Dorwest Scullcap And Valerian Tablets

Dorwest Scullcap and Valerian tablets are a popular products used by cat and dog owners looking to reduce stress and anxiety in their pets. We use a number of Dorwest products for our own dog Archie. A very noise sensitive Border Collie, we tend to use these most around firework season, whether that’s Guy Fawkes, Diwali or New Year. They are by no means the only product we have used to help try and calm our dog and we will mention some of the others in this article.

Product Overview

Before getting into the specifics of this particular product I thought it might be worth looking at who Dorwest are. Essentially they sell a range of herbal supplements for pets, have a very long history and their products seem to be highly regarded and reviewed by customers.

So what do Dorwest have to say about their Scullcap and Valerian tablets? They claim that the product helps naturally relax your pet without causing drowsiness. According to their website these tablets are one of the their best sellers.

How Do They Work?

These tablets contain a number of ingredients which are known to have calming properties.

• Valerian. Helps support the bodies natural relaxant pathways in the nervous system without affecting muscles.
• Scullcap. Contains number of compounds, some which bind to the GABA receptor to reduce anxiety.
• Mistletoe. Helps circulation and supports natural calming pathways in the nervous system.
• Gentian. Supports the other natural active compounds and helps with liver function.

Whilst our main use for these tablets is for noise phobias, especially relating to fireworks, Dorwest lists a range of issues where these tablets can be used. The following are just a few of the listed issues.

• Noise phobias (fireworks & thunderstorms).
• Separation anxiety.
• Nervous travelers. & Visits to Vet.
• Training / Performance support. They are used in agility and show dogs that need to be alert, focused but calm.
• False pregnancy which causes some pets to become unsettled or anxious.
• Hyperactive dogs.
• Territorial urine spraying in cats.

Dorwest Scullcap And Valerian Dosage & Side Effects

Dorwest Scullcap And Valerian tablets are sold in a range of different quantities from 100 tablets up to 1000 tablets. Typical UK costs at time of writing are around £12.00 for 100 tablets and £80.00 for 1000 tablets. How long will these tablets last though? Well that depends on the recommended dosage which is stated to be 1-2 tablets per 5kg of bodyweight. Ideally the dosage should be split into two so half given in the morning and half in the evening. Dorwest recommend that the tablets are given daily for a minimum of 3 weeks, ideally starting before a known stressful event like firework displays.

So are there any side effects you need to be aware of? Well Valerian root can cause pets to be drowsy and lethargic, despite what Dorwest state. Perhaps such side effects are rare or not noticed at the dosage levels recommended by Dorwest. The main concern relating to Valerian comes from whether it is safe to use with other medications. It can interact with anesthetics so bear this in mind if your pet is scheduled to have an operation and get advice from your vet. It can also cause problems with sedative, anti-epileptic and anti-fungal drugs making them more potent.

Our Experience

We have used Dorwest Scullcap and Valerian tablets for a while and have generally been happy. I wouldn’t say it completely cures our dog’s stress and anxiety but we get the feeling it reduces the symptoms. Even though this article is mainly about the tablets, we actually probably prefer the liquid form of the valerian compound which is also featured in the image at the top. The reason we prefer this is that we are able to give it orally directly and we feel it absorbs and works much quicker. The liquid form however does not seem to include Scullcap in the list of ingredients. I also find it has a very intense smell which is why we give it directly. Trying to add the liquid form to his food could result in his refusing to eat. My partner also says the tablet form has a slight smell as well. I can’t say I’ve detected it but if she can smell it you can be sure your dog will as well.

Other Calming Products For Dogs

As mentioned earlier, Dorwest Scullcap and Valerian tablets are just one of a number of products we have tried over the years to help relieve stress and anxiety in our dog. Some of the other products we have tried include:

Thundershirt

Tight fitting garment designed to apply constant pressure to relieve stress. Safe to use since it’s not a medication but in our experience it had little to no effect with our dog.

CBD Oil

There are lots of positive reports about using CBD Oil for pets but it’s usage is somewhat of a grey area, at least here in the UK. Currently there are no CBD products authorised in the UK for veterinary use. We’ve noticed that the CBD oil we used to be able to buy aimed at pets is no longer advertised. We are still able to legally buy CDB Oil sold for humans. Some will argue this shouldn’t be given to pets because it’s not aimed at or been tested on pets. However as long as you make sure you adjust the stated dosage taking into account the weight of your dog I don’t see any issue. Indeed I would argue there are some medications prescribed by vets which have much greater side effects or newer medications which are being used where we simply don’t have the data about long term side effects.

The reason why there are still people willing to seek out CBD Oil for their dogs is that they have noticed that it works in relieving stress and anxiety. We have certainly seen the benefits when we know our dog is going to face a stressful situation.

Sileo Oromucosal Gel

Rather than being advertised to treat all anxiety and stress, Sileo Gel aims to treat dogs that suffer from serious noise aversion. It’s very popular with dog owners trying to combat fear of fireworks. We recently had a prescription from our vet for Sileo leading up to November 5th. Reviews for this product seem good but in our experience of using it we couldn’t say it was any more effective than CBD Oil. It’s also not cheap and the tube prescribed would not last very long based on the recommended dosage.

Summary

We have been happy using Dorwest Scullcap and Valerian tablets and even more so their Valerian compound liquid. We have a large number of their pet products in our home and maybe we will review some of these in a future article. If you would like to find out more you can visit their website as follows:

Dorwest – Herbal Treatments for your Dog

If you have any experience of using Scullcap and Valerian tablets or would like to suggest other products you have found effective in dealing with anxiety and stress in pets please feel free to leave a comment.