New puppy with crusty fur

Question
I adopted my 5 month old Pomeranian 8 days ago from the Humane Society.  We realized immediately he has severe separation anxiety and took him to the vet 6 days ago.  The vet prescribed .75 ml of prozac.  We mentioned that we noticed the puppy coughing a little but and the vet said he most likely caught something at the shelter.  Unfortunately his cough (or honking) has gotten much worse and after checking his symptoms, we're guessing it's Kennel Cough.  Here's the question: yesterday I came home from work and I noticed the fur on his paws and on his neck beneath the chin appeared a little crusty.  I didn't think much of it at the time, but it was worse today.  Could it be the medication?  Could it be Kennel Cough?  I plan on taking him back in to the vet, but I'm hoping you may have some info.
Thank you!
Torie

Answer

Hi Torie,

It's impossible to guess at what condition your puppy has. It could be Kennel Cough, or another respiratory infection. Your puppy should be re-examined by a veterinarian, as he may need medication at this time.

Side effects associated with Prozac include: lethargy, panting, hyperactivity, shaking, restlessness, excessive vocalization, aggression and temporary lack of appetite. Gastrointestinal upset may also occur.

Though separation anxiety can be treated with Prozac, it's usually only prescribed in the worst of cases. Having just recently adopted your puppy, Prozac is an "over-kill", since your puppy hasn't really adjusted to being adopted yet. Arriving in a new home is a very stressful thing for a new puppy.  You need to expect behavioral issues to occur, and train your puppy out of them. There are ways of helping your puppy without medication. Also, Prozac works best with "behavior modification" (meaning training) the medication alone isn't a "cure" and won't train your puppy to be calm when he's left alone.

If the vet you are using is associated with a larger pet store such as Petsmart, or from an animal shelter, I suggest changing your vet, and select a veterinarian in private  practice. This ignoring of the respiratory condition and prescribing Prozac for a recently adopted puppy just is not  typical, and should raise an eyebrow of concern.

You can read about training your dog out of a separation anxiety here:

http://www.longliveyourdog.com/careguide/carehealth/carehealth/SeparationAnxiety...

http://www.perfectpaws.com/sa.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Separation-Anxiety-in-Puppies&id=2086141


Best of luck,
Patti