Melatonin to Help Your Dog With Anxiety
February 19, 2008
Do you have an anxious Chihuahua? Does your dog bark all the time, or shake during a thunderstorm, or does your poodle tremble when you go to the groomer? Rather than using tranquilizers many people are turning to a more natural sedative such as Melatonin.
These are all signs of anxiety in dogs and like people they are certain situations which cause them anxiety. A painful injury or trauma also causes your dog great anxiety. Melatonin is a natural hormone produced by the pineal gland which is part of the endocrine system and also carries beneficial anti oxidant that fights free radical cell damage.
It helps to produce sleep for insomnia and reducing hypertension, high cholesterol, as well as anti-aging properties like preventing brain deterioration. It increases immune function and induces relaxing sleep for people as well as pets. In humans melatonin is used as a sleep aid but in dogs it has a great application in reducing stress.
It is well known that the body produces Melatonin at night especially at 3:00 a.m., and if there is not enough production people cannot get their biological clock back to normal. This is often the case when you go through time zones while traveling and its often termed Jet Lag.
Melatonin is often used to reduce anxiety, phobias, and other fearful conditions but mostly to induce sleep. It can also be used to help older dogs and cats who suffer from lack of sleep or other forms of dementia.
It is unknown as to why this happens but it is a mystery of medical science that some people and pets grown worse after the sun goes down or in the evenings. It can be as some have determined the accumulation of all the activities of the day which can be overwelmning and cause stress in your pet.
Precautions and Side Effects
I use Melatonin regularly to reset my sleep clock I have found no side effects. While Melatonin is safe and available over the counter you should only use it with the help of a Veterinarian or Holistic Veterinarian. Melatonin may interact with other medications such as corticosteroids and oxidase inhibitors. Check with your veterinarian and other medications you give your dog and if your dog has allergies to similar medications.
Melatonin Dosage Information
Melatonin is prescribed in a 300 mcg, 1 mg and 3 mg pill.
A small dog dose is .5 to 1 mg every 8 hours. A large dog dose is 3 to 9 mg, taken orally or whenever it is necessary.
For cats, use a dose of .5 to .8 mg per cat every 12 hours.
If your dog or cat has had a problem settling down at night to sleep or is a restless sleeper you can get benefit of a relaxed sleep for your pet.
Once the pet starts to get onto a more restful sleep you can wean it off the Melatonin and just use it when needed. Melatonin has produced positive results for 75 percent of dogs who were given the supplement just before a thunderstorm. Other dogs gained relaxation as they stared to show signs of anxiety but you will find it works for your dog’s anxiety. To see online see: Melatonin Pet Care, and key in Melatonin.
Tags: melatonin for dogs, melatonin to help your dog with anxiety, melatonin dosage information, dog stress, dog anxiety, dog pain, stress reliever for dogs.
Thanks for your comment and we do hope Chloe gets better each day. Long trips are stressful for both our dogs and ourselves. Please do let us know how she is for the trip home.
We left Connecticut and almost lost our Yorkie, Chloe, from stress and anxiety. For three days, Chloe was so bad that her tongue actually got blue. We did have her on a tranquilizer, but it did not seem to work at all. I was up all night with her for three nights and walked with her in my arms for hours till she settled down. When we arrived if Florida, we immediately took her to a vet. He prescribed a drug for sedation, valium and melatonin. Chloe also has a collapsed tracea so the sedative was too much. The valium was ok, but she still seemed very anxious. She has been on just melatonin since the 9th of October and today, she seems to more relaxed, very noticably relaxed. Next week, we are going home so I am hoping the melatonine works even better by getting it in her system. It has been a long process for Chloe. She has a lot of medical issues.
Chloe seems to be sleeping much better also. I will let you know how we make out next week.
Works to help get a dog over separation anxiety as well.
