Melatonin for Dogs
Posted by Teri in Dog Anxiety and Seizures, Dog Health Issues, Dog Supplements and Vitamins, Natural Pet Remedies, tags: aggressive dog, anxiety, dog health melatonin, Dr. Linda Aronson DVM, epileptic dogs, fireworks, humans melatonin, Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, melatonin for dogs, melatonin for pets, melatonin tablet, obedience classes, pet anxiety, pet seizures, reduce fear, scared dogs., sedative, UC Berkeley wellness letter, veterinarians, www.doghealth1.com
Articles written in the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association JAVMA dating back to 1999 in July illustrate that melatonin can be used for example with dogs that fear the noise from fireworks or thunderstorms.
Dogs with epilepsy have shown remarkable improvements with the use of natural substances that support and reduce the effects of anxiety, stress or traumatic accidents.
Some easily scared dogs go through debilitating reactions to lightening and loud thunderstorms where they will shake, or cower under a bed or closet.
The melatonin product is given before the expectation of your dog becoming fearful so that it may have a chance to get into its system to work properly. Usually 30 minutes before the anxiety becomes evident is a good measure of time.
timeframe to use for a dose.
The normal melatonin tablet is used and works best and not the sublingual form of melatonin. With humans melatonin aids in sleep but this effect is not experienced by dogs so they will not fall asleep, it acts most like a sedative to reduce fear, anxiety and calms them down. Pet Alive has a new formula for Canine Anxiety and stress with vitamins and natural ingredients and has no chemicals or harsh drugs.
Genesis Canine Anxiety & Stress Formula for Dogs
Dr. Linda Aronson DVM has used melatonin with over 1,000 dogs with good results for months or years without side effects. One owner reported the her aggressive dog became less reactive during obedience training classes.
Also reported is the fact that melatonin was given at nighttime to epileptic dogs and it was effective in reducing pet seizures during the night.
The melatonin dosage with pills was as follows:
1.5 milligrams for dogs 10 to 25 pounds
3 milligrams for dogs 25-100 pounds.
For dogs under 10 pounds the 1.5 milligram tablet portion would be cut in half.
How Long does Melatonin take to work?
Melatonin will take effect in your pet in 10 to 15 minutes and is safe to use as long as necessary. Order your supply here below.
Genesis Canine Anxiety & Stress Formula for Dogs
If you have an anxious dog you can ask your holistic veterinarian for further information for your pet and discuss how melatonin can help your dog naturally.
Tags: Dr. Linda Aronson DVM, melatonin for dogs, epileptic dogs, pet seizures, melatonin tablet, humans melatonin, sedative, reduce fear, anxiety, obedience classes, Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, veterinarians,, Melatonin for dogs, aggressive dog, pet anxiety, UC Berkeley wellness letter, fireworks, scared dogs.
Genesis Canine Anxiety & Stress Formula for Dogs
Melatonin for Nervous or Anxious Pets is calming yet nutritious at the same time it helps your dog regain stability during fearful events. Or if your dog has experienced a tramatic event or accident this product will help to overcome its fear the natural way.
Updated: May 28, 2009
Melatonin For Dogs
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What I find so wonderful about this is that it can help an epileptic dog.
I wish this knowledge had been forthcoming when my Max was still alive.
so glad to hear about the possibilities of the calming effect of melatonin for dogs. I have a dog that goes bonkers if we have a thunderstorm. She developed this problem after Hurricane Katrina which was pretty rough on all of us. I am going to try this.
Marilyn
Hi Kathy: Yes I was happy to hear that melatonin helps elileptic dogs also. I am sorry to hear that this information was not available for your dog Max and I know how difficult it is to get natural remedy from regular veterinarians. Please rest assured that I will try to provide more upcoming reports on methods that will help your dog.
Teri
Hi Marilyn:
I can only imagine what you and your dog went through during Hurricane Katrina and I am sure your dog was never the same afterwards. I do hope that melatonin can now help your dog also as once they are traumatized -it becomes a lasting memory.
Let me know how it worked for you, and thanks for your comments.
Teri
QUIERO COMENTARIOS AL RESPECTO EN ESPAÑOL PARA UN GOLDEN RETRIEVER DE 9 AÑOS Y UN YORKSIRE DE 7 MESES
Just doing some research. Does melatonin leave your dogs sleepless? That is recorded as one of the side effects.
Hi Terry:
Apparently from my research no-Melatonin does not make your dog sleepless. It is found by a researching veterinarian that it works as a natural anti-stress or anxiety remedy. I take melatonin to help me sleep -it actually works differently in humans but in dogs it does not make them sleepless or sleepy, just reduces their anxiety in situations that they are fearful such as fireworks or other stresses.
