snow around like fools.
Whether it's down to the drug or not, I think it's too early to say. But I'm happy with these last two excursions, and we've had a lot of fun together. That's will let the Fluoxetine do its work, changing those associations.
