My crazy dog Jayne is on prozac. He tends to attack the other dogs, he's kinda autistic like that. In the industry they like to use the word 'reactive', like he tends to react. Yeah, sure, react, that's the word I would use. He's ok most of the time until he sees the need to resource guard, be it food, people, attention, whatever. He gets all weird and he flips out. He also doesn't like strangers and he will bite them. He doesn't actually clamp down and draw blood but his sound and fury is an intense sound. He also doesn't like being touched or touching living things, highly sensitive this guy is.
We put him on Prozac about a year ago, 1 pill once a day, it took the edge off. Kinda. His outbursts were limited to about 1 every month maybe every other month. He still wasn't good with strange dogs and strange people so we keep him somewhat isolated. He ran out of pills last week and I didn't want to call in for a refill because it's been over a year since we've taken him to see the doctor. I love our vet, she's holistic but if I ask for something overly conventional (like Prozac) she's still game. She'll voice her concerns but knows I go for mostly peace luvin hippie stuff so she cuts me some slack. Well so the soonest I can get his butt in there is next Friday. That's 2 weeks off of the mood changing drugs.
You know I have a friend or two on antidepressants and they are each on either end of the spectrum. Both can not live in normal society with out them, one knows this and believes in his drugs. The other knows this but hates her drugs. They, apparently, hide your personality and place a fog around your world. It has it's pluses and minuses. She sometimes decides to stop taking her drugs. Cold turkey. Apparently you're not supposed to cold turkey these drugs, it whacks you out. Poor Jaynie went cold turkey. Of course they have a long half life so there is probably some residual druggage going on.
Regardless I think that Jaynie has seen the world for the first time in color. It's like while on meds he learned that some things just aren't that stressful (he used to stress about everything, you know, like the wind blowing) and he learned to like human touch. He cuddles now. He never even wanted to be touched before, now he will lay on top of a person and use his whole body. Unheard of. He spent this evening running around the house like a deer who just met spring for the first time ever. Prancing about like something out of Fantasia. It was just too cute!
If he can handle it and not have any large amount of violent out bursts (we haven't seen any yet, a good sign) I don't think we'll put him back on the meds. He still needs to go in for a refill of heart worm meds but he can handle it, the hubby will be taking him in the Jeep and that dog and master were made for riding with the top down. Jeeps were built for twosomes like this. So we'll see if we can't keep this dog happy, that was the main reason I had for adopting this bat shit crazy dog. That and no one else was going to handle his whacked out ass.
4 comments:
Bless you for taking him in. He would have no doubt been put down otherwise. You are a special person to tackle him. I love how your daughter also knows what he can and can't do. My husband takes prozac (thank God!). He is the happiest he has ever been in his entire life. He and I have not had an argument since he started taking them. He and my daughter get along fantastic! He used to bitch and pick things apart and generally just was not happy and was not pleasant to be around. Now he is silly and always in a good mood. He will say "it's the prozac!" I even told our doctor the last time I was there how well he was doing. He was glad to hear it.
I love how your pup is wanting to be loved on now. We have a leaner too....Miss Sophie. She will lean on anyone. But boxers generally want to be touching their humans. Don't you just love them????
Ah Roxy is our lean-er. She has no idea what the phrase 'personal space' means. I swear if she could crawl up your nose to show you how much she loved you and wanted to be near you she would. She sticks to people like glue and if you take her to a dog park she won't go near the other dogs, just the people. People think she gets no love at home or something because she's so desperate.
Yeah, we love our boxers even though they are so behaviorally messed up!
I just noticed that she has copper eyes like Sophie, the leaner!
Whereya been friend?
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