Puppy Prozac and Other Resolutions

After moving in with my mother who is in her late 70's my three daughters and I had some adjustments to make. Who am I kidding? My poor mother! The modest home I grew up in with three siblings was now going to become a sorority of sorts with Grandmother as the "house mother". Five women under one roof with only a male mixed breed rescue dog to temper the insanity. Unfortunately the dog was turning out to be the biggest freak. What had been an overly protective but pseudo-manageable pet in the previous living situation was now a vicious attack dog barking at anyone passing by without a dog on lead and bounding to the front door salivating and growling at the wind blowing. The final straw was two incidences of nipping or biting individuals. According to my late father "that's when the dog goes.......". Now I get that and actually agree with that philosophy but when this ultimatum was delivered to me by Grandmother as I came through the front door on a not so great day, exhausted and already ready to cry, I lost it. 2009 had been a tough year for my family and I could not conceive of another loss for my kids. I had a ten day period to figure this out. The neighbors were complaining about the barking. The excessive anxiety was causing aggression.

First trip was to Dr. Rockwell our vet. Prozac was one of the suggestions he made along with special training. Sign me up for the prozac I said. Initial dose 20 mg/day but possible to increase to 40 mg/day if needed. Verdict: 40 mg/day for Max was the charm. Barking. A friend had recommended a barking collar, very humane, it senses the vibration on the larynx and sprays a shot of citronella to their face and they do not like it. My daughter Meggie and I headed up to PetSmart. Of course the collar recommended was 95.00. I didn't want to get the cheapest model and have it not work. I figured that if it did not work out I could return it ( I was told) and then I would use that same money to euthanize the dog. Either way I was spending 95.00.

Long story endless, we arrived home, assembled the collar, buckled it onto Max's neck and sent him outside onto the porch where he did most of his barking. He attempted one barking jag and swiftly was corrected by the spray. Verdict: Max is now mute.

My mother, who loves a cause immediately was concerned over Max's new behavior. Was he over medicated? Is he suffering wearing that collar? My reply was simply, he's alive mom.