St John's Wort

[Rebanne]

after any information on this herb please. I have a dog here who is a bit sensitive and while he is pretty good at home, he is not so good when we are away. He doesn't travel well in the car or the trailer, can't bear to have me out of his sight while we are away even when left with the other dogs and generally is very miserable. He constantly whines and sooks but thankfully does shut up at night.

He doesn't come with me very often, if I am only away for one night he stays home, but sometimes he just has to come. I have some valium from the vet to try him on but was wondering about St John's Wort which is claimed to be very similar to valium.

I can buy dried herbs, powdered herbs, capsules, tablets etc. I was thinking either the dried herbs made into a tea or the powder sprinkled on his meals.

I'm after something that is able to be used for the time period around each stressful event rather then something he has to be on all the time.

TIA

[ruthless]

Have you tried DAP? We've seen an improvement in Angel's anxiety with it.

Never heard of using St John's Wort on dogs, sorry.

[Guest lavendergirl]

I hadn't thought of using this herb for anxiety either but a search online will show that it is quite widely used in dogs so I guess it would just be a matter of trying it to see. It doesn't seem like it would hurt anyway. I am also wondering if you have tried things like Tranquil Paste and any other herbal formulations?

[Rebanne]

yep tried DAP and things like Troy Behave

[BC Crazy]

My girl is also quite a sook when we are away caravaning. She whines when one of us is not around or is in site of her but she is in her encloser & can't get to us. Settles well at night though. She is a "needy" type.

Have tried Dap, Troy Behave as well with no sucess. ATM am trying Vetalogica calm & I can see slight improvement.

Don't know if it is possible to give SJW but would be interested to know.

[sas]

There is some European evidence that the key ingrediant which is Hypericin inhibits Serotonin re-uptake in some people and that other compounds in St Johns Wort such as Flavonoids might provide other benefits.

I personaly have used St Johns Wort on a Anxious dog with some success, although it is a supplement that can start working straight away however for more benefits it can take up to 6 weeks to really get going.

You must check with your Vet about giving St Johns Wort if you are giving other medications as there are some negative drug interactions. This herb should not be taken with other drugs which can inhibit MAO.

For dogs, the reccomended ose is 250-300 mg twice daily for large dogs has been recommended and proven useful clinically.

In people, research suggests that St Johns Wort is effective in about 55% of cases. As with other antidepressants, the full effect takes approximately 4 to 6 weeks to develop. Although St Johns Wort appears to be somewhat less powerful than standard antidepressants, it rarely causes side effects. Animal studies involving very large doses for 26 weeks have not shown any serious effects.

[Boronia]

my scanner doesn't work so I photo'd instead. This is from Juliet de Bairacli Levy's book 'The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat'

she notes that if gentian is not available get St John's wart as a tea, fortified with peppermint

page 249

page 250

[Boronia]

a little bit here about 'tree barks' flour'

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=q5DchsHkxnoC&pg=PA69&lpg=PA69&dq=herbal+tree-barks%27+flour&source=bl&ots=YyrAfvZrzP&sig=P5OTjAgj_hCOgCck97g_84ABm9s&hl=en&sa=X&ei=qqlvT5vULseQiQfurbzbBQ&sqi=2&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=herbal%20tree-barks%27%20flour&f=false

[Rebanne]

Thanks all. Boronia, thanks for all that, but the dog is not actually car sick, just very anxious. I've had car sick dogs in the past before and he's not one of them thankfully.

I have bought some tablets so will see how we go.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Rebanne