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Prozac For Dogs. Does Anyone Know What It Costs?


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Does anyone know the approximate cost of prozac when prescribed for dogs? My vet is looking in to it, but I thought I'd save her the trouble if it turns out to be so expensive that I couldnt afford it anyway.

Edited by BittyMooPeeb
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Prozac is not registered for use in dogs, you would be paying for human prozac and giving your dog the dose recommended by your Vet. This means that if you have a heath care card you can get it for around $3.85 because of the PBS, not sure how much it is otherwise.

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I always thought Prozac for dogs was Clomicalm - am I right?

Different things. Clomicalm is commonly used for compulsive behaviour disorders, anxiety - I dont know what else.

Prozac (ie the seratonin reuptake inhibitor family of anti-depressants) is used where the dog has aggression problems (Clomicalm is contra-indicated for agression problems (ie it can make the aggression worse)) and also for anxiety, etc.

Clomicalm is also the only one that is approved (tested) for animal use.

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A previous dog of mine went onto Prozac and Beta Blockers, costed about $30 a week from memory.

Sadly no difference was made with the medication.

Just like humans, dogs need to be weened of Prozac too, it's a big decision to make.

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The chemist ended up giving me a different brand which cost $28 for 28 tablets, so it turned out to be even cheaper.

SAS: One site that I read about treating with anti-depressants, said that the medication wont help if the dog is carrying out the behaviours because he wants to (as opposed to because he is having an abnormal reaction to stimuli). Also, there are many different types of SSRI's, and just as with people, you may have to try the dog on several before you find which one works.

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The chemist ended up giving me a different brand which cost $28 for 28 tablets, so it turned out to be even cheaper.

SAS: One site that I read about treating with anti-depressants, said that the medication wont help if the dog is carrying out the behaviours because he wants to (as opposed to because he is having an abnormal reaction to stimuli). Also, there are many different types of SSRI's, and just as with people, you may have to try the dog on several before you find which one works.

Your absolutely correct, the medication doesn't fix any behavioural problems, it gives you an 'in' so to speak to work with the dog. It wasn't clear at the time whether the problems we were having were learned behaviours or genetic. We were also working under the direction of Robert Holmes who is a Vet & Behaviourist.

We were also on Beta Blockers which were only to be used short-term.

Our situation was slightly different, being a Dane we couldn't give the full dose and were resricted in some sense to what we could use which would be effective.

Trying different anti-depressants isn't encouraged, it take some time for them to 'kick in' and then you have a ween off period as well. Switching medications can bring on other issues.

Edited by sas
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I suspect (hope!) that the vet wrote a prescription for a specific drug and the pharmacist offered a cheaper / generic brand for a lower price.

Well see that is a new one on me too cause I didn't realise a vet could write a script for a human drug. You learn something new everyday don't you.

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So were you able to just walk into a chemist and buy Prozac over the counter?

Noooo :D :cry:

My vet had to arrange with a particular chemist to give out medication for a dog, and my vet also had to write a script (in my name) for me to take to that chemist. I'm assuming that the pharmacist did a bit of looking at options between the time he gave the price and when I went in, because I got more tablets for less money (so yes, brand substitution).

Mind you, with the amount of crap email I get every day, I probably could have ordered several tonnes of Prozac AND viagra over the net for only a few dollars :rofl: .

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Well see that is a new one on me too cause I didn't realise a vet could write a script for a human drug. You learn something new everyday don't you.

I didn't know this either. Next time I go in I can ask for something for the dog, and something for me to take away the headache the dog has given me :rofl: .

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