Why does it matter what other medications my dog is on?
Combining selegiline with certain other medications can be risky. The most concerning consequence would be the development of serotonin syndrome.
Serotonin syndrome occurs when the levels of serotonin in the brain are too high. While serotonin does act in the brain to create feelings of happiness and well-being, too much of it is a bad thing. Clinical signs of serotonin syndrome include:
If you suspect that your dog is developing serotonin syndrome, please call your veterinarian immediately. If it is ignored, serotonin syndrome can be deadly for your dog due to a rapid elevation in blood pressure.
What is the dosage for selegiline?
Generally, dogs will start out taking selegiline once a day (i.e. every 24 hours). It is commonly available as tablets that you can give your dog by mouth. If your dog won’t take pills, your veterinarian can also order a flavored selegiline liquid from a veterinary compounding pharmacy. You still need to give the liquid by mouth, but this is sometimes easier to administer than a pill. Additionally, selegiline comes in a transdermal patch that your vet can apply to your dog’s skin.
Selegiline is available as 1.25 mg, 2 mg, 4 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg, 40 mg, and 80 mg tablets as well as 6 mg/24 hours, 9 mg/24 hours, and 12 mg/24 hours transdermal patches.
Your veterinarian will determine what form and dose of selegiline is best for your dog. The decision depends on your dog’s clinical signs, weight, and other medications your dog is taking. It is very important that you follow your veterinarian’s instructions and do not make changes to the selegiline dose without consulting your veterinarian first.
How does selegiline help dogs with canine cognitive dysfunction?
Selegiline is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). This means that it blocks an enzyme known as monoamine oxidase (MAO) and prevents the enzyme from functioning. Dogs have these enzymes in their brain, liver, and GI tract. Selegiline specifically targets the enzymes in the brain.
These MAO enzymes remove extra amounts of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical that aids in communication throughout the brain. It is also known as a “feel good” chemical. This means that dopamine helps people and dogs recognize things that are pleasurable, such as eating.
In dogs with CCD, the MAO enzymes work too hard and get rid of too much dopamine in the brain. The excess removal of dopamine causes the clinical signs we see in our senior dogs with CCD.
Since selegiline is an MAOI, it inhibits the MAO enzymes and prevents them from removing excess dopamine. Therefore, more dopamine stays in the brain, and your dog’s CCD symptoms should hopefully improve.
A study in Veterinary therapeutics: research in applied veterinary medicine indicated that approximately 77% of dogs with CCD showed improvement on selegiline. This means that while it isn’t going to be the solution for every dog, it does have a pretty decent chance of being effective for many dogs.
In most cases, pet owners begin to notice an improvement in their dog’s cognitive dysfunction after approximately one month of treatment. However, it may take up to 12 weeks to see the full effects. As with any medication, it can require some trial and error to find the perfect dose for your dog. And some dogs may respond faster than others.
Any time you start giving a new medication to your dog, it is very important to watch him or her for changes in behavior or possible side effects. Noticing early on how your dog is responding to selegiline will be important to help your veterinarian determine the next steps.
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