In June I first met Max, a 2yo MN Chocolate lab. He'd recently stayed at a kennel for 2 weeks and developed a Rt ear infection (really sore not itchy). He has been on Purina HA since March, beef liver for treats. O very happy with BMs, much reduced and firm, only BID. But ears persistently getting infected. Max is also a reactive barker! When you enter the room, he lunges and barks (looks scary if you don't know him but I can examine him fairly easily once he calms down with treats). I put him on Mometamax but also convinced the O to try a cooked diet - she came back a month later and he was doing really well - ears 100% clear! We also had to add some CHOs to his diet to really keep his wt up.
He came in again in November for his annual PE and was still doing well wrt allergies and ears, but his reactivity was really a burden for O. He would lunge and bark at strangers, esp men, on a walk daily. His tongue was a ruddy pink, normal size and moisture level. His pulses were well toned. I put him on Halscion to see if we could lower his anxiety. Unfortunately, Max didn’t react well to the Halcion. He was on it for nine days and, according to the O, after a couple of days he started becoming more reactive to sights and sounds. On the 9th day he panicked so badly to the sound of a drill that he sprayed fluid from his anal glands across the floor and in to his crate. The O took him off that evening and he has reverted to his usual self.
What would you do in this situation? Like I said, so many dogs (and a couple cats) are doing really well with Halscion. I'm wondering if I should be watching for anything else on exam before I prescribe?
Thanks in advance for your expertise!
Corinne