Alternatives to Zylkene

Rev

Vet prescribed these for my youngest staffy, he's nervous as hell of strangers when on walks. And barks at people walking past the house.

They are working in the sense that he's less reactive to people walking past the house, but no change when out walking, but the vet did say it'll work for some dogs, not for others. So the vet suggested trying some herbal types ones. Problem being I've no idea what ones to try.

Can anyone suggest any? Preferably ones they've had positive experiences with?

Thanks.

paddypaws101

http://www.denes.co.uk/advice/fact_sheets/valerian.php
No personal experience with animals, although I have used Valerian myself and find it calming.:p

Nod_Off

So is the vet saying that it's an anxiety/stress/fear reaction? There are tons of herbal products on the market now and it really is trial and error . One of my dogs is 8 years old and has been crippled with anxiety since day dot so over the years, I think I've tried them all

Have you tried the DAP diffuser for in the house? I've used that for different situations in different dogs and had mixed results. Skullcap & Valerian had no effect for us but worked well for my friends dog. Serene-Um had no effect. Have you thought about trying any of the Bach Flower remedies? Obviously the Rescue Remedy is the well known one but there are lots of others that may be better suited to your dog with regard to the nervousness. I found a herbal flower essence product on Ebay that is working very well for us (by no means 'cured' but very much improved) - the one we use is called 'Comfort' as we use it mainly for separation anxiety. I've had a look through the listings and there is one called 'Relax' which might suit your boy as it's designed more for distress/anxiety/fear.

Good luck and I hope you find something that helps. Also, the thing to remember about these herbal products is that you do tend to have to give them a while to work (or not as the case may be!). I normally try something for a couple of months before writing it off completely.

Rev

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, we have a behaviourist referral from the vet, as he shows aggression towards strangers when on walks, yes bring them into the house and he's everyone's best friend. He is scared of traffic too. So the vet has suggested something like this to help him better deal and take in the training we'll be doing with the behaviourist.

I have used rescue remedy on bonfire nights and it didn't help him, worked for my older dog, but he's not very noise reactive we've learned so the fireworks don't bother him so much. Not tried dap. Zylkene is the first product of this type we've tried.

He's been on the zylkene for a few about a month and a half and as I said, he is less reactive to strangers walking past, but no difference at all on walks.

Do you think maybe I should just stick with the zylkene for a while longer then?

I was looking at the serene um ones, but then you've said they had no effect lol.

Nod_Off

Now if I remember correctly about the Zylkene, whatever effect it's had after about a month is the best it's going to get. Obviously, you have seen a little improvement so it's up to you whether you think it's enough to carry on with it - it didn't have any noticeable effect on my dog so I just used up what I had before stopping it (at that price, I couldn't bring myself to put it in the bin ). You might find that when you start working with the behaviourist, the behaviour modification used in conjunction with the Zylkene may show a better result than using the Zylkene as a stand alone treatment.

The Serene-Um didn't work for us (I used the drops) - I tend to think the majority of these things work better for mild cases whereas my dog is neurotic to the core!

Waterfalls

It be an idea to mix the zylkene with the dap and see what results u get. I would recommend the collar. this way the dap will be with him when he is out for walks as well, as this is where ur having problems.

Rev

I may try the Serene um tablets them. I don't think the zylkene effect has been enough to warrent the price. And if there's zero effect with the serene I can always try another. Like you said, it's trial and error. And I can always go back to zylkene.

The dap collar would be a bust, I have two staffies, I've shelled out more in collars than I care to mention lol. They end up as tug of war toys. So they're only on when out for walks.

Obviously I could try the dap plug on and the collar for when he's out. So there's the plus in for in the house.

I know the zylkene isn't a treatment as such, but the vet said it may help him cope better with his fear and thus it'd be easier for him to accept new training methods. Instead of him trying to hide behind my legs or jump on top of cars to get away from strangers lol.

Nod_Off

If you are trying the DAP, you could always get the spray and just spray his normal collar before going out. The collar only lasts for 4 weeks so it might be more cost effective that way.

Bless his heart, he does sound really scared.

Kinski

I've tried both zylkene and Serene um but neither of them worked. My sister uses the dap spray on her staffie but she has a bandana that she sprays and it does seem to work on her lad, I'm thinking about giving it a go.

Rev

Ordered a dap defusser. Figured I can always go back to Zylkene.

Catslovelycats

Hi. I have tried zylkene capsules and feliway diffusers.
Afetr spending a lot of money over several months I gave up.
Neither work on my mental siamese cat and although she's still mental, I'm not forking out ridiculous amounts of money on her.
All the best to you. Hope you find something that works for you (and your dog)