Our dog's journey on SSRI's
We adopted our Boston Terrier, from a rescue when he was about two years old. Ever since we brought him home, vet visits have been a frequent part of our lives. His behavioral issues first surfaced one evening when my partner and I went out for a jog, leaving him alone. When we returned, he was panting heavily with his tongue sticking out, breathing rapidly, and desperately trying to escape—even attempting to climb any fence he encountered. Full panic attack.
Our vet immediately prescribed fluoxetine. This helped for about two months, but then he started to develop severe pacing. He would pace in circles in the kitchen, around the table, and around us for no apparent reason. His appetite also dropped significantly. Knowing something was wrong, we decided to take him to a veterinary behavioral specialist.
The specialist diagnosed him with severe separation anxiety and OCD pacing. They explained that fluoxetine can make some dogs nauseous and simply doesn't work well for every dog, so we switched him to Zoloft. Unfortunately, it was a similar story; it seemed to work for a a couple of months, but even after we increased the dosage, the pacing eventually returned.
Now, we are trying citalopram. During his first week on it, we saw huge improvements. However, now that he is at his planned normal dose, his pacing seems more extreme than ever, and his appetite is completely gone. Throughout all of this, he has also been on gabapentin, which is the one medication we know works well for him without causing any side effects. (He also does not react well to alprazolam—that just seems to make him hyper and hungry.)
It has been almost three years of constant experimentation and it is starting to take a massive mental toll on us. We feel so defeated. Everything we have tried seems to have failed. His anxiety is adding to ours. It feels like we can't get a break from our stress. We aren't sure if anyone else has had similar experiences, but we are seriously considering rehoming him at this point because we are completely exhausted. I love him dearly and we just want what is best for him. My biggest fear is that he is not going to be able to find someone who is will to keep trying to find a solution.