How long are dog anxiety meds stable in pre-made meat treats?

Question

My yorkie was prescribed 5 mg of fluoxetine daily for severe separation anxiety. I’ve been breaking 10 mg capsules and wrapping the meds in meat, two meat balls per capsule. For convenience I’ve prepared up to ten balls in advance. It recently occurred to me that the meat might change the chemical composition of the meds. Is this a concern? Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Male | neutered | 9 years old | 10 lbs

Sara Farmer, DVM · Accepted Answer

I'm not 100% sure about the stability of fluoxetine outside of the capsule, but as long as a capsule is not extended release I will sometimes recommend that people put the contents in a meatball like you describe for pets who are difficult to pill. I would be concerned about the stability of the drug in the meatball for 10 days however - it would probably be best to make each meatball daily and leave the remaining medication in the capsule or a dark plastic bag so it isn't exposed to light or oxygen. You may also want to ask your vet about having the medication compounded into a liquid suspension through a compounding pharmacy which might make it easier to squirt into a meatball and would result in more accurate dosing.

How long are dog anxiety meds stable in pre-made meat treats?

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