Aspen

Aspen

It has been just over a year since I brought my Min Pins to veterinary behaviorist, Dr. Karen Overall, for a consultation. The primary reason for our visit was Aspen’s aggressive behavior towards her littermate, Malibu. It had been going on for long enough and I was worried that it may lead to serious consequences.

Aspen was prescribed Fluoxetine, the generic form of Prozac.  After taking it for a few months with no change in behavior, I weaned Aspen off of the Fluoxetine. Dr. Overall suggested we try Trazodone, and I agreed. After a few weeks, I began to think that maybe the Fluoxetine had been working because Aspen’s aggression seemed worse. The Fluoxetine was started again and the Trazodone was continued.  In early winter, Aspen began exhibiting strange behavior upon awakening. She would wake up in a highly anxious state, shaking and appearing to be very frightened. I spoke with Dr. Overall and told her that I believed the Trazodone was causing this behavior. Aspen had never had this problem prior to taking the Trazodone. Aspen was weaned off of the Trazodone and has had no further occurrence of the odd behavior. Perhaps, it was caused by a combination of the Trazodone with the Fluoxetine. The Fluoxetine was continued for about two more months and then stopped because I observed no change in behavior.

Back at square one, I consulted again with Dr. Overall in late winter. Rather than try another medication, she thought a new food may help Aspen and recommended CALM. I was on board with the idea until I researched the manufacturer, Royal Canin. There were too many negative reviews and claims of pets getting sick while eating that brand of food. Dr. Overall had a second choice, Purina’s EN, if I was still willing to change Aspen’s diet. I admitted that I was apprehensive about introducing a new food to Aspen because of her history of HGE (hemorrhagic gastroenteritis).

Anxitane, a supplement that can be purchased over the counter, was the next suggestion. I was familiar with this product because it had been prescribed for Quest a couple of years earlier(with no success). Although Dr. Overall admitted that she didn’t have much confidence that Anxitane would be successful, she still felt that it was worth trying. Unfortunately, Aspen’s tummy did not tolerate the Anxitane, and it was discontinued after two tries.

Aspen is no longer taking any medications. She is still “growly” towards Malibu, but no worse than before. I had really hoped that a medication would “take the edge off” and help Aspen relax, but when it comes to medications, I have learned that I shouldn’t ever set my hopes on any improvement, let alone a miracle cure.

Dr. Overall recently stated that Aspen’s behavior may have neurodevelopmental origins. That is not to say that this is a hopeless case or that exploring other medications would be a futile process, but it definitely makes it more challenging. Finding a promising medication for a dog of Aspen’s size adds to the difficulty, noted Dr. Overall.

For now, I am choosing to keep Aspen free of medication. Fortunately, her issue is not so severe that it is deemed a dire situation by myself, or more importantly, Dr. Overall. I do not need to crate and rotate, use barriers, or any other forms of management to keep my dogs separated.  While Aspen and Malibu are not best buddies, they are able to be in the same room, on the same sofa, and remain civil more often than not. For that, I am very thankful.