Thanks for your comment.
Teri
Thank you Teri!
Hi,
i was jsut doing some research for my dog Midnight,shes been getting anxious latly and i think its becouase of the hurrican that is coming. i am really worried about her,the hurricans still days away and shes already restless,trying to get into the smallest places to hide in,i can only imagine how she will be when the storm actually hits. my dogs a siberiam husky so you can imagine her size and she dosnt like car rides,so i was wondering if our vet has to give her a check up and do test befor we can get her melatonin or if we can just go and get it without her?
Hi Linda and thank you for your question about melatonin for Midnight. Your dog is sensing far off changes in the weather that animals feel and know before we do. That is why before a storm you may see seagulls fly inland to get away from the storms.
You may wish to speak to your vet but most vets do not prescribe melatonin as it is a natural product. They will prescribe a pharmaceutical drug similar to valium or Prozac for your dog as now the large pharma drug companies are making drugs for pets.
Melatonin you can buy at your local health food stores, GNC, Vitamin World, etc., in 3.0 mg strength. Find the right amount for your dog’s weight above in the article. Dr. Linda Aronson Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine did a study and hear is her quotation:
” More and more owners and vets are using melatonin and it is gratifying to know that so many dogs have been helped … I have had search and rescue dogs successfully given melatonin to combat their fears of flying in turbo prop planes. It was the only treatment that allowed most of them to relax and yet let them perform their duties at the end of the flight.”
“Success is still running about 80%. Most useful for noise phobias,
including thunderstorms, fireworks, gun shot, planes, helicopters, hot air balloons, show site noises, bird song, truck and other road noises. It also seems to help some cases of lick granuloma and separation anxiety.”
“Please feel free to cross post this information. It seems that melatonin is one of the safest products. Some of the failures I believe result from phobia induced seizure behavior. Others I’m not sure of the reason. Some dogs need to be dosed before the fear is established, others respond even if they are already reacting fearfully to the noise.” — Linda Aronson, DVM
I hope you can get some before the storm arrives and I pray that you and your family are safe from harm…be well.
Teri Salvador
http://www.Dogheath1.com
Hi Teri,
This is very good news for those with anxious or traumatized dogs.
It’s nice to know their is finally something that works. Fireworks were
always hard on our dogs.
My 8 month old lab/golden retriever mix was found as a stray at 6 months, put in the humane society for a month then a foster home for 2 weeks prior to my adopting her. She is a perfect pet except that her separation anxiety is unbelievable. I have actually video taped her when I left the room…she barks and paces and rubs her nose against the crate until it’s raw. If I leave her outside of the crate and leave, she barks and jumps up and down at the door for hours on end. Would melatonin help her?
Hi Diana:
I am commending you for taking your dog in from being sent around different homes. I am sure that is part of the anxiety for the dog, as change is not easy on them in fact it is traumatic.
I would put on a small radio near your dog when you leave it for long periods of time and a favorite toy, and a kong with a treat inside. This will distract her/him from being lonely and could help.
Melatonin is totally natural and yes it will help -try it at 1 tablet 3 mg. given 1/2 hour before you leave the house. You are a good mom for this dog she needs your comfort and love and as she/he gets settled in to your home a bit more -it should experience less trauma when you leave for long periods of time. Let me know of your progress, you can get melatonin in my resources center or your local health food store.
Teri
I have a border collie/shepard mix. We have her clipped from time to time because of her hair growth. It helps keep her cooler here in Florida, however she is experiencing problems with her hair growing back in. She has several large areas, especially on her back near the tail that just isn’t growing back. I was told that “melatonin” is great for helping promote hair growth. If so, what would be a good dosage for her. She is 9 years old and weighs 60 pounds. Can anyone out there elighten me. Thanks.
Norbert
Hello Norbert: thank you for your question. Have you taken your dog to a veterinarian and what was the cause as it could be a number of things, from mites, thyroid or adrenal problem. It could also be alopeca which cause a loss of fur or with hair loss in humans. I would first get a medical opinion to treat the problem. Yes melatonin does help with hair growth but first I would get to the cause of the problem. If you can also find an alternative medicine veterinarian in your area of Florida I would recommend a visit. I have written several articles on melatonin for various symptoms as you will find in the archives section.
I would also recommend fish oils, omega 3 & 6 be added to your dog’s diet. It is difficult to know why this is happening to your dog but a blood test can be done to help with a diagnosis.
Hope this helps you, and please write back in to let us know how things worked out.
