Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Calming Care Liver Flavored Powder Calming Supplement for Dogs, 30 count

I am writing this review about three months after using this product daily with my nervous 4 year old sighthound. He was dealing with some pretty significant night-time anxiety and would often hide in bed trembling for no reason after dark. Full vet workup and consult with trainer diagnosed him with anxiety, and about once weekly he would need Gabapentin/Trazodone to calm down enough to sleep. For two months I used it and saw absolutely zero improvement. I decided on a whim to buy one more box and I'm glad I did! The past few weeks Ive noticed my dog has been more playful and relaxed and I have not needed to give him anxiety meds at all for two weeks. My pill pockets are collecting dust! Overall I feel this product can be really helpful but you need to be patient and have the expectation that it may take time to be effective.

The Labrador puppy I acquired was nearly 5 months old and had been returned to the breeder, where he stayed for a couple of months to get socialized before trying to place him in a home that was ready for the challenge. I can't be sure what impact the re-homing and changes had on him, but when he came home to me he was excessively and overwhelmingly anxious. Probably a 12 on a scale of 1-10. Working with a trainer and behaviorist, with puppy classes, was doing nothing to address his nervousness and reactivity. We tried daycare, tons of exercise, different training methods, white noise, essential oils, CBD, Thundershirt, etc. Yes, we tried almost everything! After months we put him on a low dose (10mg, now 20mg which is still low for a Lab) of Prozac (fluoxetine) and that did help take the edge off a bit and allowed him to be more receptive to training and counter-conditioning. The vet was hopeful with his progress. I was reading the study conducted for this Purina Calming Probiotic and was intrigued enough to order a box. I don't know how other people claim their dog showed improvement in 2 days - that seems scientifically impossible and likely a placebo effect/wishful thinking. But, after about 3.5 - 4 weeks, we did see some slow and gradual improvements in Ned's general nervousness. Specifically, less nervous paw-licking, less nervous panting, and less barking with new noises. All good things! The one BIG thing I was hoping this would help with is his fear-reactivity when we encounter other friendly dogs on our leashed walks. No change at all there, so we continue to be consistent with training and hope for the best. In terms of getting Ned to ingest this, it's a breeze. I sprinkle the packet over his morning kibble and he gobbles it up, even licking the bowl. His belly has shown improvement (less soft poo, which was a problem). I'd recommend trying this BUT please don't expect it will be a miracle. Every dog is different and give the full and recommended amount of time to see if your dog benefits.

My four year old corgi has been anxious and aggressive since I got him as a puppy. I've done the rounds with local and out of state behaviorists, training sessions, read every book I could get my hands on, spent oodles and oodles of money trying to help him, and all of these things have lessoned his triggers but didn't actually do much other than help him and I cope. He's a resource guarder, doesn't like to be touched, leash reactive and generally afraid of just about everything which is really the stem of his aggression. Instead of being submissive or coming to me when he's scared, he will bite in response to fear. Doesn't matter who it is, if you're around him and unprepared when he's triggered, you're gonna have a scar. It has been his routine from about age two to hide upstairs in his bed all day, even refusing to go outside to go to the bathroom and only coming downstairs to eat. Any effort to get him to interact or leave the room resulted in him showing aggressive behavior. This has been a continual pain point for all of us. I also have another dog (not aggressive) in the house and he would bare his teeth at her, growling and refusing to allow her close to him. There have never been any incidents, he just didn't want anything to do with her and he absolutely wanted nothing to do with me as he often showed me the same behavior. I've been using Purina's other probiotic, the intestinal support in the purple box for about a year now, as my dog (this dog, the corgi) has always had weird intestinal issues. We finally found a food that he's stable on and combined with the other probiotic he's done amazingly well. The vet had previously mentioned this probiotic to us as well but it was only available by prescription and at about double the price offered here. By chance I found it here about month or so ago and it has been a gamer changer. Using this and coupling it with all of the other training and coping mechanisms that we're learned to deal with his aggression, my dog is actually choosing to come out of his room again. He instigates play with my other dog. He will lay down on the carpet and sleep (previously I had to put him in for scheduled naps as he would never settle, which lead to further aggression due to him being tired). He has a much greater patience threshold. He allows me to pet him, brush him, look in his mouth, wipe his eyes, etc. These sessions are very short and always have lots of treats as a reward but he's not immediately growling or biting as he had previously done. He's letting me bathe him and do all the things you should be able to do to take care of a dog without fearing for your life and that's a massive win in my book. He still has his triggers and he still runs out of patience and will sometimes choose to hide in his room after getting frustrated or scared. But these are brief bouts, a half hour or so and he will be back with the group happy and eager to play again. There have been no bites or any other Cujo inspired moments since beginning this probiotic. At best, he's now a grumpy guy who mumbles a lot when he's upset. I give him one packet of the calming care in the morning with his meal and at night he gets half a packet of the intestinal support probiotic. I've chosen to to do this as the calming care only has strains that help with aggressive/anxious behavior and does not include the intestinal support that he needs. He still takes both and he's doing great. I won't say its a miracle, but I absolutely will continue to purchase this product. I am so appreciative that Chewy offers it without a prescription. I was super skeptical at first having already tried everything else out there, but I'm truly a believer now. I swear I'm not a corporate shrill (I don't think I've even ever left another review on Chewy's website) but if you're even a bit on the fence about this, seriously, just try it. One box has 6 weeks of packets which is about the length of time it says it will take to see results. I saw a change in my crazy dog within a week and every day he continually gets better. I truly hope you see the same in yours.

Reading the reviews, I knew that this was a supplement meant as a more gradual change in behavior and not an immediate miracle worker. With those expectations in mind, this definitely did the trick for our girl Fig. Our swissy was rehomed with us and was an absolute wreck. Severe separation anxiety, scared of loud sounds (anything really), and raised as a farm dog - city life was terrifying. Its been six weeks of using the supplement and now shes not freaking out seeing trash cans on the side walk or hearing the sounds of cars pass by. She also had some weird fear aggression witb the reflections of light (from passing cars) that would enter our living room that has pretty much just turned from growling to watching the lights. It made her more... normal and manageable. She is still scared of sounds but not in the way she was before. I'll be continuing this supplement indefinitely as I think its key for her to become more engaged. OH! It definitely did not work for fireworks though. She still freaked out about that big time but that's okay - we won't be here for fourth of July so it works out for us in the meantime.