Hello Margaret: Thanks for your question and we are happy to hear your rescued the female Airedale terrier which by breed indications alone can be quite high strung. But no matter she sounds like she might also have an itching problem. If you can give the dog a bath in an oatmeal organic shampoo that might help the itching or take her to a vet (natural vets are usually in every major city) for some remedy for the itching concerns. If the dog is chewing at her skin until it bleeds she may need more medical attention. You also have a 40 lb dog and if you require the dosage see my article on : Melatonin for Dogs. Here is the link:
http://doghealth1.com/2008/02/melatonin-for-anxiety-in-dogs/ Melatonin is a natural substance used by veterinarians with satisfactory results in reducing anxiety. As this is a rescue dog it is hard to determine what occurred to make the dog fear the dark, or some anxiety of the past. Just reassure your dog with kindness, a nice pat, rub its chest, and give it lots of love to reduce its anxiety levels. You stated you can’t be home during the day? or if the dog is left alone that means it has separation anxiety. Give the dog some time to adjust to a new owner, new home, new schedule and for being alone this could be the source of anxiety. Love, patience and time will resolve the anxiety and also maybe you can have someone visit the dog if you are away all day -to take it for a walk -that would help greatly. Offering a treat like a cookie may also take the dog’s mind off of worrying and being anxious.
Hope this information is of help to you and again I commend you for giving a rescue dog a good home and becoming a member of your family.
Cheers
Teri
PS. Please write us back and let us know how your dog is doing.
We just rescued a cute female Airedale terrier, but she is a bit high strung and nervous. Our worst times are bedtime (when she hears a noise and starts barking) and when she gets anxious and start biting her back, legs, and haunches, Drives us nuts, because she will chew til it’s bald and bleeding! Trader Joes has chewable Melatonin. It’s pretty cheap, and comes in a 500 mcg dose. For my 40 lb dog, how much should i give her? I would SO appreciate your input,,, since we can’t be here to monitor here all the time.
Thank you for this information. We just got ouru first dog, a 2 yr old Cardigan Welsh Corgi/Daschund, and he seems to be afraid of EVERYTHING. He does alright with us, except my husband, but he’s terrified of the noises, too many people, goes the bathroom outside and wants right back in the house. I’m going to start the Melatonin along with information about training a Fearful dog.
Dear Pat: I do not believe so, it is not an accumulative herb, have you tried it yet? Please let me know how it worked out for you. I would get in touch with a holistic vet for further instruction. Thanks for your comment. Teri
Does the melatonin have to be used for a certain amount of days in order for it to be effective? Or can I give to my dogs just before a thunderstorm and have it be effective?
Thanks
Yes Karen thanks for your comment about Doghealth1.com – we appreciate it very much. In reference to your dog -most dogs are frightened by loud unexpected noises and thunderstorms. Yes melatonin has been used by breeders and veterinarians as you can see in my article – it comes very highly recommended and is totally natural.
You may also consider cammomile tea for your dog which is plant based and relaxes people and pets. Hope this helps you and your dog – relax.
Cheers
Teri
I really loved the info your site has. I just would like to know if anyone out there has a boxer/pit mix. We have a 31/2 yr old male. He gets very excited at the cannons that go off from the blueberry farmers to protect their crops from the birds. He also hates the rain, thunderstorms, and firecrackers. I was told by a breeder of golden retrivers that it is safe to give this to him to calm him down w/ no
adverse side effects. Has anyone had any of these experiences, and how did the dog handle them?
I am absolutely thrilled over this! I was looking up natural alternatives. I have an older dog who suffers greatly from anxiety and I just can’t be around her 24/7 even though I am home almost every day. She wakes me up a few times every night just to ck and see if I’m there. I am exhausted and desperate! My daughter is on melotonin at night to help her sleep and I never thought about being able to use it on a dog. I just now tried it and am so hopeful of the results.
Thank you!
Thank you very much for this honor Cindy I really appreciate it so much. I try to provide the very best, healthy remedies for people to keep their pets healthy and live a long life without chemicals and drugs. Getting back to nature is what we need to do for our pets.
Thank you again – I am truly honored to receive this nomination.
Teri
I’ve nominated your blog for the Bloggers of the World award. I hope that you will accept and pass it on.