What is the dosage of Valerian that can be safely used to relax a pregnant 55lb female dog for a 12hour international flight. Are there some other pregnancy safe herbs, such as relora or jujube or passiflora or A. pulsatilla that are better than valerian? About how hours will the dose last?Optional Information: Age: 5; Female; Breed: Small Munsterlander
Large dogs should be given one full tsp. But I'm not sure that this will have the effect that you are expecting.
Instead, I would look into Homeopet (www.homeopet.com) and try their anxiety formula. We have had a LOT of success with this. It can be purchased at most petsmart stores.
Let me know if you still have questions!
Reply to Tammy Falkner's Post: One full tsp of what? I already knew about about the Anxiety formula, and the others manufactured in England--which claim safety, but whose ingredients I don't trust. I don't have any information about its safety for pregnant bitches nor even its ingredients. There was no response concerning the several alternative stress relief remedies that work on humans. In that list I left out Garum amoricum, which is another ancient anxiety alleviator.
Sorry! You were asking about Valerian compound. The dosage for your dog's weight is one full tsp.
Valerian does come in a pet formula and has been used successfully in dogs. The other ones have not.
Reply to Tammy Falkner's Post: I need data. I neither know nor care what "Valerian compound" is. There are many such compounds on the market with other ingredients such as Hops flowers--another candidate--skullcap--no thanks, etc. The proper dosage has to be in an equivalent form to: XXXXX XXXXX (Valeric Acids 0.8%) XXXmg per kilo, and I need to see documented experimental evidence that this dosage has been used successfully on pregnant bitches (of a couple of breeds, hopefully) without mishap. Another ingredient I left out of my list is melatonin. This is especially good for the airline travel because of the time zone shift. I was hoping to see a COMPREHENSIVE answer to my question. The minimum requirement, however, is a veterinarily DOCUMENTED answer that works and is safe.
Does she get upset easily? Have you ever flown with her before?
She is a Small Münsterlander. Externally, they're pretty unflappable, but we lost a litter the last time we tried this two years ago. Therefore, we want to take no chances.
How long will you be traveling? If it's only a few days or a short vacation, you really might want to think of getting a petsitter instead of trying to take her with you. A transatlantic flight does subject her (and all the occupants) to a level of radiation that may or may not be suitable for pregnancy.
I would be very cautious about using any kind of sedative, natural or otherwise, with a pregnant dog. We would typically advise acepromazine but that is not safe in pregnant or lactating bitches. And the homeopathic remedies cannot be considered safe because none of them have been formally tested by the FDA. Benadryl MIGHT be ok late in her pregnant, but definitely not during the first few weeks.
Does this help more?
Reply to Tammy Falkner's Post: I am already cautious, and I already know about and would never use acepromazine. This is not news, and it doesn't answer my question. Our veterinarian has already discussed that with us. It represents the standard pharmaceutical viewpoint towards an issue that well might be amenable to a homeopathic approach or which I have named many. The reason I started with Valerian is that I saw an allusion to it on a Google search, but there was no detail and no backup. I am looking for an expert response or a pointer to an expert response to my inquiry. Sorry, but you just haven't even come close.