“Yuppie (short for “young urban professional” or “young upwardly-mobile professional“)[1] is a derogatory term that refers to a member of the upper middle class in their twenties or thirties.[2]” – Wikipedia
A few weeks ago Rhett Butler had a vet appointment for his annual heart-worm check. While we were there I mentioned that he’d been awfully shaky during the last round of thunderstorms and he had a bald patch on his back leg from chewing on it while we are away at work. Our vet grew very concerned and told me that self-mutilation was a sign of serious anxiety.
“Self-mutilation?” I asked, “That seems a bit over-stated. I prefer to call it nibbling.”
The vet rolled her eyes at me and told me she wanted to look into the best way to treat him and I obliged. After all, RB is my one and only baby.
Fast-forward to today when she called back and broke the news that after consulting two canine behaviorists poor Rhett Butler is going on Prozac. The human kind. That I have to fill at Walgreen’s.
Yes, I had to call a pharmacy and ask how much a prescription for Prozac for my dog was going to be. This is when I got the happy news that because Rhett Butler isn’t Medicare or Medicaid eligible I can sign him up for the prescription drug plan at Walgreen’s. Because that isn’t embarrassing.
In summary: if we were not yuppies before, we are now.
My Great Dane chews her tail when she gets anxious. This is generally brought on by three year old children who think her kennel is a playhouse.
The worst thing is I don’t notice she is chewing her tail until I let her out of her kennel. At this point, her tail hits every wall between her kennel and the front door including the master bedroom walls, hallway, stairs, front hallway and siding.
Can you say war zone?
just be careful. i dont think prozac is good for dogs. i know it is commonly prescribed, just like for people, but it might dull him out or change him in ways that are not for the best. keep a close eye. do some research online about the pros and cons.
Amy- thanks for the warning. We have definitely done our own research and we are going to try it out for one month and re-evaluate. If his anxiety isn’t better then we will try something else.
My dog DESPERATELY needs prozac or xanax, but the vet has never told us she needed anything but doggie downers during the 4th. This is hilarious but in a sad kind of way.
Puppy rhymes with Yuppie! And now we know why!
you’re a bad dog mom and THAT is the problem
I can’t give my dog who hates thunderstorms Xanax because it makes her incredibly aggressive and she attacks our other dogs.
My older dog is on daily maintenance chemo that I have to have specially made for him at the compounding pharmacy. Most meds for humans also work for dogs, just at a much reduced dosage.
But do watch out for RB and aggressiveness. Xanax and Prozac just has that effect on some dogs…