Hi

My 7 year old staffie has at the moment a prolaspe of the uretha, causing bleeding when he gets excited. Hes seen the vet twice now - had antibiotics for 10 days no better. Tonight prescribed new antibiotcs and ACP sedative 25mg 2 times daily. He has had one tablet tonight and it is awful - his legs have given way he cant walk, and is crashed out looking awful. Does anyone have experience of this ACP medication as i dont think he can have more of this.

Vet wants him sedated for a week - he hopes the prolaspe will start healing other option if not is for an operation, i cant see him this doped this week its horrible to see.

Would be grateful of any info on ACP

Thanks

Hi

I have used this on my horses when they have needed sedating under vet advice. It does knock them off their feet if they have a high dosage! I would ring the vet and say you are concerned about the dosage and ask his/her advice. He may suggest halving a tablet if its having too much of an effect - or perhaps the vet wants him to be knocked out? Best off speaking to the vet directly really.

Good luck
C

I had a bitch that needed sedating and it took 6 tablets to even slow her down. 

I was also prescribed them for a dog and I gave him half a tablet to start with and thought I had killed him, he went down and stayed down for hours.  He ended up having just a few crumbs of the tablet to keep him slowed down. 

They get wobbly and the third eyelid shows and their mouths look "wrong" - sort of floppy.

Your dog will probably be content just to sleep but talk to your vet if you are concerned.

Thanks for the replies, he is sleeping like a log at the mo - think me and mum will be up during the night to check on him. Its amazing how quick they go off their feet - a few wobbles and he was down. Worried us more than him, but not nice seeing him this way.

Decided not to give him further tablets, will speak to vet tomorrow to inform him of this, see if thees an alternative? If things dont get better then the op might be needed to remove the prolaspe.

Alison

Hi Alison,

have a look at this previous topic LINK for a general overview of how powerful a drug this is.  The reasons for recommending it's use are different to yours but the potential for the drug to have serious adverse affects is the same :(

Personally, in your situation I'd ask my vet for valium instead if he/she thinks a prescribed sedative is the only way to go - although on discussion you may find him/her amenable to the suggested natural remedies in the above thread.

Best wishes, Teri  

ACP is not reccommended for use in Boxers as they are one of the breeds which have an adverse reaction
to ACP.
I'd definately go back to the vet and air your concerns and ask if there's anything
else which you can give your dog instead.

Back in the days when I believed in booster vaccinations my vet recommended I sedate my wheaten terrier with ACPs before I took him for his jab as he was terrified of vets.  Unfortunately the ACPs sedated his immune system to such a degree that it could not mount a response to the vaccine.  Over a period of 2/3 days he lapsed into a deep coma and subsequently died.
Although ACPs might be very useful in certain circumstances I would obviously be very wary of using them again.

I do hope your dog recovers well.

ACP is something I'd be wary of - several breeds have been recorded as having problems with it, including my breed (and Teri's) , Belgians.

Woof !
Max is a long leg Jack Russell turning 15 on the 20th may this year. Has been on ACP 10 mg most of his life. At 1st given if needed when over excited, for heart sake. 60 Tablets usually will last all most a year. Sometimes less depending on circumstance. Following a bottle being thrown though front sliding door and Max asleep on the other side being woken up covered in shattered glass. Max once stood outside barking at the thunder,(not allowed). Now trembles, ACP helps him survive the storm and other occasions.
Ok! Got through all that. Last vet visit Max was prescribed 5mg Valium, 1 TAB another 1/2 if needed. Tried it once and will never put Max through that again. ACP is quicker acting and allows him to rest through. Valium freaked him out and he lost bladder control more that ever before. (Old dog, some forgiveness for life enriched company).
Has never exhibited any aggression on ACP and he does have big scary teeth.  Trevor.

I hate these tablets!  One of my dogs had them once (post-op), and seemed just to calm her. Another op 2 years later, same dosage, had the exact reaction you experienced. They shut the body down but not the brain. I refused to use them, I could see the distress in her eyes. Some people use them for firework night!. Could you imagine being paralyzed, but your brain is totally alert-that is the effect it has on some dogs. So yes they will imobalize the body but not the brain. I would try for alternative from your vet. Sorry for rant, lol. good luck

Years ago my dogs were prescribed ACP for bonfire night and indeed one for long car journeys. The tablets did have the reaction explained by the OP, they got a bit wobbly then crashed out. They slept through bonfire night and woke up the following morning just fine. I know they were sleeping, their eyes were shut and they snored.
One year, the vet said we were not allowed ACP anymore because of what Christine1 said so we were precribed valium. It was AWFUL. They both shook all night and sat on my knee. It was the worst night i ever spent with them, they were petrified...their state of mind had been altered AND fireworks were going off...how scary is that?!!!!
I told this to my vet on the next visit...and we were then given ACP again, I was furious to be honest as I had been made to feel bad for giving them the ACP but they went to sleep. The fear they were subjected to on the valium was totally unacceptable in my opinion.
They were given ACP for another couple of years..before old age and deafness set in.

Lindsay - what effects have been recorded in Belgians?

This is an ancient resurrected thread (from 2005!); however ACP has been implicated as a trigger for epilepsy.

Yes I spotted the date, figured it was worth asking anyway - as I understand it ACP is often used as a pre-sedative to anaesthetic so I am wondering if it could have had anything to do with the jump in aggression Raine showed a week after her spay.

I wouldn't rule that out.

Not knowing what it can do generally, no.  Just hadn't occurred to me until I saw Lindsay's post :-) I know there was a pre-existing problem, I just wonder if that combined with her then-illness, plus the spay, plus possibly ACP... so many things at once for the poor girl.

One of my cocker spaniels had these after an op, dreadful medication!!  She had 5 fits in 6 hours, nearly died as she started fitting while eating her dinner and had food stuck in her throat....I had to pull it out, and she bit through my hand (during fit) which resulted in me having to have a tetanus injection!

I spoke to my vet and he denied knowing of any problems with ACP with any breed of dog, then when we went back a few months later, he admitted that boxers shouldn't have this drug as it was known to cause really bad side effects!

I now have a note against all my dogs records at my vets NOT to use this drug on any of them.