Gotta ask the Dog/Nail/calm down medicine question again., Here it is: What OTC can I Give My Dog to Calm Him?

Question

Calm him down for nail clipping? Please read these facts before you comment:

1.) On a vet trip, they clipped his nails and split one all the way to the quick- VERY PAINFUL for the dog.

2.) He is not being "naughty" nor is he undisciplined- he's simply scared out of his wits that it will hurt like it did at the vets..we used to clip his nails all the time before that happened.

3.) No pet shop will touch him because he is so sensitive, and because the nail is still split.

4.) He is a Beagle with very strong pulling muscles and can easily pull away his foot during a clip- resulting in more damage.

5.) The vet won't do it without putting him to sleep and keeping him over night. KA-CHING!

6.) He's an older dog who doesn't need the extra excitement.

So...I'm sure there is something OTC I can give him besides Gravol or Benydryl that will work to make him sleepy- yes or no?

Thank you! :)

7.) It's been two YEARS since the vet incident- I don't think he's going to forget it..and we have tried the gentle rubbing paw thing. Last time we got it done at the vets (6 months after the accident they had with the nail) it took 3 vet techs just hold him down and he still pulled his paw out of the vets grip. YES..his nails, especially on that foot are sticking out of the fur nearly 1 1/2 inches, effecting the way he walks. The dew claw is beginning to curve back around into his fur.

Answer 1

i don't know that you need otc medicine, yes, some are safe in small doses, but thay make sedatives for dogs.
My guy had severe separation anxiety and injured himself in his crate whenever i left. I told the vet, and he wrote a prescription for tranqs in pill form. (the dog is better now and doesn't need them anymore, yay!), but that was only about 30 dollars for several. Tell your vet you this, see if he can write you a Rx.
It is best to try things made for dogs first, then people medicine.

Answer 2

I wouldn't give him medicine to sedate him, I would retrain him to have his nails shortened. This is a prime time to start using a Dremel to shorten his nails. Many dogs are sensitive to clippers because they squeeze the nail to clip it. This can be painful, even if you don't quick the dog. You can purchase a Dremel tool at any hardware store or at many online pet stores. You will also need a coarse sanding drum attachment. I think the cordless one is easier to use, but the battery does run out fairly quickly (1-2 dogs).

Start by getting your dog used to the Dremel tool. Sit on the ground with some tasty treats and the rotary tool (turned off to start). Let the dog smell the tool and give him treats for being calm. Next, turn the tool on and do the same thing. Do not try to move the tool towards the dog at this point, let his curiousity bring him to the tool and then reward him. After he is doing good, put the body of the running tool next to his body so he can feel the vibration. Move the tool around his body - head, body, legs, feet. It is helpful to have your dog in a down position when doing this on his legs and feet. If necessary, have someone sit behind your dog while he is laying down to calm him, while you rub his legs and feet with the machine running.

Do not try to go too fast. If you go too fast, you will actually scare your dog even more. If you can do one toenail - quit and give your dogs lots of little treats. Maybe the next day, you'll be able to do 2.

If you keep at it, I'm sure your dog will love getting his nails done. Just keep the atmosphere relaxed and calm. If you get upset and hold your dog down on the ground, you'll be fighting him forever.

You should shorten your dogs nails about every week depending on how fast his nails grow. Good luck!

Answer 3

It is not very safe to give your pet OTC medications without checking with your vet first.
We do give animals Bendryl, but only for anaphylactic reactions. The dose it would take to calm them would be far too high-you could easily overdose him.
Non-steroidals such as Advil, Motrin, etc can cause GI bleeding if given improperly.
Dogs also metabolize aspirin slowly, and should never be given tylenol.
Remember that all the medications that you can buy at the store are formulated for humans-correct dosing is very species dependent. What is good for a human could kill a cat or a dog.
Also remember that if you sedate your dog enough to put him to sleep, you need some way of monitoring his vitals. Are you able to measure blood pressure and make descisions about his respiratory and cardiovascular status?
I agree that your vet using general anesthesisa is a bad idea-it's a lot of stress on a dog's body (especially an older one), and unnecessary. But they may be able to give him a mild sedative, such as valium or acepromazine, to see if that helps.
Otherwise, does your dog need his nails cut right away? Maybe you could wait a bit, and ease him into it. Play with his feet gently when you are petting him. This will help to ease him into the idea of having his feet touched again. He may just need time-I'm sure I would act the same way if someone split my nail.
I hope you find a good solution, but I don't think that medicating your dog without proper advice (which you can't find here) is a good idea.

Answer 4

No drugs are needed, just a reintroduction to the clippers in a positive way. They really put him back a step didn't they! Start off by sitting with your dog, clippers included and treats. Just set them down next to him, he will probably start shaking or drooling. Don't let him run away, but don't hold him down either. Just bring him right back to the same spot and repeat, he will "get it" in a few tries and then he can get a rub or treat. Beagles are usually food driven anyway. Then when he's calm use the clippers in your hand to rub him, repeat till calm. Put them near his feet, repeat till calm. Eventually clip a nail or two...you get the picture. It will take a long time, maybe weeks. Always end on a positive note and go back a step to where he was calm before. Soon he will be begging for the clippers because it's related to so much affection!

Answer 5

Don't give gravol or benadryl to knock him out. You may have to muzzle himand have someone hold him down while you clip the nails. This sounds mean, but if the person holding him down can also tell him he's a good boy and rub him a little, than he eventually won't think it's that bad. But it's going to take some time. he was traumatized by the situation at the vets, and he'll remeber that for a long time.

Answer 6

I would do 2 things to help this dog. First, when he's tired, have him lying on his side and just play with his feet a bit. Then, with the clippers close to his feet, only pretend to clip his nails so he gets used to the sound of the clippers and realizes he's not being hurt.

Then, get yourself some Bach's Flower Essences, Rescue Remedy. It's an all natural product which I use for 1 of my dog's who's afraid of thunder. I don't like the side affects from tranquilizers, so I use this because it's enough to calm him, with no side affects. Your beagle would get only 2 drops, it takes 20 minutes to take affect. You can get it from holistic vets, health food stores and some drug stores.

For the next step, give him the Rescue Remedy and wait about 20 minutes. Then with him on his side, clip only the very tips of a couple of nails. Talk to him quietly, but don't baby him or he'll think he has a reason to worry. If he's pretty calm, clip the tips of all his nails. If he's not, only do a few and continue the next day.

If you do his nails with a lot of patience a few times, he should be willing to accept it again. Good luck!

Answer 7

When we were taking my puppy on a flight to Florida, the vet prescribed some doggy Valium for him. It turned him into a big mush, but he was fine 6 hours later when the flight landed, although he was groggy the rest of the night. He was 100% the next morning.

Also, I know you probably heard this, but I take my dog on jogs over concrete(the sidewalk) and it helps keep his nails filed.

Another thing you can try is to just hold your dogs paws when you are cuddling with them. This may make him forget his bad experience.

Good Luck!

Answer 8

I echo the dremel statments! I was going to suggest it myself until I saw GSDotch mentioned it.

USe the dremel, but start with just turning it on, and lots of treats with your dog to provide positive reinforcement. Slowly move to applying the dremel to the nail over the period of a week or two. Much less traumatic than actual nail clipping.

Answer 9

not sure about otc drugs but how about someone holding him behind the leg near the shoulder to stop him from pulling back and perhaps even holding him tightly so you can get the nail. perhaps one at a time with a little break for stress relief

Answer 10

I'm a guy, and personally, I don't like long nails. We know a lot of like long, painted nails cause they're "so pretty", but I don't like them.