Drug Question

    • Gold Top Dog

    Drug Question

    My moms dog Minnie is very scared of fireworks soo I was wodnering what we should give her.  The vet gave her Acepromazine 10mg tablets last year which didnt do anything at all.  The vet gave me Metocolopramide 5mg for Baileys carsickness... didnt do anything either.  So heres my question...

    Acepromazine 10mg - shes 30lbs... I should not double her dose right?  Would that help and be safe?  Is this a bad drug to use?

    Metoclopramide 5mg - Is this a sedative?  The dosage on the bottle says 1/2 tablet before a car ride which would be 2.5mg for a 30lb dog... too little?  Would this help with fireworks?  Bad drug?

    Would just giving her some Benadryl be better?  I plan on giving her a raw bone... but I know it wont matter to her.
     
    ** Im so proud of Bailey... she doesnt mind the fireworks one bit!**[:D][:D]
    • Gold Top Dog
    I cannot speak for the others, but Ace is a traq that we use for horses.  We have found it to be pretty effective, and I wouldn't go over the recommended dose if it were my dog.
     
    I have never seen it used on a DOG, but I have not seen adverse reactions in horses.  Now, with horses, it tends to be uneffective if we give it after the horse is already upset.  I have no idea if it is the same for dogs.
     
    I would ask your vet just to be safe, if the office is open.
    • Gold Top Dog
    I've never personally used Ace but I agree with Christina. 
     
    A lot of people on the chow forum use it when they take their dogs to the vet and it's really quite strong.  One guy was recently saying he wasn't going to give it to his dog anymore because she was out of it for two days after taking it. 
    • Gold Top Dog
    I would google ace, I do think it's like valium though in that case you could give it to her, but I would give only 1/2 that dose. and give it to her about 1/2 hr before they start it should last 4 to 6 hrs so that should be plenty. but google it w/ for dogs to be safe.
    Here's a good link
    [linkhttp://www.wedgewoodpharmacy.com/monographs/AcepromazineMaleate.asp]http://www.wedgewoodpharmacy.com/monographs/AcepromazineMaleate.asp[/link]
    • Gold Top Dog
    Ace is a sedative most frequently given when an aggressive or anxious dog needs to be sedated for a procedure.  It is powerful stuff so do not administer more then the prescribed dose. 
     
    If nothing else...call the vet and find out the appropriate amount for your dog.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Amy - In my latest issue of Whole Dog Journal it says "'Ace' should not be used to treat anxiety or noise phobias.  It is a tranquilizer that makes the dog unable to react but does nothing to decrease his anxiety - and can actually make it worse."  The author said she did use it one time when nothing else worked and her dog was still groggy and uncoordinated the next day, something she hadn't seen with any of the other medications.  
    • Gold Top Dog
    Metoclapramide is for nausea.


    Ace is a poor choice for anxiety, as the others have mentioned.  I've had storm phobic dogs and all it did was make them stagger around instead of run around.  They're better off with Benadryl.
    • Bronze
    I have used Ace on my female cocker just once a year, 4th of July.  She hides in the bathroom and wraps herself around the toilet and her heart is racing so hard I'm afraid she'll have a heart attack.  I give her a very low dose (less than 5mg) and her heart rate returns to normal and she comes to me and snuggles during the noise.  I have never used this for any other purpose.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Romeo is thunder phobic, his first vet gave him the 10 mg pill...I though I would be cautious and cut it in fourths and Romeo was knocked out for the entire day, to the point I kept checking in on him to make sure he was still breathing, when he woke up his eyes were glazed over and he wobbled when he walked.  Never gave it to him again.  I use Valerian and Calms (Hyland), the valerian relaxes him by lowering his heart rate and the calms induces a natural sleep without disorienting him.  He does not wake up groggy or "lost".
    • Gold Top Dog
    Ace is VERY BAD for BCs.  There should be a note about it, like the four white feet don't treat thing for collies and ivermectin.

    And it's not very good for certain anxiety reactions, as mentioned.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Wow... I really appreciate your answers!!!  [:D][:D]
     
    Im not going to give her any.  Even the possibility of it disabling her ability to react but not the anxiety sounds miserable...
     
    Maybe some Benadryl but not sure... I was very surprised to hear your answers... and just thinking that the vet prescribed it like nothing kinda worries me.
     
    Thank youuu!!
     
     

    • Gold Top Dog
    ORIGINAL: brookcove

    Ace is VERY BAD for BCs.  There should be a note about it, like the four white feet don't treat thing for collies and ivermectin.

    And it's not very good for certain anxiety reactions, as mentioned.



    Good point to mention for anyone that may come upon this topic later!!  I can't believe I didn't think to mention it!

    Due to a mutant gene in breeds like Collies (and several herding breeds), certain drugs at ANY dosage can be dangerous and Ace is one of them.  Personally, I don't like the use of Ace for any procedure.  There are newer, safer, shorter acting drugs that will give you a much better effect and quicker recovery.
    • Gold Top Dog
    I know that when we used the Ace with Sasha our GSD we got it from the vet she was knocked out the whole day and night. Plus we had to actually carry her into her crate because when we let her stay out with us everytime we  moved she tried to follow but fell. I was afraid she was going to break something.
    • Gold Top Dog
    Why do vets prescribe Ace so much if it has these harmful effects?  Is it just the old fallback? 
    • Gold Top Dog
    It's interesting to hear about the effect it has on dogs.  While we do not keep it on hand at the barn, our vet often uses it.  We have one mare who HATES having vaginal exams done, and as she is being used for breeding via AI, that is an issue.  The vet gives her Ace right away, before she gets too upset, but she still tries to kick her until she's all the way under the influence.  Another vet that we have doesn't mess around--he gives a LOT--to the point that everytime he traqs a horse I swear it's going to just fall over.  In that case the horses don't give him problems, as they are simply just too out of it.