Dog help needed

[timandlesley]

Hi guys! i have a Golden Retreiver who is 1 1/2 years old.
When he was 4 months old he tripped over his gangly growing legs and fell down our basement steps and fractured his hip. $1500 dollars later his hip was repaired but he had to be confined to a crate (except for me to carry him out to go to the bathroom and calmly cuddle with him) for a month so the pins in his hip would set. It was the hardest thing. Well, that definitely messed with his head (how couldn't it?). He is a GREAT dog, but he is MAJORLY attached to me as his primary caregiver during that time and FREAKED out when I leave. He ONLY bonds with the family when I am here and when I leave he hides in the corner. It doesn't matter if my mother n' law is here with the kids who he loves, the minute I leave he huddles in the corner and won't even be coaxed out with treats or anything. Same thing with my husband and kids, he loves them when I am here but the minute I leave he hides in the corner, it BREAKS my heart.
Well......... we're taking him to the vet tonight for bloodwork in hopes to put him on some sort of anxiety medication to ease his separation anxiety.
Have any of you had pets on these types of meds? Do they help? Are they super duper expensive?
Any help/advice would be great. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my dog and want him to be happy when I am away (I work full time as a special education teacher outside of the home).
Thanks guys
Lesley

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

I have not had a dog on anxiety meds but I do have my pets meds called into Walmart and each prescription is $4. So not to expensive.

 

[chaoscent]

Sorry, I have never had that problem with my dogs. However, I didn't want to just read your post and not post something. Hopefully your vet can help. Best of luck with your fur baby. Penny

 

[sshaw10060]

I would recommend finding a veterinarian in your area that specializes in behavior. They can really help and make things much better. Here is a link to find someone in your area: http://dacvb.org/about-us/diplomates/. Feel free to PM me if you have trouble finding someone.

 

[Lori]

We had a Whippet that had anxiety issues, we adopted him as an older dog. He mostly had issues when crated and sometimes when we had large groups of people over. I did get some anxiety meds for him but only used them a couple of times as all it did was completely knock him out. I would bet though that your vet can work with you and find the right amount of medication. Have you worked with a dog trainer? I would think they would be able to help a lot as well. Maybe between meds and a trainer the dog can find some peace. Keep us updated and good luck!

 

[Racey]

my heart absoutley bleeds when I read stories like this, especially as he is so young too, this is the time he should be getting in trouble (as much as we owners dont like chewed things!).

I have seen lots of shows where a dog becomes attached to just one owner and shows all these anxiety problems, so i'm trying to think back. Try these few things before you go putting him on any kind of tablets (dogs tummies are so diiferent to humans). It may take a while but its worked for 99% of the dogs i've seen these things done to

* everyone get in 1 room and sit for a while quitely watching (you try to keep quite and make sure the dog cant see or feel you)
* get someone else in the family to give him tiny treats (tiny, because there will be alot of them! i use tiny pieces of cooked chicken)
*while he is distracted getting fuss and treats from teh others, you quitely get up and walk out.

it may take hundreds of goes to get it to the point of him being comfortable without you around, and its the first step in a long line of thing. But i honestly cant stress enough, keep at it and IT WILL work. When you get bored and think it will never work, just say to yourself "i'm doing this for him because i want him to feel comfy and calm, so i'll carry on"

Also, when you leave the house (whether someone else is in there or not), dont speak to him or look at him, and when you return, do teh same. Otherwise you cause seperation anxiety and thats why a dog destroys the house while your out.

I wish the best of luck and remember, repetative training will get it in the end

 

[ppoe65]

I agree with PP. However, you also have to let the other family members take over the main care and maintenance for the dog. it is a slow process, but with consistency and patience all will benefit. When you are home make sure someone else feeds, grooms and lets the dog outside. Let others give treats and praise. When you are going to leave have someone elee interact with dog and while you leave quietly.

When you return home, don't make a big fuss over the dog, let other family do it.

This will take some time to have the dog trust/bond with others, so be patient. Good Luck

Please keep us posted.