Valium for Dogs - Some Words of Caution and Advice
It was once quite common to use valium for dogs in just about any situation where the goal was to relax your dog – from using valium to calm them down on long car rides, to manage anxiety during plane flights, or to keep them from throwing themselves into a wild panic during thunderstorms or firework displays. But modern veterinary practice has since determined that the widespread use of valium for dogs for these purposes is unnecessary and even potentially hazardous to your pet. The reason for this change of thought? I'll give you two words – potentially serious side-effects.
Valium is the brand name for the class of drugs called diazepam, being available in 2mg, 5mg, and 10mg tablets, as well as an injectable form. In many situations, Valium for dogs has important uses in treating serious issues like extreme muscle cramping in cases of poisonings, controlling seizures in epileptic canines, and relaxing the muscles lining the intestinal tract to treat over-active bowels in Irritable Bowel Syndrome. But Valium for dogs used for treating simple cases of anxiety and nervousness just simply may be putting your beloved pet too much at risk for the benefits gained.
As a pet owner, I know how difficult and heart wrenching it can be to watch what seems like your pet suffering when they are anxious or nervous, such as during a raging thunderstorm. But actually, your pet is simply doing what it's supposed to do – reacting the way nature intended him to react. Your dog's natural response to anxiety-provoking situations is to pant more heavily and try to escape from the anxiety-provoking source. It may look uncomfortable, but be assured your pet is not being harmed in any way.
The problem with using Valium for dogs is the way it interferes with your dog's natural response to anxiety. Diazepam will slow down your dog's heart rate, and decrease his intake of oxygen as it impedes respiration. Though younger animals can generally manage this well, this can be downright risky with older pets.
The problem with Valium for dogs is that, though the effects of diazepam in humans is well-documented, its effects on the canine brain are not clearly understood. And the effects of Valium for dogs is not long-lasting or even particualry reliable. What is known is that your pet can experience an undesirable level of sedation using Valium, and some dogs experience a paradoxical effect, actually becoming unpredictably hyper-excited when given Valium. You will also want to be sure to have your pet's liver enzymes checked as liver failure has been reported in some dogs where Valium has been prescribed.
Complications Associated With Using Valium for Dogs
Like their human counterparts, discontinuing Valium for dogs too quickly can lead to some unpleasant withdrawal symptoms in your animal. Valium should also not be used early in pregnancy as there have been birth defects associated with its use, including cases where nursing young have been tranquilized by the mother's milk when Valium for dogs was used during pregnancy.
If you're choosing to use Valium for dogs, be sure to check with your veterinarian if your dog has been prescribed any heart medications, medications for parasites, or using any type of dip for mange as there have been some serious drug interaction problems when using Valium for dogs with these types of medications.
So is valium for dogs really worth the risk? It is rather uncommon nowadays that veterinarians will prescribe valium for dogs. This is due to the number of complications, sometimes tragic ones, that have resulted from animal's bad reactions to being tranquilized. So don't you owe it to yourself to look into the very effective natural and herbal remediesthat are available today? Native Remedies is one company I would highly recommend as all their products are developed and overseen by professional herbalists. So look into natural healing herbs as a way to help calm your pet rather than turning to dangerous and sometimes deadly tranquilizers, such as valium for dogs.