Some questions which you ask to your doctor 2

Q: Dear Dr. Mike, A friend of mine has told me she has heard of a "new" medication for use on dogs with thunderstorm fears. I am familiar only with acepromazine and other tranquilizers which must be given 30 to 60 minutes before the storm. She said it is called something like "eltriplomean" or at least sounds like that. I cannot find anything on the internet because I am probably mis-spelling it. She said it has to be given to the dog daily for it to build up an immunity in its system over a 4 to 6 week period. Sounds quite strange to me, but if there is such a drug available, might be worth using for owners with dogs with this problem during the summer months. I have a boarding kennel and have probably a dozen or so dogs during the summer who have this phobia. We have always treated with tranquilizers the owners bring from their own vets. Are you familiar with anything like this? Thanks, Betsey

A: You are probably referring to amitriptyline (Elavil Rx) which is used in conjunction with diazepam (Valium Rx) or other anti-anxiety medications for thunderstorm phobias. It is used daily during the thunderstorm season and when storms actually occur diazepam is given as well, if needed. We have used this combination and it works better than most things for thunderstorms but it is not effective in all dogs. My guess is that it is helpful enough to satisfy the client in about 50 to 60% of thunderstorm phobia cases.