Teri
Teri
Here’s an update on my posting from 9/12/08. My now 9 month old lab/golden retriever mix, Daisy is doing much better. The melatonin definitely minimized the “panic attacks”. Although I still am working up to leaving her at home in her crate, she is making good progress. I have enrolled her in basic obedience training and she is showing great signs of understanding her role in the “pack”. Her confidence has increased and I believe she has come to understand she will remain in our home and that she belongs here. She is viewing life in our home as a safe place. She understands her crate to be safe and comfortable, especially at night since we don’t have any issues with her going to bed and closing the crate door. We have worked up to about a 2 hours of her comfort level being in the crate during the day while I am in another part of the house and she is alone. We’re also working on desensitizing her to the sound of car keys and doors opening and closing (which prompted some of the panic). Overall, I thank you for the melatonin suggestion and have certainly found success because of it’s aid.
I have a desperately anxious/shy Border Collie rescue who came into my house as a foster 2 weeks ago. Although she has relaxed a bit and isn’t getting her head stuck in the wall trying to escape anymore, the anxiety is still fairly constant. She has made progress in the past two weeks and has allowed me to pet her and sleeps in my bed now.
I’ve been looking for remedies to help her take the edge off, on a 24hr basis rather than for specific planed instances, will melatonin work for this purpose? She is already getting Bach’s Rescue Remedy in the water.
Hi Michael: thank you for your inquiry and I love your blog on border collies. As you live in Northern California I have located several doctors that could help you with your wonderful dog. It is very good that you are already using the Bach remedies, especially Rescue Remedy.
I would get in touch with a holistic veterinarian and here are a few listings for you.
http://www.avhli…h_query_advanced.php
This is a direct link to the California Veterinarians.
Your dog must have been traumatized greatly for her to get her head stuck in the wall trying to escape. This will take some time and patience to heal her -please do not give up, and she will come around.
Make her as comfortable as possible with a nice bed, some toys, good food, exercise out in the fresh air, and lots of hand contact, patting rubbing, massage and brushing gently and in time she will be at your side all the time.
I would say to try the melatonin at least 1 tablet a day in the morning as it does reduce anxiety. But please follow up with a holistic veterinarian. Thank you for rescuing that beautiful dog and I can see her pictures on the blog that she is a wonderful dog.
Thank you again for your comments and please let me know of your progress.
Thanks
Teri Salvador
Diana: I am so please that all worked out for you and that Daisy is doing better. Melatonin has been proven to help dogs relax and especially during those panic attacks during thunderstorms and other traumas. I know my dog as a puppy whoopie was deathly afraid of fireworks, and ran away quickly when she heard them, she is better now that she gets melatonin so I am so pleased that it helped you. At some point Daisy had a strong incident with a car and I believe with time and patience all dogs do heal their anxieties. Just takes alot of love which we animal lovers have a great deal to give. Thank you so much for your keeping us up to date on Daisy’s progress.
Cheers
Teri Salvador
I work with a rescue group and have to face all type of fear and behavior responses from dogs. I can have a amiable dog and one thing can set them up to growl, snap or bite. I have found that using this dosage helps to take stress away from these dogs helping make their rehabilitation faster and more solid. Dogs are such creatures of habit and having the dog calm helps me help them. Thank you for the help.
Hi i was wondering my bullmastiff is 5 and started seizures 2 to 4 times a month and sometimes 2 to 3 a day. She has them in her sleep full seizures she piddles and shakes mouth open ect. I would like to know if melatonin will help ease them or stop them?
Thank you Julie Sczerzen
Hello Julie: Thank you for your question on your dog who is having seizures, and I wish to know if you have had your dog checked and diagnosed by a veterinarian firstly to correctly diagnose the health issue. I would also refer you to the American Holistic Medical Association that supports alternative and complementary approach to veterinary care for your dog.
The site address is: http://ahvma.org and there is in the upper left hand corner a “Find A Holistic Vet” where you can find one local to where you live. If that is not possible I would call them directly to discuss the health issue and get direction and I am sure they will be able to help you out. The Executive Director is : Mr. Carvel G. Tiekert a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine himself has the phone number in Bel Air, Maryland is: 1-410-569-0795.
I am not a veterinarian and for the purposes here I inform my readers of alternatives but I cannot recommend Melatonin to you for many reasons mainly legal ones. Secondly I can tell you that I have discussed this with another reader who’s dog does have seizures and it worked for them. I can also say that I have researched the use of melatonin in dogs from a vet who has used melatonin in over 1,000 dogs and it improved their condition. (See my article).
I am also going to suggest that you feed your dog organic foods only, as the chemicals in commercial dog food will not help your dog’s condition. I hope this helps you, and thanks again….for dropping in and asking questions.
Teri