vet recommended valium
 

My vet recommended giving my pug Valium to calm her down during our upcoming flights (she will be in the cabin with me). She barks at the smallest of noises and gets very anxious around people. Has anyone ever given their dogs valium during a flight or for anxiety? Just wondering about experiences others have had.

From an article in last Sunday's NY Times Magazine:

For lonely dogs with separation anxiety, Eli Lilly brought to market its own drug Reconcile last year. The only difference between it and Prozac is that Reconcile is chewable and tastes like beef.

I read that brachycephalic dogs should not be medicated for flights since it greatly effects their ability to regulate their body temperature.

If your dog barks at every little thing and is nervous, then most definitely get something to help take the edge off the dog. Obviously don't give the do a whole valium though........

My dogs take valium when they fly and they are never worse for wear.

Please don't take offense, but if your dog needs to be medicated, is leaving her at home an option? You won't be able to take her out of the carrier in flight, which might stress her out even more. We have a wonderful pet sitter, and have never boarded our 10 year old dog. She's quite content to be in her own home, and we've never had any problems. Just a thought.

We had sedatives for our dog on a transatlantic flight, but he was so well behaved we didn't use it. I wasn't Valium, but we were only supposed to give him 1/4 of a pill if needed.

We were also able to take him out of the carrier. He slept the entire time.

I'm not trying to take this off-topic but how do you a pet sitter for your dog? Does your dog have access to the yard? I can't see a pet sitter only coming to my home once or twice a day and walking my dog. I'm just curious how a pet sitter works for a dog versus a cat. I'm going on a trip for 10 days and would rather not leave my dog in a kennel.

Now, back to the OP. The American Veterinary Medical Association agrees with Tummy and says never to tranquilize a brachycephalic dog, even if it's in the cabin:

http://www.avma.org/careforanimals/a...ets/sedate.asp

I thought only for cargo but I guess not.

Our sitter maintains the regular schedule - a short walk in the morning, and a two miler in the afternoon They also play fetch in the fenced yard. Julia feeds and waters the cats and and cleans the litter box. Celine has never been confined to a cage or crate, and just sits by the gate when left alone in her fence. She's quite happy lying on the sofa looking out the window. The cats are 16 and 17 and have never been boarded. We're only gone 3 or 4 nights, and even our vet says pets are better off in their own homes. We interviewed numerour sitters, and as soon as I talked to this one, I knew she was it. She's licensed, bonded and insured, does most of the work herself, and had great references.

I've never had to travel with my dog but we have given her tranquilizers in the past because she gets very upset on the 4th of July. I don't like doing it because I don't like how she acts on them but sometimes it's unavoidable. We first try putting her in the bedroom with the AC on and the TV on loud.

I have travelled with a tranquilized cat. When my sister passed away we had to bring her cat from MSP to LGA, with a stopover in Cincinnati. The vet came to the hotel and gave the cat a tranquilizer, enough for the trip. Unfortunately we were delayed out of Cincinnati and the medication wore off about 40 minutes outside LGA. That cat howled that entire time.

The reason I mention that is if you decide to do that, you may want to talk to the vet about what to do if your flights are delayed.

We generally get pet sitters when we travel either paid ones or friends. It's better for the animals. On our last trip, a friend and my stepson helped out. I made an animal care checklist since two cats were on meds. It worked out great since the friend and my stepson each knew what the other had already taken care of.

[QUOTE=jennj99738;10075129]I'm not trying to take this off-topic but how do you a pet sitter for your dog? Does your dog have access to the yard? I can't see a pet sitter only coming to my home once or twice a day and walking my dog. I'm just curious how a pet sitter works for a dog versus a cat. I'm going on a trip for 10 days and would rather not leave my dog in a kennel.[QUOTE]

Two of my neighbors have a pet sitter stay at the house (one a dog/other a cat) while they're gone. Seems to work out fine - all are pleased - but a bit pricey.

You have to be EXTREMELY careful when giving any kind of pill especially a tranquilizer to any pet. Remember their systems are only a portion of what a human can handle.

Off topic: one vet told a client to give her Cat a FULL pill.tranquilizer. The Cat went into shock and almost died. Honestly I would NOT give a tranquilizer unless necessary.

If you have to travel with your pet talk to your vet and cooridnate the best way and meds to make the trip as easy as possible.

Another off topic point... pet sitters have eased the problems of parents having to take their four footed children on trips. The Cat or Dog will have a chance to stay in familiar surroundings. But shop around and interview a few pet sitters. I had to wait at least a week or more before a client would decide to hire me (sometimes the minute they heard I do Cat exclusively I would get hired.)

I won't post suggestions in hiring a pet sitter here because it's off topic. Any question PM Me.