Luna first visited Dr. Eskesen at Hawthorne Hills Veterinary Hospital in May of 2023. She is a 2 ½ year old Australian Shepherd. She came for a wellness exam but her owners also had concerns because of her growing anxiety.
Australian Shepherds are a breed that does tend to have more anxiety, mostly because of the job they are bred for. They are great at herding sheep and can be excellent companions but they are very attentive to their environment and like to have control over the movement of their “herd”.
When kept as pets the people around them become their herd and they can get anxious when things are out of their control. Australian Shepherds are also a very athletic and active breed and need copious exercise to help quiet their very attentive minds.
At Luna’s first exam she would pace around the room, circling her owner and crying out in a very high pitched whine. She liked when the humans gave her attention but did not want to be restrained for anything including her exam and vaccines. Her owners expressed that this is how she acts when on walks and in the car.
Luna’s family did work with a trainer and she gets a fair amount of exercise but her anxiety seemed to just be getting worse.
Dr. Eskesen decided with Luna’s family to start her on an anti-anxiety medication called Reconcile. This is one of the only medications specifically labeled for anxiety in pets. Reconcile is very safe and does not usually cause many side effects other than lethargy for the first two weeks of starting the medication.
After those first 2 weeks their energy level returns to normal. When trying a dog on Reconcile we recommend giving it for at least 6 weeks before deciding if it has made a difference in their behavior.
We asked for an update one month later and Luna’s owners said she was doing very well on the medication. She was a little lethargic for about a week but then her energy returned to normal with a big improvement in the anxiety and behavior.
Last week she had an eye infection and Dr. Riedinger examined, her including applying eye drops and extensive handling of her face and eyes. She was an angel!
Everyone is so happy with how she has progressed and I think Luna is probably happiest of all. Now she can live the life of a care-free dog without always being anxious about her environment.
Last week she had an eye infection and Dr. Riedinger examined, her including applying eye drops and extensive handling of her face and eyes. She was an angel!
Luna’s left eye showing the green fluorescein stain – fortunately she didn’t have any scratch on the eye.
Everyone is so happy with how she has progressed and I think Luna is probably happiest of all. Now she can live the life of a care-free dog without always being anxious about her environment.
Although Luna had a wonderful response to the medication, it is very important to keep up behavioral training and cooperative care techniques in addition to regular exercise their whole life.
There is no magic pill and it does take effort from the dog’s family to improve their behavior and quality of life.
