Anyone know anything about this product called Calmex? I have never heard of it before. I was interested to see that it included, amongst other ingredients, various vitamin Bs as I have just read an article by Swede Anders Hallgren (one of the very earliest behaviourists), dealing with nervousness and aggression in dogs (he has a book coming out very soon on the subject) and in it he says that he has found that for some nervous dogs, just adding extra vitamin B to the diet can help. On the other hand this is clearly not meant to be used on a daily basis.
http://www.petsensedirect.co.uk/acatalog/Calmex.html

This is similar to Serenum which has been on the market in the UK for years, also Valerie Strong in her book the Dogs Dinner recommended supplementing the diet with a carb meal including Vitamin B6 (although other recommend that the whole B family should be given) as this would be high in Tryptophan the precursor of Serotonin.

The same reason some people feed a lot of lettuce and turkey.

You can get 5-HTP from Healthspan

http://www.healthspan.co.uk/wellbeing/5-htp-tablets/productdetail-p211-c3171.aspx

Thanks for that!

Whilst the role of serotonin is very important in Calmex, Calmex is still quite different from the other calming products available out there. I've found that it gets to work within 30 mins (pack says 30-60), this is due to the ingredient Piper methysticum which has sedative properties.

What's great is that you can give your dog a Calmex capsule and almost instantly they are calmer (as opposed to DAP for instance which takes weeks!)

Thanks -I was thinking it might be worth a try with one of my dogs that has a big problem with people and in particular vets (was very roughly treated by a vet as a pup), when he next has to see the vet.

That's a great idea, just give him a Calmex capsule before you set off and by the time you get to the vets he should quite chilled out! There is no point in subjecting our dogs to distress if we can do otherwise.

If you go in a few times to the vets after giving Calmex then that should help desensitise him and help with his anxiety towards vets! Good luck

Its apparently fairly similar to zylkene but works slightly quicker. Its fairly new out on the market, our supplier hasn't even added it to their stock list yet, we had to order it specially.

> this is due to the ingredient Piper methysticum which has sedative properties.

That's Kava Kava, isn't it?

Are the side effects of Kava kava in dogs the same as in humans?

eg indigestion, mouth numbness, skin rash, headache, drowsiness and visual disturbances. Chronic or heavy use of kava has linked to pulmonary hypertension, skin scaling, loss of muscle control, kidney damage, and blood abnormalities.

Kava may lower blood pressure and it also may interfere with blood clotting.

Kava should not be taken within 2 weeks of surgery and liver or kidney disease contra indicates the use of kava.

> Are the side effects of Kava kava in dogs the same as in humans?

I don't know, which is why I thought it worth mentioning. I have tried it myself and it made me feel nauseous. I felt slightly relaxed but not to the point where I'd reach for it again out of choice. Valerian was much better, and it's worked very well for my dog too - and is just as fast if not more so if you use a quality tincture.

Dorwest Herbs protocol for fireworks was the ONLY thing that ever worked for my mum's late dog after years of trying everything. The Skullcap & Valerian tabs are mild enough, and if it becomes acute then more of their valerian tincture works almost immediately. I'd never needed to use it before last Nov 5th but I was very pleased with the results.

and if it becomes acute then more of their valerian tincture works almost immediately.

Have to say I tried it a few years ago with one dog and never again as it made him a lot worse.....

Old article but found a mention here:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/3_4/features/Dogs-Affraid-Thunder_5131-1.html