Kirislin Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 My vet recommended I give Valium to Feather when she was showing signs of anxiety. She only weighs 8 kilos and he said to give her a 5mg tablet. I thought it seemed a hell of a lot for a little dog as that's a human sized dose. I did, and she survived although was staggering around like a drunkard when she tried to walk. She seems fine now but I'd like to know if it's normal to prescribe that much for a little dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 We used to give 5mg to smaller dogs than yours at the rescue (if needed)... should be fine for Feather... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 My 10.2kg dog becomes totally hyperactive if she suffers any stomach discomfort. She's had a painful Pancreatitis attack in the past and stomach discomfort seems to jog her memory. I give her 1/4 of a 5mg tablet and if she doesn't calm down within half an hour I give her another 1/4 of a 5mg tablet so 2.5mg in total. She's only had this hyperactivity twice but that dose of Valium calms her down. I think if I gave her 5mg tablet she'd be out for the count for hours. Hell, 5mg of Valium would put me out for the count for quite some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 No way, Kirislin. That is too much. I had valium for Myrtie to settle her when there were really bad electrical storms. She was 3.6kg and I would give her a quarter of a tablet. In no time, she'd be fine without any affects such as grogginess or being unsteady on her feet. I think to overdose is cruel because dogs can get very upset when they are unsteady and don't know which way is up and the problem may be being compounded. I started using valium for Mrytie when visiting my brother during a storm and he asked his wife if she'd given their dog his valium. That dog was about 8kgs and he would get half a tablet. For something like Feather is experiencing it is better to start off small and increase rather than the other way around. If someone is in chronic pain, sure, give a big dose, but for anxiety or similar, I believe you should start off with the lowest dose and increase if there isn't an improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) The dose range is quite broad so 5mg should be fine. It can affect different dogs in different ways so if 5mg is too much, try giving half a tablet. ETA: Dose is 0.5-2mg per kg. Edited March 3, 2015 by *kirty* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 My vet recommended I give Valium to Feather when she was showing signs of anxiety. She only weighs 8 kilos and he said to give her a 5mg tablet. I thought it seemed a hell of a lot for a little dog as that's a human sized dose. I did, and she survived although was staggering around like a drunkard when she tried to walk. She seems fine now but I'd like to know if it's normal to prescribe that much for a little dog. If a tablet made a dog of mine stagger like a drunkard, no way would I be giving him or her that dosage ----- no matter what the vet or others said. Read any of the threads about medications in Off Topic and you will have people swearing by the efficacy of something and then someone else saying it made them sick. There are any number of stories like that. Dogs are no different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) As Kirty has said the dose range for diazepam is quite wide and depends on the individual. Being very slightly wobbly is a good thing as it is indicative of a therapeutic dose (as it is a muscle relaxant) but it can be tweaked on repeat doses. It will wear off in a few hours. It is for this reason I always ask owners to supervise their pet for the first few doses of diazepam so we can monitor the response. If you start low, the dose can be repeated if there is little effect but this is not ideal if the stressor is already present, like a thunderstorm. Edited March 3, 2015 by Rappie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottsmum Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I have heard that dogs metabolise it differently to humans - therefore can take a much larger dose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I used to use Valium for really storm phobic dogs and it isn't so good for them with the side effects. My vet changed to something that didn't make them so drowsy, more relaxed. It's also a human drug, can't think of the name of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Valium is our preferred choice for anxious/stressed dogs. Ace is another commonly used drug but it can make them zonked, but still anxious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 thanks all. She was staggery but since it was close to bed time it didn't matter. I lifted her onto my bed that evening and she slept all night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranga Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 My 3kg poodle I used to give 1/4 tablet. Enough to take the edge off without zonkkng her out :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I used to use Valium for really storm phobic dogs and it isn't so good for them with the side effects. My vet changed to something that didn't make them so drowsy, more relaxed. It's also a human drug, can't think of the name of it. Possibly alprazolam (Xanax) - it is now an S8 medication so more difficult to dispense for this purpose. When it was just an S4 I preferred it but was still cautious in dispensing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I recently had a dog in the kennels, possibly around 20kgs, maybe a little more. He had valium for anxiety and started on one tablet, did nothing, went up to two just took the edge of but still a bit wound up, was told he could have three per dose and he had it three times a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) I have heard that dogs metabolise it differently to humans - therefore can take a much larger dose. I claim no knowledge . . . but I once had a vet prescribe vallium for a dog who had had one grand mal seizure (never had a second) as a precaution for flying. Turns out that I opted not to use the vallium and she had no difficulty with the flight. But a friend who is something of a pill freak was super impressed by the amount of vallies the vet prescribed. Apparently it was far far more than the recreational dose for a pill popper. Edited March 5, 2015 by sandgrubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Monte was only a 9kilo pug and I was able to give him up to 4 x 10mg of diazepam, rectally, without issue. He was zonked on 40mg but it wasn't a dangerous level as I understand it. It never killed him or hurt him and he was given that dose on several occasions to stop his seizure clusters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 I should add that he was also on phenobarbital and potassium bromide . The Valium was in addition to those drugs when he was having a particularly bad cluster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Valium is our preferred choice for anxious/stressed dogs. Ace is another commonly used drug but it can make them zonked, but still anxious We used to use acepromozine as a relaxant before surgery on dogs. Not sure if this is still common practice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Yes it is, but we use it in conjunction with other drugs (we premed with methadone or temgesic, ace, and atropine). :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabbath Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I have heard that dogs metabolise it differently to humans - therefore can take a much larger dose. This is correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now