What do I use to sedate a dog for grooming?

“You” don’t, you consult your vet first. Groomers do not have sedatives on hand either, they need to be prescribed by a vet and carefully dosed based on the dogs health history and weight. I don’t think you can even buy anything like this OTC and shouldn’t anyway. Take your dog to the vet for an exam and consultation.

Normally dogs are not sedated for grooming, just a gradual desensitization, like showing him the brush, give him a treat or petting and talking to the dog helps. Some may use a muzzle.But if they are aggressive to you and will not let you or the groomer work with him then you may talk to your vet about doing this. He may prescribe some mild tranquilizer pills. As long as the medication is prescribed by him, it’s safer and easier.

Sedate a dog for GROOMING? Are you talking about merely brushing him, or a shampoo, cut and blow dry? Look, if the poor bastard hates going to the barber that much, give him a pass, for chrissake. What you have is a dog, not a dolly. If taking him to the groomers is so important to you that you’ve contemplated giving him drugs to accomplish this, I believe you may be the one who needs the sedation. Or follow Smitha’s advice as she seems infinitely more patient with the general public this morning.

My cat is a biter. She freaks out bad when she has to go to the vet. He prescribed a low dose relaxer to give to her an hour before an appointment. This is not a “sedative”. As in, it does not make her go to sleep. It just chills her out. So, yes…talk to your vet.

You should not be using any drugs without a veterinarian’s oversight.

Puppy xanax, even for adults, and if necessary a muzzle. My vet has xanax for about $7 for a bottle of 10.

You don’t unless it’s prescribed by the vet.

It does sound like the dog needs some very patient training rather than sedation.

You put the topics “aggressive, biter,” in the details of the question. Why would you even keep such a dog?

@Dutchess_III Maybe because she loves it.

@Dutchess_III I actually admire people who can keep a naturally aggressive dog and keep it and humans safe. She’s acknowledging the issue and preventing mishaps. It’s the idiots who don’t do that that cause breed-specific legislation and dogs getting shot by cops, etc…

My vet taught me domination exercises for my aggressive dog, a terrier, a few years ago, and also preached socialization techniques (300 new experiences and people in the first 30 days.)

My concern would be the dog suddenly “turning” for no apparent reason. But that’s just me. Don’t want to derail this thread.

@Dutchess_III Good dog mom’s don’t put their dog in the position to turn and hurt anyone except themselves. ;) This one terrier was more aggressive than any pitbull I owned, weird.