Medication Update for My Anxious and Reactive Dog (October 2023)

Today marks the start of our 6th month with Fluoxetine. After a long summer break that followed our last update (at the start of month 3), we’ve finally resumed training with our trainer this week. (Of course, we were still doing exercises during daily walks, focusing on triggers, leash pulling, basic obedience, eye contacts, etc.) This update is more about what I have realised the change on Lucky with Fluoxetine and without training.

Lucky is still…

• Highly reactive to specific triggers, particularly bikes, especially when we walk with someone else or another dog
• Reluctant to go outside - our evening walks are short, lasting only 5-10 minutes before she refuses to walk and drags me home
• Showing her “flight” response whenever she sees something scary
• Struggling with OCD, especially when we have guests over

All that said, there are subtle signs pointing to significant progress we’ve witnessed:

• Significantly more sniffing and less leash pulling during walks
• Started to be interested in fetching and chewing wooden sticks
• Became much more playful outside, especially in familiar places
• Despite still being abnormally anxious around things with wheels, she observes them much more, her reaction has shifted from pure fear to a more manageable panic

Fluoxetine has helped Lucky to be less sensitive in certain environment and towards sounds, which has made our walks easier and more enjoyable. Nevertheless, there’s still much work to be done. My current priorities include getting Lucky comfortable with walking around other people and dogs, improving her focus on me, and managing her excitement and OCD when we have guests over. I’m looking forward to witnessing further progress as we’ve resumed proper training 😁